Positioning person brands in established organizational fields

This paper inductively develops an extension to brand positioning theory to understand how individuals seeking work in established organizational fields can effectively position themselves. It does so by analyzing qualitative data on the practices of people in one job category (fashion models) in an established organizational field (fashion), examining them through the lens of concepts adapted from work by Pierre Bourdieu. Four brand positioning practices are identified as relevant for models vying for work in the fashion field: crafting a portfolio, cultivating and demonstrating upward affiliations, complying with occupation-specific behavioral expectations, and conveying field-conforming tastes. Drawing on Bourdieu, we argue more generally that person brand positioning within established organizational fields happens through processes that help to portray a person as having field-specific social and cultural capital that allows them to “stand out,” while acquiring the habitus that allows them to comply with field- and occupation-specific expectations in order to “fit in.” Standing out and fitting in have parallels with—but are not identical to—the processes of establishing and reinforcing points of differentiation and points of parity for product brands. Our study implies that scholars interested in person branding should further develop theories that illuminate variations in brand positioning practices between products and persons. It also suggests that people building person brands should be sensitized to the valued forms of capital and normative expectations in their field that enable them to stand out while fitting in.     

Leadership through action learning: a bottom-up approach to ‘best practice’ in ‘infection prevention and control’ in a UK NHS trust

This article reports on the outcomes of an action learning leadership intervention in a National Health Service (NHS) acute trust in partnership with a UK business school. This contribution provides an empirical example of the potential benefits of non-hierarchical leadership. Over a three-year period, 45 nurses took part in an initiative designed to reduce the number of health care associated infections (HCAI) in a large NHS acute trust. By 2010, serious reportable infections were reduced by around 300, providing an efficiency benefit in the region of £3 million and improved patient safety. The turnaround is significant, and although not exclusively attributable to this initiative, the trust is convinced that the intervention has been pivotal.     

Measuring the effectiveness of voluntary emission reduction programmes

This paper examines the evaluation of state environmental policies aimed at reducing ground level ozone in order to meet air quality standards set by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Several states with metropolitan areas that violate federal air quality regulations have adopted voluntary emission reduction programmes. These programmes focus on emissions from mobile sources, with the chief source being the automobile. States are allowed to claim credit towards bringing their metro areas closer to compliance with regulations only if they can provide credible evidence that these voluntary programmes are successful in reducing emissions. A model is developed to forecast aggregate traffic volumes so that one can assess the impact of the programme in reducing traffic flows during ‘Ozone Action Days’. Background information on the difficulties of measuring the ozone problem and on the recent policies adopted by the US EPA is provided. Using data from the Atlanta, Georgia metropolitan area, the accuracy of the model is demonstrated and preliminary analysis of whether the programmes which began in the summer of 1998 has had the desired impact is provided.     

ORGANIZATIONAL RULES AND THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF NURSING WORK ON GERIATRIC WARDS

The data on which this paper is based come from an ethnography of rehabilitation of the elderly. Two main themes, methodological and substantive, predominate. Some methodological issues surrounding ethnographic techniques are highlighted. These include gaining access, establishing relationships and the researcher having a number of roles rather than just one. The ethnomethodological perspective on organizations as a constellation of rules informs the substantive theme of the paper. Within this perspective rule use is situated and the meanings of particular rules are discerned from their use in specific contexts. This approach enables attention to be directed to the practical problems with which individuals are confronted in doing organizational work and how actors orient to them in action. The ways in which organizational rules may be defeased, manipulated or suspended are detailed with reference to nurses working on geriatric wards.