V. Suchitra Mouly

‘You Didn't Hear it From Us But…’: Towards an Understanding of Rumour and Gossip in Organisations

This paper investigates an important topic in organisational behaviour that hitherto, has not received enough attention—informal communications, including grapevine activity, rumour and gossip. We show how this topic can illuminate potential new insights in a range of related areas in organisational behaviour. We further outline an agenda for research on rumour and gossip in organisations, paying careful attention to a number of individual-level and organisational-level variables. Finally, methodological issues and ways of collecting data are considered; we suggest that many research techniques can be usefully employed in the study of rumour and gossip.

The Enactment of Envy within Organizations Insights from a New Zealand Academic Department

This article focuses on uncovering the process bywhich envy, which Melanie Klein has described as the most negative of all emotions, is enacted in organizations, with special reference to peer evaluation mechanisms. The authors do so bydrawing upon the experiences of a high-achieving lecturer in a tertiaryeducational institution in New Zealand. The studyis framed in the context of a broader, long-term investigation into the “tall poppysyndrome” (which is an Australasian “modernism for envy, jealousyand covetousness”) that has been labeled “a notable anti-talent” with regard to the push toward knowledge-based economies in Australia and New Zealand. The authors also relate their findings to Kleinian thinking on envyand to extant literature on the use of peer ratings and scapegoating in groups.

Do loose lips sink ships? The meaning, antecedents and consequences of rumour and gossip in organisations

This paper examines an important, albeit neglected aspect of communication in the workplace, namely, rumour and gossip in organisations. Drawing on literature from multiple disciplines the paper provides an analysis of the role played by rumour and gossip within organisations, including, but not limited to, its meaning, hidden reasons and its management. The paper discusses both antecedent and outcome variables that are associated with organisational rumour and gossip. It is contended that the different types of rumour and gossip serve different purposes which, in turn, result in a range of outcomes. Moreover, and in spite of the tendency to ascribe rumour and gossip as morally reprehensible, not all of these outcomes are shown to be harmful within organisations. The authors use this finding to argue that scholars and managers alike should avoid making negative judgements about rumour and gossip in all such cases.

On the Study of Settings Marked by Severe Superior-Subordinate Conflict

We discuss several issues related to the study of an organizational setting that is marked by severe conflict between superiors and subordinates. The discus sion is based on our experiences during fieldwork conducted in an Indian R&D team which manifested such conflict. We also relate our discussion to the reports of other researchers who have studied similar settings. We first argue that for studying such a conflictive setting, a multi-method, qualitative approach (incorporating participant observation, informal inter views, etc.) is more effective in important respects than a survey mode of inquiry involving the one-off administration of questionnaires and formal inter views. We then discuss several problematic issues in doing fieldwork success fully in a conflictive setting. These include having to establish rapport with organizational members, maintain confidentiality of the identities of key informants, remain neutral, and conduct informal interviews discreetly in the setting. We conclude with a brief discussion of the implications of the field experience for future researchers of conflictive settings.

Managing innovation in an emerging sector: the case of marine-based nutraceuticals

Biotechnology is turning a traditionally low-tech industry (food) into a high-tech industry (functional food/nutraceuticals). There is a real need to enhance managerial understanding by clarifying the nature of innovation processes in the functional food industry, including the role of research and development (R&D) and collaboration. The present investigation focuses on a particular segment of the functional food industry, viz. marine-based nutraceuticals. We find that various hurdles thwart the fullest realization of the business potential of marine bio-actives in the pharmaceutical space. However, the innovation of commercially viable marine-based nutraceuticals/cosmeceuticals is yet possible if the extraction route for supply is a feasible fall back option, should industrial-scale synthesis prove elusive. Effectiveness in innovation is facilitated by the collaboration of various disciplines including epidemiology, traditional/folkloric medicine, aquaculture/fermentation, natural products chemistry, toxicology, and relevant strands of medical, pharmacological, and clinical research. In this regard, the inter-disciplinary field of ethno-pharmacology rises to prominence. Universities and government research institutes may be well positioned to drive such collaboration and reap the benefits from problem definition in addition to problem solving. Toward this end, the findings from the present study are integrated into a phased approach toward the innovation of commercially viable marine-based nutraceuticals that is targeted at entrepreneurs in this field.

Value-Chain Innovation in Aquaculture: Insights from a New Zealand Case Study

We report a case study of value-chain innovation in a niche, export-oriented aquaculture industry, namely, Chinook/King salmon, that contrasts with the much more common Atlantic/Norwegian salmon. The firm in question is vertically integrated, thus offering a cradle-to-grave vista of innovation that spans production (i.e. farming), processing, marketing, and distribution. A major finding is the need for a delicate balance between the relative expenditures on production research and developmental research in integrated aquaculture firms, especially those that focus on niche species. Interaction effects between the two research strands complicate the trade-off: production research adds value at the fish farm by lowering the unit cost of production - and in turn facilitates new product development as it is easier to add value to a lower-cost product than a higher-cost product. From the case study findings, we synthesize a process model of value-chain innovation that is applicable for integrated aquaculture firms. We also induce several implications for the management of Research & Development and innovation in such firms.

Privatisation in a developing country: insights from the Gambia

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the privatisation process and its impact on organisational change in the electricity industry in the Gambia.Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative methodology was used for the study as qualitative techniques make use of a holistic approach, which allows for the assembling of a comprehensive and complete picture of the process under investigation.Findings – The findings from the research suggest that change processes that are endogenous are more likely to achieve their desired objectives when compared to exogenous changes.Research limitations/implications – The study suggests that there is a relationship between the locus of change and the level of trust associated with the drivers of change. Future research on privatisation could make a significant contribution if focussed on the social processes of privatisation.Practical implications – The study shows that privatisation will only occur if all interests become associated with a reformative pattern of v...

Public- Versus Private-Sector Research and Development: A Comparative Analysis of Two Indian R&D Project Groups

The present study undertakes a comparative analysis of a government R&D team and an in-house R&D team of a listed company and analyzes how and why a public-sector R&D team failed where a comparable private-sector R&D team succeeded. The findings speak to the influence of sector/environmental context on the behavior of R&D project groups. The public R&D organization, to which the government R&D team belonged, was different from the private company on the dimensions of ownership, funding, and nature of the R&D product. These differences influenced the relative success of the private R&D team through differential processes for project selection and the recruitment of R&D personnel.

R&D Funding in India: An Empirical Study

Although the national expenditure on R&D in India (as a percentage of GNP) is comparable with that of such developed countries as Australia and Canada, there is increasing concern that the S&T capabilities of the country are not being fully utilised for accomplishing developmental plans. We report some of the findings of a sponsored project which examines R&D funding by government agencies in India.

Change induced by economic reforms in state-owned enterprises and industries: insights from qualitative case study research

This paper summarises the key insights from two studies of organisational and industrial change using qualitative inquiry. In both studies, qualitative research served to reveal dynamic/ongoing processes of change in a variety of settings, in each of which change arose from the corporatisation/privatisation of state-owned enterprises and industries in the wake of economic liberalisation. The first study investigated changes in organisational design of sixteen New Zealand corporatised and privatised organisations. The second study examined the content and process of change associated with the deregulation of the electricity industries in a developed country (New Zealand) and a developing country (The Gambia).