Karl E. Weick and the dawning awareness of organized cognition

2015 ◽  
Vol 53 (6) ◽  
pp. 1287-1299 ◽  
Author(s):  
William H Starbuck
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Behavior ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Major Activity ◽  
Sharp Focus ◽  
Thought Leader ◽  
History Of ◽  
Karl Weick ◽  
Struggle For Recognition ◽  
Cognitive Perspectives

Purpose – Cognitive perspectives have emerged from many years of struggle for recognition, and grown into a dominant theme in psychology. The purpose of this paper is to discuss what Karl Weick expressed as important themes in this struggle, made major contributions to the content of cognitive psychology, and helped to make cognition relevant for organizational behavior. Design/methodology/approach – This paper reviews key developments in the history of psychology, points out central issues, and summarizes Weick’s contributions. Findings – Weick brought sensemaking into sharp focus as a major activity of people and organizations. His writings established information processing as the core of organizational activities. He also showed how sensemaking affects organizational reliability. Originality/value – Weick is one of the authors whom management scholars cite very often because he has been a thought leader. The paper places Weick’s work in historical context and points to his major contributions.

Thinking about thinking

2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 49-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dick Martin
Keyword(s):  
Business Strategy ◽  
Business Performance ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Forward Direction ◽  
Shop Floor ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Time Motion ◽  
Michael Porter ◽  
History Of

Purpose – Business strategists can easily become slaves to their inbox or to the passing enthusiasm of the times, their supervisors or outside influencers, ranging from social activists to securities analysts and investment bankers. This article seeks to put their work in historical context and to encourage them to engage in meta-cognition – a deep consideration of their role in helping to shape their business’s response to its current environment and challenges. Design/methodology/approach – The article reviews the history of modern business strategy and divides it into three major phases, centered on the theories and practices of three strategists: Frederick Taylor, Peter Drucker and Michael Porter. The author suggests that each of these strategists was addressing the key business questions of their time and influenced the thinking of others who built on – and in many cases improved on – their theories and models. He suggests that a business strategist’s thinking should build on the work of those who came before in responding to contemporary questions of importance to their firm. Findings – Business strategy is fundamentally an exercise in understanding and improving business performance and growth. It requires a depth of sophisticated thought that can be sharpened and focused through meta-cognition – thinking about thinking, i.e. a thoughtful consideration of what dominates our thinking and why. Practical implications – This article invites practicing strategists to find their own place on that arc. Originality/value – The article presents the history of business strategy as an arc of inquiry that has forward direction, moving inexorably outward, from time–motion studies on the shop floor, to the human beings who occupied it, and to the larger society in which they and the firm live. It invites practicing strategists to find their own place on that arc.

The symbol of Saint Gióng and the Gióng festival in the historical context of Vietnam

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-45
Author(s):  
Hai Hong Dinh
Keyword(s):  
Cultural History ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Core Element ◽  
Content Type ◽  
History Of ◽  
Gradual Transformation ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to trace the way in which a popular ritual became one of Vietnam’s most important festivals, elevated as a celebration of national heroism and charts its gradual transformation in modern society. Design/methodology/approach This research focuses on the combination of a fertility rite and narratives of St Gióng based on nationalism or heroism created a special festival reflecting many traditional cultural characteristics of Vietnam and the Việt people and the transformation of St Gióng from a mythological to a national symbol of heroism in anti-invader history was recorded in texts. Findings The paper casts light on the mythologization and historicization of St Gióng in Vietnam’s particular historical context by decoding the Gióng symbol as a core element of the folktales and myths about St Gióng to understand the formation and development of St Gióng in the cultural history of Vietnam. Research limitations/implications The paper is not exploring the Gióng symbol within a larger cultural context of nationalism and ethnosymbolic approach in a comparison of national symbolism and heroism. Practical implications The paper includes implications for advised scholars to conduct further exploration of the symbol and myth of not only St Gióng in Vietnam but also Kubera in India and Vaisravana in China to connect Kubera, Vaisravana and St Gióng under the connection of literal myth and heroic symbol. Social implications The paper shows how processes of historicizing myth and mythologizing history are important features of Vietnamese socio-historical research. Originality/value The paper shows how a fertility rite became a historical festival and the figure of St Gióng became a symbol of patriotic heroism.

The Project Management Office: it’s just not what it used to be

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 282-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric John Darling ◽  
Stephen Jonathan Whitty
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Project Management Office ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
Academic Knowledge ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
History Of

Purpose – The Project Management Office (PMO) phenomenon is a dynamic and regularly evolving feature of the project landscape. The functions and practices expected of the PMO differ as widely as the industries and organisations, which host them. By uncovering the documented and undocumented history of the PMO and its practices the authors see how PMOs have developed to current times, how PMOs develop their ideas, how useful PMOs are, and what associated activities they partake in. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper, the authors conduct an extensive literature review of the academic and non-academic literature. The first phase involved searching academic journals and published theses. The second, deep searches with Google Scholar and Books using a variety of parameters to capture the changing nomenclature of the PMO over many years. These searches discovered lost academic literature within university libraries, examples of very early essays on the project office and numerous government reports on PMO and project office undertakings. Findings – This research reveals how the form and use of the structure we now call the PMO has evolved and adapted over time. In recent history the PMO has evolved to be the central repository for tools and methodologies for this non-operational work. The PMO has become an asset, a commodity to be traded upon and a badge to be worn to attain certain privileges. Research limitations/implications – This research identifies a number of deficiencies in existing literature. Particularly highlighting that many practices, methods and PMO typologies exist, frequently their custodians tout these as “best practice”. Although some research has been conducted by academics on PMOs vast gaps exist in PMO literature. Practical implications – This research identifies a number of assumptions in practitioner literature and professional practice. Organisations both private and public are investing enormous resources in the pursuit of enhancing project management outcomes often turning to the PMO concept to resolve their problems. However there is limited evidence to suggest PMOs create a favourable return. If the authors were to use medicine as an example, prior to a scientific approach in medicine the field relied on potions and magic, however medicine changed to evidence-based practice this has lead to enhanced life prospects. An evolution in project management doctrine may enhance outcomes. Originality/value – This review of the PMO which possesses archaeological attributes in it’s historical context adds a rich understanding to organisational knowledge by considering the history of the PMO and the dramatic shifts in its purpose over a prolonged period of time. The discussion draws out the critical PMO topics to be addressed and includes a critique of practitioner and academic knowledge.

“The gift that starts a home”: marketing of the hope chest in the USA

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 473-502
Author(s):  
Leighann Neilson ◽  
Erin Barkel
Keyword(s):  
Material Culture ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Sales Promotion ◽  
Historical Sources ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
The North ◽  
Economic Trends ◽  
The Usa ◽  
History Of

Purpose This paper aims to present a history of the marketing of hope chests in the USA, focusing in particular on one very successful sales promotion, the Lane Company’s Girl Graduate Plan. The Girl Graduate Plan is placed within its historical context to better understand the socioeconomic forces that contributed to its success for a considerable period but ultimately led to decreased demand for the product. Design/methodology/approach The history of the marketing of hope or marriage chests draws upon primary sources located in the Lane Company Collection at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture. Secondary sources and images of advertising culled from Google image searches provided additional insight into the operation of the company’s Girl Graduate Plan. Findings While the Lane Company benefitted in the form of increased sales, profit and brand awareness and loyalty from prevailing socio-economic trends, which supported the success of its Girl Graduate Plan, including targeting the youth market, this promotion ultimately fell victim to the company’s failure to stay abreast of social changes related to the role of women in society. Research limitations/implications Like all historical research, this research is dependent upon the historical sources that are accessible. The authors combined documents available from the Virginia Historical Society archives with online searches, but other data sources may well exist. Practical implications This history investigates how one manufacturer, a leader in the North American industry, collaborated with furniture dealers to promote their products to young women who were about to become the primary decision makers for the purchase of home furnishings. As such, it provides an historical example of the power of successful collaboration with channel partners. It also provides an example of innovation within an already crowded market. Social implications The hope chest as an object of material culture can be found in many cultures worldwide. It has variously represented a woman’s coming of age, the love relationship between a couple and a family’s social status. It has also served as a woman’s store of wealth. This history details how changing social values influenced the popularity of the hope chest tradition in the USA. Originality/value The history of the marketing of hope chests is an area that has not been seriously considered in consumption histories or in histories of marketing practices to date, in spite of the continuing sentimental appeal for many consumers.

PR, clientelism and economics: a comparison of southern Europe and Latin America

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
César García
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Public Relations ◽  
Organizational Behavior ◽  
Background Information ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Empirical Survey ◽  
Mediterranean Countries ◽  
History Of

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between clientelist relationships and economics in public relations practice in European Mediterranean countries and Latin America. It considers the cases of Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico. Design/methodology/approach – This paper uses a critical-conceptual method through a re-conceptualization of themes from secondary qualitative analyses of existing qualitative data sets and reviews of published qualitative papers. Findings – The public relations practice in these two regions is similar. The characteristics of the public relations landscape in these countries must be understood in relation to a broader history of clientelism and economics emphasizing government relationships at the expense of other publics, as well as the lack of scale economies. Persuasive models are prevalent, although a number of forces – including integration in supranational organizations, democratization, and globalization – have strengthened the use of symmetrical models. Research limitations/implications – This is not an empirical survey, there is a need of quantitative studies among practitioners and government officials that can measure empirically the nature of their relationships in a number of countries. This essay opens a door for future studies and cross-cultural comparisons about the role that clientelism plays in the PR practice of cultures and countries. Practical implications – The paper offers useful background information, such as the primacy that media relations still have in the public relations practice, for foreign public relations executives, agency heads, and managers of public relations who are directly involved with or managing international public relations campaigns in these countries. Social implications – Clientelism is a cultural concept that translates to the work of organizations and consequently public relations as a form of organizational behavior. Originality/value – This paper brings to the table the importance of the concept of clientelism in the PR practice as well as the existence of a similar PR culture between countries that are on different continents.

Forgotten classics

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 440-448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stanley J Shapiro
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Significant Contribution ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
The State ◽  
Contemporary History ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Marketing Literature ◽  
History Of ◽  
American Economy

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to retrospectively review what is considered to be a forgotten classic in the marketing literature, Marketing in the American Economy, published in 1952 by Roland Vaile, ET Grether and Reavis Cox. Design/methodology/approach – Marketing in the American Economy is summarized, situated in its historical context and retrospectively evaluated by the author including commentaries by other scholars today. Findings – The book’s legacy or continuing value is described as including an insightful discussion of the relative roles of the market and the state in the American economy. The closing three chapters of Marketing in the American Economy merits inclusion in any contemporary “history of marketing thought” course. Finally, Marketing in the American Economy is an early example of a textbook on macromarketing making it a significant contribution to the history of marketing thought. Originality/value – Marketing in the American Economy was reviewed when it was published in 1952. With the benefit of time passed, a more meaningful appraisal of this book can now be made with a focus on its legacy.

Speaking of research: oral history and marketing history

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Crawford ◽  
Matthew Bailey
Keyword(s):  
Oral History ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Market Research ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Oral Histories ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Marketing History ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
History Of ◽  
Retail Property

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the value of oral history for marketing historians and provide case studies from projects in the Australian context to demonstrate its utility. These case studies are framed within a theme of market research and its historical development in two industries: advertising and retail property. Design/methodology/approach This study examines oral histories from two marketing history projects. The first, a study of the advertising industry, examines the globalisation of the advertising agency in Australia over the period spanning the 1950s to the 1980s, through 120 interviews. The second, a history of the retail property industry in Australia, included 25 interviews with executives from Australia’s largest retail property firms whose careers spanned from the mid-1960s through to the present day. Findings The research demonstrates that oral histories provide a valuable entry port through which histories of marketing, shifts in approaches to market research and changing attitudes within industries can be examined. Interviews provided insights into firm culture and practices; demonstrated the variability of individual approaches within firms and across industries; created a record of the ways that market research has been conducted over time; and revealed the ways that some experienced operators continued to rely on traditional practices despite technological advances in research methods. Originality/value Despite their ubiquity, both the advertising and retail property industries in Australia have received limited scholarly attention. Recent scholarship is redressing this gap, but more needs to be understood about the inner workings of firms in an historical context. Oral histories provide an avenue for developing such understandings. The paper also contributes to broader debates about the role of oral history in business and marketing history.

scholarly journals Social responsibility by Australian football clubs in the 1890s

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 384-400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdel Halabi
Keyword(s):  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Late Nineteenth Century ◽  
National Library ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Football Clubs ◽  
The Social ◽  
Australian Football ◽  
History Of

Purpose This paper aims to examine the social responsibility (SR) by Australian football clubs during the late nineteenth century. While there has been some contemporary research linking SR with sporting clubs, there is a dearth of such studies in the historical context. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses a qualitative approach and in the absence of annual reports, relies on The Suburban newspaper narratives of club annual general meetings (AGMs). The National Library of Australia’s newspaper digitisation programme was used which is a unique archive in management research. Findings Even though it was well-known that football provided a social outlet for watching games, this paper found clubs also engaged in a number of SR-related activities that benefited many stakeholders and the surrounding communities. Originality/value Deficient in much of the history of Australian football is the SR that clubs displayed to their stakeholders. This paper lengthens the historical SR literature for sporting clubs, and provides rich and detailed evidence of SR. While Australian football club histories continue to highlight winning teams, premierships and major personalities, their SR contribution is also significant and extends to the foundation of the game.

Visible and invisible borders in time and space

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (6) ◽  
pp. 676-691
Author(s):  
Geraldine Healy
Keyword(s):  
Research Work ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
The Self ◽  
Unique Element ◽  
Content Type ◽  
History Of ◽  
History Of Migration ◽  
Migrant Groups ◽  
Level Of Analysis ◽  
Early Influences

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how biography influences professional and academic development. It aims to show how in different ways our experiences reflect the structures of society and that histories repeat themselves with different protagonists and different preys. It uses the author’s own biography to argue that in the author’s case, early influences of Irish migration shaped some of the decisions she made and her commitment to researching inequalities. The paper also asks how relevant are early life influences on the careers of equality and diversity academics? Design/methodology/approach This paper uses a biographical method that draws on a personal history of migration and relates these to historical moments to show the interconnection between the self and wider macro events. Findings The findings of the paper show the relevance and interconnection of biography with the macro and political context. The paper explores how an academic's personal biography[1] and the multi-layered relationship between the self and the wider macro historical context have influenced her research development. It does this by using her personal stories of being part of an Irish community and shows how everyday interactions may lead to a sense of being an outsider, of being other. History is used to show the multiple borders that Irish and other migrants experience, from biographic and diasporic borders, to violence and conflict and finally to work borders including the link with the author's research work. The paper argues that while the targets of discrimination may change over time, contemporary events can intensify the devaluation and othering of particular migrant groups. Originality/value Each biography has a unique element but the paper shows how individual biographies are connected and interrelated with the macro level of analysis.

Philosophic Pride

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Brooke
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Political Thought ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Intellectual Life ◽  
Marcus Aurelius ◽  
Hugo Grotius ◽  
History Of ◽  
Early Modern Era ◽  
Modern Era

This is the first full-scale look at the essential place of Stoicism in the foundations of modern political thought. Spanning the period from Justus Lipsius's Politics in 1589 to Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Emile in 1762, and concentrating on arguments originating from England, France, and the Netherlands, the book considers how political writers of the period engaged with the ideas of the Roman and Greek Stoics that they found in works by Cicero, Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius. The book examines key texts in their historical context, paying special attention to the history of classical scholarship and the historiography of philosophy. The book delves into the persisting tension between Stoicism and the tradition of Augustinian anti-Stoic criticism, which held Stoicism to be a philosophy for the proud who denied their fallen condition. Concentrating on arguments in moral psychology surrounding the foundations of human sociability and self-love, the book details how the engagement with Roman Stoicism shaped early modern political philosophy and offers significant new interpretations of Lipsius and Rousseau together with fresh perspectives on the political thought of Hugo Grotius and Thomas Hobbes. The book shows how the legacy of the Stoics played a vital role in European intellectual life in the early modern era.

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