scholarly journals Organizational members as storywriters: on organizing practices of reflexivity

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Gherardi ◽  
Michela Cozza ◽  
Barbara Poggio

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe how organizational members became storywriters of an important process of organizational change. Writing became a practice designed to create a space, a time and a methodology with which to author the process of change and create a learning context. The written stories produced both the subjectivity of practical authors and reflexively created the con/text for their reproduction. Design/methodology/approach A storywriting workshop inspired by a processual and participatory practice-based approach to learning and knowing was held in a research organization undergoing privatization. For six months, 31 organizational members, divided into two groups, participated in writing one story per week for six weeks. The written story had to refer to a fact that had occurred in the previous week, thus prompting reflection on the ongoing organizational life and giving a situated meaning to the change process. Findings Storywriting is first and foremost a social practice of wayfinding, that is of knowing as one goes. Writing proved to be an effective practice that involved the authors, their narratives and the audiences in a shared experience where all these practice elements became connected and through their connection acquired agency. Originality/value Narrative knowledge has been studied mainly in storytelling, while storywriting by organizational members has received less attention. This paper explores storywriting both as a situated, relational and material practice and as the process that produces narratives which can be considered for their content and their style.

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 410-421 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth Mølbjerg Jørgensen

Purpose The purpose of the paper is to provide a framework for reflecting on how different ways of configuring spaces in higher education (HE) condition the possibilities of learning. Second, the purpose is to construct a storytelling approach for the configuration of such spaces. Design/methodology/approach The paper’s conceptual purpose is achieved through a theoretical discussion of three concepts: performance, politics and storytelling. Findings Learning in HE needs reconsideration in terms of what kinds of learning are made possible through the discursive and material configuration of the spaces of research and teaching. In particular, the focus to some extent should move away from the management and control of learning toward what enables learning. Practical implications The literature on organizational learning and the learning organization comprise concepts, methods and tools that play different roles with regard to controlling, shaping and enabling learning. When the focus is on learning in HE, it is important to be aware of the tracks of learning these technologies enable. Social implications The interest in managing and controlling learning is often problematic in relation to the potential of HE to produce new and innovative forms of learning. Originality/value This paper introduces the term “spaces of performance,” which directs attention toward the material, discursive and relational conditions for learning. It also introduces a space of storytelling as a new principle for learning in HE.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiorella Foscarini ◽  
Madeleine Krucker ◽  
Danyse Golick

Purpose The purpose of this study is to raise awareness of the benefits and drawbacks involved in using digital technologies for business meetings, and identify key concerns. The shift from in-person to virtual meetings has multiple consequences, some of which impact recordkeeping. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on research from records management, anthropology, organizational theory and computer science, this study establishes the norms of physical meeting spaces and recordkeeping and explores how these norms are challenged as meetings become virtual. Findings Virtual meetings allow for collaboration to work across time and space and offer multiple affordances that do not exist in on-site meetings; however, they also involve the additional barrier of technical access and reduction in user attention. Virtual meetings also enable the creation, capture and sharing of increased contextual data, and this increased documentation challenges traditional recordkeeping models. Meeting technologies are also worryingly invasive. This study shows that concerns over privacy have been dismissed in the design of virtual meeting spaces, and therefore the authors recommend their more thorough consideration. Originality/value Meetings are a pervasive feature of organizational life whose significance has been overlooked in the recordkeeping literature. By bringing together research about in-person and virtual meetings in a novel and necessary way, the authors started to fill a gap and hope to inspire further studies.


2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 108-112
Author(s):  
Julie Beadle-Brown ◽  
Jill Bradshaw

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the difficulties highlighted by Ntinas around supporting change in services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Design/methodology/approach This commentary examines what is needed for change and reflects on staff culture. Findings The authors propose that it is not sensible to separate the culture of a service from the implementation of person-centred approaches and attempt to map how the concepts overlap and are interconnected. Originality/value Whilst some elements of culture are clearly important in order to start the process of change, other elements will change as an intervention is introduced and embedded.


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 276-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Paul Peronard ◽  
Jacob Brix

Purpose The purpose of this study is to consolidate existing research on ‘service networks’ and to frame this literature as a new ‘context for learning’. Research from inter-organizational learning is used to qualify this consolidation and advances from inter-organizational learning are used to operationalize how service network actors in this new context can organize for inter-organizational learning to create more value for themselves and their customers. Design/methodology/approach By conceptualizing the learning context of a service network and the interrelated dimensions, an overview of the learning challenges for improved service performance is provided. Findings Inspired by the service triangle, the proposed framework highlights the learning challenges among two or more actors and the knowledge and skills needed for them to organize the service network. To build a collaboration characterized by trust, behaviors associated with transparency and receptivity are argued to be imperative. Practical implications The framework can increase the opportunities for inter-organizational learning in a service network. Knowing the learning context and the challenges associated with this learning allows for a more accurate intervention and allocation of resources to improve service network performance. Originality/value The novelty lies in the consolidation of the literature of service networks and the extension of the literature on inter-organizational learning hereto.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 349-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gen-Yih Liao ◽  
T.C.E. Cheng ◽  
Ching-I Teng

Purpose Avatars are known to be influential in gaming communication. However, little is known about how avatar attractiveness and customization impact online gamers’ flow, i.e., the experience of total concentration with intrinsic enjoyment and loyalty. Grounded in social identity and flow theories, the purpose of this paper is to construct a model to explain how avatar attractiveness and customization can impact online gamers’ flow and loyalty. Design/methodology/approach The responses of 1,944 online gamers are collected. Structural equation modeling is used for analyses. Findings The analytical results indicate that avatar attractiveness and customization are positively related to avatar identification, which is positively related to flow, and then to online gamer loyalty. In addition, avatar identification and flow are important process variables in the above relations. Originality/value This study is novel in being the first attempt to apply social identity and flow theories to explain how avatar attractiveness and customization contribute to online gamers’ flow and loyalty.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jon Talbot ◽  
David Perrin ◽  
Bob Meakin

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify potential reasons for the success of an innovative work-based learning (WBL) shell framework in an adverse environment. Design/methodology/approach Case study is the experience of one programme. Findings Demand-led, flexible WBL programmes have to overcome a number of internal cultural and institutional barriers in order to succeed. Important requirements are likely to include effective leadership, financial viability, adherence to quality assurance, adaptability, entrepreneurialism and a cohesive community of practice incorporating these traits. Research limitations/implications The conclusions are drawn from shared experience and are suggestive only as they are not readily susceptible to empirical verification. The authors accept that the conclusions appear speculative for some, but they suggest that in order for innovative programmes to survive, more is required than sound pedagogy. Practical implications Although lessons may not be directly transferable, the paper draws attention to the importance of managerial, leadership and organisational factors necessary for innovative WBL programmes to survive and develop. Originality/value There is some literature on why some innovative higher education programmes and institutions have failed; however, there is little on why some programmes are successful.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annelie Sjölander-Lindqvist ◽  
Wilhelm Skoglund ◽  
Daniel Laven

Purpose This paper aims to propose the concept of social terroir to help navigate phenomenological and epistemological conditions of small-scale food entrepreneurship. Design/methodology/approach This study used a qualitative research approach and was implemented in the peripheral region of Jämtland in northern Sweden. The study interrogated the ambitions of craft brewers when starting up, their long-term goals and visions, including questions about the reason for starting up a brewery, how the different brewers cooperate and how and why the products are designed and labelled the way they are. Findings This study shows that the production of craft beer is an inherently social practice that is part of a particular sociocultural milieu. This milieu informs production in distinct and interrelated ways: through connecting to place and locality in the different aspects of production and marketing, through cooperation to develop production and overcome barriers, and through embedding their work in sustainability discourses. Originality/value The study addresses how, in the context of craft beer, terroir or taste of place, is a matter of social ties to place and community–social terroir. What is novel is the way in which social terroir becomes a critical ingredient in the production of craft beer. This illustrates how small-scale food production and gastronomic efforts can link people, places and businesses.


Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings Finding an approach to learning that meets their requirements remains a challenge for SMEs. An appropriate blend of formal and informal learning aspects offers some encouragement and problem-based learning has the potential to tick the right boxes in this respect. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.


2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. 10; 10; 10; 10; Findings Management education might be most effective when an experienced-based approach to learning is adopted. Firm can achieve desired outcomes by encouraging participants to engage in different types of dialogue in order to interpret experiences that can subsequently help generate new knowledge and inspire greater creativity. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives, strategists and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alia MILEDI

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the social and collective foundations of the auditor’s judgment and specifically highlights that the dialogical dimension of auditors’ judgment is founded on both their interactions with their auditees and their interactions with their colleagues. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study is based on interviews with 22 audit partners, conducted between March 2013 and October 2016, in France. Findings The research points out the complexity of auditor judgment. Confronted with issues such as equivocal and ambiguous circumstances, auditors must question the relevance of the meanings elaborated to act according to the situation (self-criticism or doubt) and must be wise and not be overconfident toward the information provided by the manager (wisdom). Last but not least, the findings also suggest that contrary advice helps auditors to improve an alternative point of view and hence reach a consensus. Originality/value The research uses a K. Weick sensemaking approach and contributes theoretically to gaining deeper understanding of the social dimension in audit judgment, by showing that professional judgment is an interactive and social practice.


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