Search results

Describing and explaining the interface between organizational culture and community culture necessitate an exploration into assumptions, expectations, beliefs, symbolism, and behaviors. This commentary examines the successful integration of an expanding US pharmaceutical firm into Indonesia's multicultural environment, a context marked by the interweaving of market exchange and reciprocity exchange. It directs attention to the interactions occurring among key leaders within the firm, and between those in the firm and those in the peasant and governmental communities. By focusing on the cultural processes of partnering, the contribution of cooperative, healthy relationships in achieving the firm's business goals is revealed.

GM has initiated partnerships with firms and research institutions at a rapid pace. One effort of the multi‐disciplinary research team involved the construction of a relationship dynamics model to assist in partnership planning and management. Earlier research on private‐sector partnerships indicated that partnership success is largely dependent upon the development and maintenance of strong, productive relationships between the partners. Therefore, modeling efforts focused on the relationship itself. To increase the likelihood that the resulting model is realistic, valid and representative, empirical data was combined with a systems‐dynamics approach, and the model is being validated with feedback from study participants.

Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the article in context.

Wagoner and his spokespeople are making some claims that the situation is set to improve. The firm can now put the Fiat fiasco behind it and can learn from failed ventures, uninspiring product lines and the cost of heavy sales incentives. Wagoner is sticking by his ambition to assign $10 to each share, though his timescale is increasing. Analysts, however, remain difficult to convince. The predominant feeling among them, backed by business writers, is that GM is still going through a tough time and any growth in profitability looks highly unlikely. At best, it is hoped that the company can pull back enough to draw even over the next couple of years. It is up to shareholders to decide whether or not they are prepared to stick around long enough to see what happens after that.

Provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.

The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy‐to‐digest format.

Neal M. Ashkanasy is a Professor of Management at the University of Queensland, Australia. His research interests lie in organizational and ethical behavior, leadership, culture, and emotions. He is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Organizational Behavior and the book series Research on Emotion in Organizations.

Business and anthropological research create different constructions that frame the enviroscapes in which complex inter- and intra-organizational actors interface. This essay engages Briody's (2009) three major areas of comment: methodology, theoretical concepts, and leadership processes used in the Essex scenarios. Briody's is an anthropological construct, while Reeves-Ellington's is that of a business practitioner/researcher. Expanding his original thoughts for conceptual organization, choice of research methods, and models for interaction allows the author to address Briody's observations in ways that further an ongoing dialogue between academic research, practitioner, anthropology, and business, with the ultimate goal that others will join the conversation.

The purpose of the paper is to explain the successful implementation of organizational applications, and ensuing organizational change, based on a story from a GM manufacturing plant.

The approach involved collecting and analyzing the Hoist Story as part of a multi‐year ethnographic research project designed to identify the key attributes in an ideal plant culture. Through a cooperative process of co‐production, the authors worked in tandem with organizational members on issues related to organizational‐culture change.

The findings emphasize both the Hoist Story's process impact and outcome impact. The Hoist Story was a catalyst for the change process, resulting in a high level of buy‐in across the organization; as such it contrasts with much of the management literature on “planned change.” It also led to the development of several “packaged products” (e.g. a story script, video, collaboration tools) which propelled GM manufacturing culture closer to its ideal – a culture of collaboration. Using employee stories as a means to understand and drive culture change is a largely underdeveloped area of scholarship.

This paper provides value by bridging the gap between theory and praxis. It includes the documentation and cultural analysis of the story, but illustrates how the story evolved into specific organizational‐culture‐change applications. This “soup‐to‐nuts” approach can serve as a model for organizational researchers and change agents interested in spearheading or supporting organizational‐culture change.