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This chapter addresses the “Taylorism–Fayolism–Weberism (TFW) virus,” a metaphor developed to highlight how organizational features recommended by each of these three management theorists produce dysfunctions that create unintended hidden costs that adversely impact organizations and their employees. The virus leads to an ideology where cost cutting is seen as the best means to improve an organization’s performance. We explore the problematic features of the TFW virus: hyperspecialization, separation of work design from work execution, and depersonalized job descriptions designed for workers who are falsely assumed to be lazy. We then address how these organizational features are related to micro dysfunctions and hidden costs (e.g., poor work organization) that accumulate into macro-level dysfunctions and costs that form the features of the risk society envisioned by Ullrich Beck (1992). These dysfunctions collectively threaten human and planetary existence. Next, we describe how the socioeconomic approach to management (SEAM) can address the TFW virus in ways that manage and remediate micro, macro, and planetary risks that emerge from a globalized enterprise. We conclude by offering a hopeful agenda for research on how to use SEAM to more effectively manage the emerging micro and macro dysfunctions and impacts of the world risk society.

Bernacer (1883–1965) is a rather unknown author, both precursor and critic of Keynes; however, his contribution to economics is relevant. This chapter explains the topicality to publish Bernacer’s work because of the present disruptive environment with the recurrent economic crisis. Bernacer has influenced Savall’s work leading to the creation of the Socioeconomic Theory, which explains the link between social performance and economic performance. The author introduces his work conducted with the Institut de Socio-economie des Entreprises et des Organisations (ISEOR) research team about Socially Responsible Capitalism (SRC) that has been tested in 2000 companies and organizations.

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to show the importance of an integrative approach to CSR.Design/methodology/approach– The paper is based on the qualimetrics intervention-research methodology. It is an exploratory research project.Findings– The intervention-research case study shows an example where an integrative approach to CSR was made possible.Research limitations/implications– The paper only presents an example of a company. Future research should show how the method that has been experimented to integrate CSR might be implemented.Practical implications– The paper might help company actors debate and propose an innovative approach to CSR.Social implications– The paper provides scientific methods to better negotiate the creation of norms and standards in the field of CSR, enabling to move one step further as regards ISO 26000.Originality/value– It shows some of the conditions required to bridge the gap between CSR and financial standards.

The socio‐economic approach to management (SEAM) model has been experimented in over 1,000 companies and organizations in 30 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia, and America. The key success factors for the dissemination of SEAM are both individual and institutional. They rely on the diversity of actors, trans‐generation, and a variety of networks. At this stage, the dissemination process of SEAM brings to light unexpected synergies. This process is based on methodological principles such as generic contingency and cognitive interactivity.

Purpose– This paper aims to present a concise history of the main action research (AR) contribution in France. The authors discuss the role of AR in the organizational research field in general and compare it with intervention research (IR) and presented Institute of Socio-Economy of Enterprises and Organizations’s specific contributions and its presence on the international stage through review publications and wider works.Design/methodology/approach– A narrative approach was used to analyze this history.Findings– AR is considered as a research family. The authors define and compare AR with other qualitative methods. They analyze AR and IR principles, which include interaction with practitioners, negotiation with them, focusing in the third part on the case of ISEOR research team.Social implications– AR and IR permit to bridge the gap between researchers and practitioners, to develop useful research. At the same time, they permit to develop new researchers' competencies and to fund research, in a context of reduced public research funds.Originality/value– This article permits to understand the reality of what is and how to develop an IR, and the difficulties for researchers to insert them in the academic community, although France seems to be more permissive than others’ contexts. It permits also to better know the French IR and AR research in management.

The improvement of public service organizations is a true challenge in the field of management consulting research, all the more so as budgets devoted to public services are shrinking in a period of financial crisis. Management consulting in the public sector might be considered as fundamentally different from what takes place in the private sector to cope with consulting interventions in the public sector. -Public sector bureaucracy is often considered as impervious to management consulting interventions. The objective of this research is to validate the assumption that: Public services will only preserve social and societal legitimacy if they sustainably improve their efficiency and effectiveness through appropriate management consulting interventions

In the frame of social responsibility oriented Capitalism, our proposed theory has been designed through scientific management consulting practices, referred to as intervention- research. The objective is to merge organizational and individual performance,. Separate studies on these important research subjects have been conducted for many decades. No one can accurately predict the financial performance factors, and we argue that this goal may only be achieved by combining studies of both literatures. We propose an integrated and multi- level theory of individual and organizational performance. Our model enables both understanding of individual performance through comprehension of organizational performance and vice versa, through the concept of hidden costs which constitutes the “black hole” of performance theories.

MC Division is emblematic of the double attraction for consulting from scholars, and research from consultants. But most researchers believe the board is sealed with respect to research. From the c...

Moving from Informal to Formal Sustainable Performance through a Qualimetrics Approach to Management Consultancy If we consider the expression “formal economy”, there is more to it than meets the e...