Intra-organizational Dynamics Research Articles

Similarity Heuristics in the Indian Far Right: How the RSS Obscures Its Operational Scale

To conceal their activities, far-right networks manipulate similarity heuristics that suggest their constituent organizations are discrete and coherent. When an organization crafts a public image indicating that only those who wear the same uniforms and march in the same marches are part of an organization, it implies that those who do not, are not. This use of cognitive shortcuts assists far-right organizations in crafting their organizational boundaries to obscure internal divisions of labor. That these disguised internal divisions of labor exist is strong evidence to support a renewed focus on the intra-organizational dynamics of far-right organizations—a focus that pivots from a discursive to a materialist understanding of the far right. I use the case of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), one of the world’s largest far-right organizations, to argue that similarity heuristics disguise far-right connectivity. Paying granular attention to the organizational boundary-making practices of the RSS demonstrates that the true organizational focus of the RSS is its managerial manifestation, rather than its cadre division, which is just one organization the managerial RSS manages. This key finding suggests that scholars must focus on the mechanics of the managerial RSS over the aesthetic phenomenon of the cadre RSS. Such a focus inevitably leads to a network-centric approach to the Indian far right that better captures the mechanics of its mobilization.

The marginalization of policy integration: Dynamics of integrated policymaking in the periphery of bureaucracy

Governmental organizations face the challenge to integrate different sectoral policy perspectives and interests to deal effectively with the wicked issues of late-modern societies. This article delves into attempts of governmental organizations to realize such integrated policies and unravels the intra-organizational dynamics of collaborating on policy integration. Based on two in-depth case studies from The Netherlands, one focusing on public transport for specific target groups in the city of Rotterdam and the other focusing on a national policy program for criminal youth groups, we show how attempts at policy integration take place in the periphery of bureaucracies by temporary program teams. After the abolishment of the program team, the integrated policy easily volatilizes because of the lack of foothold and ownership in the line organization. Ironically, policy integration becomes a differentiated activity in the margins of public organizations rather than a joint exercise of sectoral organizational units. We present three explanatory hypotheses of this dynamic of marginalization. First, from a system-psychodynamic perspective, the line organization and the program team maintain distance from each other to reduce the tensions that are inherent in policy integration. Second, from an institutional perspective, the line organization marginalizes policy integration to protect their sectoral and vested interests. Third, from an innovation perspective, however, innovative policy integration does need the margins of organizations to protect itself against conservative reflexes from bureaucracies at risk of becoming marginalized and alienated. To facilitate a productive dynamic of policy integration in governmental organizations, this article concludes with providing the components for such an organizational design.

Sustaining the Integration of Social Objectives Over Time: A Case-Based Analysis of Access to Medicine in the Pharmaceutical Industry

Companies increasingly seek to strategically integrate social objectives in commercial activities to address societal challenges, yet little is known about how companies can sustain such a commitment over time. To address this question, we conduct a case-based, abductive study of two pharmaceutical companies widely considered industry leaders in facilitating access to medicine over a 20-year period (2000–2019). We identify product and operation-level integration as distinct types of integration efforts enacted by these companies. Tracing the intraorganizational dynamics associated with these efforts, we theorize that sustained integration is contingent on companies’ ability to respond to and address the challenges specific to product and operation-level integration. The theoretical framework we develop contributes to an emerging debate on the potential of companies to make progress on societal challenges by strategically integrating social objectives, including but not limited to those related to global health.

Accountability Pressure and Intraorganizational Dynamics in Japan’s Public Procurement

Public accountability may involve dysfunction. However, few empirical studies explain when and how external accountability pressure and subsequent intraorganizational dynamics cause dysfunctions. To bridge this gap, using a case study method, we examined Japan’s public procurement after a series of scandals, focusing on the procurers’ cognition and behavior. First, we found that an administrative unit in a ministry leverages external pressure to enhance its power within the organization. Second, we identified bias toward procedural accountability rather than product accountability. Third, we noted the paradox that the excessive pursuit of procedural accountability undermines not only product accountability, but also procedural accountability.

How are hygiene programmes designed in crises? Qualitative interviews with humanitarians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Iraq

BackgroundHygiene behaviour change programmes are complex to design. These challenges are heightened during crises when humanitarian responders are under pressure to implement programmes rapidly despite having limited information about the local situation, behaviours and opinions—all of which may also be rapidly evolving.MethodsWe conducted in-depth interviews with 36 humanitarian staff involved in hygiene programme design in two crisis-affected settings—one a conflict affected setting (Iraq) and the other amid a cholera outbreak (Democratic Republic of the Congo). Interviews explored decision-making in each phase of the humanitarian project cycle and were thematically analysed.ResultsParticipants considered the design and implementation of hygiene programmes in crises to be sub-optimal. Humanitarians faced sector-specific challenges as well as more general constraints associated with operating within the humanitarian system. Programme-design decisions were made naturalistically and relied heavily on the intuitions and assumptions of senior staff. National organisations were often side-lined from programme design processes despite being in a better position to gather situational data. Consequently, programme design and decision-making processes adopted by humanitarians were similar across the two settings studied and led to similar types of hygiene promotion activities being delivered.ConclusionHygiene programming in crises-affected settings could be strengthened by initiatives targeted at supporting humanitarian staff during the pre-implementation programme design phase. This may include rapid assessment tools to better understand behavioural determinants in crisis-affected contexts; the use of a theory of change to inform the selection of programme activities; and funding mechanisms which encourage equitable partnerships, phased programming, regular adaptation and have programmatic components targeted at sustainability and sector capacity building. Initiatives aimed at sector reform should be cognisant of inter and intra-organisational dynamics, the ways that expertise is created and valued by the sector, and humanitarian habits and norms that arise in response to system constraints and pressures. These micro-organisational processes affect macro-level outcomes related to programme quality and acceptability and determine or limit the roles of national actors in programme design processes.

Whistleblowing and Group Affiliation: The Role of Group Cohesion and the Locus of the Wrongdoer in Reporting Decisions

Conventional accounts describe whistleblowing as prosocial behavior, where whistleblowers are largely driven by a desire to help or improve their organization. Yet individuals are not only members of their organization; they also belong to internal social groups that affect behavior and influence decision making. In this paper, we focus on these intraorganizational dynamics and theorize two ways in which group affiliations are likely to affect whistleblowing. When an individual observes wrongdoing committed by a person affiliated with the same group, higher group cohesion decreases the likelihood of blowing the whistle because of potential whistleblowers’ greater loyalties toward group members and a desire to protect the reputation of the group. When an individual observes wrongdoing committed by a person not affiliated with the same group, higher group cohesion increases the likelihood of blowing the whistle, as potential whistleblowers feel they have the support of fellow group members, lessening fears of retaliation. Using unique data on actual and hypothetical whistleblowing among U.S. federal employees in 24 departments and agencies coupled with a vignette experiment, we find support for our arguments. By showing how group affiliations inform whistleblowing decisions, we reveal how variation in social structure leads to heterogeneity in responses to wrongdoing. Together, these results reveal tradeoffs in the detection of misconduct and help explain why wrongdoing in organizations may be so difficult to eradicate.

Intraorganizational Network Dynamics: Past Progress, Current Challenges, and New Frontiers

Intraorganizational Network Dynamics: Past Progress, Current Challenges, and New Frontiers

Effect of three innovation components in businesses on social innovation

Purpose- The aim of this study is to provide a theoretical understanding of transformational leadership, dynamic capabilities and business model innovation processes that may be necessary for strategic management in enterprises, and to investigate the interaction of these factors and their effects on social innovation as a tool. In this context, the effects of dynamic capabilities and the contributions of transformational leadership in business model innovation processes were tried to be determined, the effect of intra-organizational dynamics on innovation and how the mentioned three innovation components shape social innovation were investigated. Methodology- Quantitative research method was used in the research and survey forms were used within the scope of the study. 198 employees working in SMEs in Istanbul were used as sample. In order to test construct validity of the study; factor analysis, correlation analysis were used to measure the severity and direction of the relationship between the variables and regression analysis was used to measure causality between variables. Findings- The transformational leadership variable does not explain the social innovation variable. The Business Model Innovation variable explains the social innovation variable by 8%. The Business Model Innovation variable explains the transformational leadership variable by 10%. Dynamic Capabilities variable explains social innovation variable by 10%. Although the Dynamic Capabilities variable explains the transformational leadership variable at a rate of 17%, its contribution was found to be weakly positive. Conclusion- Social innovation cannot be carried out only by social entrepreneurs, non-governmental organizations and the state. Businesses enable their employees to change their perspectives on life and integrate them with society. Therefore, individuals within the organization can be socially innovative as well as benefit directly or indirectly from social innovation. Based on this phenomenon, it is known that business model innovation, transformational leadership and dynamic abilities are meaningful among themselves in the business literature. This significance has been tested in social innovation in business organizations. Keywords: Transformational leadership, business model innovation, dynamic capabilities, social innovation, strategic management. JEL Codes: 030, M10, M54

The facets of the sustainability paradox

Purpose This paper aims to examine why the sustainability paradox exists and how it unfolds by focusing on intraorganizational dynamics. It explores how organizational actors perceive and make sense of sustainability and thereby contribute to the sustainability paradox. Design/methodology/approach In a case study on IREN, an Italian listed multi-utility with considerable engagements with sustainability, data collection through interviews, e-mails and document analysis revealed contradictions raised by directors and middle managers. Findings were analyzed by iterating with the literature used to frame this study, which combines organizational sensemaking, paradoxes and management control. Findings The sustainability paradox comprises various facets. Directors and middle managers interpret sustainability differently depending on their role within the organization and their perceptions of the concept itself. Different interpretations thus occur within and across organizational levels and functions, impacting how sustainability is implemented and monitored. The use of parallel management control systems (MCSs) reflects multiple and fragmented sensemaking, which explains the facets of the sustainability paradox. Research limitations/implications Although this work illuminates the role played by individuals at top- and middle-management organizational levels and MCSs in relation to the sustainability paradox, more research is needed on how individuals make sense of sustainability at the lowest organizational levels. Practical implications Organizations claiming commitment to sustainability must establish communication forms on the practicalities of sustainability throughout the organization to stimulate shared sensemaking and the design and use of inclusive MCSs. Originality/value This paper explains why and how organizations unconsciously enact various facets of the sustainability paradox.

Intra-organisational dynamics as ‘dark side’ in inter-organizational relationships: Evidence from a longitudinal investigation into a university-industry collaboration

• This paper contributes by exploring intra-organisational relationship dynamics between a university and industry partner. • By using a processual lens it unbundle structural and relational dark side complexities within partner organisations. • Adopting a longitudinal case study design we explore the processes underpinning the evolution of a business-to-business relationship over a period of 18 years. • Our rich research context provides an appropriate case-bed to investigate, intra-organizational dynamics on the dark side in B2B relationships. Our study contributes to the emerging research on the dark side of inter-organisational relationships by focusing on intra-organisational dynamics within partner organisations. In particular, we explored and unbundled the structural and relational complexities that underpin intra-organisational dynamics. We adopted a longitudinal case study design to explore the processes underpinning the evolution of a university-industry collaboration that had lasted for 18 years. This relationship had been initially formed between a UK university and a major pharmaceutical company early 1991 to develop a new drug for the treatment of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa, and had evolved into a tripartite partnership following the entry of a global health organization. The relationship was then terminated in 2008. Our novel and rich research context provides a case background appropriate to investigate intra-organizational dynamics, a neglected dimension in research on the dark side of university-industry collaborations.

The Challenges of Hospitals' Planning & Control Systems: The Path toward Public Value Management.

In the last decades, public management has been subjected to a shift from the New Public Management (NPM) paradigm to the Public Value Management (PVM) one. Thus, management practices such as Planning and Control (P&C) systems have been called to evolve accordingly. The health care sector has not escaped this process. This paper focuses on the evolution of hospitals’ P&C systems to support the paradigm shift from the NPM paradigm to the PVM one. In particular, the paper aims at exploring whether hospitals’ P&C systems in Italy evolved, or are evolving, consistently with PVM and what are the expected benefits related to such a paradigm switch. To address the research aim, the paper is based on a review of scientific and grey literature and the case study of the diabetic-foot pathway in an Italian Regional Healthcare System. The results of this study show that the current P&C systems in Italian hospitals are not yet designed to support the shift toward the PVM approach and are still mainly focused on financial aspects and intra-organizational dynamics. Combining traditional P&Cs with performance measures assessing the system’s outcomes may support hospitals in aligning their goals with the health system they are operating within and, therefore, P&C systems may represent an important driving force toward change. Such results provide suggestions for both practitioners and academics on how to adapt P&C systems to better support the implementation of current strategies of the public sector.

Enhancing Linguistic Inclusiveness in Organizations: A Russophone Bank in Post-Soviet Kazakhstan

With the growing demand for linguistic inclusiveness in society – a condition where different languages are respected – organizations often face pressure from stakeholders (e.g., governments, customers) to incorporate multiple languages into their operations. Nevertheless, organizations often pursue linguistic homogenization (e.g., using a single dominant language) to achieve greater efficiency or to enter the global market, excluding other languages from their core activities. Reflecting this phenomenon, organizational scholars largely focus on the selective use of languages and its exclusionary effects on intra-organizational dynamics. As a result, little is known on how organizations can embrace low-status languages and enhance linguistic inclusiveness over time. Our qualitative study of a Russophone bank in Kazakhstan shows how monolingual employees gradually changed their linguistic practices in a context where incorporating a low-status language (Kazakh) into business operations was a very low priority for the organization. We found that a small group of language workers, initially hired to help the organization maintain monolingual practices, could behave outside the boundaries of what they are originally hired to do, and sparked changes in the organization’s linguistic dynamics. Our analysis shows the ways in which language workers demanded respect and contributed to the creation of a linguistically more inclusive environment. By theorizing a process through which previously marginalized languages can gain recognition and become part of everyday organizational practices, we provide important insights on multilingualism and linguistic inclusiveness in organizations.

When Average Joe met the Inexperienced Superstar\u2014a case study of the consequences for a university of a partnership with IKEA

The aim of this study was to explore how consequences from a university-wide partnership unfolded at various levels within a university and induced intra-organizational dynamics. This was achieved via an in-depth investigation of “The Bridge,” a collaborative partnership between the young mid-range Swedish Linnaeus University (“Average Joe”) and the home furnishing retail giant IKEA, which despite its global reach has only limited research capacity (the “Inexperienced Superstar”). Based on previous research that conceptualizes consequences of collaborations as changes in wide-ranging resource categories over time, this article develops a conceptual framework that advances the understanding of the consequences of collaborative efforts at both the level of faculty individuals and groups, as well as on a university-wide level. The study identified both differences and similarities between the two levels related to material, knowledge, and social resource mobilization, and revealed consequent tensions within the university due to an imbalance in material resource mobilization and social resource mobilization. The resource-based multi-level perspective that this study puts forward enables a more fine-grained and dynamic understanding of the conditions for undertaking and organizing university-wide long-term collaborative efforts.

What Explains Racial/Ethnic Inequality in Job Quality in the Service Sector?

Precarious work in the United States is defined by both economic and temporal dimensions. While a large literature documents the extent of low-wages and limited fringe benefits, research has only recently examined the prevalence and consequences of unstable and unpredictable work schedules. Yet, it appears that such practices as on-call shifts, last minute cancellations, and insufficient work hours are common in the retail and food service sectors. While little research has examined racial/ethnic inequality in this temporal dimension of job quality, precarious scheduling practices may be a significant, if mostly hidden, site for racial/ethnic inequality because scheduling practices differ significantly between firms and because front-line managers have substantial discretion in scheduling. We draw on innovative matched employer-employee data from The Shift Project to estimate racial/ethnic gaps in these temporal dimensions of job quality and examine the contribution of firm-level sorting and intra-organizational dynamics to these gaps. We find significant racial/ethnic gaps in exposure to precarious scheduling that disadvantage non-White workers. We provide novel evidence that both firm segregation and racial discordance between workers and managers play significant roles in explaining racial/ethnic gaps in job quality. Notably, we find that racial/ethnic gaps are larger for women than for men.

Knowledge transfer in the football industry: a sectorial analysis of factors and determinants

PurposeOver recent decades, knowledge transfer processes and knowledge-intensive organizations have been increasingly investigated from several perspectives. Knowledge translation activated by knowledge-intensive organizations is supported by several factors, among which intangible assets play a significant role. Our research mainly investigates the relationship between the knowledge owned by knowledge workers in source organizations and the process of its translation to recipient organizations. Specifically, this paper aims at analyzing knowledge translation and organizational performance in the football industry, uncovering both the role of professional football players' skills transfer and the determinants of achieving positive performance at the organizational level.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative method is adopted, using both bivariate linear regression analysis and network analysis. Using key aspects of Nakauchiet al.'s (2007) knowledge transfer framework, intra-organizational dynamics are analyzed based on measurements of the performance of professional football players before and after transferring from one club (the source organization) to another (the recipient organization).FindingsOur research results are mainly intended to show the factors that influence knowledge translation in the light of team performance improvement. Our empirical analysis shows the need for the coexistence of a combination of factors, especially the quality of the source and recipient organizations and of the relationship between them, to achieve the transferability of professional football players' capabilities and performance.Practical implicationsThe academic community, practitioners and policymakers can draw on the theoretical and practical advances made by the findings to address knowledge translation issues with an improved understanding of its factors and determinants.Originality/valueDespite some limitations to the study, we identify the factors, determinants and contexts that facilitate the transfer of knowledge and specialist knowledge and thus contribute to the successful operation of contemporary organizations. Moreover, the results of our analysis are applicable to all economic sectors.

Managing career lengthening in France: why such inertia?

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand to what extent the analysis of career scripts explains the inertia in implementing mandatory interviews designed to anticipate career lengthening in France. Design/methodology/approach This exploratory approach is based on 26 interviews of French cadres (a mix of managers and professionals) aged 45 and over in the media agency sector. Findings Two career scripts – one for the majority who perceive themselves in a dead end, and the other, more optimistic for those who experience job mobility – show several commonalities. Moreover, their combination suggests an entanglement with the previous business model of media agencies. Research limitations/implications The survey was conducted on a non-random sample in a radically changing sector. However, the entanglement may explain the inertia with regard to changes in career scripts and agencies’ business model. Practical implications As these cadres need to work longer and move from traditional media expertise to cross-functional consulting capacity, mandatory interviews should be integrated into a human resources management strategy that fosters intra-organizational dynamics. Social implications The lengthening of the professional life in France appears as a paradigm shift. The study of career sustainability in contexts becomes a critical research field for management development. Originality/value The institutional approach of managers’ careers is well developed, but there is a gap in understanding the entanglement of career scripts and business models. This may help address inertia in change processes.

Exploring the Internal Dynamics of Corporate Social Responsibility Implementation

The way corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies unfold inside organizations remains a black box. This qualitative study delves into the inner workings of CSR. We inductively investigate the role of tangible and intangible resources and how resource flows are linked to various organizational departments involved in the execution of CSR. Our research question is: How are resources allocated for CSR distributed among organizational departments and why do these resources shift in the course of CSR implementation? We find six mechanisms explaining why resources are dynamically allocated to different departments and why such resource shifts trigger organizational transition towards more advanced levels of CSR implementation. Our research contributes to the literature that examines how CSR activities and strategies unfold within businesses. More generally, this allows better understanding of intra-organizational dynamics of firms’ strategic responses to normative pressures.

Differentiation in Pay for Performance Within Organizations: An Occupational Perspective

Purpose: This article addresses the question of why organizations do not uniformly apply pay for performance (PFP) throughout the organization, focusing on the wider occupational structure in which they and the jobs they create are embedded. We propose a model of ‘occupational differentiation’ whereby the probability of a job within a given organization having PFP increases with levels of monitoring difficulty and requisite human asset specificity characterizing the occupation to which a job belongs, being highest in occupations characterized by high levels of both (generally managerial and professional occupations). Design/methodology/approach: Using the Workplace Employment Relations Survey (a nationally-representative matched employer-employee dataset for Britain), this paper investigates this question for all 350 occupations delineated by the UK’s Office for National Statistics using regression methods that adjust for other confounding factors such as demographic factors and workplace fixed-effects. Findings: We find organizations ‘occupationally differentiate’ the use of PFP in ways consistent with the model i.e., PFP is most likely to be found in occupations characterized by both high monitoring difficulty and high requisite human asset specificity (mainly managerial and professional occupations) and least likely in occupations scoring low in both. The finding holds across PFP types (individual, group, organizational), whether organizations are large or small, and hold across most industrial sectors. Research limitations/implications: The main implication of this study is that organizations appear to be taking into consideration whether the wider profession to which a job belongs when implementing PFP, irrespective of their own HRM strategies and organizational context. There are a few limitations to this study, with the main one being that empirical support is only found in the private sector. The public sector appears to be beyond the reach of the model, where PFP is generally rarer. A second limitation is that the dataset is from 2011 and only covers a single country. Practical implications: Given organizations appear to be implementing PFP based on occupation, this may lead to equity concerns as different groups are being treated differently within organizations based upon their occupational group. Social implications: Since PFP jobs tend to pay more than non-PFP jobs and PFP prevalence has been growing, by being more likely to implement it for generally high-paid groups (generally higher managerial and professional occupations), PFP may contribute to wider pay differentials within and between organizations. Originality/value: By introducing the occupational-level of analysis and the differential nature of tasks across occupational groups, the model offers a new midrange, sociological perspective to understanding intra-organizational dynamics in PFP-use, and potentially HR practices more broadly.

Reshuffling the Deck? Military Corporatism, Promotional Logjams and Post-Authoritarian Civil-Military Relations in Indonesia

ABSTRACTThis article seeks to explain the increasingly regressive (or illiberal) behaviour on the part of the Indonesian military. It focuses on the expansion of the Army’s Territorial Command structure, the growing military intrusion into civilian polity and the stunted progress of military professionalism. It provides an organisational, rather than political, perspective. Conceptually, the article synthesises various approaches to comparative politics to explain why and how military personnel policies affect political behaviour. Empirically, using a series of original datasets of hundreds of officers, the article demonstrates how promotional logjams – too many officers but too few positions available – over the past decade help explain the regressive behaviours we recently witnessed. It is further argued that the lack of institutionalisation in personnel policies gave rise to and prolonged these logjams. This article draws attention to the importance of intra-organisational dynamics in understanding the state of civil–military relations in post-authoritarian Indonesia.

Party institutionalization as multilevel concept: base- versus elite-level routinization

This article adds to the refinement of the concept of party institutionalization by focusing on its multilevel character, capturing possible variation between the institutionalization of the party elite and a party’s base. Hence, we argue that debates around party institutionalization as an analytical concept can profit from clarifying whose behavior we actually theorize when specifying and operationalizing the concept’s various dimensions. We illustrate this by focusing on different configurations of the internal property of routinization, more specifically, the presence or absence of elite-level and of base-level routinization. We hypothesize that distinct combinations influence whether and to which extent a party’s overall organization can be considered routinized or not, which, in turn, affects intra-organizational dynamics. We illustrate the usefulness of our conceptual distinctions using comparative case studies of parties characterized by either elite-level or base-level routinization—from both established and new democracies—to illustrate each dimension’s distinct implications for patterns of intra-party conflict and stability.