William R. Allen, Paul Bacdayan, Kellyann Berube Kowalski and Mathew H. Roy
Recent misconduct and highly questionable behavior has fostered considerable distrust, cynicism, and antagonism among the populace toward the leadership of virtually all social…
Abstract
Purpose
Recent misconduct and highly questionable behavior has fostered considerable distrust, cynicism, and antagonism among the populace toward the leadership of virtually all social institutions. This paper aims to examine the impact of ethics training on business students values.
Design/methodology/approach
Focuses on the central question whether exposure to ethical dilemmas and discussions in the classroom setting will lead to new paradigms of leadership incorporating instrumental values.
Findings
The results support the contention that senior level students were influenced in their perceptions of the importance of instrumental values in comparison to freshmen. As hypothesized no difference was found between men and women in both the importance and reinforcement of the instrumental values examined. The results do not support the contention that increased emphasis on ethics in textbooks and courses has had a significant impact.
Practical implications
Directions for future training are considered in light of the findings.
Originality/value
Points to the conclusion that current models of business education are not helping to reinforce instrumental values.
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This chapter comments on organizational learning research produced by scholars who studied or taught at Stanford University during the last third of the 20th century. Challenging…
Abstract
This chapter comments on organizational learning research produced by scholars who studied or taught at Stanford University during the last third of the 20th century. Challenging classical learning models, Stanford scholars have demonstrated how cognitive and social processes attenuate connections between environmental action and the lessons learned from it. They have demonstrated how goals change over time as a partial function of prior performance and the importance of temporal processes in learning rates. They have shown how rules and routines encode only imperfectly lessons learned from organizational action. Their research has deepened and enriched our understanding of organizational learning.
This special issue of Personnel Review on “Quality and the Individual” is very different in style from the editor‐generated issues of this journal, but it has beendesigned for a…
Abstract
This special issue of Personnel Review on “Quality and the Individual” is very different in style from the editor‐generated issues of this journal, but it has been designed for a very particular purpose. In the rush towards the achievement of high levels of “quality” among organizations, however this is manifested, the effects on the individual have largely gone unnoticed. We are all aware of the high rates of failure among quality management initiatives, and what is becoming clear is that successful organizations are harnessing the talents of individuals, whatever their status, to the quality cause from its very early stages.
Paul Spee, Joanna Kho, Anna Jenkins and Paula Jarzabkowski
This study addresses an important yet underdeveloped topic in routine dynamics research: how do routines form? Given the salience of routine formation in new ventures, this study…
Abstract
This study addresses an important yet underdeveloped topic in routine dynamics research: how do routines form? Given the salience of routine formation in new ventures, this study is based on a single, longitudinal case study, following MatchMe, a technology-enabled startup. Building on findings from MatchMe, this study posits routine formation as a layered process. Rather than replacing established routines, routine formation was sequential. New routines were formed in addition to routines that continued to run in parallel. Routine formation was guided by organizational goals and monitoring their attainment. Multiple routines are formed to explore and create possibilities by shifting espoused ideals to attain organizational goals. This study advances routine dynamics in three distinct ways. First, it elaborates on a predominantly binary view of routine formation. Second, it extends work focused on the active creation of patterns. Third, it extends the response and outcomes of routine change, providing avenues for future research to explore strategic consequences of routines for outcomes typically associated with firm performance.
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Christian A. Mahringer, Brian T. Pentland, Birgit Renzl, Kathrin Sele and Paul Spee
In this editorial, the authors present an overview of the papers featured in this volume, all centered around the theme of “Routine Dynamics: Organizing in a World in Flux.”…
Abstract
In this editorial, the authors present an overview of the papers featured in this volume, all centered around the theme of “Routine Dynamics: Organizing in a World in Flux.” Recognizing the omnipresence of flux in organizational life, the authors identify key themes that emerged across the papers. These encompass temporality, improvisation, process and multiplicity, power and political dynamics, and scale. The authors elucidate the significance of each theme in the context of routine dynamics, highlight the advancements made by the respective papers in this volume, and underscore questions that warrant further exploration.
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Brian T. Pentland, Peng Liu, Waldemar Kremser and Thorvald Hærem
Using a routine dynamics perspective, the authors address a central question in a practice-driven institutional theory: where does change come from? In particular, the authors…
Abstract
Using a routine dynamics perspective, the authors address a central question in a practice-driven institutional theory: where does change come from? In particular, the authors focus on the possibility that small variations in routines can accumulate into big changes in institutions. The analysis is limited strictly to endogenous change. The authors use narrative networks to formalize and operationalize key concepts, such as variation and change. The authors reinterpret results from a published simulation model (Pentland, Liu, Kremser, & Hærem, 2020) that examined endogenous change in organizational routines. The simulation suggests that over a wide range of conditions, minor variations can lead to irreversible structural changes in routines. In the absence of exogenous shocks and institutional entrepreneurs, patterns of action that were previously possible can become impossible. The mechanism underlying these changes requires both accumulation and forgetting. Without forgetting, small variations may pile up (like dirty laundry), but they will not result in big changes.
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Owing to the inconclusive results of prior studies on the strategic change–firm performance relationship, this paper extends the marketing strategy literature by postulating an…
Abstract
Purpose
Owing to the inconclusive results of prior studies on the strategic change–firm performance relationship, this paper extends the marketing strategy literature by postulating an “inverted U-shaped” relationship and the moderating roles of “organizational learning” (OGL) and “strategic flexibility” (STF).
Methodology/approach
A self-administered survey was employed to collect data from different strategic business units of 550 firms operating in Thailand. The data collection yielded a response rate of 17.27%. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to validate the scales, and path analysis was employed to test the hypotheses in this study.
Findings
Although no significant curvilinear relationship was found, the directions of the path coefficients are consistent with the hypothesis. Both OGL and STF serve as significant moderators in the marketing strategic change (MSC)–business performance relationships. While STF strengthens the relationship, the generative OGL tends to weaken it.
Practical implications
Managers need to understand the type of learning that fits different types of strategic changes in order to enhance business performance. Generative OGL may seem harmful for changes that are less proactive. Furthermore, firms should incorporate flexibility in managing political, economic, and financial risks in their strategies by emphasizing investments and cost sharing, flexible human capital allocation, and spontaneous and impromptu actions.
Originality/value
This study extends international marketing strategy literature by empirically testing the hypotheses in an emerging Asian economy. The research proposes a nonlinear relationship between MSC and business performance as well as introduces the moderating roles of OGL and STF.
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The purpose of this paper is to explain the key dimensions of practical knowledge. It is argued that practical knowledge and practice are two sides of the same phenomenon and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explain the key dimensions of practical knowledge. It is argued that practical knowledge and practice are two sides of the same phenomenon and possess objective and subjective dimensions.
Design/methodology/approach
The development of this paper involved an in‐depth review of the workplace learning, cognitive education and practice‐based management literatures supported by Giddens and Habermas' insights on action.
Findings
The proposed framework complements practice‐oriented management research. While there is a significant body of literature dealing with workplace action‐learning approaches, still it is not clear what approach to use in what situation. The proposed framework might assist in this task since it recognises different configurations of practice and their associated PK.
Originality/value
This paper integrates parallel literatures from different theoretical backgrounds in order to explain the main dimensions of practical knowledge.