9 Contributors to this issue
13 Management, a square more than semantic Jean-Philippe Denis, Alain Charles Martinet
There’s nothing but trivial when management scholars are importing, implicitly if not explicitly, some theoretical frameworks without further questions about their epistemological assumptions. In the light of a discussion of the routes of S. Ghoshal and CK Prahalad, we return to some of the terms of the academic debate in “pre-crisis” time, as formulated by S. Ghoshal or C.K. Prahalad. This gives even more prizes and relief to the empirical, theorical and epistemological efforts made in the articles that make up this special issue. Finally, new avenues for research in management science are designed and discussed, with the challenge of thinking seriously that ethical, epistemological and pragmatic validity can not, without injury, be thought of as decoupled.
I – Looking back to the fundamental fields of management research
41 Management of human resources, work and employment.
Which “good theories” could improve “bad practices” ? Rachel Beaujolin-Bellet, Géraldine Schmidt
The current crisis tends to exacerbate “bad HRM practices” and revives the debate about the rôle, objectives and legitimacy of the HRM function in organizations: looking for better effects on performance (in a mechanistic and normative logics) or imagining some “good and innovative practices” that could help re-thinking the relation between economy and society? Some theoretical replies have developed in different social sciences, unveiling some commonly denied dimensions: perversity in organisational life, activity, political relations.
issue 228-229 November-December 2012
MANAGEMENT THEORIES AND PRACTICES : WHAT’S GOOD ? WHAT’S BAD ?
Guest Editors: Jean-Philippe Denis, Alain Charles Martinet
59 The resilience of marketing Bernard Pras
What is the resilience of the marketing discipline? In other words, what is the perennity of the marketing concept, of marketing principles and purpose, and what is the adaptive capacity of marketing over time? In what measure are marketing researchers capable of reassessment and questioning relative to their discipline and what are their quests for identity? How does marketing respond to the severe shocks that characterize our time and to what extent does it integrate societal issues? Are marketing theories ideologically rooted, and can we speak of good or bad theories? What is the role of intention, volition, in this transformative process; and what is the resilience of the marketing academic community? These are the questions this article attempts to answer, by revisiting the “paradoxes of marketing”.
87 Defects and virtues of the responsability in strategy Franck Tannery
Since Hans Jonas has made the principle of responsibility a milestone for the development of collective and individual actions against the risks of political, economic and social mistakes, everybody can see a general reference to the idea of responsibility. It is logical that the theoretical and practical strategy has followed this trend. In return, the reference to the principle of responsibility allows to come back to some of the fundamental issues that drive the concept of strategy. But it seems equally essential to understand the hidden defaults and shortcomings of this logical principle, by exploring the consequences of recent analyzes from the moral and political philosophy. This helps to consider the conditions under which the strategy can help thinking the government of complex contemporary societies.
107 The most beautiful theory can give only what she has Michel Albouy
With the non-ending financial crisis, it is very easy to accuse research and financial theories for being responsible. For some people, these bad theories are destroying good management practices. The aim of this article is to say that the most beautiful theory can give only what she has and that the observed misgovernment of the financial system is not the sole responsibility of the lessons drawn from the financial theories. In a first part we start with a review of bad practices observed in finance (markets and corporate). Then, we analyse the impact of the theory on the bad practices. In a second part we show the limits of the financial theory and the need for a renewal taking in account the actual behaviour of people acting in finance. We also defend the idea that bad practices are encouraged with the growing complexity of the financial world.
II – Governance and democracy
129 Beyond good and evil. Theory and management practices Anne-Laure Boncori, Xavier Mahieux
Referring to the dual nature of “good” theories in social and management sciences, this article claims that the same theory might generate both good and bad practices, in rational and moral terms. To illustrate this argument, it relies on the positive agency theory case and on two related practices: stock-options, and the carried interest technique which is supported by the private equity organizational structure. This article concludes that management theory and practices may be decoupled.
147 The current challenges of corporate governance.
Better theory for better practice Karen Moris
The sharing of value created by firms raises a lot of questions. The objective of this article is to show that the existing progressivity in the corporate governance theories could exist in some managerial practices. Two case studies confirm better explanations of value creation process, by the disciplinary shareholder approach rather than disciplinary stakeholder approach, could lead to better practices allowing to increase the value of firm created.
167 On corporate democracy.
A handful of empirical outcomes and theoretical proposals Rémi Jardat
Based on several studies conducted since 2005 in the field of French cooperative banks, we address the interaction between the political system of the firm, its performances and its managerial practices. To make their transpositions into an organizational framework possible, three key concepts are redefined: governance as the exercise of sovereign power, government stricto sensuas the organizational executive power and “govermentality” as the mode of obtaining the behaviors expected from any collective.
185 The blind spot of CSR research. Revisiting the corporate legal framework Kevin Levillain, Armand Hatchuel, Blanche Segrestin
CSR research is generally based on the assumption that responsible behaviour is compatible with the legal framework and classical strategic approach of the firm. Yet, could this hypothesis be restrictive? This paper shows that some recent practical innovations in the USA have had to pull out of CSR framework to provide a new constructive approach to social and environmental impact.
These are new legal provisions in corporate law that redraw the firms’ purpose
and legal context. Such innovations lead us to think that management science research should study the coupling between “strategic attention” and legal contracts to consider new forms of collective action.
III – Knowledge, enterprise, entrepreneurship
203 Are theories socially constructed products?
And why the answer is important Philippe Very, Emmanuel Metais
The socio-institutional environment in which we grow up shapes the development of our mental schemes and our conception of reality. This is true for researchers too. In this article, we analyze the context in which the theory the intelligent enterprise was conceived. According to its author, the theory aimed at maintaining the competitive advantage of firms belonging to advanced industrialized countries. As such, it might have been influenced by a hegemonic vision of the economic world. Such influence may explain Western blindness towards the rise of emerging champions.
217 Informal economy. A “good” “bad practice”?
Yvon Pesqueux
This text is based on the argument that the informal economy is a situation ’as’
available than the formal economy and that it can be considered as an emergent institution, a kind of alternative to the official institutions insufficiently institutionalized or in a process of de-institutionalization. We shall underline the ambivalence concerning the informal economy, at the same time appreciated and condemned by the Public authorities or by the authors of reports issued by international authorities and ignored by the theories of organizations.
Nevertheless, it is a way of emancipation of its actors.
231 “Bad” practices to supporting entrepreneurs.
The case of necessity entrepreneurship Walid A. Nakara, Alain Fayolle
This article tackles the issue of the adequacy between the current practices of accompanying and the (actual) needs of the so called “entrepreneurs by necessity”. The findings of our study clearly show that the family network is a necessary component to overcome isolation and highlight the importance of an affect-based relationship of trust between certain advisors and these psychologically weakened entrepreneurs. The increasing number of necessity entrepreneurs raises a major challenge for governments and policy makers who are strongly encouraging unemployed to move towards entrepreneurship seen as an ultimate solution to find a job.
253 When the premises of a theory induce bad practices.
J.B. Barney’s “Resource theory”
Xavier Weppe, Vanessa Warnier, Xavier Lecocq, Frédéric Fréry
The Resource-based theory, as developed by J.B. Barney, derives from assumptions (scarcity, ownership) that can induce questionable strategic practices. Moreover, this theory in unable to explain the performance of business models based on the opposite assumptions (profusion, access), whereas these business models enjoy an increasing success, notably though crowdsourcing approches. As a consequence, it is necessary to expose these implicit assumptions, to highlight their consequences and to propose an extension of the Resource-based theory, which could incorporate these new strategic practices.
269 Reconciling rigor and relevance in management research Jérôme Barthélemy
Management research is generally thought to be rigorous. But is it relevant and does it have an impact on management practices? In this paper, I begin by noticing that management research generally lacks relevance and influence.
Then, I try to explain why. Finally, I offer a few suggestions on how to improve the relevance and influence of management research.
285 Summary
291 Instruction for Authors
