John Usher

Sport and Organizational Studies Exploring Synergy

A number of phenomena of interest to management and organizational scholars have been investigated within the context of sport (e.g., compensation-performance relationships, escalating commitment, executive succession, sustainable competitive advantage). The authors are unaware, however, of any systematic effort to address the rationale, benefits, and potential of conducting organizational research within sport. The purpose of this article is to investigate how studying within the context of sport can contribute to an understanding of management and of organizations with a focus on how such contribution can be achieved with creative and innovative research approaches. The authors present a general overview of the rationale for studying organizational phenomena within sport and provide a concise review of such research. With this as background, the authors discuss a number of organizational phenomena that they have studied within the domain of sport. The article suggests how organizational research might benefit by using sport as a context in ways not yet evident in the literature.

LIFE AND DEATH ALONG GASOLINE ALLEY: DARWINIAN AND LAMARCKIAN PROCESSES IN A DIFFERENTIATING POPULATION

Despite the topics centrality to theorizing in organizational ecology, no study has examined in detail how founding, failure, and transformation events combine over time to achieve population-level change. We examined Darwinian and Lamarckian processes of population reconfiguration within the gasoline retail industry at two nested levels of analysis, studying both individual outlets and parent companies. Our findings demonstrate how Darwinian processes at the unit (outlet) level may lead to Lamarckian adaptations at the organization (company) level through purposive replication of successful forms.

Response: Monkeys to Managers: A Bridge Too Far?

The author offers commentary on the article ‘The Evolution of Social Structure: Why Biology Matters,’ by Barbara Decker Pierce and Roderick White. The author believes that the socioevolutionary theory that is suggested by Pierce and White is flawed. The initial paper argues that one can come to a better understanding of management theory through observing the behaviors of present day primates. Since our society evolved from the hunter-gatherer nature of these monkeys, they conclude that these creature may offer insight into how our behaviors in a business environment evolved from their behaviors. The author argues that this connection cannot be drawn because not enough is known about the ancestors of human beings.

When the going gets tough: alliance formation as a strategic response to SRI negative screens

How should firms respond strategically when their whole industry is negatively screened by Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) funds due to the nature of its products (e.g., tobacco, alcohol, weapons) or its processes (e.g., biotechnology, nuclear power, mining, forestry)? We argue that an industrys exclusion from SRI funds due to negative screening should provide an incentive for firms to strategically manage the social responsibility aspects of their industry. Moreover, due to problems associated with free riding, we believe this incentive will likely result in the formation of multiple firm, intra-industry collaborative alliances engaged in social action and legitimation on behalf of the industry, rather than single firm efforts. We explore this argument by searching for evidence of such alliances within a sample of SRI negatively screened industries.

The Dynamics of Rules: Change in Written Organizational Codes

The book reflects a rigorous and highly advanced empirical design. This is both a strength and a weakness. The advanced theoretical and statistical presentations limit the readability and utility of the book to only the most advanced academics. To fully comprehend the empirical findings, the reader must have a good understanding of pooled time series regression analysis. For those holding or pursuing doctoral degrees related to international abor relations and/or international markets, the book will be viewed as an important examination of the theories listed above and, as such, will be essential reading for those studying or researching these theories.