Something borrowed, something blue: reflections on theory borrowing in educational administration research

2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (6) ◽  
pp. 749-760
Author(s):  
Izhak Berkovich
Keyword(s):  
Educational Administration ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Applied Research ◽  
Education Administration ◽  
Conceptual Blending ◽  
Middle Ground ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Fields ◽  
Improve Theory

PurposeThe practice of theory borrowing from other research fields is common in interdisciplinary and applied research. Nevertheless, educational administration researchers seldom discuss this phenomenon and its complexities in depth.Design/methodology/approachThis essay provides an overview of what has been written about the practice of theory borrowing.FindingsAfter presenting the criticism on misusing theory borrowing, it outlines several recommendations to improve theory borrowing in education administration research by domesticating it through conceptual blending.Originality/valueThe purpose of this essay is to motivate educational administration scholars to reflect on the practice of theory borrowing. The guidelines offered here for promoting conceptual blending serve as a middle ground for mitigating a key problem of theory borrowing.

Authenticity in educational leadership: history, ideal, reality

2014 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 152-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick A. Duignan
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Educational Administration ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Authentic Leadership ◽  
Performance Outcomes ◽  
Modern World ◽  
Ethical Challenges ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Moral Force ◽  
Coherent Body

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to undertake a personal, historical, analytical and interpretive investigation of the evolution of the concept of authentic leadership in educational administration/leadership over a number of decades. Design/methodology/approach – The paper includes the author's reflections on his own journey on the topic as well as an analysis of the contributions of great researchers, theorists and writers since early in the twentieth century but, especially, since the early 1960s. Findings – While there is no coherent body of literature on the development of the concept of authentic leadership, there is a general discernible trend starting with a focus on self (know thyself, to thine own self be true); to considering and defining self in relationships; to accepting that there is a moral force behind notions of self-fulfillment; to recognising that authentic leaders operate in a real post-modern (perhaps post-post modern) world of pressures, paradoxes and ethical challenges. This is often a world of standards, assessment and accountability for performance outcomes. Originality/value – The paper draws on the author's own research journey and legacy on the topic as well as the contributions of “giants in the field” who have continually pushed the envelope when exploring the topic and closely interrelated topics.

Stairways to heaven: implementing social media in organizations

2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 741-754 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moria Levy
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Empirical Study ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Applied Research ◽  
Service Marketing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Four Levels ◽  
Functional Components ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – This paper is aimed at both researchers and organizations. For researchers, it seeks to provide a means for better analyzing the phenomenon of social media implementation in organizations as a knowledge management (KM) enabler. For organizations, it seeks to suggest a step-by-step architecture for practically implementing social media and benefiting from it in terms of KM. Design/methodology/approach – The research is an empirical study. A hypothesis was set; empirical evidence was collected (from 34 organizations). The data were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively, thereby forming the basis for the proposed architecture. Findings – Implementing social media in organizations is more than a yes/no question; findings show various levels of implementation in organizations: some implementing at all levels, while others implement only tools, functional components, or even only visibility. Research limitations/implications – Two main themes should be further tested: whether the suggested architecture actually yields faster/eased KM implementation compared to other techniques; and whether it can serve needs beyond the original scope (KM, Israel) as tested in this study (i.e. also for other regions and other needs – service, marketing and sales, etc.). Practical implications – Organizations can use the suggested four levels architecture as a guideline for implementing social media as part of their KM efforts. Originality/value – This paper is original and innovative. Previous studies describe the implementation of social media in terms of yes/no; this research explores the issue as a graded one, where organizations can and do implement social media step-by-step. The paper's value is twofold: it can serve as a foundational study for future researches, which can base their analysis on the suggested architecture of four levels of implementation. It also serves as applied research that will help organizations searching for social media implementation KM enablers.

Wroe Alderson, IMP and the evolution of theory

IMP Journal ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 390-408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars-Erik Gadde ◽  
Kajsa Hulthén
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Marketing Theory ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Broad Perspective ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Fields ◽  
Theoretical Structure ◽  
Specific Objective ◽  
Scientific Fields

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse how theories evolve within scientific fields: why they receive attention and why they eventually become less attractive. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on a literature review and focusses on the theoretical structure developed by Wroe Alderson. His contributions were highly appreciated and generally considered as “the” marketing theory. However, in few years his broad perspective was more or less neglected within the field where it was developed. At the same time, Alderson’s basic thinking was adopted by the evolving IMP approach. The specific objective of the study is to analyse why researchers in marketing abandoned Alderson, while IMP adopted many of his ideas. Findings The paper illustrates significant aspects of the evolution of theories. First, the paper shows how well-established conceptualisations, like Alderson’s total systems approach, may lose impact when the focus of research shifts. Alderson’s holistic framing was found too broad and all-encompassing to be useful when research attention was directed to specific aspects of marketing management and the socio-behavioural approach to distribution. Second, the paper shows in what respect IMP found support in concepts and models presented by Alderson in the challenging of fragmented mainstream framings of the business landscape. Originality/value This paper relates the rise and fall of Alderson’s concepts and frameworks to the evolution of theories of other schools-of-thought. Furthermore, the study shows how Alderson’s ideas were adapted to other research fields than where it was originally developed.

Customer process-centric artefacts: a literature review

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Zsoka Palvölgyi ◽  
Jürgen Moormann
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Business Processes ◽  
Contextual Factors ◽  
Research Gaps ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Fields ◽  
Management Literature ◽  
Research Frameworks ◽  
Descriptive Knowledge

PurposeCompanies that strive to provide customers with value in their processes benefit from artefacts that allow them to better understand customer processes (CPs) and to influence CPs in ways that are valuable for customers. Such CP-centric artefacts (CPCAs) carry various labels across research fields, which inhibit their application or utilization for developing further artefacts. This study provides a structured overview of existing CPCAs and investigates which research foundations promote their development.Design/methodology/approachTwenty-five CP-related keyword combinations are applied in several iterations using multiple (meta) search engines to identify papers on CPCAs across different research streams. Introduced research frameworks organize the identified artefacts and indicate research gaps and reasons why some approaches are more successful in developing CPCAs than others.FindingsExisting CPCAs cover different aspects of CPs and utilize contextual factors of CPs to varying degrees to analyse or influence CPs. Research gaps are identified that indicate opportunities to develop further CPCAs. Taking instantiated methods in combination with CP-related descriptive knowledge as a foundation yields the highest potential for generating beneficial CPCAs.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to CP management literature by offering a foundation for the generation of CPCAs suitable for analysing and influencing CPs of end-consumers. This supports the establishment of a CP management aiming at optimizing both, interlinked business processes and CPs.

Identification of interdisciplinary research based upon co-cited journals

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 68-77
Author(s):  
Marco van Veller
Keyword(s):  
Interdisciplinary Research ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Reference Lists ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Journal Articles ◽  
Multidisciplinary Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Fields ◽  
Large Matrix ◽  
Or Groups

Purpose This paper aims to the identification of journal articles that probably report on interdisciplinary research at Wageningen University & Research (WUR). Design/methodology/approach For identification of interdisciplinary research, an analysis is performed on journals from which articles have been cited in articles (co-)authored by WUR staff. The journals with cited articles are inventoried from the reference lists of the WUR articles. For each WUR article, a mean dissimilarity is calculated between the journal in which it has been published and the journals inventoried from the reference lists. Dissimilarities are derived from a large matrix with similarity values between journals, calculated from co-occurrence of these journals in the WUR articles’ reference lists. Findings For 21,191 WUR articles published between 2006 and 2015 in 2,535 journals mean dissimilarities have been calculated. The analysis shows that WUR articles with high mean dissimilarities often are published in multidisciplinary journals. Also, WUR articles with high mean dissimilarities are found in non-multidisciplinary (research field-specific) journals. For these articles (with high mean dissimilarities), this paper shows that citations are often made to more various research fields than for articles with lower mean dissimilarities. Originality/value Identification of articles reporting on interdisciplinary research may be important to WUR policy for strategic purposes or for the evaluation of researchers or groups. Also, this analysis enables to identify journals with high mean dissimilarities (due to WUR articles citing more various research fields). Identification of these journals with a more interdisciplinary scope can be important for collection management by the library.

A “recursive framework” of corruption and development

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 282-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Ato Forson
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Institutional Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Development Trajectory ◽  
Improve Theory ◽  
Theory Research ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a conceptual framework on the relationship between corruption and development. The paper demonstrates how the impact of corruption on economic development might vary substantially from sustainable development (SD). Design/methodology/approach A combination of literature-based analysis was employed by considering concepts from corruption and development. A synthesis of these two concepts leads to the development of the conceptual framework. Findings The findings shows that corruption originates from three main sources, and that the effect of corruption on development might differ depending on how it is conceptualized, but the spate of corruption is contingent on institutional quality and gains in previous development trajectory. Originality/value Relating the concept of corruption and SD and linking it to theories of development brings a sense of novelty. This paper has in its essence contributed to the conceptualization of the relationship between corruption and development which will help deepen understanding on this contentious subject. The framework will help to improve theory, research and practice in development studies and allied fields.

A PSO based investigation of research fields of researchers

Kybernetes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (6) ◽  
pp. 1767-1782
Author(s):  
Goldina Ghosh ◽  
C.B. Akki ◽  
Nivedita Kasturi
Keyword(s):  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Theoretic Approach ◽  
Network Graph ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Graph Theoretic ◽  
Research Fields ◽  
Graph Theoretic Approach ◽  
Hidden Knowledge ◽  
Extended Work

Purpose The purpose of this study is data generated from any social networking sites may provide some hidden knowledge on a particular domain. Based on this concept the previous paper had proved that social connectivity enhancement takes place through triadic closure and embeddedness in terms of social network graph-theoretic approach. Further, the work was justified by genetic algorithm (GA) where observation showed how interdisciplinary work can occur because of crossover, and therefore, different groups of researchers could be identified. Further enhancement of the work has been focused on in this paper. Design/methodology/approach In continuation with the previous work, this paper detects other possible fields related to “high graded researchers” who can share the information with the other group of researchers (“imminent high graded” and “new researchers”) using particle swarm optimization (PSO) technique. Findings While exploitation was done using GA in the previous work, exploration is done in the current work based on PSO using the same grade score value to the objective function. Both the velocity and direction of high graded researchers in this extended work could be derived, which was not possible using GA. Originality/value This could help the next two levels of researchers (“imminent high graded researchers” and “new researchers”) in expanding their research fields in line with the fields of high graded researchers.

Using abstract concepts in impact-focussed organisational research

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Lugosi
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Applied Research ◽  
Data Generation ◽  
Abstract Concept ◽  
Abstract Concepts ◽  
Business Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Change In Practice ◽  
Organisational Research ◽  
Context Specific

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to conceptualise and examine the processes through which abstract concepts, or abstractions, can be utilised in co-creating knowledge within “impact-focussed” organisational and business research, i.e. applied research that primarily seeks to promote change in practice rather than principally aiming to make theoretical contributions to academic debates. The paper uses the abstraction “hospitality” as an empirical example and discusses the techniques used to “operationalise” this concept, i.e. make it understandable for research participants enabling researchers to use it within data generation and the creation of practical insights in organisational enquiry. Design/methodology/approach The study employed two methods: first, participant-generated photos; and second, two interactive workshops with 38 practitioners where the abstract concept “hospitality” was used to generate practical organisational insights. Findings The paper distinguishes between four stages: the elaboration of abstraction, concretisation of abstraction, probing perspectives on abstraction and exploring experiences of abstraction. It is argued that utilising specific techniques within these four stages facilitates: recognisability: the extent to which organisational stakeholders understand the content and meanings of the abstraction; and relatability: the extent to which stakeholders appreciate how the abstract concepts are relevant to interpreting their own practices and experiences. Research limitations/implications This is an exploratory study, used to develop and refine elicitation techniques, rather than to draw definitive conclusions about the applicability of specific abstract concepts. Nevertheless, reflecting on the processes and techniques used in the utilisation of abstractions here can help to operationalise them in future impact-focussed research. Originality/value The paper conceptualises the processes through which abstract concepts can be made apprehendable for non-specialist, non-academic practitioners. In doing so, it discusses how various elicitation techniques support the utilisation of abstractions in generating insights that can support the development of constructive, context-specific practices in organisations and businesses.

A “coalesced framework” of talent management and employee performance

2015 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 544-566 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Kwame Mensah
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Work Performance ◽  
Employee Performance ◽  
Talent Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Improve Theory ◽  
Theory Research ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a conceptual framework that demonstrates the mechanisms through which talent management (TM) leads to the various dimensions of employee performance. Design/methodology/approach – A literature-based analysis was employed by combining concepts from TM and employee performance. The syntheses of these two concepts lead to the development of the conceptual framework. Findings – The findings show that, implementation of a TM system leads to employee performance, but a TM output mediates the relationship between TM and employee performance. Originality/value – This paper has contributed to the conceptualisation of TM and employee performance which will help to improve theory, research and practice in all fields concerned with individual work performance.

The intellectual identity of educational administration: views of Israeli academics

2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 546-559 ◽  
Author(s):  
Izhar Oplatka ◽  
Idit Nupar
Keyword(s):  
Future Development ◽  
Educational Administration ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Field Of Study ◽  
Intellectual Work ◽  
Universities And Colleges ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Intellectual Identity ◽  
Similarities And Differences

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is twofold, to answer two questions: how do senior educational administration (EA) field members perceive the field's scholarly aims and boundaries and the meaning of their intellectual work? and what are the similarities and differences between “outsider” and “insider” perceptions of the field's major purposes and directions? Design/methodology/approach – Semi-structured interviews with 12 Israeli academics who work in departments of EA in varied universities and colleges. Findings – The field members in the study shared similar views of the field's purposes and challenges, but were divided about the field's desired knowledgebase and scholarly boundaries. Some implications for the field's future development are suggested. Originality/value – The exploration of academics’ perceptions of their own field of study may increase the intellectual and theoretical understandings of major epistemological aspects of EA as a field of study.

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