POSTMODERN ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS: TOWARD A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

This article discusses a new approach to organizational analysis — postmodernism. We contrast modern and postmodern forms of explanation and explore a family of terms derived from these two concepts. In so doing, we discuss whether postmodernism is best described as an ‘epoch’or an ‘epistemology’, a distinction which underpins current debates. Through reference to the works of Jean Baudrillard, Jacques Derrida and Jean-Francois Lyotard, we produce an inventory of key concepts for postmodern organizational analysis —‘representation’, ‘reflexivity’, ‘writing’, ‘differance’ and ‘de-centring the subject’. By explicating the main arguments associated with these concepts — and by developing the middle ground between the epoch and epistemology positions — we lay conceptual foundations for a nascent postmodern approach to organization studies.     

SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE SEARCH FOR TRUTH: A DIAGNOSTIC TALE

Abstract. In four novels and fifty-six short stories, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle developed the characters of Mr. Sherlock Holmes and his trusted friend and chronicler, Dr. John Watson. The creation of the brilliant sleuth and his partner who, although not possessing genius, stimulated it in his friend, was a masterstroke. The adventures, memoirs, return, last bow, and case book of Sherlock Holmes, as well as the four famous novels, are stories of sheer delight. Econometrics may not have the everlasting charm of Holmesian characters and adventures, or even a famous resident of Baker Street, but there is much in his methodological approach to the solving of criminal cases that is of relevance to applied econometric modelling. Holmesian detection may be interpreted as accommodating the relationship between data and theory, modelling procedures, deductions and inferences, analysis of biases, testing of theories, specification and respecification of theories, re-evaluation and reformulation of theories, and finally reaching a solution to the problem at hand. With this in mind, can applied econometricians learn anything from the master of detection? This paper provides an outline of Holmesian deduction through the various stages of accommodation, namely problem solving, theorizing before data, examining the quality of data, the meaning of truth, reconciliation with data, and testing of theories. Testing procedures, especially the use of diagnostics, are the most common research method used in econometrics for examining a number of specifications within a modelling cycle of specification, estimation and evaluation. A diagnostic approach to the evaluation of empirical models is outlined through testing the key assumptions which define the parameter space for purposes of inference.     

SIMPLY A QUESTION OF CULTURAL BARRIERS? THE SEARCH FOR NEW PERSPECTIVES IN THE TRANSFER OF JAPANESE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

This paper discusses the transfer of management practices from parent companies in Japan into the operations of overseas subsidiaries of Japanese enterprises. the literature reviewed as well as the findings of case studies on human resource management practices in Japanese manufacturing firms in Australia suggest that key but rather high-cost practices associated with Japanese management including tenured employment, seniority-based remuneration and the provision of extensive welfare benefits are absent in overseas Japanese firms. On the other hand, relatively low-cost practices such as internal training, internal promotion and job rotation have been generally introduced into the firms researched. It appears, therefore, that the transfer of Japanese management practices is primarily affected by economic considerations rather than socio-cultural constraints as it has frequently been argued in the literature. Thus, the development of new theoretical frameworks explaining the transfer (or its absence) of Japanese management practices is essential. the paper takes a small step in this direction by suggesting that the overseas expansion of Japanese subcontracting networks including large-scale corporations as well as smaller size firms, produces conditions leading to the marginalization of segments of the local labour force and the emergence of the core-peripheral workforce dichotomy at the international level.     

DETERMINANTS OF STRATEGIC PLANNING SYSTEMS IN LARGE ORGANIZATIONS: A CONTINGENCY APPROACH*

This study investigates the relationship among four design parameters of planning systems and five different firm and environmental characteristics. The impact of this multivariate relationship on organizational effectiveness is then examined using a sample of 115 large manufacturing firms. The findings show general support for the proposition that, in order to be effective, a strategic planning system should be designed in such a way that the specific situational setting of the firm is reflected in the design. The analysis also indicates that firms adopt a more flexible planning system - captured here by two key variables, planning horizon, and frequency of plan reviews - as the level of environmental complexity increases. Implications for future research are discussed.     

EXPLORING THE MENTAL MODELS OF COMPETITIVE STRATEGISTS: THE CASE FOR A PROCESSUAL APPROACH

Recently there have been a number of studies published which seek to further our understanding of the competitive structures of markets. These studies have used aggregated perceptual data in an attempt to uncover industry-level mental models of business environments. In this article we argue that such studies are predicated on the assumption that there are high levels of consensus within and between organizations in a given industry concerning the bases of competition and the positioning of particular organizations. In the present study we employ a similar methodology but focus on the mental models of individuals in order to examine empirically the nature and extent of such consensus. the research was carried out in the UK grocery retailing industry. Twenty-three managers from two organizations were each interviewed using a variant of the cognitive taxonomic interview procedures devised by Porac and his associates. the study revealed considerable variation in terms of the nature of the cognitive categories elicited from the participants and the overall complexity of their taxonomies relating to competitive structures, both within and between the organizations. However, the study also revealed considerable intra-organizational agreement regarding the categories which describe the self-identity of the research participants’organizations and their major competitors. We consider the implications of these findings for understanding processes of strategy development and implementation in organizations.     

DEMAND FOR MEDICAL CARE BY THE ELDERLY: A FINITE MIXTURE APPROACH

In this article we develop a finite mixture negative binomial count model that accommodates unobserved heterogeneity in an intuitive and analytically tractable manner. This model, the standard negative binomial model, and its hurdle extension are estimated for six measures of medical care demand by the elderly using a sample from the 1987 National Medical Expenditure Survey. The finite mixture model is preferred overall by statistical model selection criteria. Two points of support adequately describe the distribution of the unobserved heterogeneity, suggesting two latent populations, the ‘healthy’ and the ‘ill’ whose fitted distributions differ substantially from each other. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

THE USE OF GROUNDED THEORY FOR THE QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR

Qualitative social research generates large amounts of non-standard data which make analysis problematic. This discussion advocates the use of grounded theory as a way of handling these problems. The approach is illustrated, in the context of organizational research, by three cases of grounded theoretical analyses: (a) a study of face-to-face interaction in a hospital between nurses and patients’ relatives; (b) a field-study based on the complex organizational interrelationships associated with small batch production manufacturing; and (c) a documentary-based analysis of the organizational pre-conditions of large-scale accidents. The discussion of the cases stresses the manner in which the qualitative data collected were manipulated in order to give them theoretical shape.     

THE ADOPTION OF THE MULTIDIVISIONAL FORM OF ORGANIZATION: A CONTINGENCY MODEL*

This article examines the proposition that the multidivisional structure is determined by both power and efficiency imperatives. It is theorized that combining the coalitional power and information-processing perspectives of organizational choice enables us to explain and predict organizational form. The theory is tested on 291 Fortune 500 firms. The results largely confirm theoretical expectations. It is submitted that the multidivisional paradigm illustrates the central premises of the article: (1) a synthesis of efficiency and power perspectives is a viable research programme; and (2) theoretical pluralism increases empirical content and should be valued by those concerned with progress in the emerging field of strategic management.     

THE INDIVIDUAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE: STRATEGIES FOR ACTION IN HIGHLY-ORDERED CONTEXTS*

Writers in the management literature use one of three general concepts of culture: homogeneous organizational culture, heterogeneous subgroup cultures, and ambiguous cultures. In spite of their differences, each of these conceptualizations focuses attention primarily on the context in which the individual member of an organization acts, and suggests that the latitude for individual action increases as the orderliness of that context decreases. In doing so, the culture literature has underestimated the role of individual actors as active agents in their contexts, regardless of the degree of orderliness prevailing in them. By incorporating a more dynamic perspective of action into the cultural analysis of organizations, this article develops a framework which focuses attention on how individuals not only adhere to, but also depart from even highly-ordered organizational and subgroup cultures. This framework is then used to investigate managerial interactions during a planning meeting in HAPCO (a pseudonym), a Fortune 500 company. Two general conclusions emerge from these analyses. First, the normative force of HAPCO culture suppresses conflict, as well as the discussion of alternative ideas during decision-making meetings. Thus, this particular organizational culture severely limits the range of individual action. Second, even in large, highly-ordered organizations such as HAPCO, culture never completely dominates action because individuals comment critically on their situation. Consequently, individuals possess the capacity not only to adapt to, but also to challenge and depart from cultural rules. Four general types of strategies for individual action are empirically observed and conceptually distinguished.     

ORGANIZATIONAL OPTIONS FOR PROVIDING URBAN WASTE MANAGEMENT SERVICES: THE CASE OF INDONESIA

Rising incomes and rapid growth require better approaches to organizing and delivering solid waste management services in developing countries. This paper uses Indonesia as a case context for exploring organizational options to urban waste management, including provision by municipal agencies, semi-commercial enterprises, private firms, and neighborhood organizations. Semi-commercial enterprises were found to cover significantly higher shares of routine expenditures than municipal agencies. Few differences were found among different indicators of labor and equipment productivity among organizational types, however. The major difference is that non-public organizations more vigorously seek out revenues. Promising ways to increase revenues and stop leakages are to link solid waste payment with payment of electricity bills and to negotiate revenue-sharing schemes with neighborhood leaders.     

THE NEW INSTITUTIONAL ECONOMICS – A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO ECONOMIC ANALYSIS

The initial objective of the paper is to describe the way in which the term ‘New Institutional Economics’ (NIE) emerged in the literature and became the designation for a new field concerned with the study of various analytical techniques designed for the exploration of institutional phenomena. It is then shown how some of the more important of these techniques, transaction‐cost economics, property‐rights analysis and contract theory, have been applied in two central lines of neoinstitutional thought – the Williamsonian and the Northian. Criticisms of these two disparate theoretical positions on the NIE are considered and assessed. Next, a brief review of some of the empirical literature is undertaken so that the explanatory powers of NIE themes can be gauged. Finally, the paper offers a few general remarks on the present state of the NIE and its possible influence on the further development of economics.     

EDUCATING AMARETCH: PRIVATE SCHOOLS FOR THE POOR AND THE NEW FRONTIER FOR INVESTORS

The accepted wisdom says that the poor need billions of dollars more in donor aid for state education. But this ignores the reality that poor parents are abandoning government schools to send their children to 'budget' private schools that charge very low fees, affordable to parents on minimum wages. Recent research shows that private schools for the poor are superior to government schools – teachers are more committed, the provision of inputs better and educational outcomes better – even after controlling for background variables. All this is accomplished for a fraction of the per-pupil teacher cost of government schools. The development community could therefore assist the poor by extending access to private schools through targeted vouchers. There are also opportunities for investors to contribute through microfinance-type loans, dedicated education investment funds and joint ventures with educational entrepreneurs, including the development of brands of budget private schools to help solve the information problem facing poor parents.