Eamonn Molloy

Making sense of professional identities: Stories of medical professionals and new technologies

This article presents an exploratory account of how medical professionals understand the relationship between new technology and their professional identities. Drawing on interview data with senior surgeons from a variety of surgical disciplines, the article draws attention to how new technologies provide occasions for the evaluation of existing intra- and inter-professional relationships, and professional identity as a whole. In particular, the role of changing insider/outsider dynamics is emphasized, as is the importance of recognizing professional identity as in constant flux at micro-, meta- and macro-levels. The implications for existing theory are discussed, and further research questions identified.

Practices of Organising: Inside and Outside the Processes of Change

This paper explores the contradictory pressures for standardisation and customisation in reorganisation processes. Taking a ‘practice lens’ (Orlikowski, 2000), it examines eight on-going reorganisations, from both private and non-private sectors, using photography, observation and extensive interviews. This practice lens goes both outside and inside the processes of reorganising. Outside these processes, it highlights the pervasive influence of standard, even banalised practices, from those embedded in the technologies of Microsoft to the frameworks of McKinsey & Co. Inside these processes, it emphasises the detailed improvisation around these standard practices, with customising the norm. The paper concludes by arguing for the effectiveness of the practice lens in negotiating the contradictory pressures between standardisation and customisation, and by offering provisional implications for the teaching of organisation design in business schools.

Delusion, Deception and Corruption in Major Infrastructure Projects: Causes, Consequences and Cures

The successful delivery of major infrastructure projects is increasingly vital to the global economy, with an estimated

The Rocky Road to Legacy: Lessons from the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Stadium Program

22 trillion in projected investments to be spent in emerging economies alone (The Economist, June 7, 2008). Projected benefits include employment, the purchase of domestic inputs, improvements in productivity and competitiveness as a consequence of lower producer costs, provision of higher quality services to consumers, and environmental benefits arising from the use of new environmentally sound technologies (Helm, 2008). Yet, the track record for delivery of major infrastructure projects is poor, typically characterized by enormous cost overruns and benefits shortfalls (Merrow et al., 1988; Miller and Lessard, 2000; Flyvbjerg et al., 2003). Further, infrastructure is the third member of an ‘unholy trinity’ of high-risk sectors alongside arms and energy, suffering from substantial exposure to corruption (Transparency International, 2010). Global economic and development ambitions, therefore, rest on shaky foundations.

Practices of Strategising/Organising: Broadening Strategy Work and Skills

This article describes how the management and organization of the South African 2010 FIFA World Cup stadium program shaped the current legacy of an oversupply of overdesigned and underutilized stadiums. The article identifies seven key factors that explain the differences between expected benefits and the actual legacy. Identification of these factors contributes to the increasing academic interest in explaining the poor legacy outcomes of mega-events. In conclusion, we recommend that future host country governments defragment their stadium programs by establishing a World Cup Delivery Authority (WCDA), with responsibility for the leadership and coordination of the stadium program.