Management & Organizational History recent issues

Invoking spirits in the material world: Spiritualism, surrealism, and spirituality at work

Corbett, J. M. — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:46:02 PDT

This article considers the recent upsurge of interest in workplace spirituality through an analysis of three cultural movements — late 19th-century spiritualism, early 20th-century surrealism, and late 20th-/early 21st-century ‘spirituality at work’. These movements share a common interest in harnessing the power of the human spirit in the transformation and ‘betterment’ of social life. It is argued that these movements have successively adopted and de-radicalized invocations of the spirit world such that the proto-feminism and utopianism of spiritualism and the revolutionary pretensions of surrealism have been usurped by a strongly managerialist discourse of workplace spirituality. The paper ends with a consideration of the implications of these developments for the critical study of spirituality, management and organization.

In defence of Mandarins: Recovering the 'core business' of public management

du Gay, P. — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:46:02 PDT

The article explores the office of counsel, indicating, in particular the historical centrality of such an office to the conduct of governing, as well as highlighting the relational uncertainties of that office, forever disputed in its workings. It then proceeds to describe the persona of the British career senior civil servant or ‘Mandarin’, as a particular elaboration of this office of governmental counsel. In so doing, it notes that the Mandarinate’s proclaimed right and duty to counsel carries with it certain dangers that have historically beset this potent but inherently interstitial office; that fearless counsel can easily appear to slide into attempted control (or be so made to appear). This point is highlighted through an exploration of recent and ongoing reforms of the British civil service, which both governments of left and right have introduced, under the rubric of ‘performance’, ‘mandates’ and ‘responsiveness’. Here the senior civil service’s proclaimed role and duty as counsel of government is precisely compromised through its re-description as illegitimate political interloper. The solution to this illegitimate usurpation involves the re-assertion of political authority by the government of the day through a re-definition of the Mandarin role. Thus, Senior civil servants are re-described as managers whose role is exclusively focused upon delivering the governing party’s programme with maximum enthusiasm and conviction. In the process, counselling becomes increasingly the preserve of partisan personae in government — most particularly special advisers, whose allegiance is exclusively to the governing party, rather than to the state.The article concludes with a brief examination of some of the political and administrative consequences of the decline of the ‘mandarinate’ and the related shift towards the institutionalization of partisan counsel within the machinery of government of the British state.

Constraints as sources of radical innovation? Insights from jet propulsion development

Gibbert, M., Scranton, P. — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:46:02 PDT

In popular parlance, ‘necessity is the mother of innovation’.Yet, in innovation management and organizational behavior in general, there is little systematic study into the enabling role of constraints in innovation. In fact, constraints in terms of knowledge or resources are typically connoted negatively, and in order to limit their negative impact on innovation, such constraints need to be overcome.This article contributes to the prevailing notion of overcoming knowledge and resource constraints by discussing four historical cases in the early phases of jet propulsion development. We detail enabling effects of constraints on innovation by drawing on Gidden’s structuration theory, and discuss implications for innovation management.

BICC -- structural change and the development of management accounting, c.1945--c.1960

Boyns, T. — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:46:02 PDT

This article, which is based on a study of the company’s surviving archives, examines the juxtaposition of management, organizational and management accounting developments which occurred at the electric cable manufacturer, BICC, between the company’s formation in 1945 and c.1960.These developments encompassed the move towards a multi-divisional structure and the utilization of ‘management accounts’. These simultaneous developments occurred at the time when W.H. McFadzean, a chartered accountant by training, began to take on the roles of Chairman and Managing Director of the company.

On the cultural locus of management theory industry: Perspectives from autocommunication

Ahonen, A., Kallio, T. J. — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:46:02 PDT

During the last century, a whole new ‘industry’ legitimized its locus as more books and articles in more and more magazines and journals offered more ‘new’ concepts and frameworks for the efficient running of organizations. In the article it is suggested that this management theory industry serves a wider cultural call. According to the interpretation presented, the management theory industry feeding the management wisdom of the efficient running of organizations is serving an internal, therapeutic, mission. In this sense, the thousands of studies and writings on the management and efficient running of organizations can be seen as communication not only to others but also to oneself. It is thus suggested that the idea of autocommunication, introduced by the Soviet semiotic Yuri M. Lotman, can be applied when trying to understand why the management theory industry gains its legitimacy again and again even though the promised fundamental changes and reforms of actual working life have remained modest.

Organizing the space age

Parker, M., Bell, D. — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 06:25:12 PDT

Guiding the Space Age from the ground up: Pan Am, Cold War and guided missiles

Hartt, C. M., Mills, A. J., Mills, J. H., Durepos, G. — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 06:25:12 PDT

This article analyses the role of Pan American Airways (Pan Am) in the shaping of the ‘Space Age’. The study arises out of our interest in the role of the organization in the development of discourse (Foucault 1979). While much has been written on discourse (Phillips and Hardy 2002) there have been few applied studies, and they tend to focus on the reproduction of discourse (e.g. New Public Management) within organizations (Thomas and Davies 2004) rather than on the role of organizations in the production of discourses. Pan Am was studied because of its role in the development of the US space program; its prominence as a major international company; and the availability of an extensive archive of company materials. Using critical hermeneutics (Prasad and Mir 2002), discourse analysis (Phillips and Hardy 2002), and archaeo-genealogical historiography (Rowlinson 2004), we examined the implications for organizational management and the study of organizational and management history. We conclude that the study of organizations as sites of discourse production is a fruitful area for further research; drawing attention to the implications for change by revealing the importance not only of the ‘localized’ aspects of discourse but also the discursive character of analyses of ‘the past’.

Political geographies of Mars: A history of Martian management

Collis, C., Graham, P. — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 06:25:12 PDT

The task of this article is to provide an analysis of the uneven terrain of Martian political geographies in the context of western political economic trajectories. Focusing on debates over the nature of Mars’s legal status, the article attends to a key question, a question that has not yet been answered: should Mars be a terra communis — the common property of humanity, unavailable as private property — a terra nullius — or space available for private property claims — or a ‘cosmic park’ space of intrinsic value? That is, should Mars be claimable space, and if so, how could it be transformed into a possession, and by whom? By outlining arguments both for and against the idea of Mars as available for claiming and colonization, the article demonstrates that when it comes to Mars, the historical processes of imperial and capitalist management and organization of ‘new’ spaces are not the only options available for humans’ relationships with Mars.

Hubble, trouble, toil and space rubble: The management history of an object in space

Egan, M. — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 06:25:12 PDT

This article tells the saga of the Hubble Space Telescope, and how the attempt to overcome the restrictions Earths atmosphere imposes upon astronomy, came to dominate the existence of NASA in the later part of the 20th century. This biography of an object is told over four stages fundamental to the order of management; development, failure, recovery and completion. With a failed mirror, what became hidden and forgotten, was once more revealed. With the wild and uncertain dimension of Hubble’s assemblage disclosing itself through malfunction, management was able to rescue through repair its prior unavailability. Eventually management has contended with Hubble’s demise as it fades out of view during the process of completion. Running in counterpart to the four stages of Hubble’s life will be an explication of the events using the work of Martin Heidegger, particularly his work and concepts of Being and Time (Heidegger, 1962).

Standards in the space industry: Looking back, looking forward

Messeri, L. R., Richards, M. G. — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 06:25:12 PDT

Spaceflight is ingrained in the imagination as a state-of-the-art technology. Its level of sophistication and intricacy is unparalleled.The space industry, with its large budgets and few producers, has been able to maintain a craft mentality in the face of the hi-tech ethos of mass production. One striking example of this craft mentality is a relative lack of industry-wide standards for the design and operation of satellites. This article discusses standards-setting in the space industry, suggesting that thus far the industry has often resisted imposing standards in favor of customization. Given the maturation of on-orbit servicing technology and future shift from astronaut-assisted repair to semi-autonomous robotic repair, the lack of interoperability standards is increasingly problematic. How, what, and when to standardize, as well as who makes this decision, is an organizational question that has significant consequences for the future of satellite design and the operation of the space industry. It is thus important to be mindful of the current context of outer space and spaceflight, as well as to consider which lessons from human on-orbit servicing may provide insights for the development of a robotic on-orbit servicing infrastructure.

Dreaming of space, imagining membership: The work conduct of heroes

Mirmalek, Z. — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 06:25:12 PDT

Space exploration work occupies a unique place in popular culture and consciousness. Popular media representations have long been acknowledged as sources of inspiration leading to membership in space exploration organizations like the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.This article considers how popular media representations of space exploration work shape the conduct of work inside a space exploration organization. Using ethnographic data collected on NASA’s Mars Exploration Rovers mission 2003, this article examines mission members’ responses to time management whereby members tended to individualize breakdowns that were necessarily a result of inadequate work support provided by the organizational infrastructure. This article uses Goffman’s (1963) theory of stigma management to explain member response to deal with breakdowns without formally notifying the organization as an effort to maintain a particular identity, one that had long been dreamed of and constituted by media representations of space exploration work and membership identity.

Space age management

Parker, M. — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 06:25:12 PDT

A few months before the first Moon landing, James Webb published his book Space Age Management. This article considers a number of ways in which the age of space was also the age of management, and perhaps also the end of the age of industry. I consider the cold war and new deal politics of the Apollo programme, as well as the complex but mundane forms of work organization that were necessary in order that the means could result in such spectacular ends. The article concludes with some speculation about the forms of organization needed to produce sublime effects, and concerning the fact that space adventures required that the unexpected is subject to systemic socio-technical control. Or, to put this another way, that organization produces excess, and excess requires organization.

Historicising knowledge-intensive organizations: The case of Bletchley Park

Grey, C., Sturdy, A. — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 07:03:43 PDT

This article offers a historicized account of knowledge-intensive organizations. This is achieved by drawing on an archive and interview study of Bletchley Park, the British Second World War codebreaking centre.The outlines of the organization of Bletchley Park are presented. The case is then used to challenge the idea that knowledge-intensive organizations are a novel phenomenon. Second, it is used to explore the contingent nature of ascriptions of knowledge-intensivity to particular organizations and occupations.

Business history and the historiographical operation

Taylor, S., Bell, E., Cooke, B. — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 07:03:43 PDT

In this article we explore the implications of the epistemological position taken by writers of business history through a critical hermeneutic reading of recent key statements within this field. Using the theoretical lens provided by Ricoeur in Memory, History, Forgetting, we concentrate on the potentially reflexive nature of the historiographical operation that is involved in transforming memory into history. We argue that there is little sign of reflexive historiography within business history and suggest that this reluctance goes some way towards explaining the sub-discipline's relative isolation from the rest of organization and management studies.

Pirates, merchants and anarchists: Representations of international business

Parker, M. — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 07:03:43 PDT

This article considers the relationship between historical and fictional accounts of piracy, and relates them to contemporary issues about the legitimacy of states and global business. I begin by showing how privateers were gradually distinguished into pirates and navies. At the same time, the pirate becomes a character in the popular imagination, a `trickster' figure on the side of the people, and against authority.The second main section of the paper moves from `histor y' to `representation' and shows how the image of the pirate moved from a wild character on the edge of the world, to a stock cliché for Hollywood swashbucklers. I then investigate the legacy of radical histories and representations of piracy, focusing particularly on the idea of alternative organization on the ship and the pirate utopias on the land. The final section pulls together the historical figure, the stock character and the radical rogue in order to suggest that the pirate can mean what we want him (or to her) to mean. Nonetheless, the biggest historical irony is that the golden age pirate emerges at the beginnings of international business, and is only wiped out when the state and the businessman strike an alliance that lasts to the present day.

A crack the Cold War consensus: Billy Wilder's The Apartment

Spector, B. — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 07:03:43 PDT

Popular culture generally, and motion pictures in particular, help shape the manner in which people view their world. In post-war America, as giant corporations increasingly came to dominate the economic landscape, the public had little first-hand knowledge of the world of corporate executives. A number of corporation films helped fill that void and offered a consistently reassuring image to moviegoers. Corporations were both complex and challenging, yet offered the possibility of hope, even redemption. That hopeful consensus was shattered in 1960 with the appearance of Billy Wilder's The Apartment. Instead of finding redemption within the corporation, the movie's protagonist could maintain integrity only through emancipation.The requirement to create a separate peace apart from the institutions maintaining the status quo became, during the decade of the 1960s, a recurring image. By the 1970s, the depiction of corporate executives as evil and villainous became more common. This article offers a detailed analysis of the movie that helped crack the Cold War consensus and served as a harbinger of a far less optimistic view of corporations and their role in society.

The Tavistock's everyday use of benzedrine, and more: On the multiple significances of DB, scholar--publisher

Cooke, B. — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 07:03:43 PDT

Tavistock Publications: A partial history

Burfield, D. — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 07:03:43 PDT

Management and art views of Depression era workers: The need for an organizational-arts perspective

Doherty, E. M. — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 07:20:48 PST

Sometimes an historical approach can help in understanding a vexing question like why artists seemingly had a lot to say about US workers' experience during the Depression era (1930—41) but management thinkers and business leaders did not. Searching for an answer prompted this investigation into the need for an organizational-arts perspective. Collected images from movies, the visual arts, and dramas revealed insights into the human condition at work whereas a review of the thinking of management scholars and practitioners at the time showed little attention to workers' perceptions or feelings.These findings support the value of an organizational studies approach that takes history seriously, and recognizes that an arts and organizational aesthetics perspectives can provide primary knowledge.

Revolution or evolution?: The role of knowledge and organization in the establishment and growth of R & D at Corning

Carlson, W. B., Sammis, S. K. — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 07:20:48 PST

The rise of R & D, as it is usually told, is a story of revolution: that the coming of science to industry wiped away the irrational patterns of invention and ruthless competition and ushered in a new rational scientific order. However, the history of Corning Incorporated suggests a different view. Rather than being a revolution, R & D evolved over two decades at Corning. During this evolution, Arthur and Alanson Houghton relied on different kinds of knowledge — direct experience, craft skills, as well as science — to create new products and processes.To provide an overview of how different kinds of knowledge can be leveraged for innovation, we draw on Six Sigma methodology to create a SIPOC (Supplier-Input-Process-Output-Customer) diagram of the innovation process. Moreover, to promote innovation, the Houghtons also employed different organizational arrangements including using consultants, employing experts, creating separate companies, and establishing departments inside the company. Eventually, the company did hire scientists and establish a Chemical Department in 1908, but we would argue that this tradition of using different forms of knowledge and experimenting with organizational arrangements preceded the Chemical Department and continues to inform how R & D is practiced today at Corning.

Governing public servants

Barratt, E. — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 07:20:48 PST

The Foucauldian genre of governmentality studies has provided a number of insightful, historically informed analyses of relevance to organization and management studies. Yet sympathetic criticism has highlighted a number of significant blindpsots and silences that at times characterize the genre. Illustrating what is at stake in this debate, the discussion returns to and seeks to reframe a critical event in the 19th-century reforms to the government of public servants — the Northcote—Trevelyan report — seeking to extend the insights of relevant Foucauldian scholarship. Envisaged — after Foucault — as a contribution to the `history of the present', criticism in this instance has the aim of unsettling certain influential liberal orthodoxies that presently inform thinking about the government of public servants. The significance of concrete processes of struggle and resistance surrounding the events in question are highlighted. We seek also to offer an account that transcends the `textualist' emphasis — a focus on formal programmes and texts — that at times characterizes the genre.

The discursive formation of a scientific field

Peci, A., Falcao Vieira, M. M. — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 07:20:48 PST

In this article, we seek to analyze the formation of the scientific field of Genetics in the USA, from the late 19th to the early 20th century, by means of a historical perspective. The Foucauldian discursive approach and studies about boundary work developed within the sociology of science and technology are used as a conceptual framework. We analyze the process of formation of the new scientific field of Genetics, highlighting the role of the power relations conveyed in the eugenic, racial, gender, and social discourses. We seek to show how this vision of the world is fueled by the fundamental role of boundary-organizations. Finally, we analyze how these dense networks of power were conveyed in terms of scientific vision and discourses of the new discipline, specifically discussing the power of the metaphor,`genetic action'.

Reengineering works: Don't report, exhort

Hughes, M. — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 07:20:48 PST

This article reviews over two decades the evolution of reengineering, a supposedly revolutionary approach to organizational change. In the sense that reengineering may be regarded as another organizational change initiative it is susceptible to many of the challenges raised about the historiography of organizational change. Re-engineering is located within a broader context of management and organizational history. In order to understand the evolution of reengineering it was necessary to review the two key publications — from the early 1990s, which encouraged the so-called reengineering revolution. The reporting of reengineering in the early 1990s in Lloyds Bank and National Westminster Bank offers an opportunity to consider the organizational language in use of reengineering.The conclusions that may be drawn from this article are that reengineering is stronger as a mandate for radical change than a methodology of radical change and that reengineering tends to be exhorted rather than reported.