Topic
Formative context
About: Formative context is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 35 publications have been published within this topic receiving 1119 citations.
Papers
TL;DR: In this article, the global technology strategy of Olivetti, a leading European computer firm, is analyzed over the last decade in order to illustrate how high-tech firms undergo transformations which not only tend to destroy their best core competencies, but also affect their very business identity.
Abstract: The global technology strategy of Olivetti, a leading European computer firm, is analyzed over the last decade in order to illustrate how high-tech firms undergo transformations which not only tend to destroy their best core competencies, but also affect their very business identity. Task uncertainty is so pronounced that conventional ways of looking at the organizational structures and processes, such as the transaction costs approach or the strategy-structure link, need to be amended in favor of a more dynamic perspective. Such a perspective looks at organizations as platforms, or contexts, out of which specific structures are extracted, tried out and discarded in a pragmatic manner. A platform is a metaorganization, a formative context that molds structures, and routines shaping them into well-known forms, such as the hierarchy, the matrix and even the network, but on a highly volatile basis. Hence, the platform organization may appear to be confused and inefficient but its value lies in its readiness to sport whatever organizational form is required under the circumstances. Platforms are characterized by surprises, and organization members, no matter how they see themselves after the fact, are busy improvising and tinkering. Drawing on similar studies carried out in Silicon Valley, one can draw the conclusion that high-tech firms can survive if they are smart at doing what ‘savages do daily’, i.e. bricolage
In searching out the truth be ready for the unexpected, for it is difficult to find and puzzling when you find it. (Heraclitus)
541 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors introduce the notion of formative context, that is, the set of institutional arrangements and cognitive imageries that inform the actors' limited learning, irrespective of their strategies, interests, espoused theories, and methods.
275 citations
TL;DR: The social lineage account of culture as mentioned in this paper argues that a division of the world or of particular societies into distinct cultures is a recognition that distinct processes of socialization operate on different groups of people.
Abstract: Persuaded by the critique of cultural essentialism, many critics believe that there is no defensible way of identifying distinct cultures, or of distinguishing cultural loss from cultural change, that is compatible with the normative agenda of multiculturalism. This article challenges this widely shared belief by developing a concept of culture that can withstand the critique of essentialism and support the positive claims of multiculturalists. Culture, in the view developed here, is what people share when they have shared subjection to a common formative context. A division of the world, or of particular societies, into distinct cultures is a recognition that distinct processes of socialization operate on different groups of people. Because culture in this view is the precipitate of a common social lineage, the view is called the “social lineage account” of culture.
83 citations
TL;DR: This article examined the development of the Academy of Management from 1936 to 1960 and the role of its presidents in the dissemination of management theory, concluding that there is some evidence that the Academy allied itself with dominant Cold War themes that translated into a philosophy of management, which influenced the character of the organization for decades.
Abstract: Building on recent interest in formative contexts and management in the USA, this article explores the contribution of the Academy of Management to the development of modern management theory. Drawing on archival research and content analysis of selected management textbooks, we examine the development of the Academy of Management from 1936 to 1960 and the role of its presidents in the dissemination of management theory. We conclude that there is some evidence that the Academy allied itself with dominant Cold War themes that translated into a philosophy of management, which influenced the character of the organization for decades.Though it is unlikely that the Academy per se had much influence on the development of management theory, its early leadership may have had a disproportionate influence through the medium of the business textbook.
63 citations
1 Jan 2008
TL;DR: The aim of this paper is to highlight the duality of information systems security, providing an alternative view on the management of those aspects already defined in the literature as intractable problems and this is pursued through a formative context that supports bricolage, hacking and improvisation.
Abstract: Information systems security is a challenging research area in the context of Information Systems. In fact, it has strong practical implications for the management of IS and, at the same time, it gives very interesting insights into understanding the process of social phenomena when communication information technologies are deployed in organizations. Current standards and best practices for the design and management of information systems security, recommend structured and mechanistic approaches, such as risk management methods and techniques, in order to address security issues. However, risk analysis and risk evaluation processes have their limitations, when security incidents occur, they emerge in a context, and their rarity and even their uniqueness give rise to unpredictable threats. The analysis of these phenomena which are characterized by breakdowns, surprises and side-effects, requires a theoretical approach which is able to examine and interpret subjectively the detail of each incident. The aim of this paper is to highlight the duality of information systems security, providing an alternative view on the management of those aspects already defined in the literature as intractable problems and this is pursued through a formative context (Ciborra, Lanzara, 1994) that supports bricolage, hacking and improvisation.
39 citations
Related Topics (5)
Performance Metrics
| Year | Papers |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 3 |
| 2019 | 3 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2012 | 2 |
| 2011 | 3 |