Articles featured in the January 2025 and April 2025 issues of the Journal of Management Inquiry are accessible via open access through June 2025.
January 2025 – Volume 34, Issue 1
EDITORS' CHOICE
Attentional Control: Institutions, Management, Organizations, and Algorithms
William Ocasio
Vol. 34(1) 3–18
DOI: 10.1177/10564926241278520
https://journals.sagepub.com/stoken/default+domain/AZZJBPA6NADWJ99CMAX7/full
This paper presents my development of an integrated, cross-level theory of attentional control in macro-organizational behavior. Viewing organizations as complex adaptive systems of joint and distributed attention, the paper highlights the importance of attention in facilitating joint attention, collective intentionality, coordinated action, and adaptation. The theory posits that intentional organizational behavior is shaped by top-down attentional control mechanisms: institutions and institutional logics, organizational structures and processes, managers and management, and, in the digital age, algorithms. I trace the theory's roots to my personal, educational, and professional experiences, emphasizing the need for integration across perspectives, interdisciplinary and multilevel research, and connecting research to practitioners' needs. I conclude by calling for a more unified understanding of organizational phenomena through a theory of attentional control and encourage dialogue across scholarly communities to build a more integrative and impactful organizational science.
Keywords: attention based-view, behavioral strategy, institutional logics, institutions, managerial and organizational cognition, organization theory, power and politics, strategic manage
CURATED
Beyond the Buzz: Scholarly Approaches to the Study of Work
Pedro Monteiro, Davide Nicolini, Ingrid Erickson, Lisa E. Cohen, Gina Dokko, Greetje F. Corporaal, Arvind Karunakaran, Beth A. Bechky and Siobhan O'Mahony
Vol. 34(1) 19–40
DOI: 10.1177/10564926241261259
https://journals.sagepub.com/stoken/default+domain/YCKITNJRFGE2SJDCF7SZ/full
The place of work in organization studies and management has waxed and waned. Yet, today, social and technological developments have raised again interest in the study of work and this curated discussion brings together experts in key approaches to this topic. Seven contributions have been selected to provide a panorama of what we know about work while pointing to some uncharted territories worthy of future exploration. The contributions outline the principles behind and value of systemic, contextualized, or holistic view of work and report insights on how changes in some work components reverberate in its broader ecology. We hope this curated discussion will make us more aware of the collective journey scholars have charted so far while posing new questions and opening or re-directing new avenues of inquiry.
Keywords: work, job analysis or job design, organization theory, careers, technology, occupations
ESSAY
The Other Organization: Heterotopia, Management, and Entrepreneurship
Claire Champenois, Sarah Drakopoulou Dodd, Daniel Hjorth and Sarah Jack
Vol. 34(1) 41–56
DOI: 10.1177/10564926241281080
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10564926241281080
Organizations are viewed as ordered places that legitimizes the hand that holds back, and that formalizes structured, institutionalized ways of saying and doing. Against this backdrop, we want to see the more recent attention to the entrepreneurial as a reason to conceptualize the new organization that emerges from within the existing organization as the "other organization," accomplished through heterotopia. We propose that such creation of organization, the process of entrepreneurial emergence, can be thought of as part of organizations: organization entails both the already organized and the emergent; and organization-creation efforts are tactically exploring the cracks, the interstices, of the already organized. The "other organization" is actualized within the heterotopic and ephemeral space opened by such efforts. Bringing heterotopic/heterochronic spacetime back into the study of organizations requires that we immerse ourselves in the spaces of resistance, emergence and play. This essay-hopefully, also playfully-does that.
Keywords: entrepreneurship, process thinking, creativity, social change, political
EMPIRICAL
Seven Mantras for Board Chair Effectiveness-An Enlightened Approach for the 21st Century
Rita Goyal, Nada Kakabadse, Andrew Kakabadse and Danielle Talbot
Vol. 34(1) 57–77
DOI: 10.1177/10564926231224213
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10564926231224213
Despite an increasing remit and recognition of the role of the board Chair, resources that effective Chairs of the 21st century deploy remain inadequately explored in the existing literature. This article addresses this gap through the innovative use of 57 face-to-face, elite interviews with board members and provides new insights into the best practices of Chairs of the largest listed companies in the United Kingdom. The findings of the study indicate that effective leadership of boards requires an enlightened approach, with seven Mantras of effective board leading being commonly employed. These Mantras are-support for the CEO, lead with values, exercise influence (not power), compose diverse boards, communicate inclusively, resolve conflicts intuitively and reflect and course correct. The article makes a three-fold contribution: to resource-based theory and enlightened leadership theory, to the literature on board Chair effectiveness and praxis of leading in the 21st century.
Keywords: enlightened leadership, effective chairs, board leadership, mantras
A Relational Construction of Organizational Risk: Normalizing Versus Problematizing Through Risk Work on Concerns Versus Measures
Cagri Topal and Robert P Gephart
Vol. 34(1) 78–102
DOI: 10.1177/10564926241232319
https://journals.sagepub.com/stoken/default+domain/JAYQUCB6NPJZKVENQNVI/full
This study examines a public hearing, in which a company normalizes a high-risk project while a group of residents and landowners problematize it through three types of relational risk work including the construction of concerns versus measures, consultations on concerns and measures, and company approach in addressing concerns with measures. They construct risk meanings in a relational context where they respond to the normalizing and problematizing attempts of one another. Accordingly, this study has two main contributions. First, it identifies three types of risk work used by public and business stakeholders to relationally construct and normalize/problematize risk and risk management and thus analyzes the tension between normalizing and problematizing as an issue of interdependence. Second, it brings forward the opposition between concerns and measures as an important topic for risk research and emphasizes the critical role of risk consultations with cooperative approaches in addressing this opposition.
Keywords: risk construction, concern, measure, risk consultation, normalizing, problematizing, risk work
Balancing Relevancy and Rigor: Exploring the Impact of Scholarly Books on Knowledge Formation in Business Research
Leigh A. Clark, W. Randy Clark, Deana M. Raffo and Ralph I. Williams Jr.
Vol. 34(1) 103–120
DOI: 10.1177/10564926241235850
https://journals.sagepub.com/stoken/default+domain/AKK35YFFDJNPSEKEDG7I/full
Scholars are charged with knowledge advancement by conducting relevant research. Academic researchers rely on the peer review journal system to evaluate the quality and relevancy of their work. Despite its value, the current review system is flawed and sometimes results in fragmented knowledge formation. Some scholars, including Kouzes and Posner (K&P), publish research in books more accessible to practitioners. The impact of foregoing the traditional journal publication process on current knowledge is unclear. To explore this question, we used leadership scholarship as a case study and examined how K&P's leader credibility conceptualization, primarily shared in practitioner-focused books, was integrated into peer-review literature knowledge. More specifically, we compared K&P's definition with the conceptual definition which emerged from a comprehensive review of leader credibility definitions contained in peer-reviewed literature. We discuss the advantages of different pathways to relevancy and identify ways to achieve better collective knowledge by using these different pathways.
Keywords: knowledge management, leadership, qualitative research
GENERATIVE CURIOSITY
Psychedelics, Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy and Employees' Wellbeing
Charlie Smith
Vol. 34(1) 121–125
DOI: 10.1177/10564926241267208
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10564926241267208
There is a psychedelic renaissance with key drugs that alter perception and mood being given breakthrough therapy status as potential treatments for common mental health conditions. If approved, these drugs may be used alongside psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT), a therapeutic process supporting learning from taking psychedelics. Nearly 100 companies, mainly across America, Canada, Europe, and Australia, are developing compounds such as psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide. This article considers the management research that could influence policymakers' decisions and support employees undergoing PAT. Firstly, research on economic analyses that could inform policymakers' approval decisions is outlined. Secondly, research exploring PAT's influence on employees' wellbeing is noted. Thirdly, research on employees' experiences of stigma around mental health, psychedelics and PAT is suggested. Developing these inquiries may influence employees' PAT success and improve global mental health by encouraging successful work participation as a critical determinant of mental wellness.
Keywords: wellbeing, healthcare, human resource management
REFLECTIONS ON EXPERIENCE
Becoming a Collaborative Scholar: A Metalogue
David Coghlan, A.B. (Rami) Shani and Jean Bartunek
Vol. 34(1) 126–135
DOI: 10.1177/10564926241249836
https://journals.sagepub.com/stoken/default+domain/BWMPPX7PSD2JK6KYDGMK/full
In this article, the three authors, each of whom has been collaborating in various ways with practitioners for over 40 years, engage in a metalogue to explore their experiences of engaging in collaborative research. A metalogue is a reflective conversation whereby the mode of conversation mirrors the topic being discussed. In this illustration of a metalogue, the authors explore how they have developed as collaborative scholars. Both in the respective stories and in the metalogue the themes of being in a space of not-knowing, relevance and relationships emerged. The article offers an account of how the authors grew into their respective collaborative scholarship approaches, the key themes that emerged and of the metalogue process as a method for shared reflection on the practice of scholarship.
Keywords: Discourse, values, organizational development
PROVOCATIONS & PROVOCATEURS
A Call for Greater Humility in Management Research
David Hannah
Vol. 34(1) 136–138
DOI: 10.1177/10564926241288799
https://journals.sagepub.com/stoken/default+domain/SQS5DA8GJHX8PZZAKYSS/full
I am pleased to present my paper, "A Call for Greater Humility in Management Research." Therein I encourage readers to think more carefully about humility and its virtues in our profession. I am also taking advantage of this opportunity to explain my plans as the new editor of Provocations and Provocateurs. I will follow my predecessor Denny Gioia's approach in two important respects. First, papers will be brief: approximately six pages in length and six references. Second, I expect authors to eschew academese. One change I will be making, however, is that papers will include calls to action.
APRIL 2025 – Volume 34, Issue 2
CURATED
Tackling Grand Challenges: Insights and Contributions from Practice Theories
Anja Danner-Schröder, Christian Mahringer, Kathrin Sele, Paula Jarzabkowski, Linda Rouleau, Martha Feldman, Brian Pentland, Marleen Huysman, Anastasia V Sergeeva, Silvia Gherardi, Kathleen M Sutcliffe and Joel Gehman
Vol. 34(2) 143–166
DOI: 10.1177/10564926241292262
https://journals.sagepub.com/stoken/default+domain/S6A8DDX5ZFN2HKIPJSF2/full
This curated debate discusses the value of practice theories in studying, understanding and tackling grand challenges. Practice theories assume that social phenomena are constituted through everyday doings and sayings. Building on this premise, the different contributions in this curated debate go beyond the assumption that grand challenges are abstract phenomena. The authors argue that grand challenges are enacted through mundane, situated actions that are often hidden in plain sight. Building on their research, they suggest that understanding grand challenges requires scholars to approach phenomena as nondualistic. Accordingly, they reveal that situated actions are not self-contained but related across space and time, requiring scholars to adopt a relational perspective. The debate concludes with a call for action as we embrace our dual role as scholars and citizens.
Keywords: grand challenges, practice theories, routine dynamics, extreme contexts, strategy-as-practice, technology-as-practice, posthumanism, situated actions, relationality, consequentiality
EMPIRICAL
Work and Employment Practices in an Intriguing Sub-Saharan Context: Unpacking Salient Endogenous Traits
Julius Nyiawung, Adele Smith-Auchmuty and Serge Mandiefe Piabuo
Vol. 34(2) 167–185
DOI: 10.1177/10564926241237446
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10564926241237446
Although cultural beliefs and practices have been shown as essential drivers of organizational employment policies and practices, the role of endogenous traits in managing employees in organizations in Africa has received less attention in research. We address this gap by employing an exploratory qualitative study approach to ascertain how Sub-Saharan African cultural norms and values shape the design and implementation of human resource management (HRM) in local and foreign-owned organizations in Cameroon. Data were drawn from key stakeholders, including human resource (HR) managers, trade union officials, staff representatives, and top management performing HR and strategy duties. The evidence delineates four major endogenous (socioculturally anchored) organizational HRM phenomena and their relevance for the organizations, employees, and the local community. This paper argues that the observed endogenous work and employment practices serve as the "glue" between organizational stakeholders, beget immense reverence, enhance employees' experience and well-being, and are appropriate caryatids of modern organizational HRM in Africa.
Keywords: work and employment practices, humanistic HRM, socio-cultural values, Ubuntu, endogenous traits, Cameroon
It Takes a Fool to Remain Sane: How and When HR Executives Use Jesting Techniques to Trickle Up Paradoxical Tensions
Anna Sender and Hannah Mormann
Vol. 34(2) 186–202
DOI: 10.1177/10564926241239546
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10564926241239546
Human resource (HR) experts are continuously confronted with paradoxical tensions, which they need to navigate to benefit the HR function and the organization. Because the members of the top management team (TMT) are important stakeholders for the HR function, the HR executives' effective navigation involves visibilizing paradoxes and trickling them up during interactions with the TMT. However, how HR executives (as low-powered organizational actors compared to their peers) visibilize tensions for TMT members are less understood from either the paradox literature or the HR scholarship perspectives. In this interview study, we use a court jester prompt as a narrative generator to explore HR executives' reflections on using techniques to visibilize tensions within the overarching paradox of social and business interests. Our findings enrich the literature on paradox salience and provide examples of what we term jesting techniques on cognitive (e.g., exaggerating,), emotional (e.g., expressing feelings), and behavioral (e.g, reordering) levels.
Keywords: paradox theory, human resource management, TMT, HR executives, paradox salience
Reframing Informal Institutional Voids as the Attempted Remaking of Contested Social Spaces: Evidence from England
Md Nazmul Hasan and Krista Bondy
Vol. 34(2) 203–221
DOI: 10.1177/10564926241242045
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10564926241242045
The conventional perspective on institutional voids as mere absences has recently faced criticism. Recent research suggests that voids are instead sites of contestation between institutions. However, understanding the specifics of this and how informal voids function in such contestations requires deeper investigation. We combine insights from the institutional voids and political theory literatures to reconceptualise informal voids as spaces of attempted institutional remaking which occurs through three key activities - developing new norms, devising legitimate political interventions and negotiating new rules. We present data from 123 interviews to demonstrate these three activities. This evidence enables us to challenge two assumptions in the voids literature and to demonstrate how an informal void (as reconceptualised) functions at the nexus of health and urban development in England. This study has implications for investigating informal voids as active social spaces, where actors attempt to remake contested social spaces through three core types of activity.
Keywords: institutional theory, interviews, qualitative research, business & society, decision-making: team/organization
GENERATIVE CURIOSITY
New Directions for the Generative Curiosity Section
Simon Pek and Karan Sonpar
Vol. 34(2) 222–225
DOI: 10.1177/10564926241309261
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10564926241309261
Keywords: generative curiosity, expansionist curiosity, management, organization theory
REFLECTIONS ON EXPERIENCE
How Muriel's Tea Stained Management Research Through Statistical Significance Tests
Andreas Schwab and William H. Starbuck
Vol. 34(2) 226–230
DOI: 10.1177/10564926241257164
https://journals.sagepub.com/stoken/default+domain/4BWDNM5I6HKZIGGRSCCB/full
Ronald Fisher created statistical significance tests to provide an easy method anyone could perform. Their simplicity and general applicability spurred adoption, and they became universal in statistical training, and universal training made these tests universal in social science. Editors and reviewers expected to see statistical significance in every paper. But the method has serious deficiencies. Today's more advanced computational capabilities have created opportunities to address these deficiencies and to use statistical analyses that provide better information. This essay introduces four lessons we have learned during our two-decade effort to inform management scholars about limitations of statistical significance tests. First, methodological change is generational and benefits from a focus on doctoral students. Second, criticizing the status quo is not enough: introducing and teaching alternative approaches is essential. Third, in a publish-or-perish world, change initiatives must address publication. Fourth, to speed up progress, leadership by academic organizations and journal editors is essential.
Keywords: statistical significance tests, research methods in management, management research history, doctoral student training
The Editors and Editorial Board of JMI thanks Sage Publications for its generosity in sharing published articles openly.
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Richard Stackman
Professor
University of San Francisco
San Francisco CA
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