With apologies for cross-posting
Dear colleagues,
You are cordially invited to participate in our PDW on "New questions for new economies".
Program Session # 297 | (OMT, MOC)
Scheduled: Sunday, Aug 10 2008 8:00AM - 10:00AM at Anaheim Convention Center in 211A
Organizers:
Michael Smets - Said Business School, U. of Oxford
Tim Morris - Said Business School, U. of Oxford
Rajshree Prakash - University of Lancaster
Boris Groysberg - Harvard Business School
Witnessing the rapid shift from manufacturing to service- and knowledge-based economies and the rise of ever-larger professional service firms in consulting, banking, accounting and law, we wonder how the questions we ask and the methods we use to answer them fit these new economies. In this PDW we want to explore:
- What questions are relevant in researching professional and knowledge-based organizations?
- How do we undertake research within them?
- How can broader audiences learn from them?
The four organizers will briefly present their research on new questions in professional settings, discuss opportunities and challenges of different methodologies for researching them, and raise questions for the subsequent workshop (presentation abstracts are appended below). In the workshop we want to provide participants with a forum to discuss opportunities, challenges and experiences of research in professional and knowledge-based organizations. We hope those of you engaged in or planning to embark on this type of research will find this a stimulating opportunity to formulate new questions that are relevant in our knowledge-based economies.
There is no formal registration required, but if you would like to show your interest or raise specific questions for the workshop, we would be delighted to hear from you via michael.smets@sbs.ox.ac.uk.
We are looking forward to seeing you soon for exciting discussions in Anaheim,
Michael, Tim, Rajshree and Boris
Presentation abstracts:
Tim Morris, Said Business School, U. of Oxford
Going up, out, or nowhere? Careers and institutional change in knowledge-organisations
Expert labour is a critical input to value creation in increasingly knowledge-intensive economies. Such knowledge workers, however, are also highly mobile and their performance is difficult to monitor. "Up-or-out" promotion tournaments have traditionally been used to address these challenges, but have recently come under pressure. Based on his current research among English law firms, Tim explores how the greater mobility and disinterest in life long careers among younger professionals affects firms operating up-or-out promotion systems. He presents a complex picture of (seemingly) contradictory macro- and micro-stories of change and argues that the new questions we ask must examine multiple action viewpoints to understand how macro- and micro-levels interact. Methodologically, he discusses the challenges of establishing the right theoretical lens in semi-inductive, multi-level studies and the practicalities of real time, multi-level studies of change.
Michael Smets, Said Business School, U. of Oxford
Doing deals in a global law firm: A backstage visit to cross-border professional service delivery
Ideas of professionalization and globalization instantly bring to mind the global players in accounting, consulting and law. Surprisingly, little is known about what these organizations actually do to deliver "seamless", cross-border service. Michael reports from his research on the everyday work of banking lawyers in a global law firm and what they actually do when they do deals. He speaks about the practices and politics of cross-border professional work and how professionals engage with each other and the different institutional backgrounds they come from. He argues that it is time the questions we ask address the dirty details of practical work within international, knowledge-intensive or professional organizations. Methodologically, Michael reflects on the challenges of access negotiations in a global law firm, role management as professional amongst professionals, and uncovering and reporting details of complex, professional work.
Rajshree Prakash, University of Lancaster
Making Connections: Examining Professional Lapses, Causes and Consequences
The failure of Arthur Andersen along with the collapse of Enron, WorldCom and others shocked the investing public. More surprising, however, was the extent to which large and prestigious professional service firms (investment banks, large law firms and analyst firms) were found to be colluding with their clients. Despite increased regulatory oversight, the recent subprime mortgage crisis brought to the fore similar issues. Here too, investment banks designed and traded high risk securities between themselves, and professionals in the most premier credit rating institutions granted investment grade ratings to these high risk equity structures. Rajshree examines the "darker side" of professional decisions and actions and the lapses they produce from a macro level perspective. She argues that the questions we ask must look beyond the "rotten apple" and towards systemic arrangements between organizational forms, client relationships and the institutional environment that enable professional lapses. Methodologically, Rajshree discusses the value of Congressional hearings as a valuable source of data that brings together important institutional players within the same setting. She hopes to have discussions around the challenges of accessing, analyzing and interpreting this kind of unique data and theorizing about the failure of 'gatekeepers'.
Boris Groysberg, Harvard Business School
The Portability of Talent
Many people wonder "Could I do better-be more effective, advance more quickly-at another employer? What makes me successful? Is it me or is it my surroundings?" Meanwhile knowledge-based firms ask "How can we attract star talent?" Both kinds of questions focus on the portability of talent, an issue of increasing relevance in knowledge-based economies and among firms seeking to build sustainable competitive advantage on star talent. Human-capital theory distinguishes between general human capital, which is applicable to many organizational contexts, and firm-specific human capital, which is valuable only to a specific organization. The perception that star knowledge workers can take their talent with them to competing firms assumes that their performance draws entirely on general human capital. Is this Myth or Reality? Boris' presentation focuses on answering three related questions from both an individual and organizational perspective: Does switching firms have an effect on the short-term and long-term performance of high-performing knowledge workers? What makes a difference to portability of performance? Is the departure or hiring of high-performing knowledge workers value-enhancing or value-destroying activity for their firms? Beyond these questions, he would like to discuss any synergistic opportunities in writing for academics, managers, and educators in our new economies.