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1 – 10 of over 3000Edward Peck, Bob Grove and Valerie Howell
This paper argues that the traditional approach to translating national policy into local practice, based as it is on a metaphor of organisations as machines, will not lead to…
Abstract
This paper argues that the traditional approach to translating national policy into local practice, based as it is on a metaphor of organisations as machines, will not lead to effective implementation of the national service framework for mental health. The recent innovations of performance management and evidence‐based practice will not rectify the failures inherent in that traditional approach. Rather, the paper contends that there is need for a broader range of metaphors of organisations to be deployed in the creation of a robust implementation process and suggests three ‐ negotiated order, chaos theory and learning theory ‐ that the authors have found of particular value.
The changing environment and competitive market forces have brought many changes in the business sector that have put organisations under immense pressure. The use of psychometric…
Abstract
The changing environment and competitive market forces have brought many changes in the business sector that have put organisations under immense pressure. The use of psychometric assessments and behavioural profiling help organisations to determine individuals' abilities, aptitudes, personality traits, values and factors which intrinsically motivate them and assist in bringing the right people on board who fit well within the organisational culture and can contribute towards the performance goals. Although behavioural profiling and psychometric assessments are accepted worldwide, however, developing countries particularly the public sector still relies on conventional recruitment methods and the adaptation of contemporary behavioural profiling and psychometric assessments is a challenge. Therefore, this chapter evaluates how the adaptation of behavioural profiling and psychometric assessments in the civil service exams in developing countries can improve the selection process and ultimately can help to improve the quality of public services, capacity building and achieving sustainability goals.
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The purpose of this paper is to draw from: Freud's Interpretation of Dreams, citing the Dream of Irma's Injection, to illustrate psychic organization and the relation of psychic…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to draw from: Freud's Interpretation of Dreams, citing the Dream of Irma's Injection, to illustrate psychic organization and the relation of psychic to social organization; The Dream of the Failed Dinner Party, to illustrate the inter‐individual context of dreaming; and finally The Dream of the Burning Child, to briefly discuss analogous processes to dreams in relation to the ethics of organization.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper consists of a critical conceptual review of literature in the fields of psychoanalysis and organization.
Findings
A psychoanalytic focus on dreams acknowledges the importance of the organization of the psyche, highlighting the continuing importance of childhood experience and of repressed desire for adult neurotics. The social organization of the psyche illustrates the importance of understanding that different character types produce different phantasies of organization. It is argued that the inter‐individual context is important to understanding the contagious nature of hysterical desire. Finally, given that traumatic dreams unsettle and destabilize our conscious understanding as good, rational, individual subjects, the paper discusses the analogous roles for dreaming, which might be related to organization ethics.
Practical implications
By highlighting unconscious processes, the psychoanalytic understanding of dreams asks organizational theorists to enquire into material that is withheld from consciousness.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to the understanding of dreams in relation to the organization of the psyche; the relation of psychic organization to social organization; and the inter‐individual context.
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Umar Ghuman and Wendy Olmstead
Public agency managers dealing with environmental issues often encounter “wicked problems”; poorly defined, with conflicting interpretations of data, and conflict among values and…
Abstract
Public agency managers dealing with environmental issues often encounter “wicked problems”; poorly defined, with conflicting interpretations of data, and conflict among values and missions (Rittel & Webber, 1973). This case study that provides insight into a “wicked problem” resulting from a complex series of interactions between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Reclamation during the Kesterson incident (a biological disaster during the 1980s). Morganʼs (2006) metaphors are utilized to examine the circumstances of the incident and demonstrate the hierarchical structures and opposing cultures that exacerbated the issues. Dealing with a wicked problem requires embracing conflict to potentiate change. We assert that public organizations dealing with complex issues need to embrace chaos and flux and self-organize in the same manner as biological systems, thereby evolving into dynamic organizations well-equipped to deal with the complexities of their environments.
Miriam Moeller, Jane Maley, Michael Harvey and Marina Dabic
As the internationalization process dictates the existence of cross-country networks it is essential to explore avenues that allow emerging market multinationals (EMNCs) to share…
Abstract
Purpose
As the internationalization process dictates the existence of cross-country networks it is essential to explore avenues that allow emerging market multinationals (EMNCs) to share and receive knowledge that can benefit them locally and globally. The purpose of this paper is to explore this conundrum by addressing the significance of creating a global mindset in individuals and across the multinational corporation. In the paper the authors articulate the mechanisms that influence global managers’ abilities to engage effectively with other global managers across borders.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a conceptual and theoretical piece.
Findings
The authors argued that global managers engage in reciprocal learning processes to obtain new, innovative knowledge about other countries’ environments and business practices. The authors furthermore suggest that the effectiveness of new knowledge creation is dependent upon the appropriate input, throughput, and output competencies of those involved in the reciprocal learning process.
Originality/value
Proper people management plays a crucial role in fostering an environment where employees’ commitment will lead to organizational innovation. Propositions foreshadowing in the new, innovative knowledge creation process across cultural and personal levels are articulated.
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The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how psychoanalytic thinking can help therapeutic communities think about how the defence of psychic retreat can develop and take hold in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how psychoanalytic thinking can help therapeutic communities think about how the defence of psychic retreat can develop and take hold in the face of organisational transition and overwhelming loss.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper draws upon the paradigm of psychoanalysis and is a case study orientated by a participant/observer stance.
Findings
This paper posits that unless loss is worked through then perverse clinical cultures can develop including bullying and denial of reality.
Originality/value
This paper illustrates the unique selling point of therapeutic communities incorporating justice into the treatment frame. It also identifies that unless loss is emotionally worked through then it can become the ground soil in which perverse cultures can develop.
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Jane L. Menzies and Stuart Orr
The purpose of this paper is to test a model of cooperation between internationalising businesses and local and host country governments in the context of Australian companies…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to test a model of cooperation between internationalising businesses and local and host country governments in the context of Australian companies internationalising to China.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper presents a model for the political dimensions of internationalising based on corporate political theory and the cooperative view of management. Data were collected from personal interviews with representatives from 40 Australian organisations with businesses or operations in China. The data were analysed using NVivo.
Findings
Assistance provided by the Australian government was often sought and was perceived to be beneficial. Most participants experienced policies and regulations which affected their entry modes. In ten cases they acted as barriers and significantly influenced entry mode choice. The majority of participants viewed the development of relationships with the Chinese government as important and employed a variety of relationship behaviours. Over half of the participants identified the need to understand and deal with the psychically distant government structures of the Chinese government, namely government intervention in business.
Practical implications
The model links the organisational objectives of businesses internationalising to China, understanding the political/regulatory environment, selecting an entry mode and developing/maintaining a successful business. To achieve these objectives corporate political behaviour must reflect the sovereign powers in place at the time.
Originality/value
The paper presents a model which develops the literature for the political dimensions of internationalisation. It also presents empirical data on the political dimensions of internationalising into China. These findings will assist businesses in understanding political factors when internationalising to China.
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Fiona Henderson, Christine Reilly, David Moyes and Geoffrey Whittam
In Scotland, the self-directed support (SDS) legislation is a catch-all payment system which brings challenges to local authorities, service delivery organisations and the service…
Abstract
Purpose
In Scotland, the self-directed support (SDS) legislation is a catch-all payment system which brings challenges to local authorities, service delivery organisations and the service users it is intended to empower. Set against a backdrop of cuts to local authorities and third-sector funding, this policy presents third-sector organisations with both the opportunities and challenges of commercialising their activities to become more sustainable. The purpose of this paper is to provide evidence of the challenges faced by one charity as it engages in a process of hybridity to accommodate changes in its funding due to the introduction of SDS.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper utilises a case study approach. The paper captures the experiences and views of managers, staff and parents advocating for their children through interviews with a purposive sample from each group. The challenges of gathering data and giving a voice to caregivers advocating for children with complex needs are discussed, particularly the difficulties in accessing a hard to reach group.
Findings
The findings identifies issues which have arisen because of the proposed changed in strategic direction of the organisation due to the introduction of SDS and are all related to hybridity. The findings are arranged in four sub-sections based on the themes that emerged from the qualitative data generated from the interviews: the practical delivery of care; tensions between care and quality, the care workforce, and the parent perspective.
Research limitations/implications
SDS policy has had unexpected impacts and reactions whilst rolling out across regions in Scotland, but policymakers and those involved in the care sector, including consumers, face significant challenges in gathering evidence not only from the vulnerable populations this policy affects but also from organisations already under pressure from austerity-led cuts. This paper presents the challenges to organisations involved in caring for children with complex needs, who are a particularly neglected group of stakeholders.
Practical implications
Organically arising barriers to organisational transition from charity to social enterprise are presented, as staff and caregivers react to the prospect of SDS uptake affecting their organisation. Proactive attempts to embrace a hybrid approach by the organisation are analysed.
Social implications
Understanding how social care organisations and clients are reacting to the implementation of individual payments as opposed to the previous system of block contracts is crucial as the sector faces very real prospects of organisations closing when individuals are able to pick and choose care. A policy based on choice and control for the consumer risks removing choice through a loss of services in the marketplace, leaving vulnerable populations at risk.
Originality/value
This study is unique. No research has been done exploring the transition of charities servicing children with complex needs in anticipation of self-directed payments creating an open market. The paper further contributes to the existing knowledge regarding hybrid organisations within the third sector.
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Arash Golnam, Ron Sanchez, Paavo Ritala and Alain Wegmann
In this paper we present a systemic approach to modeling coopetition between firms that provides a methodology for analyzing the strategic incentives for organizations to engage…
Abstract
Purpose
In this paper we present a systemic approach to modeling coopetition between firms that provides a methodology for analyzing the strategic incentives for organizations to engage in coopetition relationships (the why) and the organization design required to address the complexities inherent in such multifaceted relationships (the how).
Methodology/approach
We pursue a model-based approach that incorporates important conceptualizations adapted from competence-based management (CBM) theory and value network approach. We illustrate the applicability of our approach by applying it to the case of coopetition between IBM and Apple in the development of PowerPC CPU.
Findings
We show how modeling can contribute to our understanding of the strategic incentives for the organizations to develop a coopetitive relationship (“the why” of coopetition) and the organization design required for accommodating and addressing the complexities and dynamics of such a multifaceted relationship (“the how” of coopetition).
Research implications
First, our findings echo some of the perspectives developed in coopetition literature. Second, the study has utilized value network-level analysis in examining coopetition.
Practical implications
The modeling framework reported in this paper can help management practitioners in structuring choice situations involving coopetition, both in terms of the incentives to engage in a coopetitive setting and the design of a value network that can accommodate the complexities inherent in such multifaceted relations.
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Human drives are well and truly present in organizations and undergo different vicissitudes. In the management of human resources, these vicissitudes emblematically take the form…
Abstract
Human drives are well and truly present in organizations and undergo different vicissitudes. In the management of human resources, these vicissitudes emblematically take the form of modes of primary defence against the drives solicited by an increasingly restrictive labour market. Neither the fact that cases of abuse (guilt) do occur, nor the connivance that can exist amongst employees, diminishes the responsibility of directors of human resources (DHR) and researchers in this domain. Information, decision, arbitration and implementation can be seen here to define the fourfold process of inversion by which drives are transformed into their opposite. In the shift from activity to passivity, the repressed is never far away. Indeed, the return of the repressed implies a certain detour of the unconscious: namely an acting out that takes the form of a reversal onto the person’s own self. A good DHR is one that must disappear! Which furnishes us with a fine example of sadism turned upon the self, as in the self‐punishing of the obsessional neurotic.
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