Emerald | Journal of Management History | Table of Contents

Upward Defiance in Organizations: Management Lessons from the Battle of Blair Mountain

Fri, 21 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose - Based upon an analysis of 30 historic narrative accounts of mutinies, Coye, Murphy, and Spencer (2010) recently extended voice theory to clarify the ontological status of the concept of upward defiance. The purpose of this article is to extend the framework of Coye et al. (2010) and illustrate the process of escalation towards hostility to offer practicing managers guidance on appropriate steps to interrupt the extreme escalation of member resistance.Design/methodology/approach - We examined the significant historical insurrection within the 1921 Battle of Blair Mountain. With the case of the Blair Mountain War, the historical record provides ample narrative data for a textual, interpretive, pseudo-ethnographical analysis.Findings - Our examination of the Battle of Blair Mountain provides additional support for the upward organizational defiance framework proposed by Coye et al. (2010). In addition, we have extended their theoretical upward defiance framework to account for the escalation of constructive to destructive forms of voice towards mutiny to reveal managerial actions and attitudes to mitigate follower defiance. Research limitations/implications - The common limitation to any historic case study is one of generalizability, although it often useful to accept the trade-off between limited generalizability and the potential discernment associated with the methodology.Originality/value - We investigate a mutiny outside of a maritime setting to offer support for Coye et al.’s (2010) conceptual framework, extend that framework in a manner more consistent with organizational practice, and offer guidance to practitioners.

What is Good for General Motors: The Contributions and Influence of Alfred P. Sloan, Jr.

literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Jeffery D. Houghton) — Fri, 21 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose - This paper provides a review and analysis of the contributions and influence of Alfred P. Sloan, Jr., to contemporary business practices and management thought. Design/methodology/approach - The paper begins with an introduction and brief biographical sketch followed by an overview of Sloan’s administrative principles as applied at GM. The paper continues with a review of empirical evidence supporting the efficacy of Sloan’s principles along with some theoretical explanations for their success. The paper then examines some criticisms surrounding Sloan’s contributions before concluding with a discussion of the impact that Sloan’s ideas have had on organizational and managerial thought in the context of today’s rapidly evolving organizational realities.Findings - Although he was not a management scholar, Sloan’s applied work at General Motors resulted in significant and enduring contributions to business practices and management theory. Yet Sloan’s contributions are somewhat overlooked today and have not been extensively or critically examined in our current business and managerial contexts. Originality/value - This paper makes an important contribution to the management history literature by being among the first to offer a comprehensive critical review of the ways in which Sloan has influenced contemporary management thought, theory, and practice.

Modern to Postmodern Management: Developments in scientific management

literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Linzi Kemp) — Fri, 21 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose - The aim of the paper is to evidence the development of scientific management through the lens of postmodernism. Design/methodology/approach - The four principles of scientific management are deconstructed through a postmodern lens. Current management practices are analyzed for indicators of development in scientific management. Findings - The principles of scientific management are found within current management examples; measurement of knowledge production; empowerment; total quality management; teamwork. Scientific management, when deconstructed through the lens of postmodernism, is discovered to have developed over time. Research limitations/implications - The limitation to this study is a precise definition for postmodernism and postmodern management against which to ‘prove’ any findings. The implication is to extend research on the development of scientific management in postmodern management. Practical implications - A practical implication for management practitioners is to apply a tenet of postmodernism to management i.e. there are a myriad of managerial approaches that work. Originality/value - The paper’s contribution is that the principles of scientific management originated in modern times and are developed in postmodern management.

Guanxi and Trust in Strategic Alliances

literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Baiyun Gong, Xin He, Huei-Min Hsu) — Fri, 21 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to distinguish different types of guanxi from a historic perspective and to investigate the effects of different types of guanxi on trust between alliance partners through an empirical study. Design/methodology/approach - This paper first reviews the role of guanxi in Chinese history and identifies two types of guanxi. Next, it reports an empirical study that tests the effects of these two types of guanxi on interorganizational trust through a survey among automobile parts suppliers in China.Findings - First, this paper identifies two types of guanxi: role-based hierarchical guanxi endorsed by Confucianism and soil-rooted egocentric guanxi derived from daily practices of Chinese people. The ever changing social environment in Chinese history supports a spiral development model of guanxi evolution. Each of the two types of guanxi takes dominant position in different periods of time. Second, a subsequent empirical study demonstrates that, in today’s Chinese business environment, role-based guanxi makes a more significant impact on interorganizational trust than soil-rooted guanxi. Moreover, these two types of guanxi produce a positive synergistic effect and facilitate each other in boosting interorganizational trust.Originality/value - This is the first paper that identifies and empirically tests the effects of role-based hierarchical guanxi and soil-rooted egocentric guanxi. More broadly, the paper highlights the importance of studying guanxi from a historic perspective. It demonstrates how a historical analysis may further our understanding of guanxi and its effect on interorganizational trust in today’s business context.

MANAGING UNCERTAINTY: LESSONS FROM XENOPHON’S RETREAT

literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (David King) — Fri, 21 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose - The article’s purpose is to address complementary perspectives for managing uncertainty by looking at a historical example. Design/methodology/approach - This is done using a case study of the experience of ancient Greek mercenaries that fought in and out of Persia over two years and approximately 2,000 miles. Findings - An unexpected finding is that the size of an organization can be instrumental to its environment fit. An implication is that the application of existing models to the historical example suggests existing perspectives of change do not appear adequate individually in explaining or preparing organizations for change. A wider implication of the study involves confirming the need for research and society to better understand the role of organization politics in outcomes. Originality/value - The study uses a unique historical example to examine organizational responses to uncertainty that range between rational and haphazard explanations and it offers insights for management thought and practice today.

Invoking Black Athena and its Debates: Insights for Organization on Diversity, Race and Culture

literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Sally Riad, Deborah Jones) — Fri, 21 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose - We use the debates instigated by Bernal’s Black Athena (1987) to rethink the concepts of ‘race’, ‘culture’ and ‘diversity’ in organization and to examine their intersection with academic authority. Design/methodology/approach - Drawing on the works of Derrida and Hegel, we question the pursuit of origins and illustrate its role in essentializing race, culture and diversity. We examine these through binaries including white/black, nature/culture, purity/diversity and diversity/university.Findings - First, both the Black Athena debates and the organizational literature turn to origins to ground concepts of difference. This attests to the power of narratives of descent in defining current interests. Second, organization studies have relied on images of a clear past which had eliminated racialization and its implications. Whereas culture is considered progressive, as a user-friendly term it has served as a ‘surrogate’ or ‘homologue’ for race. Diversity, in turn, has been deployed both to harbour and to control difference in organization.Research limitations/implications - The Black Athena debates alert us to the authority of scholars and practitioners in normalising identity categories in organization. They challenge us to develop theories and practices of organizational diversity that are open to ongoing difference rather than essence and origin. Originality/value - Derrida’s contribution has rarely been used in organizational history, particularly its implication with Hegel’s legacy to the historical and cultural canon. The paper invites readers to rethink the notions of race, culture and diversity by examining their historical development and considering the history of their inclusion into the canons of management and organization. Historicising can unsettle entrenched assumptions, but the cautionary word is that it can also legitimate current practices by identifying their relevance since ‘the beginning’.