Exploring the efficacy of consensus-based decision-making

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 233-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul A. Cunningham
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Intentional Community ◽  
Leadership Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Community Membership ◽  
Viable Systems ◽  
Systems Model

Purpose – This pilot study aims to explore the case of Cloughjordan Ecovillage from the perspective of the consensus-based decision-making approach adopted by this like-minded intentional community. Ecovillages have grown in number around the world since the early 1990s. This growth is largely due to the contested nature of postmodernity and the desire to establish a simpler, meaningful and sustainable lifestyle centered on participatory democracy within the local community. The primary research question guiding this study was – Does consensus work in an intentional community such as an ecovillage? Design/methodology/approach – Data collection included semistructured interviews with current and former ecovillage members, questionnaires (reported elsewhere), literature review, content analysis of relevant documents and media and participant observation. Findings – The preliminary findings suggest that despite the impressive nature of the built infrastructure at this site, the community continues to struggle with governance, decision-making, consensus and communication issues. Originality/value – Considerable interpersonal conflict, leading to the departure of half of the community membership in 2007, acted as a catalyst in calling in outside experts to resolve disputes and to implement a more effective and sustainable framework within which to organize and govern the community. The “Viable Systems Model” was adopted in the same year and thus far appears to have provided a more viable and equitable leadership model that has generally been well received by the current membership.

University as a vehicle to achieve social innovation and development: repositioning the role of the university in the society

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lwando Mdleleni
Keyword(s):  
Local Community ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The University

Purpose This paper aims to explore the role of university in promoting, generating and sustaining social innovation (SI). It aimed to understand how higher education institutions have extended their contribution beyond the traditional function of teaching and research to perform in socio-economic problem-solving. It looks at the kinds of contributions which universities potentially make to SI processes, and the effects that this has on the direction and magnitude of SI, and by implication social development. This was done by drawing lessons from a SI project that the University of the Western Cape has been involved in, i.e. Zenzeleni Networks Project. Design/methodology/approach To address the research question with this framework, the author adopted an exploratory research design using a case study. This research is qualitative, exploratory and descriptive, based on a case study built with secondary data. Findings This paper submits that universities can potentially function as key role players in promoting SI initiatives and fostering social transformations. Universities contribute with different kinds of resources and inputs to foster new SI ideas. Originality/value The paper suggests that socially innovative university projects may contribute to community social sustainability maintaining social cohesion by increasing social capital and providing resources for the empowerment of the marginalised communities. In so doing, they contribute to overcome social exclusion and promote more sustainable forms of development at community level. More research is needed on how universities can build community networks with local community partners, who can use the insights of academic research to replicate interventions and move to scale.

Ethical values in the evaluation of corporate social performance

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 180-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monte Wynder ◽  
Kirsty Dunbar
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Multinational Corporations ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Balanced Scorecard ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Ethical Decision Making ◽  
Corporate Social Performance ◽  
Ethical Values ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose – This paper aims to explore two factors that may moderate the relation between an individual’s ethical values and their evaluation of competing ethical and financial outcomes. It is argued that distance (i.e. low proximity) attenuates moral intensity, thereby inhibiting ethical decision-making (EDM). In contrast, it is argued that presenting outcomes in a separate social and environmental perspective in the balanced scorecard (BSC) increases EDM. Design/methodology/approach – In an experiment, participants evaluated social outcomes presented in a BSC. Proximity and scorecard format were manipulated in a 2 × 2 factorial design. Findings – The results indicate that physical and social proximity increase the extent to which performance evaluation is influenced by the ethical values of the evaluator. Contrary to expectations, BSC format did not influence the EDM of the evaluator. Research limitations/implications – Participants were undergraduate students which may limit the generalisability of the results. Further research should be conducted with practicing managers. The study focused on a particular ethical issue, hiring and training from the local community. Further research is necessary to consider the effect of personal ethical values on other aspects of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Practical implications – This study indicates that ethical values will be less salient when the outcomes relate to distant locations. There are important implications for multinational corporations seeking to avoid the liability of foreignness in their distant operations. Originality/value – Previous CSR research has focused on the institutional level. The focus of the authors on the individual’s decision-making process increases our understanding of the biases that can affect EDM.

Creating successful and unique schools: leadership, context and systems thinking perspectives

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
David Gurr ◽  
Fiona Longmuir ◽  
Christopher Reed
Keyword(s):  
School Leadership ◽  
Systems Thinking ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
System Thinking ◽  
Leadership Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Community Factors ◽  
Community Needs ◽  
Systems Model ◽  
Successful School

PurposeThrough discussion of research about the leadership of two schools, this paper explores the complexity of school leadership and how various contextual elements interact with the work of principals in schools that are attempting to create inclusive, rich, worthwhile and unique schools. A systems thinking leadership and context model is developed to frame the exploration of the two cases, which, in turn, helps inform the veracity and development of the model.Design/methodology/approachThe research reported is broadly based on multiple-perspective case studies that have included individual and/or group interviews with school leaders, teachers, students, parents and/or school council members, observation and document analysis. The focus for this paper is on evidence from the cases that elucidate the model.FindingsA leadership and context view of schools helps to understand how school leaders work with, within and influence various contextual factors to develop schools that are both successful and unique. The cases demonstrated how individual leadership factors including career histories, personalities and values coalesced with school and broader community factors in reciprocal ways that resulted in school-specific improvements.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is limited by the nature of bounded, small number, qualitative case research. Nevertheless, the authors suggest that the school leadership and context systems model the authors presented captures much of the complexity of the successful leadership of these schools. The authors further suggest that this model provides a conceptual contribution to the study of successful school leadership that moves beyond more linear leadership views. Implications of this research and the conceptual contributions that the authors advance are that leadership and context should be considered in reciprocal and nuanced ways across a complex variety of contextual levels.Practical implicationsThese cases explore the growth and development of new school communities and capture the dynamic interactions between leadership and context within the complex arrangements of policy, system, history and community. The cases demonstrated how individual leadership factors, including career histories, personalities and values, coalesced with school and broader community factors in reciprocal ways that resulted in school-specific improvements. These findings and the system thinking leadership model help school leaders to consider their own work in developing successful and unique schools.Social implicationsSchool leadership is important for school success, and schools that meet student and community needs are important for society. The authors’ system thinking leadership model helps school leaders improve their practice in creating more interesting and successful schools that meet student and community needs.Originality/valueAt a time when international sharing of information and international testing of schools is pushing towards a uniformity of thinking about what good schools should be, the reality of leading schools is far different. This paper contributes to the knowledge about how school leaders navigate contextual complexities to create successful and unique schools that meet local needs.

Gendered processes of agricultural innovation in the Northern uplands of Vietnam

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 210-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nozomi Kawarazuka ◽  
Gordon Prain
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Minority ◽  
Gender Equity ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Agricultural Innovation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Innovation Processes

Purpose This paper aims to explore ethnic minority women’s gendered perceptions and processes of agricultural innovation in the Northern uplands of Vietnam. The key research question asks how women develop innovations and learn new agricultural practices within patriarchal family structures. Design/methodology/approach In-depth interviews including life histories were conducted with 17 female and 10 male farmers from different socio-economic groups; participant observation and key informant interviews were also carried out. Findings Women’s innovation processes are deeply embedded in their positions as wives and daughters-in-law. Their innovation tends to be incremental, small-scale and less technological, and they use innovation networks of women rather than those of the formal agricultural institutions, including bringing innovation knowledge from their birth family to the patrilocal household. Unlike men’s perceived innovation, women’s innovation is strongly linked to small-scale entrepreneurship, and it is a powerful approach in the sense that it strengthens the position of women in their families while improving the household economy. Research limitations/implications Identifying socially constructed innovation processes helps policymakers to rethink the introduction of ready-made innovation packages, both in terms of content and delivery, and to facilitate innovation for women, as well as men, in marginalized positions. Social implications Understanding the gendered processes of innovation instead of measuring gender gaps in innovation outcomes sheds light on women’s interests and preferences, which can inform policies for supporting women’s innovation and thereby lead to social change, including gender equity. Originality/value This paper contributes to the understanding of gendered innovation processes and entrepreneurship associated with agriculture in rural areas in non-Western ethnic-minority contexts, which is an area that past and current research on entrepreneurship has relatively ignored.

Strategic entrepreneurship

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosa Lombardi ◽  
Riccardo Tiscini ◽  
Raffaele Trequattrini ◽  
Laura Martiniello
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Personal Values ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Dynamic Environment ◽  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Strategic Decision Making ◽  
Competitive Advantages ◽  
Content Type

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the characteristics and personal values of a successful entrepreneur in order to understand the quality of such characteristics. Thus, this paper aims to investigate how these characteristics and personal values impact strategic decision-making and outcomes driving the success and growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).Design/methodology/approachThe research question is answered through a single case study approach based on the case of the charismatic and flourishing entrepreneur and owner of Gemar Balloons, a balloon-manufacturing company established in the centre of Italy a century ago.FindingsThe paper shows how the success of SMEs in a dynamic environment is influenced by the central resource, “the entrepreneur”, whose entrepreneurial mindset, culture and leadership are essential and partially replicable. They allow strategic management to seek opportunities and develop innovation, achieving competitive advantages and creating wealth.Practical implicationsThis paper contributes to an understanding of how values and specific personal characteristics establish an entrepreneurial mindset, culture and leadership, and whether and how these factors are exportable and repeatable. In this way, it allows a better understanding of how possible it is to establish an entrepreneurial mindset and culture by working on a younger generation's values and characteristics. Moreover, it explains why and how entrepreneurial SME leaders are best able to make decisions and manage resources strategically to create competitive advantages.Originality/valueThe paper is new because it shows the distinctive values and characteristics influencing the emerging strategic decision-making model and corporate outcomes.

Quantitative analysis of viable systems model on software projects in the ICT sector in Castilla y León

Kybernetes ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 44 (5) ◽  
pp. 806-822 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julio César Puche Regaliza
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Analysis ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Measurement Tool ◽  
Software Project ◽  
Software Projects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Viable Systems ◽  
Viable Systems Model ◽  
Systems Model ◽  
Castilla Y Leon

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to detect the degree of influence between applying the Viable Systems Model (VSM), developed by Stafford Beer, on a software project and its viability or success. Design/methodology/approach – The authors performed a quantitative analysis in which it was necessary to identify theoretical constructs of the VSM (Systems One to Five) and of the viability or success of the software project, measuring each of the indicators together. These indicators have been included in a questionnaire or standardised measurement tool, which was subsequently used for data collection by a number of companies in the information and communications technology sector in Castilla y León. The obtained data served as the basis for a number of results through the definition of a structural equation model. Findings – The results support the particular importance of Systems One and Four in a software project. In other words, software projects need to clearly define their operational elements (e.g. organisational units, business units, working environments, and working teams) and the relationships that appear between them. Additionally, in software projects it is necessary to determine the appropriate prevention actions to be able to observe the changes that take place in their environment and thus make decisions that allow the project to adapt to these changes. Originality/value – The originality is based on the VSM application in software projects organisation. The value is based on VSM formalisation and practical application, to overcome the criticism about its abstract nature.

A systems approach to assessing organisational viability in project based organisations

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 268-283
Author(s):  
Bankole Awuzie ◽  
Peter McDermott
Keyword(s):  
Systems Approach ◽  
Communication Channels ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Strategic Objectives ◽  
Viable Systems ◽  
Systems Model ◽  
Infrastructure Project ◽  
And Control

Purpose – Extant literature highlights the increasing inability of project-based organisations (PBOs) to meet infrastructure client’s expectations, particularly as it concerns the delivery of socio-economic outcomes during the delivery process. Unclear communication channels and poor processing of information especially as it pertains to client’s strategic objectives results in a misalignment of objectives among participating parties. As its central proposition, the purpose of this paper is to hold that unclear communication channels between parties within infrastructure project PBOs affects their degree of internal cohesion hence posing strong challenges to their overall viability. Design/methodology/approach – Applying the Viable Infrastructure Delivery Systems Model (VIDM); a model premised on the tenets of the Viable Systems Model, this qualitative study proceeds to assess a particular PBO within a developing country to understand its communication and control channels and to identify where gaps likely to affect the internal cohesiveness of the PBO, if any, existed. Whereas semi-structured interviews and project/policy documents were used as data collection tools, data were analysed using pre-set themes. Findings – According the study’s findings, an absence of a prevalent common identity was observed among the various parties to the PBO. Contractors’ capabilities to deliver on time and to budget based on their expertise remained pivotal within the PBO thus abandoning the attainment of the client’s pre-defined socio-economic objectives. Cases of faulty and ineffective organisational architecture, functional and communication issues were observed. Research limitations/implications – Based upon these findings, it is recommended that the VIDM be adopted at the commencement of the PBO lifecycle and used at various intervals by project managers and other stakeholders for assessing the levels of organisational viability. Originality/value – The methodology and findings resulting from this study represent information from fieldwork conducted by the author and as such have not been used elsewhere.

scholarly journals De-commoditizing change management

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 793-803 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derek Robert Brown ◽  
Dennis Rose ◽  
Ray Gordon
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Change Management ◽  
Stakeholder Management ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Failure Rates ◽  
Change Initiatives ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Quality Of Leadership ◽  
Job Advertisements

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to begin the discussion about re-positioning change management in information technology projects and to propose a framework for improving the quality of decision making in change initiatives that may contribute to that re-positioning. Design/methodology/approach The paper analyzed all change management job advertisements in Australia in both the public and private sectors for May 2015, to identify which change management-related skills were being sought. The purpose was to try to identify any patterns that would confirm or negate the original observations, and to help develop a research question for a subsequent, substantive study. Findings Change management may be perceived as predominantly comprising communications, stakeholder management and training. The quality of leadership decision making in change initiatives may also be contributing to the consistently high failure rates. Research limitations/implications The analysis of job advertisements was a sample only, and requires more quantitative research. Practical implications The required alignment of leadership, ethics and change can only be achieved by first improving the quality of leadership decision making, which demands a values-based approach. Originality/value The paper highlights a restriction to the scope of practice of change management, and how that contributes to continuing high failure rates. The value is that it provides deeper insight into the commonly accepted “leadership alignment” issue, as well as demonstrating that this is probably the least practiced aspect of change management. The paper also challenges to build strong ethical foundations for the practice.

“Modes of mediation” for conceptualizing how different roles for accountants are made present

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 202-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heba El-Sayed ◽  
Mayada Abd El-Aziz Youssef
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Business Partner ◽  
Business Decision ◽  
Operations Planning ◽  
Role Change ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Partners ◽  
Manufacturing Company

Purpose – This paper aims to, using the concept of “modes of mediation”, examine how different roles for accountants are “made present” in an Egyptian manufacturing company. The paper introduces the notion of “modes of mediation” as a different perspective for the opposing popular archetypes of accountants: “bean-counter” versus “business partner”. Modes of mediation emphasise the materiality of artefacts, entities and technologies, as well as organisational space and spatial settings. Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on a field study in an Egyptian manufacturing company where accountants are engaged as business partners and involved in operations planning and decision-making. The data were collected over a period of four years through participant observation, interviews and ethnographic techniques. Findings – The paper reveals the relational nature of accountants’ calculative agency and shows how roles of accountants are intimately associated with a web of technologies and artefacts, as well as spatial working arrangements that represent particular “modes of mediation”. Research limitations/implications – The concept of “modes of mediation”, which is still under-explored in the role change literature, is useful in studying the roles of accountants. It enriches our understanding of the wider involvement of accountants in business decision-making that goes beyond the major drivers of role change and deliberate interventions discussed in the existing literature. Originality/value – The paper contributes to the literature on role change by drawing attention to the way in which different modes of mediation, involving certain material and spatial arrangements, enact different forms of calculative agency. Minor alteration to these arrangements can result in a wider involvement of accountants in business decision-making.

scholarly journals Contending institutional logics, illegitimacy risk and management accounting

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 795-824
Author(s):  
Monika Łada ◽  
Alina Kozarkiewicz ◽  
Jim Haslam
Keyword(s):  
Institutional Environment ◽  
Management Accounting ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Institutional Logics ◽  
Environment Impact ◽  
Organizational Responses ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Empirical Contribution

PurposeThis article explores the influence of duality in institutional logics on internal accounting, with a focus on a Polish public university. More particularly, we answer the research question: how does illegitimacy risk arising from the divergent pressures of the institutional environment impact management accountings in this institution?Design/methodology/approachThis paper seeks to uncover intricacies of notions of internal legitimacy façade, decoupling and counter-coupling in practice. It explores details of organizational responses involving management accounting aimed at reducing illegitimacy risk. Achieving good organizational access, the authors adopt a qualitative case study approach involving contextual appreciation/document analysis/participant observation/discussion with key actors: facilitating building upon theoretical argumentation through finding things out from the field.FindingsThe authors uncover and discuss organizational solutions and legitimizing manoeuvres applied, identifying four adaptation tactics in the struggle to support legitimacy that they term ‘ceremonial calculations’, ‘legitimacy labelling’, ‘blackboxing’ and ‘shadow management accounting’. These can be seen in relation to decoupling and counter-coupling. Ceremonial calculations supported the internal façade. Shadow management accounting supported pro-effectiveness. Legitimacy labelling and blackboxing helped bind these two organizational layers, further supporting legitimacy. In interaction the four tactics engendered what can be seen as a ‘counter-coupling’ of management accounting. The authors clarify impacts for management accounting.Research limits/implicationsThe usual limitations of case research apply for generalizability. Theorizing of management accounting in relation to contradictory logics is advanced.Practical implicationsThe article illuminates how management accounting can be understood vis-à-vis contradictory logics.Originality valueElaboration of the tactics and their interaction is a theoretical and empirical contribution. Focus on a Polish university constitutes an empirical contribution.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document