An allegorical exploration of institutional complexity using Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-153
Author(s):  
Robert Jerome ◽  
David Cavazos ◽  
Robert Horn
Keyword(s):  
Individual Identity ◽  
Athletic Department ◽  
Institutional Complexity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Wizard Of Oz ◽  
Search Processes ◽  
Academic Units ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The University ◽  
The City

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to apply Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz to illustrate the individual identity issues that can arise as a result of institutional complexity in organizations. Using Baum’s text to tell the story of four faculty members seeking the city of Oz, which in our story is a university athletic department, reveals how individuals and organizational units deal with the tensions brought about by institutional complexity. In addition to providing an entertaining, perhaps infuriating account of the typical public university, this essay reveals the importance of understanding individual struggles to deal with organizational pluralism. Design/methodology/approach The authors use the well-established example of the university using Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz in allegorical form to illustrate the tensions that emerge from organizational units that deal with contradicting external environments as well as the sensemaking and search processes that can emerge for individuals dealing with the identity issues that can result from such tensions. Findings Internal tensions can emerge within organizations when there are contradictions among the various pressures such organizations generate. These tensions have implications on individual identity. Originality/value Individuals (in this case individuals from academic units) risk having their occupational identities compromised by divergent organizational units as these units attempt to legitimate their existence within the organization. The authors illustrate how individuals deal with such risks by engaging in search processes that seek to construct their identities and develop meaning for their actions.

scholarly journals Professional development of sustainability competences in higher education

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 697-714 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wim Lambrechts ◽  
Elli Verhulst ◽  
Sara Rymenams
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Professional Development ◽  
Change Process ◽  
Organisational Change ◽  
Constructivist Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Political Analysis ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The University

Purpose This paper aims to provide insights into the relation between professional development (PD) and organisational change processes towards sustainability, with a specific focus on empowerment. Design/methodology/approach The paper builds upon a constructivist approach, combining a literature review, a desk research on key publications and reports and a socio-political analysis to reveal the specific context in Flanders, Belgium. Findings are then connected to earlier insights from research on organisational change for sustainability. Findings The paper provides a number of PD initiatives that focus on sustainability in general and in a single higher education (HE) institution. Framing such initiatives as an organisational change process offers insights on how elements of empowerment are currently incorporated in PD initiatives and how it can strengthen them to lead to the further integration of sustainability competences in HE. Research limitations/implications Limitations are linked with the kind of sources used in the constructivist approach. The analysis only looks at written reports on the topic, albeit it also builds upon the first-hand experiences of educators in the HE institution focused upon in the case. Practical implications There is a need to frame PD initiatives as an organisational change process towards sustainability with specific attention towards empowerment. Without this framing, PD approaches comprise the risk of being left in the margins or being understood as single initiatives without any connection to the bigger picture, i.e. the transition towards sustainability in HE. Social implications Interlinking PD and organisational change provides opportunities to frame the sustainability transition within the university in a wider societal context. Originality/value The paper provides an original contribution to the debate on sustainability competences, as it frames the PD within an organisational context, rather than focusing on the individual role of educators.

Exploring entrepreneurial orientation and intentions among technical university students

2019 ◽  
Vol 61 (6) ◽  
pp. 718-736
Author(s):  
Swagatika Sahoo ◽  
Rajeev Kumar Panda
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Entrepreneurial Orientation ◽  
Resource Planning ◽  
Entrepreneurial Intentions ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the impact of the contextual antecedents on the individual entrepreneurial orientation (IEO) of university graduates, which, in turn, affects their entrepreneurial intentions (EIs). Design/methodology/approach Primary data were collected in the form of 510 valid responses from engineering students across two technical universities in India, through a structured questionnaire consisting of scales adapted from the extant literature, and the data were empirically validated in this study. The reliability and validity measures of the constructs were validated through the confirmatory factor analysis, and the proposed hypotheses were validated using structural equation modelling. Findings The results of this empirical analysis validate that the contextual antecedents have a significant positive impact on students’ entrepreneurial orientation (EO), which, in turn, has a significant positive influence on EIs. Research limitations/implications This analysis depicts the significance of EO as a perceptual driver at the individual level and substantiates that the availability of resources such as startup capital, access to business information, social networks and supportive university context significantly affects the decision-making process of an individual to venture into an otherwise uncertain occupation of entrepreneurship. Practical implications The study has the likely potential to help university administrators and policymakers to allocate resources, develop strategies and provide effective entrepreneurial learning in entrepreneurship-oriented courses aimed at honing entrepreneurial skills and self-confidence of the university students. This holistic model can be used as a tool for resource planning and prioritising in order to provide the desired contextual support essential for fostering the IEO of the university students towards adopting entrepreneurial career, thereby assisting them to achieve their career goals and the broader objective of nation-building. Originality/value This study adopts an innovative approach to empirically validate the EO construct at the individual level, which has been studied at the organisation (firm) level till today. This research explores the relevant contextual antecedents and analyses their impact on IEO as well as the explanatory capacity of IEO to explain students’ EIs in the contextual backdrop of universities in a fast transitioning economy like India.

scholarly journals Undertaking individual transdisciplinary PhD research for sustainable development

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 150-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
John van Breda ◽  
Josephine Musango ◽  
Alan Brent
Keyword(s):  
Problem Formulation ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Transdisciplinary Research ◽  
Epistemic Communities ◽  
Research Experiences ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Formulation Analysis ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The University

Purpose – This paper aims to improve the understanding of individual transdisciplinary PhD research in a developing country context, focusing on three individual PhD case studies in South Africa. Design/methodology/approach – Multiple-case method was used, and three completed transdisciplinary PhD research efforts undertaken at the Stellenbosch University were selected. They were coordinated through the TsamaHub, an inter-faculty platform at the University which organises educational modules for transdisciplinary research. Using actual research experiences and reflections of the three individual PhDs, the paper evaluates their work in terms of ontological, epistemological, methodological and methodical/methods aspects. Findings – The central challenge to individual PhD researchers is engagement with non-academic actors to enable joint problem formulation, analysis and transformation. To overcome this, the paper suggests that developing individual epistemic relationships to build “transdisciplinary epistemic communities” should be considered for inclusion as an intentional aspect of transdisciplinary research design. Research limitations/implications – “Transdisciplinary epistemic communities” is still a concept in its infancy and needs more work before it may be theoretically and practically useful. Practical implications – Continuously guiding the individual transdisciplinary research process in a reflexive, recursive, transparent and equal manner is absolutely critical because transdisciplinary research cannot be done successfully if dominated by overly methods-driven approaches. Originality/value – The discourse around transdisciplinary methodology has major implications for the design of individual PhD research. The paper provides recommendations to enhance the theory and practice of individual transdisciplinary PhD research.

Book Reviews

2011 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 1250-1251
Keyword(s):  
Game Theory ◽  
Social Preferences ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Individual Identity ◽  
Multiple Selves ◽  
Philosophy Of Economics ◽  
Human Individual ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The University

Charles Sprenger of Stanford University reviews “Individuals and Identity in Economics” by John B. Davis. The EconLit abstract of the reviewed work begins, “Examines the nature and different directions of development in thinking about the human individual in recent economics. Discusses the individual in economics; psychology's challenge to economics--rationality and the individual; multiple selves and self-control--contextualizing individuality; social identity and social preferences in the utility function; the individual in game theory--from fixed points to experiments; multiple selves in interaction- -teams and neuroscience; evolution and the individual--identity through change; evolution and capabilities--human heterogeneity; the identity of individuals and the economics of identity; and economic policy, democracy, and justice. Davis is Professor and Chair of History and Philosophy of Economics at the University of Amsterdam, Professor of Economics at Marquette University, and Fellow at the Tinbergen Institute. Index.”

University’s multi-scale initiatives for redefining city development

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalia Ratajczyk ◽  
Iwona Wagner ◽  
Agnieszka Wolanska-Kaminska ◽  
Tomasz Jurczak ◽  
Maciej Zalewski
Keyword(s):  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Legal Protection ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
City Development ◽  
Capital Projects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The University ◽  
The City

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the varied roles played by the University of Lódz (UL) in maintaining and restoring the natural capital of a city as a driver for sustainable city development. The higher education institution can be perceived as visionary, originator and executor of natural capital projects. Design/methodology/approach The paper analyses three cases performed by the Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, UL, in the city of Lódz. The activities are based on different scales ranging from city-wide to local, e.g. river and green infrastructure, and which vary in character from policy planning to implementation. Findings Natural capital projects influence city development on different levels: by the initiation of legal protection, by the implementation of rehabilitation concepts for rivers and by influencing the strategic documents for mid-term and long-term urban development. Originality/value The university has the potential for multidisciplinary engagement in the development of urban sustainability. In large-scale projects, academics play a more conceptual role, in capacity building and knowledge transfer, while in local-scale implementations, their role includes innovation, know-how and technology transfer. Moreover, it may act as a reinforcement hub, by safeguarding and strengthening the natural capital of the city.

Work-based learning

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 305-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Garnett
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Operational Experience ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Socially Constructed ◽  
Individual Knowledge ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The University ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show how transdisciplinarity is woven into the key curriculum components of individually negotiated work-based learning (WBL) programmes and to focus upon the performative value of knowledge in the work context. Design/methodology/approach – This paper draws upon WBL academic literature and the authors 22 years operational experience of WBL. Findings – The paper suggests that while university-level WBL can enhance the performance of organizations and individuals it is also inherently challenging and challenged by the hegemony of subject disciplines and disciplinary-based university structures. WBL is concerned with knowledge which is often unsystematic, socially constructed and is action focused in order to achieve outcomes of significance to work. This contests the supremacy of the role of the university in curriculum design, delivery and validation of knowledge and means that work-based knowledge is often seen as transdisciplinary rather than conforming to traditional subject disciplines (Boud and Solomon, 2001). Research limitations/implications – Central to the distinctive nature of university WBL programmes is the role of the external organization as a partner with the university and the individual learner in the planning of learning activities which are intended to have significance for the workplace. For individual knowledge to become organizational knowledge, and thus fully contribute to the intellectual capital of the organization, it must be shared and accepted by others. It follows that a key concern for organizations must be the facilitation of the recognition of knowledge and this goes beyond using a transdisciplinary lens when guiding and assessing the work of individual higher education students. Practical implications – The paper has practical implications for the design and facilitation of WBL programmes at higher education level. Originality/value – Provides an informed and sustained examination of the concept of WBL and knowledge.

The Common Imagination and the Individual Voice

1988 ◽  
Vol 4 (13) ◽  
pp. 3-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caryl Churchill
Keyword(s):  
Early Years ◽  
Woman Writer ◽  
Royal Court ◽  
Caryl Churchill ◽  
The Sixties ◽  
Theatre Studies ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The University ◽  
Individual Voice ◽  
The City

Caryl Churchill began her playwriting career for radio in the ‘sixties’, became a writer for live theatre in association with such companies as Monstrous Regiment and, notably. Joint Stock – and recently achieved her greatest commercial success with the transfer to Wyndhams Theatre of her play about the City. Serious Money, premiered at the Royal Court in March 1987 in a production by Max Stafford-Clark. In conversation here with Geraldine Cousin, she sketches in the early years of her career and the different demands of radio and stage plays, discusses some of her recurrent themes and preoccupations, weighs how far she feels herself a ‘woman writer’, and describes the collaborative approach of working with Joint Stock. She then talks in more detail not only about Serious Money, but her earlier collaboration with David Lan (author of Flight. Sergeant Ola and His Followers, and The Winter Dancers) – a variation upon the Bacchae theme, A Mouthful of Birds, directed by Les Waters and lan Spink. The interviewer, Geraldine Cousin, teaches in the Joint School of Theatre Studies at the University of Warwick.

Relational capital and knowledge transfer in universities

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 185-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paola Paoloni ◽  
Francesca Maria Cesaroni ◽  
Paola Demartini
Keyword(s):  
Research Approach ◽  
Relational Capital ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Action Research Approach ◽  
Relevant Topic ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The Individual ◽  
New Research ◽  
The University

PurposeThe importance of relational capital for the university has grown enormously in recent years. In fact, relational capital allows universities to promote and emphasize the effectiveness of the third mission. The purpose of this paper is to propose a case study involving an Italian university that recently set up a new research observatory, and, thanks to its success, succeeded in enhancing its relational capital.Design/methodology/approachThe authors adopted an action research approach to analyze the case study. Consistently, the authors followed the analysis, diagnosis, and intervention phases. First, the authors focused on the identification of the strengths and weaknesses of the process through which the university created relational capital, and finally, the authors proposed solutions to improve the process.FindingsThis case study shows that the creation of relation capital for the host university was the result of a process of transfer and transformation of the individual relationships of the observatory’s promoters.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to filling a significant gap in the literature on relational capital and universities and provides useful insights into how these organizations can encourage its creation. It also allows scholars, managers, and politicians involved in higher education to gain a greater understanding of this relevant topic.

Academic entrepreneurship intentions: a systematic literature review

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 645-704 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Neves ◽  
Carlos Brito
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Academic Entrepreneurship ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Entrepreneurial Intentions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The University

PurposeThe objective of this research is to have an up-to-date and comprehensive assessment of the current knowledge regarding the variables that encourage the individuals, within the academic community, to get involved in knowledge exploitation activities. It is influenced by the observation that there is a need for more systematic scrutiny of micro-level processes to deepen our understanding of academic entrepreneurship (Balven et al., 2018; Wright and Phan, 2018). The study proposes to answer to ‘What are the drivers of academic entrepreneurial intentions?’ and ‘What are the emerging topics for future research?’Design/methodology/approachThe paper follows a Systematic Literature Review process (Tranfield et al., 2003) and adopts a four-step process format from previous literature reviews within the entrepreneurship context (Miller et al., 2018). From the results within Scopus and Web of Science databases, this research selected, evaluated, summarised and synthesised 66 relevant papers.FindingsThis study provides a factor-listed representation of the individual, organisational and institutional variables that should be considered in the strategies defined by the university. Moreover, the study concludes that the push factors behind the intentions are multiple, context-dependent, hierarchy-dependent, heterogeneous and, at the same time, dependent on each other and against each other. Lastly, the study contributes to academic entrepreneurship literature, especially entrepreneurial intention literature, which has recently received more researchers' attention.Originality/valueThe study corroborates that the individual factors, directly and indirectly via Theory of Planned Behaviour, strongly impact the academics' intentions. While the focus of the papers under review was an in-depth analysis of a selected group of factors, this SLR sought to compile the factors that were identified and provide a broader picture of all those factors to be considered by the university management. It contributes to the identification and clustering of the drivers that encourage academics to engage in knowledge valorisation activities, differentiating them by activity. For the practitioners, this list can be used by university managers, TTOs and department managers, and policymakers to guide questionnaires or interviews to analyse their academics' intentions and adequately support its academic engagement strategy. Lastly, this study also suggests worthwhile avenues for future research.

Theoretical framework for performance evaluation of university libraries in India

2015 ◽  
Vol 116 (9/10) ◽  
pp. 540-563
Author(s):  
V K J Jeevan
Keyword(s):  
Performance Evaluation ◽  
Information Service ◽  
Service Planning ◽  
University Libraries ◽  
National Agency ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
International Agencies ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The University

Purpose – This paper aims to suggest performance evaluation of university libraries in India using qualitative and quantitative parameters provided by librarians to be collected, analysed and disseminated by a national agency apart from LibQual user surveys. Design/methodology/approach – The status about the university libraries in India provided by the Association of Indian Universities publication Universities Handbook would help to assess the quantity and quality of collection and services offered by these libraries. The framework for performance evaluation of university libraries is presented in three heads: parameters, players and procedures. Parameters cover the various qualitative and quantitative data to be collected for the purpose of evaluation. Players include a vast network of institutions involved in this exercise. Among these, the first and foremost is the individual libraries. There should be a national agency to be identified for collecting, analysing and disseminating the consolidated evaluation reports on a national scale. There may also be international agencies or services involved to support and guide user survey such as LibQual. Procedures involve the processes, actions and activities undertaken by the various players to achieve the basic objective of performance evaluation of these university libraries. Findings – The performance framework suggested when implemented every year by university libraries present the qualitative and quantitative outcome of their functioning and reveal their worth in the university landscape. This may also aid in planned and organised development of university libraries in the country. The results provided by this exercise should influence judicious collection development decisions and pragmatic information service planning. Originality/value – India, perhaps, has the largest number of higher education institutions in the developing world. The national directory Universities Handbook only presents information about library of a university without any attempt to analyse the statistics collected to arrive at national trends or patterns. This may be the first attempt to provide a holistic picture to assess the performance of a varied spectrum of libraries as far as infrastructure, resources and services are concerned.

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