Tony Huzzard

Communities of Domination? Reconceptualising Organizational Learning and Power

In identifying a bias within situated learning theory towards routine work practices, this paper develops a theoretical framework for assessing the relationships between learning, sensemaking and power in the non‐routine practices of temporary organising. The paper locates processes of sensemaking and learning in a model of organisational change that attempts to render power in communities of practice more visible than has been the case in theorising hitherto, by focusing on sensegiving in change projects. Change is conceived in terms of an oscillation between the routines of permanent organising and the more experimental, innovative actions of temporary organising, where leaders mobilise actors to explore new ideas. The role of sensegiving in such processes, it is argued, helps shed light on the political nature of micro‐processes of change.

Constructing interorganizational collaboration The action researcher as boundary subject

This article aims to explore critically the role of an action research team in the social construction of interorganizational collaboration aimed at transgressing organizational and professional boundaries. We argue that the new relationships, actor conceptions and in some cases forms of work organization arising from the change process have been socially constructed through the discursive interventions of the researchers. This has largely occurred through informal interaction with and between the actors engaged in the development process. The action researcher, rather than being a neutral discursive gatekeeper in collaborative development projects, is an active constructor of the discourse shaping the collaboration. A case is presented showing how the researcher role is thus better seen as being an active boundary subject mediating across various professional and organizational perspectives rather than a passive boundary object. Accordingly, by focusing on the discursive role of active researchers as boundary subjects, we can reflect more critically on the roles we adopt in our intervention endeavours and their inevitably political nature.

Employability and the ICT Worker: A Study of Employees in Scottish Small Businesses

This article reports on the changing nature of employment and employability for high-tech workers in Scotland over the last decade. A somewhat stagnated industry has led to extrinsic rewards such as a good work–life balance, being prioritised over creative work and skills development. The sector is now dominated by small, specialist organisations providing limited training for the few remaining graduates.

Developmental Magic? Two Takes on a Dialogue Conference

This paper draws on the metaphor of ‘magic’ to explore the role of dialogue conferences and subsequent activities as a tool for organizational development and change. It is argued that the magic metaphor is a useful means for critically assessing the role of dialogue conferences in developmental processes, as magic is essentially double-edged in nature. On the one hand, magic is an activity wherein the seemingly impossible is made to happen; on the other it is an activity of simple illusion whereby appearance is at odds with reality. In the empirical setting of a change project in a regional health authority in Sweden, the action research ambitions of development, participation and dialogue in the change effort are critically assessed. Against a backdrop of change fatigue and scepticism towards change, the unfolding of developmental processes set in train by an initial dialogue conference are assessed as a dynamic process of magic.

From Partnership to Resistance: Unions and Organisational Learning at Ericsson Infocom

In recognizing that much mainstream literature on organizational learning is overwhelmingly managerial, this article explores learning as an appropriate framework for studying organizations at the level of sub-systems or subcultures. It is thus argued that there is an interesting agenda to be pursued by the critical researcher on seeing organizational learning as a means of analysing both co-operation and conflict over the labour process from a bottom-up perspective. In practical terms, in highly organized contexts with established collective bargaining, this means study of collective learning in workplace trade union organizations. The setting of Ericsson Infocom at Norrképing, Sweden, is selected for empirical study. An adaptation of Dixons model of experiential organizational learning of the local unions identifies two distinct modes of learning, each reflecting different post-Fordist strategies for managing the labour process: initially multiskilled teamworking and subsequently outsourcing. The former mode reflects the actions and discourse of negotiated partnership with the employer, whilst the latter reflects the actions and discourse of resistance.

Creativity and workplace attractiveness in professional employment

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the notion of attractive workplaces in the specific context of creative professional employment.Design/methodology/approach – Based on observations and interview data at knowledge‐based firms in the UK, the paper looks at the extent to which employees are “rewarded” with the offer of creative work and the degree to which this offer really involves greater benefits for employees in terms of professional prestige and the confirmation of their identities as professional workers in the creative industries.Findings – The paper finds that creative needs remain important components of the attractive workplace, but increasingly also of importance are the extrinsic rewards of an acceptable work‐life balance as the age profile of the technology worker changes and technology stagnates.Research limitations/implications – This research focused on one group of workers within one specific country. Whilst it was found that work in the software sector is becoming less ...

Membership Interface Unionism : A Swedish White-Collar Union in Transition

Based on a case study from recent innovations in the Swedish white-collar union, Sif, this article introduces and develops the concept of membership interface unionism (MIU). The concept, it is argued, captures similar trends in trade unionism as that noted in the UK by Heery and Kelly in their concept of managerial unionism. Both these recent forms of unionism are signified by closer relations between the professional organization and individual members. Membership interface unionism, however, has distinctive features that signal an explicit embrace of the practices of customer relationship management (CRM): member involvement in service development and utilization of market research; new individually tailored, proactive enabling services, often offered through Internet solutions; and more responsibilities for lay members at the company level. The first and third of these features, it is argued, are somewhat contradictory in that company-level representation has weakened. The article concludes by acknowledging the threats towards participative unionism in the apparent move towards individual service provision.

Trade unions and action research

There is little or no tradition of action research outputs reaching the mainstream industrial relations and work sociology literatures. The aim of this research note is to address why this is so and argue for an action research agenda for work with unions that entails the researcher assuming the role of change agent to facilitate union capacity building or developing workplaces for better jobs. A key issue is how such an agenda can be advanced that does not compromise the integrity of the researcher or the quality of research output. This, we argue, is worth exploring as a means for putting union research onto a more interventionist footing. However, we also suggest that the successful pursuit of such an agenda depends on meeting a number of methodological challenges.

Between Global and Local: Eight European Works Councils in Retrospect and Prospect

This article reports on case studies of eight Swedish-based European Works Councils (EWCs) with a particular focus on impacts and outcomes. Three issues are explored: (1) the benefits of EWCs from both employee and management perspectives; (2) whether the EWCs have evolved as genuine forums for information, consultation and negotiation; and (3) the effects of EWCs on industrial relations systems - specifically whether their evolution signals a unified, convergent mode of industrial relations engagement at the European level. The authors conclude that there are few prospects for convergence or transnational bargaining, and that distinct national practices will persist, not only because of opposition from employers but also, and perhaps surprisingly, because of opposition from union quarters in Scandinavia.

Critical Management Research : Reflections from the Field

The emergence of Critical Management Studies (CMS) reflects a growing body of scholars within the management research community who are recognised for their philosophical or theoretical work, as well as undertaking empirical research. The majority of published texts on research methods do not focus particularly on critical managementresearch, or if they do, they focus more on paradigms and perspectives rather than processes or practices ‘in the field’ and thus their reflections are often one stage removed from empirical work or lack reference to recent empirical experience. Furthermore, with the exception of feminist research within this critical community, CMS typically fails to demonstrate its reflexivity and ethical consideration in its empirical work(either leaving it implicit or absent), despite theoretical discussions within the community arguing for the same. Accordingly, the book is not just another methods book. Rather, it focuses on contemporary accounts of those engaged in fieldwork and managing the challenges in fieldwork (including the analysis and presentation of findings) when undertaking management research. It would aim to give contemporary accounts of undertaking research, and focus on the practical realities of the research process and how challenges faced can be negotiated. It focuses particularly on the challenges faced by ‘critical’ researchers in negotiating the tensions between giving voice, protecting identity, saying something meaningful and making a difference to people’s working lives.In doing so, it explores all aspects of the research process, including the development of the research question, data collection, ethical issues, analysis, and writing up the findings. It also explores the research process from an individual perspective (the default assumption of many texts on research methodology) and as part of a collaborative endeavour. This includes reflections on the nature and politics of working relationships, the dilemmas faced and ways of negotiating issues that arise. (Less)