Impressions in action: the socially situated construction of expertise in the workplace

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aditya Johri
Keyword(s):  
Impression Formation ◽  
Task Assignment ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Knowledge Generation ◽  
Task Completion ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Workplace Setting ◽  
Socially Situated

Purpose – The impressions of others’ expertise are fundamental to workplace dynamics. Identifying expertise is essential for workplace functions such as task assignment, task completion, and knowledge generation. Although prior work has examined both the nature of expertise and its importance for work, formation of expertise impressions in the workplace has not received much attention. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper the author addresses the question – how do we form expertise impressions in the workplace – using data from an ethnographic study of a workplace setting. The author employs a case study of project team formation to synthesize a process framework of impression formation. Findings – The author proposes a framework that integrates sociocultural and interactional accounts to argue that actors utilize situational and institutional frames to socially construct their expertise impressions of others. These frames emerge as actors engage in activities within a community of practice. Originality/value – This practice-based explication of expertise construction moves beyond narrow conceptions of personality-based traits or credentials as signals of expertise. It explains why sharing of expertise within organizations through the use of information technology continues to be problematic – expertise is an enactment and therefore it defies reification through knowledge management.

The use of performance information in local government mergers

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 451-471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karina Kenk ◽  
Toomas Haldma
Keyword(s):  
Attribution Theory ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Eastern European Country ◽  
Eastern European ◽  
Performance Information ◽  
Case Study Method ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Using Data

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study more deeply the use of performance information (PI) in the context of the administrative-territorial reform, e.g. amalgamation in the local governments (LG) with an example of Estonian LGs. Design/methodology/approach The case study method is adopted, using data from publicly available documents and interviews with the politicians and officials at the five merger cases of Estonian LG units. The data are interpreted and analysed using attribution theory. Findings The results show that amalgamation patterns do have an influence on PI use – in particular, the authors see that PI is reported to be used more frequently in cases of voluntary mergers, which may be related to the different motivations to make attributions in cases of voluntary and compulsory mergers. Originality/value The study contributes to the debate on the importance and usefulness of different types of PI, as financial as well as non-financial information and for different information users in the light of LG reform in Estonia as being a Central and Eastern European country.

scholarly journals Restrictive practices on refugees in Australia with intellectual disability and challenging behaviours: a family’s story

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 222-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie King ◽  
Niki Edwards ◽  
Ignacio Correa-Velez ◽  
Rosalyn Darracott ◽  
Maureen Fordyce
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Disability ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Service System ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Refugee Status ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Loved One ◽  
Restrictive Practice ◽  
Complex Disability

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the experiences of a refugee family navigating complex disability and restrictive practice service systems. Living with disability, or caring for someone with disability can compound the disadvantage and marginalisation already experienced by refugees. The nexus between disability and refugee status, particularly intellectual disability and restrictive practices, has received little scholarly attention and almost nothing is known of people’s experiences in this situation. Design/methodology/approach Thematic analysis of a case study is used to illustrate the experiences of a refugee family in this situation. The case study presented was part of a larger ethnographic study exploring the experiences of people of refugee background living with disability. Findings There were numerous barriers to accessing appropriate services. The family experienced high levels of stress simultaneously navigating the resettlement process and the disability service system. They were poorly informed and disempowered regarding the care of their loved one and the use of restrictive practices. Experiences in the country of origin, employment responsibilities, and unfamiliarity with the service system were key factors in this family’s difficulty in safeguarding the rights of their family member with disability. Originality/value This case study examines the complexity experienced when disability intersects with refugee background. Areas for additional research and significant gaps in service provision are identified. The case study clearly demonstrates the importance of understanding people’s pre- and post-settlement experiences to inform policy and service provision.

Corruption accounting and growth: towards a new methodology

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-57
Author(s):  
Martin Grandes ◽  
Ariel Coremberg
Keyword(s):  
Endogenous Growth ◽  
Public Works ◽  
Public Expenditures ◽  
National Accounts ◽  
Public Officials ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Endogenous Growth Model ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The One

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate empirically that corruption causes significant and sizeable macroeconomic costs to countries in terms of economic activity and economic growth. The authors modeled corruption building on the endogenous growth literature and finally estimated the baseline (bribes paid to public officials) macroeconomic cost of corruption using Argentina 2004-2015 as a case study. Design/methodology/approach The authors laid the foundations of a new methodology to account corruption losses using data from the national accounts and judiciary investigations within the framework of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) non-observed economy (NOE) instead of subjective indicators as in the earlier literature. They also suggested a new method to compute public expenditures overruns, including but not limited to public works. Findings The authors found the costs stand at a minimum accumulated rate of 8 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) or 0.8 per cent yearly. These findings provided a corruption cost floor and were consistent with earlier research on world corruption losses estimated at 5 per cent by the World Economic Forum and with the losses estimated at between a yearly rate of 1.3 and 4 per cent and 2 per cent of GDP by Brazil and Peru’s corruption, respectively. Research limitations/implications The authors would need to extend the application of their new suggested methodology to further countries. They are working on this. They would need to develop the methodology in full to compute the public works overruns input to future econometric work. Originality/value In this paper, the authors make a threefold contribution to the literature on corruption and growth: first, they laid the foundations toward a new methodology to make an accounting of the corruption costs in terms of GDP consistent with the national accounts and executed budgets; on the one hand, and the OECD NOE framework, on the other. The authors named those corruption costs as percentage of GDP the “corruption wedge.” Second, they developed an example taking corruption events and a component of their total costs, namely, the bribes paid to public officials, taking Argentina 2004-2015 as a case study. Finally, they plugged the estimated wedge back into an endogenous growth model and calibrated the growth–corruption path simulating two economies where the total factor productivity was different, at different levels of the corruption wedge.

Determinants of bank branch density: a case study of Slovakia

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 933-959
Author(s):  
Martin Boďa ◽  
Katarína Čunderlíková
Keyword(s):  
Regulatory Oversight ◽  
Bank Branch ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Bank Branches ◽  
Five Factors ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Branch Density ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThis paper studies the density of bank branches in districts of Slovakia and aims to identify determinants that explain or justify districtural differences in the density of bank branches.Design/methodology/approachBank branch density is measured by the number of branches in a district, and banks are further differentiated by size and profile. Potential determinants of bank branch density are sought through univariate and bivariate Poisson regressions amongst economic factors, socioeconomic factors, technological factors, urbanization factors, and branch market concentration.FindingsUsing data from 2016, it has been found that branch numbers in districts are determined chiefly by five factors that describe their economic development, population size with its characteristics, and existent branch concentration. The spatial distribution of bank branches in the territory of Slovakia is not random, but is found to be affected by environmental factors measurable at the districtural level. Only 22 Slovak districts representing administrative or economic centers are expected to be over-branched.Practical implicationsThe study helps to identify factors that need be accounted for in planning and redesigning of branch networks or in implementing mergers and acquisitions on a bank level. The results are also useful in regional policy and regulatory oversight.Originality/valueThe present study is unique since the decision-making processes of Slovak commercial banks in planning the location and density of their branch networks have not been rationalized and researched as of yet.

The impact of accreditation agencies and other powerful stakeholders on the performance measurement in Polish universities

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorota Dobija ◽  
Anna Maria Górska ◽  
Anna Pikos
Keyword(s):  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Performance Information ◽  
Case Study Method ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Additional Layer ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Polish Higher Education ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Collection Methods

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to extend the understanding of how internal organisational processes change in response to external demands, by investigating the changes undertaken by two Polish business schools (b-schools) in anticipation of and in response to the demands of accreditation agencies (AAs) and other powerful stakeholders. Specifically, it examines the internal research-related performance measurement (PM) system and changes in the use of performance information (PI). Design/methodology/approach The case study method is adopted, using data from publicly available documents and interviews with the faculty and management at the two schools. The data are interpreted and analysed using the neo-institutional theory. Findings Powerful stakeholders are the primary reason for changes in PM systems and the manner in which PI is used. Specifically, AAs reflect an additional layer in the PM system, allowing for a downward cascading PI effect. This also leads to a wider use of PI across different organisational levels. Research limitations/implications This study focusses on two case studies in a region still undergoing transition. Thus, this analysis could be reinforced through additional cases, different data collection methods and cross-country and between-country comparative analyses. Originality/value The changes in PM systems and particularly the use of PI are discussed in the context of Polish higher education (HE) and, more broadly, the entire Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) region. Moreover, the consideration of two b-school cases facilitates a comparative analysis of the differences in PM systems and the use of PI in the context of stakeholders’ PI needs.

When hierarchy becomes collaborative

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 599-613 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca M. Rice
Keyword(s):  
Participant Observation ◽  
High Reliability ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Relationship Building ◽  
Incident Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Emergency Situations ◽  
Collaborative Processes ◽  
Individual Actions

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to expand understandings of interorganizational collaboration among high reliability organizations (HROs). It proposes that HROs face unique needs for relationship building, pre-planning, and retrospective sensemaking that do not fit within prior models of collaboration. For HROs, definitions of collaboration vary contextually based on needs that arise during emergency situations. HROs have a need for both hierarchical structure and collaborative processes and use collaboration as a sensemaking frame that allows practitioners to attend to both needs. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses a case study from an ongoing ethnographic study of an emergency response collaboration. The paper uses open-ended interviews about collaboration with all key members of the incident response hierarchy, and participant observation of collaboration before, during and after a key emergency incident. Findings The paper proposes a new framework for HRO collaboration: that collaboration is a sensemaking frame for HROs used to make sense of individual actions, that HRO collaboration is more complex during pre-planning and focused on individual decision making during incidents, and that members can communicatively make sense of the need for hierarchy and collaborative action by defining these needs contextually. Research limitations/implications The paper uses an in-depth case study of an incident to explore this collaborative framework; therefore, researchers are encouraged to test this framework in additional high reliability collaborative contexts. Practical implications The paper includes implications for best communicative practices to recognize the need to be both hierarchical and flexible in high reliability organizing. Originality/value This paper fulfills a need to expand collaboration literature beyond idealized and egalitarian definitions, in order to understand how practitioners use communication to understand their actions as collaborative, especially in organizations that also require hierarchy and individual actions. This case study suggests that collaboration as a sensemaking frame creates collaborative advantages for HROs, but can also limit sensemaking about incident management.

Facilitating organizational learning through agent-based modeling and simulation experimentation

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 429-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saša Baškarada ◽  
Arvind Chandran ◽  
Mina Shokr ◽  
Christopher Stewart
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Learning ◽  
Modeling And Simulation ◽  
Agent Based Modeling ◽  
Knowledge Generation ◽  
Generation Process ◽  
Complex Environments ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Internal Knowledge

Purpose In addition to requiring high absorptive capacity, contemporary organizations operating in highly dynamic and complex environments also require the ability to create knowledge internally, within the organization. While the organizational learning (OL) literature has produced a plethora of theories and frameworks, there has been relatively little empirical research on specific mechanisms for internal knowledge generation. Accordingly, this paper aims to answer calls for more research on mechanisms for internal generation of organizational knowledge. Design/methodology/approach This paper is an in-depth case study in the Australian Defence Organisation (ADO). Findings The paper presents a cyclical eight-stage knowledge generation process and demonstrates how agent-based modeling and simulation (ABMS) may be used to facilitate OL. Originality/value By detailing an in-depth case study of an ABMS mechanism for internal knowledge generation in the ADO, this paper provides a novel and relevant contribution to the OL literature.

Two routes of service modularization: advancing standardization and customization

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ida Gremyr ◽  
Aku Valtakoski ◽  
Lars Witell
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Longitudinal Case Study ◽  
Manufacturing Firm ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Module ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This study aims to investigate service modularization in a manufacturing firm, identifies service modularization processes and examines how these processes change the service module characteristics. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on a longitudinal case study (2008-2017) of a manufacturing firm. The development of six service modules was analyzed using data from interviews with key informants, informal meetings and internal documentation. Findings This study suggests five service modularization processes, and that service module characteristics, such as standardization and interconnectedness, change in different ways depending on the service modularization processes used. It further identifies two service modularization routes that each combine the service modularization processes in unique ways with replication as a key process to improve both standardization and customization. Practical implications This study elaborates a framework for service modularization, which can serve as a guideline for developing service modules. It also highlights the differences between product and service modularization, suggesting that the role of service module characteristics such as standardization and customization is specific for services. Originality/value This longitudinal case study (2008-2017) provides empirical evidence on service modularization and extends existing knowledge on service modularization processes and how they influence service module characteristics.

Prediction of unregulated energy usage in office buildings

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Frimpong ◽  
Elvis Twumasi
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Prediction Method ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
Office Buildings ◽  
Nsga Ii ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Active Mode ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Device Operation

PurposeThe paper presents a technique for predicting the energy consumption of unregulated energy loads (UELs) in office buildings. It also presents an approach for determining a set of optimum values required by the technique.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed technique uses the optimum power drawn and optimum usage period in three modes of device operation, for the prediction. The usage modes are active mode, idle (low active) mode and off mode. The optimum powers and usage times are inserted into a linear mathematical equation to predict the energy consumption. Regarding the approach for determining the optimum values, the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II) is applied to a range of values obtained from field measurements. The proposed prediction method and approach for determining optimum values were tested using data of energy consumption of UELs in a case study facility.FindingsTest results show that the method for predicting the energy consumption of UELs in offices is highly accurate and suitable for adoption by energy modelers, building designers and building regulatory agencies. The approach for determining the optimum values is also effective and can aid the establishment of workable benchmark values.Originality/valueA new and simple model has been developed for the prediction of unregulated energy. A method for determining a set of optimum values of power and usage periods required by the model has also been developed. Furthermore, optimum values have been suggested that can be fine-tuned for use as benchmark values. The proposed approaches are the first of their kind.

Analysis and visualization of COVID-19 discourse on Twitter using data science: a case study of the USA, the UK and India

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Haider Ilyas ◽  
Ahmed Anwar ◽  
Ussama Yaqub ◽  
Zamil Alzamil ◽  
Deniz Appelbaum
Keyword(s):  
Data Science ◽  
Supervised Machine Learning ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Sentiment ◽  
The People ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Uk

Purpose This paper aims to understand, examine and interpret the main concerns and emotions of the people regarding COVID-19 pandemic in the UK, the USA and India using Data Science measures. Design/methodology/approach This study implements unsupervised and supervised machine learning methods, i.e. topic modeling and sentiment analysis on Twitter data for extracting the topics of discussion and calculating public sentiment. Findings Governments and policymakers remained the focus of public discussion on Twitter during the first three months of the pandemic. Overall, public sentiment toward the pandemic remained neutral except for the USA. Originality/value This paper proposes a Data Science-based approach to better understand the public topics of concern during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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