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Collaborative systems are particular cases of multi-team systems in which several groups representing various interests meet to debate and generate solutions on complex societal issues. Stakeholder diversity in such systems often triggers power differences and disparity and the study explores the dual role of power disparity in collaborative settings. The purpose of this paper is to extend the power approach-inhibition model (Keltner et al., 2003) to the group level of analysis and argue that, on the positive side, power disparity increases the cognitive activity of the interacting groups (i.e. task-related debates), while on the other hand it generates a negative affective climate.

The authors collected data at two time points across nine behavioral simulations (54 teams, 239 participants) designed to explore the cognitive and affective dynamics between six parties interacting in a collaborative decision task.

The results show that power disparity increases cognitive activity in collaborative multi-party systems, while it hinders the affective climate, by increasing relationship conflict and decreasing psychological safety among the stakeholders.

This study provides important theoretical and practical contributions mostly for the consultation processes, as interventions might be directed at fostering the positive effects of power disparity in collaborative setting, while mitigating its drawbacks.

By extending the approach-inhibition model to the group level, this is one of the first empirical studies to examine the dual nature of the impact that power disparity has on the cognitive (i.e. positive effect) and affective (i.e. negative effect) dynamics of multi-party collaborative systems (i.e. multi-team systems).

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a Foucauldian concept into the theory and practice of OD and change management. The piece challenges Habermasian a priori assumptions about organizational diagnosis and intervention.

This is a conceptual paper.

Literature points to the benefit of considering the possibility of parrhesiastic behavior in change management and organization development as part of a broader set of diagnostic tools.

Future research should engage in practice driven test cases, interview practicing change managers, and refine the concept for use as a diagnostic tool.

Including discussions of parrhesia in change management and OD study and practices can better prepare change professionals for the realities of contemporary organizational practices.

To date, the links developed in this manuscript have not been made in the management literature, though it builds upon emerging literature in critical management studies and human resource management. It has the potential to influence both theory and practices of both OD and change management.

Economics can be defined as the study of economies, i.e., the ways in which people earn a living. On this definition economic activities occupy a large proportion of most individual's lives and their outcome determines living standards and social status. Therefore it seems axiomatic that indifference to economic matters will be rare and that acquired positions of power will be used to influence their result. Within an economy, individuals and groups possess widely varying degrees of power; few would deny that the directors of ICI possess a greater influence over the parameters within which they operate than does a one‐man business or that the National Union of Mineworkers exerts a greater impact than the National Union of Agricultural Workers. Power can be defined in a general sense as the ability to get one's own way and in economic terms as the ability of an individual or group to fix or alter the conditions of exchange in its own favour. However, power is inherent in anonymous social institutions as well as in identifiable groups and individuals, and it derives more from the routine application of effectively unchallenged assumptions than from domination after public conflict.

The purpose of this article is to explore and propose a way of using power as a theoretical anchor to investigate the information behaviour of people in work roles.

The paper reviews literature on power relevant to the information disciplines. Various models of power are described, and a more sophisticated view, which takes a relational approach to power, is used to suggest how information related behaviour could be investigated.

In this paper, power is regarded as a pervasive phenomenon involved in all aspects of individual lives, including the aspects emanating from work roles performed by individuals, thus manifesting itself as part of the relationships in the organisation. The paper suggests a framework that links information behaviour to power by arguing that power relations that form part of the processes of the work roles induce the information behaviour exhibited by those people. The paper concludes by pointing to a need for information behaviour researchers to consider power as central to understanding how people seek and use information.

The framework could be used as a tool for designing studies that will enable the collection of data on information behaviour.

The purpose of the paper is to identify how the intersection of power, context, subjectivity and directionality makes it possible for the targets of workplace bullying to deflate power imbalance between them and the perpetrators.

The paper is based on nine in-depth interviews with self-reported targets from different public sector organizations in India. The targets were purposively selected keeping in mind that they made deliberate attempts to counter bullying. Constructivist grounded theory approach was used to analyze the data.

Six themes emerged as sources of power imbalance and eight themes as the way of deflating power imbalance. The core category that emerged was “enhancing personal identity”, which was the underlying phenomenon leading to deflation of power imbalance, through the intersection of power, context, subjectivity and directionality.

The study indicates that power, context, subjectivity and directionality of bullying help the targets to identify effective strategies of deflating power imbalance. In the process, the targets indulge in personal identity enhancement. It further reinforces the understanding that power does not remain static and may shift from the perpetrator to the target of bullying.

The study provides various tactics that targets can use to counter workplace bullying. It implies that targets need not always leave the organization or succumb to the situation in order to deal with bullying. It encourages the targets of bullying and those who deal with bullying targets to indulge in personal identity enhancement through problem-focused strategies of tackling workplace bullying.

It also furthers our understanding of workplace bullying from the point of intersection of the four aspects of the phenomenon – power, context, subjectivity and directionality – which allows the targets of bullying to enhance their personal identity.

The purpose of this paper is to add to the single-family house bargaining power literature by investigating the bargaining power of the principals when the seller provides financing with an installment land contract (ILC).

Generalized spatial two-stage least squares regression is used to analyze data from 998 ILC transactions and 19,376 traditionally financed transactions all of which occurred in Montgomery County, Ohio between January 2002 and March 2011.

The results indicate that buyers using an ILC operate at a bargaining power disadvantage. In our sample, they paid approximately 6.64 per cent more, on average, than did buyers using traditional financing to purchase similar housing. This result occurred despite the fact that the included ILC transactions were limited to those carrying an interest rate that was above the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) rate at the time of contract origination.

The study is limited to transactions that occurred in one county of a Midwestern state over a ten-year period. Therefore, the results may not apply in other locations. Valuable extensions of the current study would include an investigation to determine if similar results apply in other local housing markets. In addition, an examination of ILC transactions for other property types (e.g. undeveloped land, commercial properties, etc.) which may involve more sophisticated vendees could prove interesting.

This is the first study to investigate bargaining power in the single-family house market by focusing on ILC transactions. In this rather unique market segment, evidence of an imbalance of bargaining power is found. The results suggest that prospective purchasers, real property investors, fee appraisers, county auditors and others interested in determining the value of a single-family house using the transaction price of comparable properties take precautions in identifying comparable properties. The results indicate that house acquisitions facilitated with an ILC may not be a good comparable for a traditionally financed property and vice versa.

To expand the literature and enhance understanding of the mentoring process, this research proposes the social exchange theory (SET) as a framework for the exchanges that take place between individuals in a mentoring relationship.

A detailed literature review for mentoring and Fiske's social exchange theory propositions, as well as work by Hofstede on power distance, gender, and diversity studies, provide a new approach to mentoring research.

The four relational structures (communal sharing, authority ranking, equality matching and market pricing) developed by Fiske and the effects of diversity are integrated with the existing mentoring literature to create a new model explaining the effects exchange type and diversity have on the perceived amount of support given and received during the maturation process of the mentoring relationship.

This paper extends an under‐researched area of mentoring with discussion and suggests areas for future research. Specifically, the study focuses on operationalising and testing the proposed, expanded mentoring model in both qualitative and quantitative research for confirmation and further theory building.

By integrating mentoring and Fiske's social exchange theories to provide an alternative explanation for the mentoring process, this paper proposes a number of new possible relationships that will require quantitative, confirmatory research but should add significantly to this area of study. Propositions for further testing are provided as well as suggestions for operationalising and testing the model.

This paper seeks to examine the possibility that antitrust enforcement will strengthen in the USA. The study sets out to assess whether the merger of two large rivals into one even larger firm is likelier to prompt government challenge than has been true in the recent past.

The paper examines the history of fluctuations in antitrust enforcement. Also, it reviews research in economics questioning the idea that mergers lead to efficiencies that bring about lower prices to consumers and allow struggling firms to survive. Finally, the paper assesses the negative effect of recession‐prompted bailouts on public perceptions of “behemoth” firms.

The study finds signs of possible change in enforcement priorities. Recent actions by the Federal Trade Commission and the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice include considerations beyond the “Chicago School” emphasis on efficiency. Economic research questions that emphasis as well. So may voter unhappiness with government bailouts and the firm size that made them seem necessary.

Small firms may want to encourage stronger enforcement; it may spare them the price‐setting power of megafirms they would otherwise face as suppliers or customers – or competitors. Larger firms, by contrast, may want to advocate the opposite, but draw up contingency plans if their chief growth strategy has been to purchase rivals.

This paper juxtaposes economic research, antitrust history, and recent economic issues to offer a perspective on what may be an important shift in antitrust enforcement.

Relying on relational demography and person-organization fit perspectives, the purpose of this paper is to explore the interactive effect of demographic dissimilarity and value congruence on workplace attachment outcomes – affective and normative organizational commitment and turnover intentions. Based on optimal distinctiveness theory, asymmetrical effects across gender and race/ethnicity are also examined.

A diverse sample of 278 restaurant workers in 30 different work units is used to test the hypotheses using hierarchical OLS regression.

The results partially support the idea that perceived and objective value congruence moderate the relationship of race/ethnic and gender dissimilarity on workplace attachment. Tests for asymmetrical demographic group effects showed that value congruence had a stronger moderating effect for whites than for people of color, and for men than for women.

The results suggest that value congruence can ameliorate the adverse diversity effects on workplace attachment, but that a complete substitution effect may not be present. Women and minorities may still be sensitive to demographic representation even when their value congruence is high. This implies that a simultaneous pursuit of fit and diversity is an adequate diversity management strategy to stimulate the inclusion and workplace attachment of all social groups.

This study joins a limited number of studies addressing the interaction of value congruence and demographic dissimilarity, and presents empirical evidence from a work setting. Also, this is the first study to show gender and race/ethnic differences in this interaction.

The purpose of this paper is to estimate the prevalence of staff bullying in Australian schools, to identify bullies and targets and to examine some implications for school leaders in dealing with staff bullying.

The quantitative research design survey instrument contained 11 demographic items, 44 questions of bullying experience, two lists of possible bullies and targets, plus three open‐ended questions.

Data revealed that 99.6 per cent of respondents had experienced some form of bullying during their employment. Half the respondents experienced 32 or more of the 44 listed survey items, while their health was adversely affected by persistent and frequent bullying.

The research revealed the existence of workplace bullying in Australian schools and some obvious implications for leadership. It profiled the experiences of respondents and identified strategies to eliminate or reduce bullying in Australian schools.

The exploratory study was the first national online survey into staff bullying in Australian schools.