More than just a special case: The value of double bind theory for bringing light into the dark side of organizational paradoxes

In their recently published article, Berti and Simpson introduced a comprehensive framework for the systematic analysis of the dark side of organizational paradoxes. While I follow the authors in connecting the analysis of this dark side to types of organizational power, I am concerned with the narrow view on double binds as an expression of coercions only. This narrow view not only runs counter to the basic idea of double bind theory, but also neglects or even denies transition dynamics between different types of organizational double binds. To address these issues, I develop an alternative framework for the analysis of the dark side of organizational power that considers double binds in a broader and more fruitful way. This framework not only facilitates the analysis of transition dynamics between types of double binds, but also reveals practical strategies for mitigating paradoxes and disentangling them from implicit structures that are in the blind spot of Berti and Simpson's framework.     

A model of project knowledge management

Knowledge is the most important resource needed for project management. The aim of this article is to present a full, consistent model of project knowledge management. There are two basic types of project knowledge: micro‐knowledge, needed for performing a single task (or its part), and macro‐knowledge (in other words, all the knowledge possessed by people from a given organizational level). Project knowledge is managed at four distinct levels: individual, project, organization, and global. The article describes the micro‐knowledge life cycle and macro‐knowledge life cycles from each organizational level, as well as the processes of vertical knowledge flow between organizational levels.     

战略联盟中的组织学习研究

通过战略联盟学习组织外部的知识和技术诀窍(know-how)越来越受到企业的重视。战略联盟中的组织学习,根据不同的学习目标可以分为四种模式:非对等学习、非相互学习、竞争性学习和非竞争性学习。战略联盟中成员企业的组织学习过程受到多种因素的影响,如学习意图、学习过程的透明度及吸收能力等。为了促进战略联盟成员企业的组织学习,需要建立有效的机制和联盟成员企业之间相互信任,有明确的学习意图、正确选派学习代理人、促进联盟知识的分享。     

How Does an Individual's Innate Preferences Impact Innovation and Creativity?

Organizational leaders commonly reward innovation and creativity and many times it is the individual with the “brilliant idea” who is recognized. The current article examines the four types of innovative ideas that lead to organizational change and effectiveness and how every person on a team plays a role in achieving the idea. As a manager or leader of people being aware of individual styles and preferences will lead to increased recognition of all innovative and creative contributions that can have a positive impact on organizational culture.     

FORMALIZATION AND THE ORGANIZATIONAL LIFE CYCLE[1]

The theoretical importance of formalization has often been obscured in empirical investigation. This article discusses two outcomes of formalization: administrative efficiency, and influence. As formalization contributes to administrative efficiency, it also bestows upon the administrator power and influence. While some theoretical attention has been paid to the efficiency theme, influence has been largely ignored. The article suggests that formalization as code, as channel, and as standard can be best understood in the context of the organizational life cycle. Formalization (as efficiency) is likely to contribute to effectiveness early in an organization's history. Later in the life cycle, however, formalization (as influence) may contribute to organizational ineffectiveness and decline.     

Explaining Team-Based Pay: A Contingency Perspective Based on the Organizational Life Cycle,Team Design,and Organizational Learning Literatures

Using a contingency perspective that combines the organizational life cycle, team design, and organizational learning literatures, a total of 12 propositions are developed to explain and predict the application of team-based pay in organizations. In essence, this article argues that financial capabilities (associated with various stages in the life cycle) and human capital capabilities (represented by factors leading to an organization's absorptive capacity) should have a major impact on the application of team-based pay. It is also expected that situational favorableness for team pay (as determined by team task design) should influence the likelihood of its application in an organization.     

基于物流完成周期的企业物流成本综合控制

企业物流系统是一个复杂系统。本文将企业物流系统划分为一系列物流完成周期,一系列的物流完成周期成本构成整个企业物流成本,物流完成周期成本是企业物流成本控制的最小基本单元,通过对物流完成周期成本有效控制实现对企业物流成本的综合控制。     

基于企业生命周期的企业动态能力演变研究

分析了不同生命周期下企业动态能力构成维度,指出企业生命周期的不同阶段对企业动态能力维度要求不同。探讨了在企业不同生命周期阶段企业动态能力演变方向。     

Organizational change techniques: their present, their future

To help carry out their responsibility of managing rapid and often unexpected change, managers have an available set of techniques: organizational behavior modification, management by objectives, management development, organization development, management auditing, and a control cycle of planning, implementation, and control. Each of these has a format that species the procedures to be followed to bring about organizational change. Michael emphasizes that such formats are preferable to a haphazard, trial-and-error approach that may produce unanticipated results. In part because some techniques are newer than others, data from a research project of planning and control that Michael conducted show different rates of usage by a sample of Fortune 500 companies. The control cycle is the most widely used; organizational behavior modification the least widely used. The use of these techniques of organizational change is likely to vary in some ways and experience may bring about changes in the techniques. Michael concludes that the newer breed of managers who are versed in the social sciences, mathematics, and the computer are likely to spread new techniques in the organizational world.     

Innovation, organisationale Routinen und strategische Pfade

This paper focusses on innovation processes by relying on the concepts of strategic paths and organizational routines. Referring to Burgelman’s framework of induced and autonomous strategic action and based on path dependence theory the paper elaborates on the potential countervailing impact of organizational routines with regard to strong strategic paths. The argument is illustrated by an reinterpretation of Burgelman’s empirical studies of Intel. Finally the idea of a “routinized capability of innovation” is critically examined.     

THE STATE-SOE[1] RELATIONSHIP: SOME PATTERNS

This article focuses on the pattern of relationship that develops over time between a state-owned firm and its owner. the main hypothesis is that there is not a single, permanent pattern of relationship. Instead, it is proposed that there are three possible modes of interaction, which can be combined into a cycle. the state-SOE relationships are thus shown to evolve from mutual dependance and co-operation to autonomy via an adversarial stage. The article first provides detailed examples of the various types of relations that have been revealed by research, then combines them into the idea of cycle, before investigating the forces that lie under the cycle. It finally offers several implications for both practice and research.     

房地产企业设立财务共享中心初探

财务共享中心是一种创新管理模式,在加强企业管理控制、降低成本和提高效率方面至关重要。文章设计了房地产企业财务共享中心的组织结构,重建财务流程,如优化对账、收入、会计核算、总账、资产管理及相关费用报销等基本流程,并分析了取得的效果。     

Supply and demand of policy indicators

The aim of this article is to question the idea that all professional service organizations are undergoing a process of inter-archetype transformation. This idea, originating in organizational archetype theory, is now being used to interpret contemporary processes of change in British and other public sector services. Drawing on an example of management UK restructuring in social services during the 1990s – that of local authority social services in the UK – two main problems with this thesis are identified. First, this service demonstrates that ‘radical’ change has not occurred and that older professional values and working practices persist. Second, it reveals how, in at least one part of the public sector in the UK, management reforms have been partly undermined by a specific constellation of institutions and practices. These observations call for questioning the proposition that inter-archetype change is what has occurred and that current reforms will inevitably have this sort of transformational effect.     

Project Management Office Transformations: Direct and Moderating Effects That Enhance Performance and Maturity

This article aims at understanding organizational change through the study of project management office (PMO) transformations. This article suggests that performance resulting from a PMO transformation is moderated by the organizational context, change management, and by changes in coordination mechanisms—control or service orientation. This exploratory study adopted a quantitative methodology involving a sample of 184 PMO changes. It confirms the multifaceted nature of the context involved in a PMO transformation. External events play a key role in triggering change and improving performance. Key findings suggest that increasing the PMO’s supportive role improves project performance, business performance, and project management maturity. Conversely, increasing the PMO’s control role does not improve performance. This study's major contribution is to provide some empirical evidence concerning organizational change management.     

SPECIALIZATION AS A MULTIDIMENSIONAL CONSTRUCT

Specialization as an organizational level construct has received little conceptual or operational advancement since the early 1960s. Several facets of both task and person specialization are identified as part of an argument for extending the current view of specialization. The theoretical implications of this extension with regard to technology, control and organizational life cycle are proposed.     

SOME EVERYDAY RITUALS IN MANAGEMENT CONTROL*

This article examines the way in which observed rituals in management activity appear to contribute to the accomplishment of management control. It argues that any examination of organizational activity involving a dimension so ethereal as ritual is bound to be problematic. It is nevertheless an important feature of organizational life and, therefore, a fruitful framework for understanding complex organizations. The article suggests that in the particular organization studied, issues of management control are expressed in various ways which reflect a chain of command, being alternatively brought into sharp focus and then blurred. It is suggested that this can be seen to represent activities which involve considerable components of what ethnomethodologists might call ‘artful practice’.     

Managing transitions to uncertain future states

The management of organizational change is a challenging task in any context. When events create a situation in which the future is uncertain, the task becomes even more difficult. In this article, I have tried to explore this difficulty, building on the views expressed by Charles Brown in the accompanying interview and using AT&T as a case in point.Although the nature of the problems inherent in managing transition to uncertain futures has become clearer, the solutions have not. What has been presented here is merely a first attempt at proposing some basic approaches for dealing with such situations. As such, it is an effort to extend our knowledge about how to manage organizational change effectively.     

ENVIRONMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS AND ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY

This article is primarily concerned with exploring the relationships between organizational climate and characteristics of organizational environments. Environmental characteristics include dependencies, competition and uncertainty. In addition, the relationship of climate and environments with dimensions of organizational structure and size are examined. Using data from 15 industrial organizations in Britain, the results have shown that different environmental characteristics have different associations with organizational climate. Also, the relationships between organizational environments and climate are not similar to those found between environments and structure. It is suggested that the creation of appropriate climates and structural design as responses to environmental pressures may be considered as complementary strategies in an attempt to maintain administrative control. The results, therefore, provide support for the suggestion that, in order to improve our understanding of the dynamics of organizational climate, characteristics of organizational environments should be incorporated into future research designs.     

A theory of the temporary organization

The idea of the firm as an eternal entity possibly came in with the era of industrialism. In any case, the practical consequences of this idea contrast sharply with many ideas about projects and temporary organizations. Mainstream organization theory is based upon the assumption that organizations are or should be permanent; theories on temporary organizational settings (e.g., projects) are much less prevalent. In this article, we address the need for a theory of temporary organizations, thus seeking to supplement traditional project management wisdom. We also suggest some components of such a theory by elaborating on certain ideas about projects. “Action”, as opposed to “decision”, is one such component which is central to a theory of the temporary organization. In some respects we are thus dealing with antipoles, in other respects with concepts similar to those in established mainstream organizational theory. The role of “time” in the firm is different as compared to its role in the temporary organization. The differences have several important implications and we are able to suggest a coherent outline of a theory which we believe could be useful and which also covers several important aspects of temporary organizations.     

Take two classes and call me in the morning: the case for training wellness

The purpose of this article is to show how a well-conducted needs assessment coupled with a well-conceived training plan can improve training and, indeed, total organizational wellness. This is important on two fronts--organizational and individual. Conceptually, providing training is not much different than providing any other product or service. We often have no idea of how to get the ?right stuff to the right people at the right time under the right conditions.? Thus, this article will provide a framework for ?getting it right? (the first time)! The message? Make your training time and dollars count, no training simply for the sake of training; we must apply it to the training wellness equation.