Organizations and Society - Social Movements and Routines

A very interesting workshop in HEC, near Paris, bringing together researchers interested in routines with those interested in social movements, got me thinking about process theories and how they are developed and articulated. The workshop brought together a set of American academics, with European discussants, exposing PhD students to ideas across the Atlantic. A very nice workshop to stimulate thought ahead of the main organization studies conference - European Group for Organization Studies (EGOS).

Understanding Management

A recent event, hosted by the Advanced Institute of Management  brought a new book to my attention. In the book 'Reinventing Management' Julian Birkenshaw thinks through what management is, and why it needs to be revisited and rethought to make organizations better places to work. In the project-based environments I study the challenges of management are particularly acute, as groupings are temporary and changing, and the pressures of deadlines can become intense. I have also recently been interested to read an older book, set in a different industry, and from a sociological perspective - Kunda's classic text on 'Engineering Culture' - whiel this book is now 25 years old, the quality of the writing make its stories from inside a high-tech industry instantly recognisable, insightful and entertaining. As a researcher, about to set-out into the field, I have found this valuable reading.