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Item does not contain fulltext, Defining and redefining theoretical concepts is an essential part of HRM research, but its role in the theorizing process is still poorly understood. While concept redefinition practices are often dismissed as a scholarly malpractice (‘concept proliferation’) by methodologists, we argue that concept redefinition enhances the health of a literature if one makes a theoretical contribution. To learn what this entails, we first explore the various philosophical motivations for why and how concept definitions are reformulated, changed, and improved. This culminates in a general framework and a vocabulary of ten different opportunities for making theoretical contributions via conceptual redefinition, using the concept of charisma as an illustrative case. From our analysis we induce that concept redefinition is both inevitable and necessary as a form of theory development and conceptual maintenance in many fields of inquiry. We discuss the implications of our framework as being a methodological ‘repertoire’ that, we hope, spurs both useful and novel concept redefinitions that help maintain a healthy HRM literature.

Contains fulltext : 300400.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access), 13 februari 2024

Item does not contain fulltext, Translation studies increasingly foreground the significance of local actors as agentic translators. Drawing on a brokerage work perspective, this article seeks to advance our understanding of managerial agents as translators by examining how and why these may vary in their role as intermediary or ‘strategic third’, and how these roles are associated with different patterns of translation. Examining qualitative data from a study of individuals tasked with implementing Lean in hospital contexts, we identify three brokerage modes of translation these actors may engage in (stretching, shielding and synthesizing), their main conditions, and the specific translation tactics they use within these modes (positioning, labeling and channeling). Our study extends our understanding of micro-level translation and reveals that purposeful ‘misalignment’ may be a significant and under-theorized part of the translation process.

11 juli 2022, Contains fulltext : 252571.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access), Purpose This study aims to discuss the usefulness of free-text comments to gain insights into participants' opinions about an organizational change project. Design/methodology/approach A secondary analysis of 152 free-text answers to an open question in a questionnaire evaluating the implementation of lean facility design was conducted. Findings The authors identified three categories of responses to change: (1) dismissive – lean unrelated, (2) dismissive – lean related and (3) supporting – lean related. Notably, the large majority of the comments were dismissive by nature and unrelated to lean. Furthermore, critical responses also emanate from the most supportive group (critical friends). Practical implications Quintessential to change management is understanding how those involved perceive the changes. Free-text comments offer an opportunity to gain a view on these perceptions, particularly perceptions that often stay covert whilst having the potential to undermine change initiatives. At the same time, the comments may also be used to capitalize on constructive criticisms. Originality/value This study delivers a unique view on how free comments allow developing a broader understanding of hospital staff's responses to an organizational change initiative and particularly its “undercurrent” that may potentially have significant implications to change processes.

01 juni 2021, Contains fulltext : 252570.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access), A highly contested issue in management science is its relevance to practice. Despite third parties’ potentially significant role in changing the interaction between divided parties, the long-standing literature on the relevance gap has paid third parties little systematic attention. Drawing on a boundary-spanning perspective, and the concept of brokerage in particular, we review how the consultant role is discussed as an intermediary third party between management science and management practice. Based on a systematic literature review of 133 articles, we identify different intermediary consultant roles linking management science to management practice. Our findings detail how the practices associated with intermediary consultant roles performed by academics or practitioners relate to several key relevance criteria, how management knowledge flows when including intermediaries and how intermediaries in different roles relate to different audiences. Based on the findings, we develop a third-party model of intermediary consultant roles and knowledge flows. The model indicates the theoretical significance of third parties in shaping the interaction and knowledge flows between management science and management practice and has theoretical implications for understanding the persistence of the relevance gap. Regarding practical implications, we suggest how management scientists could target third parties as new key practitioner audiences. Considering third parties, and thus moving away from a two-party view, opens up promising directions for further research on the roles and role shifts of various intermediary actors and on how different intermediary audiences may appreciate different types of academic knowledge.

Item does not contain fulltext, The widespread promotion of management ideas, their regular inclusion in textbooks and business school curricula and their use in organizational change programs has engendered debates about the impact of these ideas on management and organizational practice. Based on analyses of managerial audience members' activities and related meaning-making prior to, during and after guru events with leading management thinkers, this book sheds new light on how management practitioners come to use management ideas in the different relevant contexts of their working lives. The authors argue that a broader, more differentiated and more dynamic view of managerial audiences is essential in understanding the impact of management ideas as well as the nature of contemporary managerial work. For scholars and students in organisation studies, knowledge management and management consultancy, as well as reflective management practitioners.

15 oktober 2020, Item does not contain fulltext, Purpose The aim of this study is to document and analyze experiences with building a new hospital guided by lean-led hospital design (LLHD) (Grunden and Hagood, 2012) and to investigate key mechanisms enhancing healthcare professionals' participation and collaboration in implementing this innovative approach. Design/methodology/approach An in-depth case study of the implementation of LLHD in a Dutch hospital was performed based on multiple data sources. The case hospital presented a unique opportunity since there was embedded access to the data by the first author. Findings Three mechanisms supporting participation and collaboration of staff for implementing LLHD were identified. (1) Freedom in translating a concept enables managers to balance it with variations in practice at the organizational level. (2) A set of key principles governing the design process appeared an important anchor on a managerial level in a changing environment. (3) Creation of a supportive attitude toward lean and lean facility design, with co-creation as a key element of LLHD. Practical implications By using the emerging mechanisms, managers/change agents can enlarge collaboration and participation of hospital staff when implementing organization-wide innovations. Originality/value This case study delivers a unique inside view on the dynamics evolving in the complex change processes at organizational, managerial and personal levels involved in implementing LLHD.

Contains fulltext : 252574.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access), This article seeks to develop our understanding of how management concepts are translated by examining the role of identity work in this process. Rather than a sole focus on changes in a management concept, we examine tensions and congruences between agents’ orientations towards that concept and how they see the broader organizational engagement with it. Through an examination of qualitative data from a study of those specifically tasked with the implementation of Lean in hospital contexts, we identify their narratives of self in relation to the concept. We show how, through four different types of translation-as-identity-work – externalizing, professionalizing, rationalizing and proselytizing – both the concept and the agent are constructed simultaneously. In recognizing interconnectedness, diversity and dynamism in these actors’ involvement, we seek to integrate, contextualize and broaden existing perspectives on agency in translation research.

13 oktober 2020, Item does not contain fulltext, The colonization of adjacent professional fields has been considered as crucial to understand the success and influence of large accounting firms, such as the Big 4. Yet, given the complexities of managing different professional groups, remarkably little is known about the internal dynamics behind large multidisciplinary accounting firms’ external responses to institutional pressures. In this article, we show how exogenous coercive pressure, such as regulation (in this case Dutch accountancy regulations), not only affect the day-to-day work of accountants, but also that of non-accountants such as tax advisors. From the perception of the tax advisors who confront regulations which are not ‘theirs’, we show how their internal responses evolve and tread a fine line between contestation and collaboration with their colleague accountants/auditors. Using a boundary work perspective, we examine this shift in responses and explain how tensions between professional groups may be reduced. Overall, our study not only furthers our insights into the internal dynamics behind professional service firms’ external responses, but also sheds light on why professional groups stay on board despite unfavorable internal conditions.

Item does not contain fulltext, Management ideas, and their associated applications, have become a prevalent feature of our working lives. While their focus is familiar, such as efficiency, motivation, and improvement, they range from specific notions such as activity-based costing, to broad movements like corporate social responsibility. This Handbook brings together some of the latest research from leading international scholars on how management ideas are produced, promoted, and adapted, and their effects on business and working practices and society at large. Rather than focusing on specific management ideas, this volume explores their key socio-political contexts and channels of dissemination, and is organized around four core overlapping themes. The first section sets out the research field in general, in terms of both an overall system and of different perspectives and research methods. The second section explores the role of different actors and channels of diffusion, including the consumers and producers of management ideas and 'new' media, as well as traditional players in the management ideas field such as consultancies and business schools. The third section focuses on specific features or dynamics of the management ideas system, such as their adoption, evolution, institutionalisation, and resurgence, while in the final section, critical and new perspectives on management ideas are examined, highlighting specific socio-political contexts and the possibility of alternative ideas and forms of critique. With a broad range of perspectives represented, this Handbook provides a comprehensive, authoritative, and enduring resource for those studying management, innovation, and organizational change, as well as for those working in the management ideas industry.

31 oktober 2018, Item does not contain fulltext, In this article, we discuss how research on professions and organizations may benefit from a better understanding of the emergence and prevalence of ‘new’ management occupations or ‘corporate professions’ and their interactions with ‘traditional’ professions. To this end, we explore the theoretical and empirical implications of selected studies, analysing how professional and occupational jurisdictions, as well as inter-occupational relationships, are redefined. This occurs as new areas of management expertise emerge and gain influence in relation to broader organizational, technical and institutional developments.

Contains fulltext : 178559.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access), We investigate how the implementation of a popular management concept and the associated organizational change is framed and reframed by change leaders in the course of the implementation trajectory. We reveal how the conceptual ambiguity of management concepts benefits careful reframing over time. We also show how reframing is triggered and influenced by opposing forces from within and outside of the organization. Overall we argue that collaborative acts of framing and reframing are essential to develop a better theoretical understanding of the management concept implementation trajectory and the persistence of management concepts in the organization.

16 oktober 2017, Contains fulltext : 252577.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access), Purpose Tenders are generally considered important in auditing research and practice, and are associated with significant difficulties for the auditing profession, as well as for individual auditors in the context of client relationships. The purpose of this paper is to explore the way auditors respond to complex client expectations related to the audit tendering process. Design/methodology/approach Using a role-theory perspective, the authors analyzed 75 client evaluations of auditors, along with in-depth interviews with high-level auditors. Findings The authors present a theoretical framework of audit tenders that identifies different formal and informal practices auditors may employ in response to evolving client expectations that arise throughout different phases of the tendering process, and elucidate relevant conditions that may enable or impede these practices. Research limitations/implications First, the study reveals that, in the context of auditor-client relationships, expectations cannot be considered stable, but may vary significantly throughout the tendering process. Second, the study indicates that auditors are not only determined by the formal tendering procedures, but are also influenced by their level of agency. Practical implications The framework has practical value by providing individual auditors guidance in managing their client relationships and, further, top management guidance for creating favorable conditions for auditors to meet client needs. Originality/value The findings provide a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the autonomy auditors have in responding to the contemporary pressures exerted on them.

Purpose – Tenders are generally considered an important in auditing research and practice, and are associated with significant difficulties for the auditing profession, as well as for individual auditors in the context of client relationships. The paper aims to explore the way auditors respond to complex client expectations related to the audit tendering process. Design/methodology/approach – Using a role-theory perspective we analyzed 75 client evaluations of auditors, along with in-depth interviews with high-level auditors. Findings – We present a theoretical framework of audit tenders that identifies different formal and informal practices auditors may employ in response to evolving client expectations that arise throughout different phases of the tendering process, and elucidate relevant conditions that may enable or impede these practices. Research limitations/implications – First, our study reveals that, in the context of auditor-client relationships, expectations cannot be considered stable, but may vary significantly throughout the tendering process. Second, our study indicates that auditors are not only determined by the formal tendering procedures, but are also influenced by their level of agency. Practical implications – The framework has practical value by providing individual auditors guidance in managing their client relationships and, further, top management guidance for creating favorable conditions for auditors to meet client needs. Originality/value – Our findings provide a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the autonomy auditors have in responding to the contemporary pressures exerted on them.

02 mei 2016, Contains fulltext : 252579.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access), Translation has been established as an important theoretical perspective for studying the flow of management concepts. Yet, despite its potential, we find limited reflection on the various ways in which the perspective is understood and used. As the under-theorized and fragmented discourse may hamper the progress of translation research as an academic field, it is in need of closer examination. The purpose of this paper is to explore the different conceptualizations of translation, in terms of their key foci and base assumptions, and to review the work that has accumulated into different sub-streams. Based on a systematic literature review of 150 publications, we identify two theoretically relevant dimensions that mark important differences between these different streams of research: (1) the source of variation; and (2) the object of variation. With these dimensions, we develop a typology of four alternative approaches to translation and show how these are associated with institutional, rational, dramaturgical and political perspectives. We draw on these broader theoretical lenses to contextualize and deepen our understanding of the specific possibilities and limitations of alternative translation approaches, and we highlight the potential for further connections and integration between them.

Contains fulltext : 252579.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access), Translation has been established as an important theoretical perspective for studying the flow of management concepts. Yet, despite its potential, we find limited reflection on the various ways in which the perspective is understood and used. As the under-theorized and fragmented discourse may hamper the progress of translation research as an academic field, it is in need of closer examination. The purpose of this paper is to explore the different conceptualizations of translation, in terms of their key foci and base assumptions, and to review the work that has accumulated into different sub-streams. Based on a systematic literature review of 150 publications, we identify two theoretically relevant dimensions that mark important differences between these different streams of research: (1) the source of variation; and (2) the object of variation. With these dimensions, we develop a typology of four alternative approaches to translation and show how these are associated with institutional, rational, dramaturgical and political perspectives. We draw on these broader theoretical lenses to contextualize and deepen our understanding of the specific possibilities and limitations of alternative translation approaches, and we highlight the potential for further connections and integration between them.

Dit artikel is het verslag van een onderzoek naar de interne dynamiek binnen Big 4-accountantsorganisaties als gevolg van de invoering van aanpassingen van de Wet toezicht accountantsorganisaties (Wta). De aanpassingen van de Wta zorgen niet alleen voor roulatie van accountants van Big 4-accountantsorganisaties bij OOB-klanten en voor een scheiding tussen advies en controle, maar ook voor verandering in de relaties tussen accountants, consultants en belastingadviseurs.

16 november 2015, Item does not contain fulltext, Purpose Building on recent research that emphasizes the role of managers as central in the adoption and implementation of management ideas, the purpose of this paper is to explore the reasons why managers may vary in their responses toward these ideas. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on a cognitive perspective, the research uses a repertory grid approach to analyze survey data from 189 managers. Findings Rather than stressing only the role of organizational context, the paper indicates the likelihood that more invariant mental models shaped by especially position and disposition play an important role in explaining the way managers view and eventually implement management ideas. Originality/value The findings indicate the significance of cognitive factors in explaining managers’ attitudes toward ideas, and advance the understanding of the variety in managers’ responses toward these ideas, particularly in implementation trajectories.

13 april 2014, Item does not contain fulltext, While business media are important in the transfer of management ideas, there has been little attention to the question how media-internal processes shape the way the media address these ideas. Our study shows how editorial norms and routines at professional magazines interact with external pressures to produce a unique process of gatekeeping management ideas. Our findings show that editors’ perceptions of an idea's newsworthiness are vital in gatekeeping. Nonetheless, the role of the media in the dissemination of management ideas is critically dependent on resource constraints and the related influence of external authors and advertisers. Whereas resource-rich magazines can follow a logic of autonomy and independence, magazines with fewer resources are more inclined to collude with management intellectuals, consulting firms and advertisers to create interest in certain management ideas.