| The mother of all pluralisms |
| | Novicevic, Milorad M. | U. of Oklahoma | mnovicevic@ou.edu | (405)-325-5737 |
| | The concept of pluralism has enjoyed a reaffirmation in recent theoretical literature through resurgence of pluralist themes in ethnology and political science. Recent theoretical developments in management have been characterized by an unprecedented influx of radical and critical perspectives emphasizing the growing awareness of participatory power among the stakeholders of an organization. In particular, this research resurrects the interest in structural mechanisms necessary for the renewed pluralism to function in a socially and economically just and value-adding way. This current pluralist movement, however, has tended to overlooked mary parker follett's pluralist themes. The purpose of this paper is to reacquaint us with her unique pluralist ideas and embed them into the foundations of current pluralist view in management. This work focuses on three dichotomies central to follett's pluralist theory of creative experience, which are latently present in the evolving management theories: 1) diversity of activities vs. diversity of identities; 2) interdependence of social action vs. independence of social action; and 3) power-with people vs. power-over people. From the contemporary revisions of pluralism, this work utilizes the dominant dimensions of allocation and differentiation of social power to create the context in which follett's three dichotomies are embedded. Many contemporary ideas on pluralist forms of organizing flow directly from follett's early work. This reacquainting of management research community with follett's seminal ideas on pluralism reaffirms the legacy of management history to bring the wisdom of past insights to future research committed to capturing the essence of pluralist phenomena. |
| | Keywords: Follett; pluralism; diversity |
| The "Survival of the Fittest" and Other Just So Stories:
Lessons From the U.S. Office Furniture Industry |
| | Hench, Thomas J. | U. of Wisconsin, La Crosse | Hench@mail.uwlax.edu | (608)-785-6661 |
| | Sandberg, William R. | U. of South Carolina | sandberg@darla.badm.sc.edu | 803-777-5980 |
| | The survival of the fittest remains one of the most enduring—and most misleading—images of our received view of developmental journeys. Long ago abandoned in the biological sciences as too simplistic, or in the extreme, tautological, a deep-seated belief in the survival of the fittest continues to influence thinking and research throughout the organizational sciences. Such is its taken-for-granted appeal to our psyches and to our hope for order and predictability. But even a brief look at history and how firms and industries evolve across time demonstrates the limits of such thinking—and the anthropomorphic conceits implicit in this phrase’s legacy. By virtue of hindsight and unlimited imagination, the "survival of the fittest" always makes sense after the fact. This is its appeal. It reassures the living that they do so for cause; that they possess superior attributes not possessed by those who are not. But in the evolutionary history of the U.S. Office Furniture Industry that follows, the limits of such thinking are revealed. In a dynamically changing, complexly interacting world, where everything is connected to everything else and prediction beyond even the shortest timeframes becomes all but impossible, the simple, fixed and independent assumptions supporting the survival of the fittest hypothesis ring hollow. So, too, do the phrase’s empty promises of predictability and control. What emerges from this informed view of history, then, is an altogether different understanding of organizational change and development—and the limits of the survival of the fittest. |
| | Keywords: Organizational Change; Business History; Strategy |
| History of the U.S. Home Video Game Market |
| | Gallagher, Scott | Rutgers U. | srg33@pegasus.rutgers.edu | 732 745-8378 |
| | Park, Seung-Ho | Rutgers U. | park@everest.rutgers.edu | 732 445-4458 |
| | This paper is a brief history of the U.S. home video game market. The history of this market is interesting due to the presence of technological change, changes in market leadership, and issues surrounding the creation of de facto standards. The history of this market shows that since 1979 there have been at least five technological generations of home video game players and sets of complementary products. Each of these generations has presented a new set of firms that arise to challenge the prior generation’s market leader. This earlier market leader usually succeeded due to issues related to competition in standard based industries, such as network effects. Therefore, this paper combines the history of this interesting market with theoretical issues regarding the effects of technological innovation, first mover advantages, and de facto standard effects on firm performance.
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| | Keywords: standard based industries;; video games;; innovation |
| The Flying Horse: Eadweard Muybridge's Contribution to Motion Study |
| | Premeaux, Sonya A. | Louisiana State U. / McNeese State U. | spremea@lsu.edu | 225-388-6150 |
| | Few would argue the impact of the work of Frank and Lillian Gilbreth on the
field of management. There is no doubt that their contributions through
their devotion to the systematic elimination of waste and fatigue still
'stand out' as milestones in the development of the field. Although the
Gilbreths engaged in the most extensive study of human motion in industry,
they in no way originated the field of motion study. This distinction
belongs to one who may be the true "father of motion study" and one who has
been dubbed the "father of motion pictures," Eadweard James Muybridge.
Muybridge was the first to use photography to identify and catalog human
motion. This paper is devoted to exposing management to the contributions
of this pioneer in the field of motion study and photography. The links in
the chain joining the works of Muybridge to the Gilbreths are explored and
a brief biography of Muybridge is presented. Included is a historical look
at the trail from Muybridge to the Gilbreths including his association with
Dr. Etienne-Jules Marey, Leland Stanford, and Thomas Edison. Although
widely recognized and esteemed in the phothography and moving picture
literature, Muybridge's contributions to motion study has not been
appropriately acknowldeged and he is a virtual unknown in the management
arena. This paper is intended to amend this slight.
Key words: motion study, photography, management history |
| | Keywords: motion study; photography; management history |