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Introduces a special issue of the journal, focusing on sociological practice and its relevance to the modern world. Investigates the meaning of sociological practice, making a distinction between applied sociology and clinical sociology. Cites seven principles of US sociological practice, linking them to the articles included in this journal. Concludes by saying that sociology should be designed so that it is accessible and useful to everyone, helping people to improve their lives.

The purpose of this paper is to show how 1940s and 1950s motivation research laid the foundations of present day consumer behavior as a discipline.

This research uses standard historical methodology – heavy reliance upon primary sources, avoidance of anachronism, heavy use of contemporary quotations, and effort to explain and interpret.

Using sociology, anthropology, and clinical psychology to explain how and why consumers buy, motivation research provided business with valuable information, and, in the long run, began today's consumer behavior field of study.

This paper offers a different view of motivation research, stressing its use of sociology and anthropology. It offers a corrective to the prevailing over‐emphasis on Ernest Dichter.

This chapter looks at the discursive dimension of the working environment in research and higher education organizations; more specifically at neoliberal managerial discourse and at how it participates in shaping the way researchers, teachers and support staff perceive themselves and their experiences. It is based on a multiple case study and combines an intersectional and a socio-clinical approach. The empirical data is constituted by in-depth interviews with women conducted in Ireland and Chile, and includes some observations made in France. A thematic analysis of individual narratives of self-ascribed experiences of being bullied enables to look behind the veil drawn by managerial discourse, thus providing insights into power vectors and power domains contributing to workplace violence. It also shows that workplace bullying may reinforce identification to undervalued social categories. This contribution argues that neoliberal managerial discourse, by encouraging social representations of “neutral” individuals at work, or else celebrating their “diversity,” conceals power relations rooting on different social categories. This process influences one’s perception of one’s experience and its verbalization. At the same time, feeling assigned to one or more of undervalued social category can raise the perception of being bullied or discriminated against. While research has shown that only a minority of incidents of bullying and discrimination are reported within organizations, this contribution suggests that acknowledging the multiplicity and superposition of categories and their influence in shaping power relations could help secure a more collective and caring approach, and thus foster a safer work culture and atmosphere in research organizations.

Countries in Africa have undergone an unprecedented transformation that has shaped the continent as they move ahead from the clutches of colonialism. The evolution of leadership and how organisations function optimally has given rise to the review of leadership approaches and practices, revolutionising its position in the global markets. With the recent spate of global suffering from the pandemic, the formal and traditional work structures are becoming transient. At the same time, the economic consequences of the Russo-Ukrainian crisis have catastrophic effects globally.

The research was conducted via a systematic review of scientific sources from various academic websites. Eligibility criteria were defined with the agreement of pertinent themes and concepts.

By evaluating and analysing characteristics and success indicators from the blend of leadership competencies ascertained from Afrocentric principles in response to African associated problems, Africa can cement its leadership concepts without following the global north principles. These philosophies are resilient enough to contend with a range of VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity) complexities, including the impact of the recent global pandemic of immeasurable proportions and the prospect of war as the Russo-Ukrainian conflict intensifies.

Within the African environment, there is a greater focus on the human element in shared values, holistic well-being, cooperation and experience. The global community band together to deal with these complexities. This is a typical example of global connectedness with positive and negative connotations.

This article stresses the importance of reconstructing team identity through the use of conversation and dialogue in order to empower teams to become high performance teams. “Identity empowerment” is defined as the ability to set goals and values and to form connections with the social structure. Degrees of identity empowerment are useful for describing the team’s current status. In descriptions of three teams, each team’s identity empowement is described, the stories and words used by that team giving clues as to the degree of identityempowerment. Key learnings are cited as suggestions for increasing dialogue and developing a stronger identity.

This paper aims at understanding how clinical guidelines' use in the labour process relates to clinical autonomy, that is, the self-control medical professionals exercise over medical practice.

Drawing on a qualitative case study research strategy, this paper explores how medical professionals use clinical guidelines in the labour process in one public general hospital of the Greek National Health System. Supplemented by an extensive study of documents, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 33 doctors of several specialties.

The analysis shows (1) how clinical autonomy, as a self-control structure, mediates the use of clinical guidelines as a knowledge tool in the labour process, and (2) how employing clinical guidelines as a means towards coordinating medical work, but also towards regulating and standardising medical practice, is exercising pressure on the individualistic character of clinical autonomy.

Advancing the analytic value of workplace control structures, this paper contributes novel theoretical understanding of emerging tendencies characterising medical work organisation and clinical autonomy, and explains how medical professionals' non-adherence to clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) relates to CPGs' role as a resource to medical practice. Finally, this research proposes a more critical approach to health policy towards addressing the challenges associated with centrally introducing clinical guidelines in healthcare organisations.

The relationship between research pursued in sociology as an academic discipline and sociological research undertaken as a contribution toward social policy formation is a somewhat uneasy one in the USA. The author undertakes to examine the evolving relationship between the disciplinary and professional thrusts of the American sociological enterprise.

Surveys students of sociology classes at a small college in the Northeastern USA to examine the process through which people construct trust in their interpersonal lives, focusing on friendship and love relationships. Refers to previous research into trust, in an attempt to define it satisfactorily. Describes the process by which a trust relationship is established and earned, noting that time and sychronicity form the basis of developing shared experiences. Discusses self‐disclosure, reciprocity, roles and perspective. Considers the implications of trust in the realm of clinical sociology, claiming that research into trust is crucial to understand and help those individuals who have difficulty in maintaining interpersonal relationships.