Organization and Management Theory OMT

JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT INQUIRY – July 2018

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Please enjoy free access until August 15 by clicking on the URL for each article.

FEATURED ARTICLES

Twenty-First Century Leadership: A Return to Beauty

Nancy J. Adler and Andre L. Delbecq

JMI Vol. 27(2): 119–137

https://doi.org/10.1177/1056492617710758  

Abstract

Highlighting Aristotle's appreciation that "The soul . . . never thinks without a picture," this article weaves together art and ideas into an aesthetic encounter with beauty, leadership, and our humanity. It invites reflection based on long-established wisdom traditions as well as drawing on insights from everyday sacred traditions. You are invited not only to engage in reading the words presented on each page but also to stop and to reflect on their meaning. You are offered the power of art to intensify your experience and understanding. The article invites you to enter into a contemplative silence designed to increase your appreciation of your own and others' humanity while deepening the beauty of your own leadership. Such encounters with art and deep reflection have the power to guide us in rediscovering and creating beauty in our fractured world. Encountering art and wisdom through a deeply reflective process does not dismiss science but, rather, partners with all ways of knowing to go beyond what any one approach can produce on its own. Thus, the overall invitation of the article is to heighten your understanding of yourself, your role, and your aspirations as a 21st-century leader.

Keywords: leadership, art, beauty, reflection, meditation, spirituality

Questioning Centralized Organizations in a Time of Distributed Trust

Marc-David L. Seidel

JMI Vol. 27(1): 40–44

https://doi.org/10.1177/1056492617734942

Abstract

Imagine meeting a stranger and entering into a trusted economic exchange without needing a third party to vouch for you. What changes in your theoretical perspective in such a world? That model of interaction is what distributed trust technologies such as blockchain bring. I introduce the basic concept of distributed trust, describe some early instances, and highlight how organizational theories need to be updated to no longer rely upon fundamental assumptions about trust which are becoming outdated. Distributed trust fundamentally transforms boundaries of organizations and challenges assumptions about internalizing organizational functions to overcome market trust coordination issues. Implicit assumptions about the legitimacy and power of central network positions no longer ring true. This is very fertile ground for organizations research as the core tenet of the field-what roles and functions should group together within an organization-is being called into question at the most fundamental level.

Keywords: distributed trust, blockchain, C-form, post-corporate organization, decentralization

JULY 2018 ISSUE

Pick Up Your Tools: Integrating Tools into a Sociomaterial Model of Mindful Organizing

Christian Gärtner and Christian Huber

JMI Vol. 27(3) 267–283

https://doi.org/10.1177/1056492617703199

Abstract

Mindful organizing has been heralded as an important way of managing unexpected events. Prior studies have mostly taken a human-centered approach to mindful organizing. To account for the relevancy of tools in organizational practice, we draw on the notions of inscriptions and sociomateriality to examine how a computer-based tool shapes mindful organizing in a German hospital. This perspective on tools brings aspects of mindful organizing to the fore-inscribing the big picture, inscribing temporality, and inscribing accountability-that have rarely been considered so far. Interestingly, some of the tool's shortcomings also fostered mindful organizing. The contribution of our study is to "pick up" the importance of tools and integrate their role in a model of mindful organizing. This allows discussing issues of temporality that go beyond conceptualizing time as a mere resource and the impact of accountability as it is produced in everyday work.

Keywords: health care, information systems, organizational behavior, tools, sociomateriality

Finding Theory–Method Fit: A Comparison of Three Qualitative Approaches to Theory Building

Joel Gehman, Vern L. Glaser, Kathleen M. Eisenhardt, Denny Gioia, Ann Langley, and Kevin G. Corley

JMI Vol. 27(3) 284–300

https://doi.org/10.1177/1056492617706029

Abstract

This article, together with a companion video, provides a synthesized summary of a Showcase Symposium held at the 2016 Academy of Management Annual Meeting in which prominent scholars-Denny Gioia, Kathy Eisenhardt, Ann Langley, and Kevin Corley-discussed different approaches to theory building with qualitative research. Our goal for the symposium was to increase management scholars' sensitivity to the importance of theory–method "fit" in qualitative research. We have integrated the panelists' prepared remarks and interactive discussion into three sections: an introduction by each scholar, who articulates her or his own approach to qualitative research; their personal reflections on the similarities and differences between approaches to qualitative research; and answers to general questions posed by the audience during the symposium. We conclude by summarizing insights gleaned from the symposium about important distinctions among these three qualitative research approaches and their appropriate usages.

Keywords: qualitative research, interviews, grounded theory, organization theory

Let's Perform and Paint! The Role of Creative Mediums in Enhancing Management Research Representation

Lakshmi Balachandran Nair, Pauline Fatien Diochon, Reka Anna Lassu, and Suzanne G. Tilleman

JMI Vol. 27(3) 301–308

https://doi.org/10.1177/1056492618760723

Abstract

The limited reach of management research results in missed opportunities to support the decision-making processes of business professionals and policy makers. To strengthen the impact of management research and overcome barriers posed by text-heavy representation, we advocate for the use of creative mediums (e.g., collage, film, poetry) to showcase the product of an inquiry, either alone or as a supplement to traditional reporting. We provide a rationale for how these mediums trigger interest, foster a multisensory experience, convey complex meaning, and spark contemporary, inclusive dialogues. Each of the four rationales is discussed by showing an example of previous use and explaining how the respective barrier to research representation is overcome. We finally offer recommendations for how management researchers can employ creative mediums to enhance the fertility of their work.

Keywords: creativity, innovation, communication

40 Years (and Counting): Steve Kerr Reflections on the "Folly"

Thomas A. Wright, John Hollwitz, Richard W. Stackman, Arthur S. De Groat, Sally A. Baack, and Jeffrey P. Shay

JMI Vol. 27(3) 309–315

https://doi.org/10.1177/1056492617712664

Abstract

It has been more than 40 years since Steve Kerr first noted that organizations invariably violate a fundamental law of social nature by rewarding the very behaviors which they are supposedly trying to discourage, while failing to reward the behaviors they desire to reinforce. But it is simply more than a faulty reward system that has allowed these malfunctions to continue. In an engaging and thought-provoking interview reflection (and extension) on his classic management masterpiece and more, Steve Kerr provides his insights on both why the "Folly" remains as prevalent today and, equally relevant and important, provides valuable suggestions for what we can do to create better functioning organizations.

Keywords: goal displacement, leadership, motivation, reward systems

Further Thoughts on Kerr's "Folly" and Repeat Offenses: Where We Are, Have Been, and Are Going

Thomas A. Wright, Richard W. Stackman, John Hollwitz, and Arthur S. DeGroat

JMI Vol. 27(3) 316–324

https://doi.org/10.1177/1056492617712670

Abstract

Steve Kerr's seminal "Folly" article astutely noted that all too many organizations-and the individuals who populate them-invariably violate a fundamental law of social nature by rewarding the very behaviors that they are supposedly trying to discourage, while failing to reward the behaviors they desire to reinforce. But as Kerr notes in his interview, it is simply more than a faulty reward system that has allowed these malfunctions to continue. Building upon Kerr's insights, we offer two proposed "Folly" updates regarding how we can create better functioning organizations. First, we discuss the provocative option that there are only two, not four, causes to the "Folly." Second, we offer the context of character as one explanation (and possible solution) for the fact that even after more than 40 years too many organizations remain frequent repeat "Folly" offenders.

Keywords: character, integrity, hypocrisy, moral motivation, psychopathy/sociopathy

Leaders, Power, and the Paradoxical Position: Fantasies for Leaders' Liberation

Gerardo David Abreu Pederzini

JMI Vol. 27(3) 325–338

https://doi.org/10.1177/1056492617696891

Abstract

In this article, I explore how by furthering our understanding of the concept of power, a critical perspective of the leaders and power debate could emerge, where leaders are no longer only sources of power and almighty heroes but, by contrast, become accepted for the impotence that concurrently characterizes them too. The paradoxical position, of how leaders are demanded to control things they cannot, is an example of power over leaders. In order to cope, with power over them, such as their paradoxical position, leaders fantasize, and through their own fantasies, leaders could liberate themselves. By taking the case of England's higher education sector and its leaders, where primary qualitative research was done during a recent period of turmoil, the article explores how leaders through their fantasizing could liberate themselves from their paradoxical position. Particularly, I explore the role of magical realist fantasies, which disguise the fantasy as a matter-of-fact.

Keywords: leadership, power and politics, cognitive perspectives

Digital Organizational Storytelling on YouTube: Constructing Plausibility Through Network Protocols of Amateurism, Affinity, and Authenticity

Emma Bell and Pauline Leonard

JMI Vol. 27(3) 339–351

https://doi.org/10.1177/1056492616660765

Abstract

In this article, we focus on "digital organizational storytelling" as a communicative practice that relies on technologies enabled by the Internet. The article explores the dialogical potential of digital organizational storytelling and considers how this affects the relationship between online storytellers and audiences. We highlight the importance of network protocols in shaping how stories are understood. Our analysis is based on a case study of an organization, which produces online animated videos critical of corporate practices that negatively affect society. It highlights the network protocols of amateurism, affinity, and authenticity on which the plausibility of digital organizational storytelling relies. Through demonstrating what happens when network protocols are breached, the article contributes toward understanding digital organizational storytelling as a dialogical practice that opens up spaces for oppositional meaning making and can be used to challenge the power of corporations.

Keywords: communication, networks, technology, organizational storytelling, Internet, social media

Put Down That Phone! Smart Use of Smartphones for Work and Beyond

Gabriele Morandin, Marcello Russo, and Ariane Ollier-Malaterre

JMI Vol. 27(3) 352–356

https://doi.org/10.1177/1056492618762964

Abstract

Although we use our smartphone for many important daily activities, overreliance on them can have some unintended and unfortunate consequences. Unlike the devices used by prior generations, smartphones are more than mere inanimate objects, and instead have become personally involved "subjects." All of us-including individuals, organizations, families, and even societies-need to become more aware of the risks associated with such powerful communication devices. We acknowledge the myriad benefits and promises of smartphones, but also highlight their downsides. We identify a series of

initiatives that could foster a greater awareness on the costs and benefits of such devices for the sake of employees, their employers, and many stakeholders outside of work.

Keywords: smartphone effects, connectivity, awareness, control, sustainability

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