Jonas Gerdin

Forms of contingency fit in management accounting research--a critical review

Contingency literature in the accounting control area has for a long time been criticized for being fragmentary and contradictory as a result of methodological limitations. A review of 10 articles in the strategy-MAS area adds to this picture by showing that many different forms of fit have been used, and that very few researchers fully acknowledge the difficulties of relating these forms to each other. As a result, some researchers claim that their findings are contradictory when this is not necessarily the case, while others incorrectly argue that their results are strongly supported by previous studies.

The Impact of departmental interdependencies and management accounting system use on subunit performance

Abstract This study examines the effect of departmental interdependencies and the use of management accounting information for decision-making on subunit performance. It is proposed that higher levels of departmental interdependence are associated with (i) the use of greater amounts of MAS information during task execution and (ii) a greater frequency of MAS information use, which, in turn, are associated with higher subunit performance. The empirical analysis based on data collected from 132 production managers through a survey provides some support for the proposition of an indirect effect of interdependence on subunit performance, acting through a use of greater amounts of MAS information for decision-making, but not for the proposition of an indirect effect acting through a more frequent use of MAS information. Furthermore, additional analyses indicate that the impact of the use of greater amounts of MAS information on subunit performance is substantially more positive for departments experiencing higher levels of interdependence compared with those experiencing lower levels.

Developing Enabling Performance Measurement Systems: On the Interplay between Numbers and Operational Knowledge

Abstract Performance measurement systems (PMSs) are generally regarded to serve the needs of top managers. However, a growing literature has started to explore what it takes for these systems to be(come) enabling also for those whose performance is being measured. In this paper, we build on and add to this literature by providing ethnographic insights into how and why a group of middle-managers transformed a set of performance measures, initially developed as monitoring devices for top management, into a so-called enabling PMS. Regarding how this came about, we elaborate on how actors mobilised two different forms of mental models of the operations (specific and generalised), and a set of number-to-number tactics, as important means in their development work. Regarding the why-question, we identify a high evaluation pressure from top management, in combination with recurrent reconstructions of the existing mental models of operations, as important conditions that worked to initiate, fuel, and, eventually, cease the process.

On the (re)construction of numbers and operational reality: A study of face-to-face interactions

Purpose - This paper aims to examine the mobilization of management accounting (MA) numbers and metrics in social interactions. The purpose is to develop a model of how and why managers perceive and mobilize (new) MA numbers/metrics in a changing way over time in situated face-to-face interactions. Design/methodology/approach - An observation-based qualitative field study of a change project in a large manufacturing company is used as the basis for our analysis. Findings - The empirical study shows that MA numbers and metrics are essential when semi-distant managers strive to solve problems and achieve radical improvement targets, but that the ways in which existing and new metrics are perceived and mobilized during face-to-face interactions change over time. The study provides both a detailed account of the emergent nature of the transformation process and a number of mechanisms as to why managers (inter-)act the way they do to produce such change. Originality/value - The paper problematizes the generally held view that MA numbers and metrics primarily work as a structuring device in face-to-face interactions, and also, how the processes are constituted through which MA is transformed into such a structuring device. The paper also adds new insights to our understandings of why managers (inter-)act the way they do to produce MA change.

What can(not) a flat and local structuration ontology do for management accounting research?: A comment on Coad, Jack and Kholeif

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to provide a commentary on “Structuration theory: reflections on its further potential for management accounting research”, a paper by Coad Design/methodology/approach - This paper presents, discusses and challenges the critique that Coad Findings - This paper offers a number of reflections upon Coad Originality/value - This paper expands the current understanding of a flat and local structuration ontology in management accounting research.