Dear Colleague,
We would like to invite you to submit papers to our special issue
"Management theory and practices: criticism and debate" in Management
Decision (submissions close 1st July.
Please see below the call for papers.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Best wishes,
Marta Peris-Ortiz.
____________________________________________________________________________
Special issue on "Management theory and practices: criticism and debate"
Special issue call for papers from Management Decision
Guest Editors: Dr. Domingo Ribeiro Soriano, University of Valencia Spain and
Dra. Marta Peris-Ortiz, Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain
The topic of this special issue is the analysis of management theory and
practices. Each management theory is a lens that allows us to interpret one
or other mode of management, to identify a particular set of problems and to
seek a variety of solutions to those problems. Hence, the importance of a
critical review of those theories and the analysis of the resulting
practices from each of them. Management practices in different economic
sectors and in varying types businesses depend on the theories that are
applied either explicitly or implicitly.
Schools of thought, either from sociology or economy, that make up the field
of management, particularly the theories or approaches that gained
acceptance during the second half of the 20th century and the first few
years of the 21st, have undergone both the consolidation and application of
their most relevant contributions and the criticism of some of the aspects
of their implications or even their fundamental proposals. In this respect,
the existence of discrepancies of:
* A metatheoretical nature that are not explicit in the theory might be
suggested (determinism vs. enactment)
* Basic disagreement on behavioural theory (opportunism vs. trust)
* Different ontological arguments (transaction as opposed to technology)
* Different methodologies (anthropological or ethnographical as opposed
to positive or functionalist)
* Different theoretical frameworks (sociology vs. the economy of
organizations)
* Different schools of thought within each theoretical framework
(contingency vs. population ecology or transaction vs. agency)
* Important differences in methodology and concepts when we compare
approaches from different theoretical areas (communities of practice vs. the
agency theory)
All of which leads to an essential attempt to criticize and refine current
theories, which will, in turn, have repercussions for management practice
and for levels of effectiveness and efficiency in organizations. The more
consolidated and recent developments and modifications and the appearance of
new theory in management practices are the result of the incomplete nature
of existing theories and of their limitations in explaining real phenomena,
as well as being the consequence of technical and social changes brought
about by human activity and the intellectual capacity for applying new
interpretations and developments. In this sense, this special issue provides
authors with the chance to criticize, to analyze ontological and/or
methodological differences between the various theories, share criticism
aimed at defining and refining these theories, contributions that propose a
mixture of different schools of thought or criticism related to
discrepancies between theory and practice.
The way in which more recent approaches are interwoven with previous
theories and practices shows how the need to understand reality and
establish efficient practices leads to continuity between a critical review
of existing theory and the construction of new approaches and groundbreaking
practices.
Although the list is not exhaustive, the authors-topics for contributions
within this framework include comment and criticism about:
* Oliver E. Williamson, as the author of the modern theory of
transaction costs.
* Michael C. Jensen, as the most renowned author of the agency theory
applied to organizations.
* Sydney G. Winter, as the most representative author of the theory of
organizational routines, which in his most recent contributions he relates
to capabilities, knowledge and dynamic capabilities.
* Lex Donaldson, as the most prestigious contributor to structural
contingent theory, within which he still champions the determinist vision of
this theory.
* Karl E. Weick, as the fundamental author on the theory of cognitive
management, which led to the study of practice communities.
* Michael T. Hannan, as one of the main authorities on the ecology of
populations. Critics of this theory should consider the contributions,
debates and criticisms that have already surrounded this theory at different
times.
* Jeffrey Pfeffer, as the main author of the theory of resource
dependence: one of the richest theories from within the social model of
behaviour.
* Michael Porter, as the best known author on the theory of the
formulation of strategy and a principal author in the strategic field.
* Gerry Johnson, as the main representative of the activity based view.
* Henry Mintzberg, as the main representative of the configurational
strategic approach, and/or business policies related to strategy.
* Jay B. Barney, as one of the most important contributors to the theory
of resources and capabilities.
* Mark A. Huselid, as a renowned author in the field of human resource
management.
* Ikujiro Nonaka, as one of the most important authors on knowledge
management and innovation. One of the biggest criticisms aimed at this
approach lies in its ontological distinction between tacit and explicit
knowledge.
* Nick Bontis, as one of the main exponents of the intellectual capital
approach within the framework of knowledge management.
* Haridimos Tsoukas, in the business policies related to knowledge
management.
We are also open to interesting and imaginative ideas that do not fit neatly
within any of the above topics but that do fit within the spirit and intent
of this call for papers.
Submissions
The goal of this special issue is to offer the opportunity for criticism and
debate on the spectrum of management theories with the aim of refining
current theories and thus improving management practices and organizational
efficiency. To achieve this objective, we encourage different researchers to
carry out a critical review of some of the theories that appear in the
topics described above, among other notions. These critiques, in their most
constructive form, may refer to as yet unexploited developments and
possibilities concerning the thoughts of a particular author and their
theories. To be considered for publication in this special issue,
manuscripts must be received by July 1, 2010. Papers submitted will be
subject to a minimum double-blind peer review process to ensure that this
special issue maintains the excellent reputation and record of Management
Decision. The journal website is located at:
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/md.htm. Please read through the author
guidelines on this site before submitting your paper. Submissions to
Management Decision are made using ScholarOne's Manuscript Central
http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/md, full instructions are on the author
guidelines site. As a guide, articles should be between 3,000 and 6,000
words in length. A title of not more than twelve words should be provided.
Queries should be submitted directly to the Guest Editors, Domingo Ribeiro
Soriano (
domingo.ribeiro@uv.es) and Marta Peris-Ortiz (
marpeor1@doe.upv.es).
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Ventures HO!