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Organizational Context (organizational + context)
Selected AbstractsUNDERSTANDING REACTIONS TO JOB REDESIGN: A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF THE MODERATING EFFECTS OF ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT ON PERCEPTIONS OF PERFORMANCE BEHAVIORPERSONNEL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 2 2006FREDERICK P. MORGESON Redesigning jobs from a traditional workgroup structure to a semi-autonomous team structure has become increasingly popular, but the impact of such redesigns on employee effectiveness criteria has been mixed. The present longitudinal quasi-experimental study showed that although such a redesign had positive effects on 3 performance behaviors (effort, skill usage, and problem solving), its effectiveness also depended on aspects of the organizational context. In conditions where the organizational reward and feedback and information systems were effective, redesigning work into a semi-autonomous team structure had no discernible effect on performance behaviors. In conditions where these systems were poor, however, such a redesign produced large positive benefits. This suggests that work redesigns that enhance worker autonomy are most effective in contexts where other supportive management systems are absent. [source] Great Galway Goslings: Organizational Context of Managerial Accounting,ACCOUNTING PERSPECTIVES, Issue 3 2009Wagdy Abdallah ABSTRACT This case seeks to enhance student understanding of the relationship between accounting information and the order fulfllment and production activities of a manufacturing frm, Great Galway Goslings. Great Galway Goslings manufactures goose sculptures and has been suffering losses in recent years. Students draw on the skills they learned in financial accounting to analyze the company's order fulfllment activities, identify economic transactions, and prepare journal entries. The case provides a link to managerial accounting topics as students use segment financial statements to create contribution margin income statements, perform break-even analyses, and recommend whether Great Galway Goslings should keep its retail business segment. Students will become familiar with the key features of business process management (BPM) and the extensive, real-world activities that a manufacturing entity engages in to fll an order. Students will analyze the company's existing order fulfllment process and apply their knowledge of BPM to recommend process improvements for Great Galway. This case contributes to the accounting case literature by serving as a bridge from financial accounting to managerial accounting, intertwining many topics from managerial accounting into one cohesive case, and providing real-world business process knowledge. Student feedback indicates that, overall, the case met its stated learning objectives. Great Galway Goslings is appropriate for an undergraduate introductory managerial accounting course but can be adapted to the equivalent graduate-level course or an accounting information systems course. [source] CONTEXTUALIZING LEARNING OBJECTS USING ONTOLOGIESCOMPUTATIONAL INTELLIGENCE, Issue 3 2007Phaedra Mohammed Educational research over the past three years has intensified such that the context of learning resources needs to be properly modeled. Many researchers have described and even mandated the use of ontologies in the research being conducted, yet the process of actually connecting one or more ontologies to a learning object has not been extensively discussed. This paper describes a practical model for associating multiple ontologies with learning objects while making full use of the IEEE LOM specification. The model categorizes these ontologies according to five major categories of context based on the most popular fields of study actively being pursued by the educational research community: Thematic context, Pedagogical context, Learner context, Organizational context, and Historical/Statistical context. [source] Organizational context and taxonomy of health care databasesPHARMACOEPIDEMIOLOGY AND DRUG SAFETY, Issue 5 2001Deborah Shatin PhD Abstract An understanding of the organizational context and taxonomy of health care databases is essential to appropriately use these data sources for research purposes. Characteristics of the organizational structure of the specific health care setting, including the model type, financial arrangement, and provider access, have implications for accessing and using this data effectively. Additionally, the benefit coverage environment may affect the utility of health care databases to address specific research questions. Coverage considerations that affect pharmacoepidemiologic research include eligibility, the nature of the pharmacy benefit, and regulatory aspects of the treatment under consideration. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Informational environments: Organizational contexts of online information useJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 2 2003Roberta Lamb Before the Web, the story of online information services was largely one of over-estimates and unmet expectations. This study examines sustained use and non-use of online services within organizations in a way that overcomes limitations of the traditional approaches that repeatedly led to exuberant usage projections. By adopting an open-systems view, we see that firms in highly technical and highly institutional environments have many more incentives to gather data and go online than do firms in low-tech, unregulated industries. But firms make important choices about partnering and outsourcing that can shift informational activities across organizational boundaries. Our analysis focuses on the informational environments of firms in three industries: law, real estate and biotech/pharmaceuticals. This environmental model provides richer conceptualizations about the use of information and communication technologies, including Internet technologies, and better projections about future use. In support of our analysis, we briefly discuss insights from an ongoing intranets study informed by an informational environments perspective. [source] Mediator reflections on practice: Connecting select demographics and preferred orientationsCONFLICT RESOLUTION QUARTERLY, Issue 4 2003Margaret S. Herrman This article uses several indicators of a mediator's orientation: (1) his or her goals, (2) focus on the process of mediation, (3) perceptions of personal strengths, (4) the signals that tell him or her that a mediation is working, and (5) his or her preferred outcome. We examine how select demographic and practice characteristics,sex, experience as a mediator, professional background, and organizational context,relate to orientations. The characteristics of sex and professional background significantly modify the general pattern in ways that confirm assumptions common in the literatures on negotiation and mediation. [source] Multiple Conceptualizations of Small Business Web Use and Benefit*DECISION SCIENCES, Issue 3 2003Kurt A. Pflughoeft ABSTRACT Small businesses play an important role in the U.S. economy and there is anecdotal evidence that use of the Web is beneficial to such businesses. There is, however, little systematic analysis of the conditions that lead to successful use of and thereby benefits from the Web for small businesses. Based on the innovation adoption, organizations, and information systems (IS) implementation literature, we identify a set of variables that are related to adoption, use, and benefits of information technology (IT), with particular emphasis on small businesses. These variables are reflective of an organization's contextual characteristics, its IT infrastructure, Web use, and Web benefits. Since the extant research does not suggest a single theoretical model for Web use and benefits in the context of small businesses, we adopt a modeling approach and explore the relationships between "context-IT-use-benefit" (CIUB) through three models,partial-mediator, reduced partial-mediator, and mediator. These models posit that the extent of Web use by small businesses and the associated benefits are driven by organizations' contextual characteristics and their IT infrastructure. They differ in the endogeneity/exogeneity of the extent of IT sophistication, and in the direct/mediated effects of organizational context. We examine whether the relationships between variables identified in the literature hold within the context of these models using two samples of small businesses with national coverage, including various sizes, and representing several industry sectors. The results show that the evidence for patterns of relationships is similar across the two independent samples for two of these models. We highlight the relationships within the reduced partial-mediator and mediator models for which conclusive evidence are given by both samples. Implications for small business managers and providers of Web-based technologies are discussed. [source] Producing a Modern Agricultural Frontier: Firms and Cooperatives in Eastern Mato Grosso, BrazilECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY, Issue 3 2006Wendy Jepson Abstract: In economic geography, explanations of emerging agricultural frontier regions are dominated by two theoretical perspectives: land-rent theory and political economy. This article advances current research by applying concepts from new institutional economics to reconcile these models. Drawing from a case of frontier expansion in eastern Mato Grosso state, I focus the debate on an institutional perspective. Two organizations, a colonization firm and an agricultural cooperative, are examined. The combined activities of cooperatives and firms reduced the overall costs of production in regions that are defined by high transactions costs (for example, land-tenure insecurity, poor links to the market, and imperfect information) and risk. Each organization linked individual farmers to necessary resources for commercial farming (for instance, land, capital, technology, and markets) and provided an organizational context for farmers to respond to land-tenure conflict and land degradation. The consequence was an increase in the marginal productivity of land, which translated into an expanded commercial agricultural frontier. [source] Budgeting in Catholic Parishes: An Exploratory StudyFINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY & MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2001Ron Kluvers In this paper an aspect of accounting, namely budgeting, has been studied in an organizational context. According to Booth (1993) churches represent ,extreme cases' in which to study the impact of accounting. Following on from Laughlin (1988) Booth considered the sacred and secular divide to be a significant element in the use of accounting by church organizations. The parishes of the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne form the context of this study in which evidence is sought for the sacred and secular divide by studying the role of budgeting in the parish. Questions were asked regarding participation in the budgetary process and the development and use of the budget. It was found that there was little consultation or participation in the budgetary process and that the use of the budget was restricted. These findings suggest that the sacred and secular divide operates at the parish level. [source] Re-inscribing Gender in New Modes of Medical Expertise: The Investigator,Coordinator Relationship in the Clinical Trials IndustryGENDER, WORK & ORGANISATION, Issue 2 2010Jill A. Fisher This article analyses the ways in which research coordinators forge professional identities in the highly gendered organizational context of the clinic. Drawing upon qualitative research on the organization of the clinical trials industry (that is, the private sector, for profit auxiliary companies that support pharmaceutical drug studies), this article explores the relationships between predominantly male physician-investigators and female research coordinators and the constitution of medical expertise in pharmaceutical drug development. One finding is that coordinators actively seek to establish relationships with investigators that mirror traditional doctor,nurse relationships, in which the feminized role is subordinated and devalued. Another finding is that the coordinators do, in fact, have profound research expertise that is frequently greater than that of the investigators. The coordinators develop expertise on pharmaceutical products and diseases through their observations of the patterns that occur in patient,participants' responses to investigational drugs. The article argues, however, that the nature of the relationships between coordinators and investigators renders invisible the coordinators' expertise. In this context, gender acts as a persistent social structure shaping both coordinators' and investigators' perceptions of who can be recognized as having authority and power in the workplace. [source] Organizational entrepreneurship: Theoretical background, some empirical tests, and directions for future researchHUMAN FACTORS AND ERGONOMICS IN MANUFACTURING & SERVICE INDUSTRIES, Issue 1 2005Mariusz Bratnicki The widely held contemporary perspective on entrepreneurship is dangerously premature. Currently existing theories are insufficient to understand the dynamic interplay among entrepreneurship, the state, and external environment forces, as well as the organization's capacity to facilitate entrepreneurship and resulting effectiveness. In this exploratory paper I identify organizational architecture variables that help to shape a firm's entrepreneurship. The topic of organizational enablers is introduced. The primary purpose of the investigation falls under a category of exploration of dialectics' potential for entrepreneurship theory and development concept that refers to strategic contradictions, organizational enablers, and entrepreneurial behaviors. In particular, it focuses on understanding the organizational context of entrepreneurship and understanding the entrepreneurial reconciliation made by managers who seek to increase their company's growth. I investigate empirically how reconciliation of primary and secondary contradictions is related to entrepreneurial behaviors. The in-depth examination of organizational enablers and entrepreneurial behavior is only one example of how a dialectical approach can reshape our understanding of the complex, multilevel entrepreneurship process, which may have less to do with the behavior of individual members than with impersonal and seemingly insignificant forces. Finally, implications for future research are discussed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Hum Factors Man 15: 15,33, 2005. [source] Virtual team collaboration: building shared meaning, resolving breakdowns and creating translucenceINFORMATION SYSTEMS JOURNAL, Issue 3 2009Pernille Bjørn Abstract Managing international teams with geographically distributed participants is a complex task. The risk of communication breakdowns increases due to cultural and organizational differences grounded in the geographical distribution of the participants. Such breakdowns indicate general misunderstandings and a lack of shared meaning between participants. In this paper, we address the complexity of building shared meaning. We examine the communication breakdowns that occurred in two globally distributed virtual teams by providing an analytical distinction of the organizational context as the foundation for building shared meaning at three levels. Also we investigate communication breakdowns that can be attributed to differences in lifeworld structures, organizational structures, and work process structures within a virtual team. We find that all communication breakdowns are manifested and experienced by the participants at the work process level; however, resolving breakdowns may require critical reflection at other levels. Where previous research argues that face-to-face interaction is an important variable for virtual team performance, our empirical observations reveal that communication breakdowns related to a lack of shared meaning at the lifeworld level often becomes more salient when the participants are co-located than when geographically distributed. Last, we argue that creating translucence in communication structures is essential for building shared meanings at all three levels. [source] Whose job is it anyway?: organizational information competencies for value creationINFORMATION SYSTEMS JOURNAL, Issue 4 2000Joe Peppard Abstract. Research highlights that most business managers continue to be dissatisfied with the value they perceive they are deriving from their organization's information systems investments. On examining the literature, the dominant perspective is that creating value through information systems is primarily the responsibility of the IS function. Accordingly, to address this chronic malaise, attention generally focuses on the IS function with proposed prescriptions ranging from re-skilling the IS professional through re-engineering the IS function to the ultimate sanction of outsourcing. This paper examines the problem of value creation from IS investments from an organizational as opposed to an IS functional perspective. Drawing on resource-based theory, the paper argues that the effective deployment and exploitation of information should be viewed as a ,strategic asset'. To leverage value from IS, the paper proposes that organizations must recognize and develop information competencies and that the elements of these competencies are distributed throughout the organization and not solely resident in the IS function. Through a multimethodological approach these information competencies are identified and described. The resultant competencies are then studied in an organizational context. The paper ends by drawing conclusions and articulating further research directions and opportunities [source] Ambiguity in IT adaptation: making sense of First Class in a social work settingINFORMATION SYSTEMS JOURNAL, Issue 2 2000Ola Henfridsson Abstract This paper explores how people make sense of the ambiguity caused by newly introduced information technology (IT) in organizations. A better understanding of these sense-making processes might provide some basis for improving the way in which information technology is adapted in organizations. On the basis of an interpretive case study, the paper identifies how certain attention structures facilitated and restricted the meaningful construction of IT in a particular organizational context , social work. In this context, the previous coincidence of IT introductions with increasing administrative workload had considerable implications for the way in which a communications technology (First Class) was adapted. On a general level, it is concluded that making sense of ambiguity is an important ingredient in successful IT adaptation. [source] Critical success factors for cross-functional teamwork in new product developmentINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT REVIEWS, Issue 3 2000Sarah Holland There is consensus that the effective implementation of cross-functional teams is critical to new product success. However, such teams face particular challenges because of well-documented barriers between functions. Furthermore, there is little evidence-based guidance for practitioners on how to achieve effective cross-functional teamwork. In order to address this gap, the literature on cross-functional teamwork was analysed to identify critical success factors. Using a heuristic team effectiveness model, these were categorized into six groups: task design, group composition, organizational context, internal processes, external processes and group psychosocial traits. Recent theory on group effectiveness has increasingly recognized the significance of a supportive organizational context, and this is particularly pertinent for cross-functional teams. Key success factors include strategic alignment between functions, a climate supportive of teamwork and team-based accountability. The findings are integrated into a diagnostic model which is intended to be of practical benefit to people designing, leading and facilitating cross-functional new product development teams. [source] What determines the management of anxiety disorders and its improvement?JOURNAL OF EVALUATION IN CLINICAL PRACTICE, Issue 2 2008Mirrian Smolders MSc Introduction, Although anxiety disorders are highly prevalent, lack of correct diagnosis and related concerns about treatment are serious clinical problems. Several factors affect, positively or negatively, management of anxiety and its improvement. A literature review and thematic analysis was executed to obtain an overview of the types of determinants of anxiety care and its improvement. Methods, Literature was identified from electronic database searching (January 1995,March 2006), contact with authors of studies, and searching of websites of organizations concerned with mental health. By using a template analysis approach, a set of strong themes relating to determinants of anxiety care and its improvement was identified. Results, The 15 eligible studies identified 43 factors that impeded or facilitated optimal anxiety care and its improvement. Individual characteristics of both patients (n = 13) and professionals (n = 6) were most frequently reported as determinants of anxiety care and its improvement. A considerable number of factors were related to the organizational context (n = 12), such as practice type and location. Some factors related to the social context (n = 4), the economic context (n = 2), or to the innovation itself (n = 6) were identified. Conclusion, The findings show that there is a multitude of barriers and facilitators to optimal anxiety care and its improvement. Some determinants are modifiable, and thus responsive to interventions. Examples are collaboration within and between organizations, financial resources and assignment of both an opinion leader and responsible staff. The quality of anxiety care can be improved by systematically designing innovation strategies which are tailored to a selection of the determinants identified in this study. [source] The mediating role of overall fairness and the moderating role of trust certainty in justice,criteria relationships: the formation and use of fairness heuristics in the workplaceJOURNAL OF ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR, Issue 8 2009David A. Jones Theory suggests that perceptions of overall fairness play an important role in the justice judgment process, yet overall fairness is insufficiently studied. We derived hypotheses from fairness heuristic theory, which proposes that perceptions of overall fairness are influenced by different types of justice, are more proximal predictors of responses than specific justice types, and are used to infer trust when trust certainty is low. Results from Study 1 (N,=,1340) showed that employees' perceptions of overall fairness in relation to a senior management team mediated the relationships between specific types of justice and employee outcomes (e.g., affective commitment). In Study 2 (N,=,881), these mediated effects were replicated and trust certainty moderated the effect of overall fairness on trust as hypothesized. Study 2 also showed that, relative to procedural and informational justice, distributive and interpersonal justice had stronger effects on overall fairness. To explore how the organizational context may have influenced these findings, we performed qualitative analyses in Study 3 (N,=,268). Results suggested that, consistent with the quantitative findings from Study 2, some types of justice were more salient than others. We discuss the implications of our findings for theory, research, and practice. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Applying wikis to managing knowledge,A socio-technical approachKNOWLEDGE AND PROCESS MANAGEMENT: THE JOURNAL OF CORPORATE TRANSFORMATION, Issue 1 2009Miia Kosonen As organizations are increasingly moving towards geographically dispersed and virtual forms of collaboration, knowledge sharing through social software such as wikis is widely acknowledged as an important area of research and practice. However, social software remains an under-investigated issue in the literature on knowledge management (KM), and there is a lack of studies demonstrating how organizations can successfully incorporate these technologies into their everyday operations. To bridge this gap, our paper examines a case of successful wiki implementation. We claim that understanding the implementation of wikis requires a socio-technical perspective focusing on the organizational context and activity system in which they are implemented rather than on their technological proficiency. Furthermore, we claim that their implementation brings about change in existing social systems, and results in new kinds of social constellations, interactions, and identities, which are manageable and controllable only to a limited extent. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Strategic planning for municipalities: Ensuring progress and relevancePERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT, Issue 5 2009Thomas Plant This article focuses on developing critical mechanisms to ensure the progress and relevance of a strategic plan. These mechanisms include the establishment of business planning processes, performance management and measurement, and reporting of strategic success. Although the focus here is on the public sector, these ideas can also be applied to and have relevance for strategic planning in any organizational context. [source] UNDERSTANDING REACTIONS TO JOB REDESIGN: A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF THE MODERATING EFFECTS OF ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT ON PERCEPTIONS OF PERFORMANCE BEHAVIORPERSONNEL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 2 2006FREDERICK P. MORGESON Redesigning jobs from a traditional workgroup structure to a semi-autonomous team structure has become increasingly popular, but the impact of such redesigns on employee effectiveness criteria has been mixed. The present longitudinal quasi-experimental study showed that although such a redesign had positive effects on 3 performance behaviors (effort, skill usage, and problem solving), its effectiveness also depended on aspects of the organizational context. In conditions where the organizational reward and feedback and information systems were effective, redesigning work into a semi-autonomous team structure had no discernible effect on performance behaviors. In conditions where these systems were poor, however, such a redesign produced large positive benefits. This suggests that work redesigns that enhance worker autonomy are most effective in contexts where other supportive management systems are absent. [source] Organizational context and taxonomy of health care databasesPHARMACOEPIDEMIOLOGY AND DRUG SAFETY, Issue 5 2001Deborah Shatin PhD Abstract An understanding of the organizational context and taxonomy of health care databases is essential to appropriately use these data sources for research purposes. Characteristics of the organizational structure of the specific health care setting, including the model type, financial arrangement, and provider access, have implications for accessing and using this data effectively. Additionally, the benefit coverage environment may affect the utility of health care databases to address specific research questions. Coverage considerations that affect pharmacoepidemiologic research include eligibility, the nature of the pharmacy benefit, and regulatory aspects of the treatment under consideration. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Member Commitment and Participation in Local Emergency Planning CommitteesPOLICY STUDIES JOURNAL, Issue 3 2000David J. Whitney Research on Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs) has suggested that members' perceptions of group processes and participation activities mediate the relationship between organizational context and LEPC effectiveness. Data from 57 LEPCs support the importance of organizational commitment in predicting member participation and the predictive power of some of organizational commitment's previously identified antecedents. However, the data failed to support two hypotheses about the effects of organizational context on group process and of member participation on LEPC effectiveness. These findings suggest ways to increase the effectiveness of voluntary, quasi-public organizations such as LEPCs, citizen advisory panels, and planning boards. [source] The Institutional Context of Market Ideology: A Comparative Analysis of the Values and Perceptions of Local Government CEOs in 14 OECD CountriesPUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, Issue 2 2004Morten Balle Hansen During recent decades, various versions of market practices have, in most nation states, diffused into the public sector. We analyse variations in the adoption of market ideologies and examine plausible explanations for these variations. Four managerial ideal types are constructed, based on their attitudes towards two dimensions of market ideology. Managerial attitudes and perceptions are conceived as embedded in a global process of diffusion highly affected by varying institutional preconditions. The impact of five types of institutional contexts is examined: the national context, the organizational context, the context of interaction, the context of socialization and the norms of the manager. [source] R&D management through network mapping: using the Internet to identify strategic network actors in cooperative research networksR & D MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2001Tomas Hellström Most R&D management techniques to date have emphasized the immediate organizational context or the internal structure and process of the R&D project. Recently however attempts have been made at situating R&D management in a wider context of inter-organizational R&D activities. This paper presents the technique of R&D network mapping as a means of providing strategic intelligence to the R&D manager. The paper backgrounds this technique with a discussion of the general issue and significance of R&D networks. A methodology for R&D network mapping is then exemplified by outlining how a network database of cooperating projects and institutes in the telecom research sector was built by utilizing the World Wide Web. Finally a number of suggestions are made as to how and when network mapping should be applied in strategic R&D management. [source] Tensions and Paradoxes in Electronic Patient Record Research: A Systematic Literature Review Using the Meta-narrative MethodTHE MILBANK QUARTERLY, Issue 4 2009TRISHA GREENHALGH Context: The extensive research literature on electronic patient records (EPRs) presents challenges to systematic reviewers because it covers multiple research traditions with different underlying philosophical assumptions and methodological approaches. Methods: Using the meta-narrative method and searching beyond the Medline-indexed literature, this review used "conflicting" findings to address higher-order questions about how researchers had differently conceptualized and studied the EPR and its implementation. Findings: Twenty-four previous systematic reviews and ninety-four further primary studies were considered. Key tensions in the literature centered on (1) the EPR ("container" or "itinerary"); (2) the EPR user ("information-processer" or "member of socio-technical network"); (3) organizational context ("the setting within which the EPR is implemented" or "the EPR-in-use"); (4) clinical work ("decision making" or "situated practice"); (5) the process of change ("the logic of determinism" or "the logic of opposition"); (6) implementation success ("objectively defined" or "socially negotiated"); and (7) complexity and scale ("the bigger the better" or "small is beautiful"). Conclusions: The findings suggest that EPR use will always require human input to recontextualize knowledge; that even though secondary work (audit, research, billing) may be made more efficient by the EPR, primary clinical work may be made less efficient; that paper may offer a unique degree of ecological flexibility; and that smaller EPR systems may sometimes be more efficient and effective than larger ones. We suggest an agenda for further research. [source] From Global Knowledge Management to Internal Electronic Fences: Contradictory Outcomes of Intranet DevelopmentBRITISH JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2001Sue Newell This paper considers the adoption of intranet technology as a vehicle for encouraging organization-wide knowledge sharing within a large, global bank. Ironically, the outcome of intranet adoption was that, rather than integrate individuals across this particular organization, the intranet actually helped to reinforce the existing functional and national boundaries with ,electronic fences'. This could be partly explained by the historical emphasis on decentralization within the bank, which shaped and limited the use of the intranet as a centralizing, organization-wide tool. This is possible because the intranet can be described as an interactive and decentred technology, which therefore has the potential for multiple interpretations and effects. Thus, while the intranet is often promoted as a technology that enables processes of communication, collaboration and social coordination it also has the potential to disable such processes. Moreover, it is argued that to develop an intranet for knowledge-sharing requires a focus on three distinctive facets of development. These different facets may require very different, sometimes contradictory, sets of strategies for blending the technology and the organization, thus making it extremely difficult for a project team to work effectively on all three facets simultaneously. This was evidenced by the fact that none of the independent intranet-implementation projects considered actually managed to encourage knowledge-sharing as intended, even within the relatively homogeneous group for which it was designed. Broader knowledge-sharing across the wider organizational context simply did not occur even among those who were working on what were defined as ,knowledge management' projects. A paradox is that knowledge-sharing via intranet technologies may be most difficult to achieve in contexts where knowledge management is the key objective. [source] Effective casework practice with adolescents: perspectives of statutory child protection practitionersCHILD & FAMILY SOCIAL WORK, Issue 2 2010Virginia Schmied ABSTRACT Many child protection practitioners struggle with the complexity of problems and the limited casework time for adolescent cases. However, there is little research on child protection practice or case management that can guide a practitioner working with adolescents in the child protection system. The aim of this study was to explore and describe the nature of effective child protection practice with adolescents from the perspective of statutory child protection practitioners in one state in Australia. Data were collected through focus group discussions and interviews with child protection practitioners and managers currently working with adolescents (n= 44). A grounded theory approach was used to identify the dominant themes or categories and form linkages and relationships through constant comparison techniques. Seven key categories emerged from this analysis: characteristics of the young person and their family; ,walking it together', the centrality of relationships; ,looking back/looking forward', practice strategies; practitioner attributes and skills; ,walking a fine line', working with the families of adolescents; ,walking with services', effective inter-agency work; and organizational context in effective child protection practice with adolescents. Key implications for practice and areas for further research were discussed. [source] Relationship-based practice and reflective practice: holistic approaches to contemporary child care social workCHILD & FAMILY SOCIAL WORK, Issue 2 2005Gillian Ruch ABSTRACT The renewed interest in relationship-based practice can be understood in the child care social work context as a response to the call to re-focus practice in this field. Relationship-based practice challenges the prevailing trends which emphasize reductionist understandings of human behaviour and narrowly conceived bureaucratic responses to complex problems. In so doing practitioners engaged in relationship-based practice need to be able to cope with the uniqueness of each individual's circumstances and the diverse knowledge sources required to make sense of complex, unpredictable problems. This paper argues that if relationship-based practice is to become an established and effective approach to practice, practitioners need to develop their reflective capabilities. An outline of contemporary understandings of relationship-based and reflective practice is offered and findings from doctoral research drawn on to identify how reflective practice complements relationship-based practice. The product of this complementary relationship is enhanced understandings across four aspects of practice: the client, the professional self, the organizational context and the knowledges informing practice. The paper concludes by acknowledging the inextricably interconnected nature of relationship-based and reflective practice and emphasizes the importance of practitioners being afforded opportunities to practise in relational and reflective ways. [source] Making sense of CSR communicationCORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2009Paul Ziek Abstract Although a great deal of research has focused on communicating Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), the literature is diverse and encompasses a plethora of theories and approaches. It is still unclear what communicative behaviors carry the messages of organizational virtuosity and the implementation of responsible initiatives. What is missing is a simple, inclusive assessment of how organizations explicitly communicate the behaviors that constitute CSR. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to provide an illustration of the accounts that constitute CSR communication. Fifty US firms are examined for CSR moves within a variety of organizational contexts. The results show that communicating CSR is limited to large organizations and primarily, that they communicate CSR by conveying information about classically accepted responsible and virtuous behaviors. This patterned communicative behavior is a process that organizations engage in to make sense of CSR. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Going Against the Historical Grain: Perspectives on Gendered Occupational Identity and Resistance to the Breakdown of Occupational Segregation in Two Manufacturing FirmsGENDER, WORK & ORGANISATION, Issue 3 2002Anne-marie Greene This article discusses a process of restructuring of working practices within two manufacturing firms with respect to its implications for gendered occupational segregation. A contextualized, historically situated analysis is presented, which is cast within debates on the nature of gendered occupational identity, equality initiatives and arenas of power and influence for women and men, within what were traditionally male-dominated organizational contexts. Such an analysis serves to highlight the significance of the new restructuring in sweeping away 150 years of practice and embedded ,ways of doing things' and offers explanations for the actions of contemporary men and women in opposing what were seen by management and the trade union as emancipatory changes. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||