The Paradox Of Control In Organizations

Author : Philip Streatfield
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 174 pages
File Size : 48,6 Mb
Release : 2003-09-02
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781134577040

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The Paradox of Control in Organizations by Philip Streatfield Pdf

Business leaders are expected to be 'in control' of the situation in which their businesses find themselves. But how can organizational leaders and managers control matters entirely out of their hands; such as the next action a competitor takes, or the next law a government may pass? In this book, Philip Streatfield reflects on his own experience as a manager to explore the question: who, or what is 'in control' in an organization? Adopting the perspective of complex responsive processes developed in the first two volumes of this series, the author takes self-organization and emergence as central themes in thinking about life in organizations. He focuses on the tension between spontaneously forming patterns of conversation and intentional actions arguing that the order of organizations emerges through a combination of collective interaction and individual intentions. The argument is developed by considering the day-to-day experiences of life in a large pharmaceutical organization, SmithKline Beecham. In today's organization, managers find that they have to live with the paradox of being 'in control' and 'not in control' simultaneously. It is this capacity to live with paradox, and to continue to participate creatively in spite of 'not being in control', that constitutes effective management.

Author : Philip Streatfield
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 168 pages
File Size : 46,6 Mb
Release : 2003-09-02
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781134577057

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The Paradox of Control in Organizations by Philip Streatfield Pdf

Business leaders are expected to be 'in control' of the situation in which their businesses find themselves. But how can organizational leaders and managers control matters entirely out of their hands; such as the next action a competitor takes, or the next law a government may pass? In this book, Philip Streatfield reflects on his own experience as a manager to explore the question: who, or what is 'in control' in an organization? Adopting the perspective of complex responsive processes developed in the first two volumes of this series, the author takes self-organization and emergence as central themes in thinking about life in organizations. He focuses on the tension between spontaneously forming patterns of conversation and intentional actions arguing that the order of organizations emerges through a combination of collective interaction and individual intentions. The argument is developed by considering the day-to-day experiences of life in a large pharmaceutical organization, SmithKline Beecham. In today's organization, managers find that they have to live with the paradox of being 'in control' and 'not in control' simultaneously. It is this capacity to live with paradox, and to continue to participate creatively in spite of 'not being in control', that constitutes effective management.

Author : Wendy K. Smith,Marianne W. Lewis,Paula Jarzabkowski,Ann Langley
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 528 pages
File Size : 49,5 Mb
Release : 2017-09-07
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9780191069376

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The Oxford Handbook of Organizational Paradox by Wendy K. Smith,Marianne W. Lewis,Paula Jarzabkowski,Ann Langley Pdf

The notion of paradox dates back to ancient philosophy, yet only recently have scholars started to explore this idea in organizational phenomena. Two decades ago, a handful of provocative theorists urged researchers to take seriously the study of paradox, and thereby deepen our understanding of plurality, tensions, and contradictions in organizational life. Studies of organizational paradox have grown exponentially over the past two decades, canvassing varied phenomena, methods, and levels of analysis. These studies have explored such tensions as today and tomorrow, global integration and local distinctions, collaboration and competition, self and others, mission and markets. Yet even with both the depth and breadth of interest in organizational paradoxes, key issues around definitions and application remain. This handbook seeks to aid, engage, and fuel the expanding interest in organizational paradox. Contributions to this volume depict how paradox studies inform, and are informed, by other theoretical perspectives, while creating a resource that enables scholars to learn about and apply this lens across varied organizational phenomena. The increasing complexity, volatility, and ambiguity in our world continually surfaces paradoxical dynamics. Thus, this handbook offers insights to scholars across organizational theory.

Author : Berti, Marco,Simpson, Ace,Cunha, Miguel P.,Clegg, Stewart R.
Publisher : Edward Elgar Publishing
Page : 192 pages
File Size : 52,7 Mb
Release : 2021-07-31
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781839101144

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Elgar Introduction to Organizational Paradox Theory by Berti, Marco,Simpson, Ace,Cunha, Miguel P.,Clegg, Stewart R. Pdf

This insightful Elgar Introduction comprises the first effort to provide a succinct overview of the field of organizational paradox theory, exploring contradictions and tensions in organizational settings. By conceptually mapping the field, it offers guidance through the literature on paradox, making space for new interpretations and applications of the concept.

Author : Barry Schwartz
Publisher : Harper Collins
Page : 308 pages
File Size : 44,7 Mb
Release : 2009-10-13
Category : Psychology
ISBN : 9780061748998

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The Paradox of Choice by Barry Schwartz Pdf

Whether we're buying a pair of jeans, ordering a cup of coffee, selecting a long-distance carrier, applying to college, choosing a doctor, or setting up a 401(k), everyday decisions—both big and small—have become increasingly complex due to the overwhelming abundance of choice with which we are presented. As Americans, we assume that more choice means better options and greater satisfaction. But beware of excessive choice: choice overload can make you question the decisions you make before you even make them, it can set you up for unrealistically high expectations, and it can make you blame yourself for any and all failures. In the long run, this can lead to decision-making paralysis, anxiety, and perpetual stress. And, in a culture that tells us that there is no excuse for falling short of perfection when your options are limitless, too much choice can lead to clinical depression. In The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz explains at what point choice—the hallmark of individual freedom and self-determination that we so cherish—becomes detrimental to our psychological and emotional well-being. In accessible, engaging, and anecdotal prose, Schwartz shows how the dramatic explosion in choice—from the mundane to the profound challenges of balancing career, family, and individual needs—has paradoxically become a problem instead of a solution. Schwartz also shows how our obsession with choice encourages us to seek that which makes us feel worse. By synthesizing current research in the social sciences, Schwartz makes the counter intuitive case that eliminating choices can greatly reduce the stress, anxiety, and busyness of our lives. He offers eleven practical steps on how to limit choices to a manageable number, have the discipline to focus on those that are important and ignore the rest, and ultimately derive greater satisfaction from the choices you have to make.

Author : Stewart R. Clegg
Publisher : John Benjamins Publishing
Page : 340 pages
File Size : 52,7 Mb
Release : 2002-06-07
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9789027297822

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Management and Organization Paradoxes by Stewart R. Clegg Pdf

Paradox — the simultaneous existence of two inconsistent states — has become orthodox. The orthodox is now the paradox. The orthodox world of ordering, controlling and organizing is increasingly opposed to a normalizing world of disordering, disrupting and disorganizing. And organization studies cannot avoid changing its conceptions of reality as that reality changes. In the future, organization studies will be the study of paradox, how to understand it, how to use it. In this book of original contributions addressed to management and organization paradoxes the authors address the new state of the field in terms of representations — representing paradoxes — and materialisations — materialising paradoxes. The themes — although varied, ranging from dialectics to internal tensions; from collaborations to ethics and value conflicts; from resistant labourers and wharfies to cartoon characters such as The Simpsons; from the irrationalities of finance to the psychoanalytic rationalities of auditing, and from issues of governance in Asian and international business to the composition of the new knowledge work force in the business professions — cohere around core aspects of paradoxicality. Overall, the contributions to Management and Organization Paradoxes are diverse and challenging. Each contribution takes a different angle on the central theme. All of the chapters illuminate diverse aspects of contemporary paradoxes in management and organization theory. The book provides, in each of its chapters, a challenge to the still overwhelmingly rationalist views of theory and practice that dominate the field and provides new directions for understanding organizations and management.The contributors are drawn from leading European, Australian and Latin American contributors.

Author : M. Association
Publisher : Springer
Page : 277 pages
File Size : 47,5 Mb
Release : 2014-11-25
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781137392121

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Management Control and Uncertainty by M. Association Pdf

Management Control and Uncertainty recognizes that all control takes place under conditions of uncertainty: it does now, and it always has done. In this edited collection, the contributing authors examine different aspects of management control systems in the modern world whilst paying more explicit attention to the ubiquitous nature of uncertainty

Author : Miguel Pina e Cunha,Stewart R. Clegg,Arménio Rego,Marco Berti
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 239 pages
File Size : 45,6 Mb
Release : 2021-05-30
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781351056649

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Paradoxes of Power and Leadership by Miguel Pina e Cunha,Stewart R. Clegg,Arménio Rego,Marco Berti Pdf

Why do great companies and other organizations fail, sometimes abruptly? Why do admired leaders fall from their organizational pedestals? Why do young and promising managers derail? Why do organizations create and reinforce rules that manifestly damage both them and those that they employ, serve and sustain? Leadership is a much-discussed but ill-defined idea in business and management circles. Analysing and understanding the skills and behaviours exhibited in leadership practice reveal that leaders exhibit paradoxical activities that challenge our understanding of organizations. In this text, the authors identify leadership behaviours that compete towards business equilibrium: selfish versus selfless, distance versus proximity, consistency versus individuality, enforcing professional standards versus flexibility and control versus autonomy. These paradoxical dilemmas require a reflexive and analytical approach to a subject that is tricky to define. The book explores the paradoxes of power and leadership not as a panacea for solving organizational problems but as a lens through which leadership and power are seen as an exercise in dynamic balance. Read this book as an invitation to the paradoxes of power and leadership that frame organizational life today. Be prepared to find surprises – and some counterintuitive arguments. Providing a thought-provoking guide to the traits and skills that will help readers to understand and navigate paradoxical leadership behaviour, this reflexive book will be a useful reading for students and scholars of business, management and psychology globally.

Author : Medhanie Gaim,Stewart Clegg,Miguel Pina e Cunha,Marco Berti
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 138 pages
File Size : 43,7 Mb
Release : 2022-09-22
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781009313605

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Organizational Paradox by Medhanie Gaim,Stewart Clegg,Miguel Pina e Cunha,Marco Berti Pdf

Paradoxes, contrary propositions that are not contestable separately but that are inconsistent when conjoined, constitute a pervasive feature of contemporary organizational life. When contradictory elements are constituted as equally important in day-to-day work, organizational actors frequently experience acute tensions in engaging with these contradictions. This Element discusses the presence of paradoxes in the life of organizations, introduces the reader to the notion of paradox in theory and practice, and distinguishes paradox and adjacent conceptualizations such as trade-off, dilemma, dialectics, ambiguity, etc. This Element also covers what triggers paradoxes and how they come into being whereby the Element distinguishes latent and salient paradoxes and how salient paradoxes are managed. This Element discusses key methodological challenges and possibilities of studying, teaching, and applying paradoxes and concludes by considering some future research questions left unexplored in the field.

Author : Matthew P. Wictome,Ian Wells
Publisher : Business Expert Press
Page : 219 pages
File Size : 52,8 Mb
Release : 2023-04-26
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781637424414

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Transforming Quality Organizations by Matthew P. Wictome,Ian Wells Pdf

Is your Quality organization holding your business back? Is regulatory compliance seen as more important than product or service quality? Do you feel the needs of your customers are lost in a sea of regulations? Transforming Quality Organizations: A Practical Guide questions whether the current approach to managing quality is fit for purpose and, using the latest organizational thinking provides fresh, practical ways to balance a quality system to: Manage risk for better patient, customer, regulator, and stockholder outcomes. Achieve balance between ensuring compliance and supporting innovation. Transform your Quality organization through a roadmap of change. Applicable to all businesses where quality is paramount, the content is based on practical experience of executing transformational change in the healthcare sector resulting in: Product recall rates cut by 50%. Product development cycle-times cut by 50%. Significant cost savings in quality system execution. This book is invaluable for business leaders who want to transform their Quality organization and increase the value it delivers for their business.

Author : Akella, Devi,Eid, Niveen,Sabella, Anton
Publisher : IGI Global
Page : 348 pages
File Size : 42,8 Mb
Release : 2021-03-26
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781799858218

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Cases on Critical Practices for Modern and Future Human Resources Management by Akella, Devi,Eid, Niveen,Sabella, Anton Pdf

Human resources management (HRM) has evolved in the last few years as a result of such factors as outsourcing, work-life balance issues, globalization, increasing proportion of older workers, generational differences, etc. As such, it is imperative to revisit past views and perspectives on methods and practices in HRM in order to ensure that best procedures are being utilized. Cases on Critical Practices for Modern and Future Human Resources Management offers teaching cases from the corporate, public, and educational sectors that present critical reviews of different aspects of HRM, its origin, role and responsibilities, functions, and the future of HRM in the context of changing patterns of work, society, and the world. It functions as a resource that will spur future HR personnel to become more ethically conscious managers and citizens. Highlighting important topics that include employee wellbeing, recruitment, and retention, this book is ideal for human resources managers, organization development consultants, small and medium enterprises, non-profit organizations, professionals, academicians, researchers, and students

Author : Ada Demb,F.-Friedrich Neubauer
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 225 pages
File Size : 47,7 Mb
Release : 1992-04-02
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9780195361391

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The Corporate Board by Ada Demb,F.-Friedrich Neubauer Pdf

Written for practitioners, this book addresses corporate governance and the role of the board of directors in multinational corporations. Throughout the world, corporations are experiencing the second major transition in corporate governance of this century. The nature of the relationship between the corporation and the rest of society is changing fundamentally. The corporate board has unique responsibilities during this transition, but as it tries to respond directors are faced with destabilizing paradoxes: resolving who is in control--management or the board, achieving critical judgment while maintaining detachment, and avoiding becoming either a cozy club or a collection of all-stars. This book, based on interviews with 71 directors serving on more than 500 boards in eight countries, shows the nature of the challenges and suggests ways to analyze and confront them. This major international study compares the experiences of board members in Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Venezuela.

Author : Jerry B. Harvey
Publisher : Jossey-Bass
Page : 168 pages
File Size : 42,6 Mb
Release : 1988-07-15
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : UOM:49015000605676

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The Abilene Paradox and Other Meditations on Management by Jerry B. Harvey Pdf

Do you sometimes feel that your office isn't a place of business but a madhouse in disguise? Is risk-taking so discouraged that mediocrity becomes the order of the day? If all this sounds familiar, your company may well be embarked on 'a trip to Abilene.' Now, Jerry Harvey once again rocks the business world. In this new book, he offers a series of insightful and often uproaringly funny 'meditations' on the craziness of everyday organizational life.

Author : Rebecca Bednarek,Miguel Pina e Cunha,Jonathan Schad,Wendy K. Smith
Publisher : Emerald Group Publishing
Page : 232 pages
File Size : 51,8 Mb
Release : 2021-07-08
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781801171830

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Interdisciplinary Dialogues on Organizational Paradox by Rebecca Bednarek,Miguel Pina e Cunha,Jonathan Schad,Wendy K. Smith Pdf

Interdisciplinary Dialogues on Organizational Paradox is an innovative two-part volume that enriches our understanding about paradox; both deepening the theory and offering greater insight to address grand challenges we face in the world today. Part A: Learning from Belief and Science explores the realms of beliefs and physicality.

Author : Arnold Sherwood Tannenbaum
Publisher : New York : McGraw-Hill
Page : 352 pages
File Size : 48,9 Mb
Release : 1968
Category : Organization
ISBN : STANFORD:36105033799623

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Control in Organizations by Arnold Sherwood Tannenbaum Pdf