CERES :: Browsing by Author "Denyer, David"

Browsing by Author "Denyer, David"

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Open Access
15 steps to peak performance
(2013-10-01T00:00:00Z) Denyer, David
The transformation of British cycling from near bankruptcy to a dominant global force offers insights for any business looking to improve their performance.
Open Access
Advocacy and the search for truth in management scholarship: can the twain ever meet?
(SAGE, 2023-10-03) Wright, Thomas A.; Emich, Kyle; Pearce, Jone L.; Denyer, David
Scholars have long debated the merits of advocacy-based research versus research considered from the quest for objective truth. Building upon reflections from multiple sources, a set of 11 brief reflections on three posed questions are presented. Tsang concludes our discussion with additional insights on how moving beyond the “interestingness” advocacy will be beneficial to the continued professional development of the management discipline.
Open Access
Alternative approaches for studying shared and distributed leadership
(Blackwell Publishers Ltd, 2011-05-31T00:00:00Z) Fitzsimons, Declan; Turnbull James, Kim; Denyer, David
Scholars hold different perspectives about leadership which are not limited to a formally appointed leader. Of the abundance of terms used to describe this phenomenon, shared and distributed are the most prevalent. These terms are often used interchangeably, resulting in confusion in the way that shared and distributed leadership is conceptualized and investigated. This paper provides a historical development of this field, challenges existing conceptions and reveals inconsistencies and contradictions that are seldom acknowledged. Four distinct approaches to the study of shared and distributed leadership are identified in the literature, each embracing different ontological views and leadership epistemologies. Individually, the four approaches offer valuable - yet partial - understanding. Comparing and contrasting the assumptions and insights from the four approaches raises fundamental issues about how we think about leadership in terms of research, practice and development.
Open Access
Anticipatory and retrospective sensemaking during unfolding organizational crises.
(2017-11) Runswick, Fionnuala Eilín; Kutsch, Elmar; Denyer, David
Existing research on sensemaking during organizational crises has identified retrospective processes in which actors give meaning to what has happened, thus reducing uncertainty and enabling action. While sensemaking is generally considered to be retrospective, several scholars dispute that sensemaking is exclusively a past-oriented process. Klein, Snowden and Pin (2007, 2011) have recently proposed a future-oriented anticipatory sensemaking process that involves the preparation and enactment of a course of action to avert a predicted threat during an organizational crisis. The topic of future-oriented sensemaking remains an on-going debate in the sensemaking literature. This research attempts to contribute to this debate by offering a deeper understanding of the forms, temporal orientation and interaction of the sensemaking processes during unfolding organizational crises. The research approach involved semi-structured interviews with twenty people from fourteen organizations across nine different industries and three continents. There are three novel contributions from this research. The first contribution is the integrative model of anticipatory and retrospective sensemaking during unfolding crises that was synthesised from the literature and evidenced in the empirical data. The second contribution is the model of anticipatory sensemaking processes during unfolding organizational crises, which was derived from the literature and enhanced based on the findings from the empirical study. In identifying future-oriented anticipatory sensemaking processes during unfolding organizational crises, the findings provide evidence for the counter-argument to the key ontological assumption that sensemaking is exclusively a retrospective process. The third contribution is that the actors created collective organizing structures during the unfolding crises, which enabled them to make sense and take action. The findings and contributions from this research have implications for both theory and practice.
Open Access
Are you an evidence-based manager?
(2013-03-01T00:00:00Z) Denyer, David
Managers are regularly called upon to make decisions in order to resolve business problems. The effectiveness of those decisions shapes how successful a manager is.
Open Access
Business process resource networks: a multi-theoretical study of continuous organisational transformation
(Cranfield University, 2016-04) Stebbings, H.; Denyer, David; Pilbeam, Colin; Braganza, Ashley
Drawing on multiple theoretical lenses, this research studies continuous transformation, or ‘morphing’, of a business process resource network (BPRN). The aim is to further our understanding of continuous organisational change at the lowest levels of analysis within an organisation: that is, at the resource level, and that resource’s relationships to other resources as they exist within a BPRN. Data was gathered from a single, in depth case study. Analysis was achieved by means of mapping BPRN evolution using ‘temporal bracketing’, ‘visual’ and ‘narrative’ approaches (Langley, 1999). The analysis revealed two mechanisms that appear to govern microstate morphing: bond strength and stakeholder expectation. In addition, four factors emerged as important: environmental turbulence, timing and timeliness of changes, concurrency of changes, and enduring business logic. An emergent model of microstate morphing which acknowledges the importance of socio-materiality in actor network morphogenesis (ANM) is presented. This study shows how effective relationships and configuration of resources within the BPRN can be achieved to facilitate timely, purposeful morphing. Five propositions are offered from the emergent ANM model. Specifically, these relate to the conditional operating parameters and the identified generative mechanisms for continuous organisational transformation within the BPRN. Implications for practice are significant. A heuristic discussion guide containing a series of questions framed around the ANM model to highlight the challenges of microstate morphing for practitioners is proposed. Two routes for future research are suggested: replication studies, and quantifying BPRN change in relation to an organisation’s environment using a ii survey instrument and inferential statistical analysis based on the ANM model features and propositions.
Open Access
Constructing safety: reconciling error prevention and error management in oil & gas and petrochemicals operations
(Academy of Management, 2021-03-29) Cowley, Charles Ian; Denyer, David; Kutsch, Elmar; Turnbull James, Kim
On the basis of a qualitative study of three different operational oil and gas and petrochemical sites, in the Middle East, Asia-Pacific and Europe, we examine how actors construe error prevention and error management and how they reconcile these approaches in their everyday practice. Our repertory grid data reveal that actors recognise the importance of error prevention, but also appreciate that emergent and unexpected issues require error management in order to trap, address or mitigate problems in the making. Errors are also regarded to play an important role in adaptation, innovation and learning. However, our interview data and analysis of incident investigation reports reflect a narrower range of factors and indicates a strongly institutionalised predisposition towards error prevention. There are practical implications for the management of process safety and for incident analysis, which may be overlooking the importance of error management, and also for individuals at the sharp end who may be coping with the gap between what they believe is important in terms of process safety and what they bring to the surface, share and document.
Open Access
Constructive deviance in the defence context
(Cranfield University, 2022-05) Taylor, Chris; Parry, Emma; Denyer, David
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”. (Romans 12:2) This study addresses the question: what motivates and influences constructively deviant behaviour in the UK Defence context? It answers this question by asking interviewees, in semi-structured interviews, to reflect on two occasions when they had the opportunity to constructively deviate. By comparing the enablers and barriers from an episode in which they destructively conformed with those from one in which they constructively deviated, the research focuses on the organisational and contextual factors that affect people’s decisions to constructively deviate or destructively conform. The research suggests that individuals in the Defence context are motivated to constructively deviate to improve their immediate environment or increase operational effectiveness or efficiency. It finds that there are factors in the Defence context which influence constructive deviance that are common to those in less normative environments such as supportive leadership, felt empowerment and a sense of responsibility. It also finds that there are Defence-specific factors that influence constructive deviance such as the relative importance of leaders compared to peers, leader rhetoric, the performance appraisal system and Defence bureaucracy. The research adds to the body of knowledge through its exploration of enablers and barriers to constructive deviance and a deeper understanding of the UK Defence context.
Open Access
Designing safer working interventions through a literature review using a mechanisms-based approach
(Elsevier, 2019-07-20) Pilbeam, Colin; Denyer, David; Doherty, Noeleen; Davidson, Ross
The explanation for what safety interventions work in any particular circumstance remains elusive, resulting in many work-related fatalities and injuries every year. We propose a shift in perspective from a preoccupation with safety interventions and their effects to an elucidation of the generative mechanisms underpinning safety and its contiguous context. Using an analytical framework based on contexts, interventions, mechanisms and outcomes (CIMO) we were able to review 43 empirical studies of safety interventions deployed by leaders in organizations. This motivated the development of 10 design propositions; 5 related to accident and injury reduction and 5 to changing safety behaviours. Greater understanding of the mechanisms by which interventions exert their effects will lead to the design of more context appropriate safety interventions thereby enhancing individual and organizational safety in the future and the development of evidence-based safety.
Open Access
Drifting away of actions from prescribed procedures
(Cranfield University, 2023-10) Tewari, Neha; Denyer, David; Pilbeam, Colin
This research examines a particular kind of routine change where a decoupling of actions from the prescribed procedures is consciously and mindfully introduced to benefit the organisation and to make work easier, locally efficient, and more effective. I draw on Snook’s (2002) conceptualisation of practical drift to define my phenomenon. When procedural demands do not fit the practical or situational demands, people adjust or alter the recommended procedures, routines, and workflows to better fit the local needs. This research uses a case-based inquiry to examine 197 cases of drift happening within large multinational organisations from the Oil and Gas, Manufacturing, and Aerospace sectors to theories of why ‘Practical drift’ happens and what the impact of this on safety. Using a mixed-method data collection technique of Repertory Grids (RepGrid), 31 middle and senior managers were interviewed. It resulted in 262 RepGrid ‘Constructs’ related to the events of drift. The data was firstly analysed qualitatively using a bootstrapping generic content analysis technique that pools construct into meaningful higher-order categories. Two quantitative analyses followed this: a RepGrid-specific statistical analysis, called the Average Normalised Variance (ANV), to identify key constructs and a Boolean minimisation-based Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) to identify factor combinations associated with safety negative outcomes. This research finds that drifted actions happen because actors have an operational objective or ‘Purpose’ that triggers drift. Secondly, there exist some contextual conditions that facilitate replacing a recommended procedure with an alternate action. Safety findings reveal that some factors like ‘Risk awareness’ and ‘Local decision flexibility’ are more likely to deliver safety negative outcomes. In contrast, the factor ‘save time’ was found to be correlated to safety positive outcomes. Building on these findings, I propose three theoretical models. First is a factor model that identifies a set of factors causing drift. These factors are ordered by their relative influence, extending our understanding of the purpose and contextual conditions associated with drift. The second and third models link factors from the first model to different safety outcomes. These models add to the extant literature on practical drift and routine change by identifying (i) factors that link to safety positive, neutral and negative outcomes and (ii) the combination of key factors having more potency to deliver safety negative outcomes. The relevance of these findings for practice is that the research raises the issue of drift being an operational reality and motivates the organisations to address the drift causing factors. Furthermore, this study paves the pathway for future studies to establish causal relationships among the configuration of constructs discovered in this research.
Open Access
Effect of isomorphic forces on safety practices in service organizations – are there dangers to homogeneity?
(Iosh Services Limited, 2016-09-15) Pilbeam, C.; Doherty, Noeleen; Davidson, R.; Denyer, David
A wide range of different safety practices exist. However, they have been developed for production-oriented high-hazard environments. We know relatively little about safety practices in low-hazard service sector environments where most people in the U.K work and which differ from production-oriented industries in their organization, working practices and hazards. We conducted 143 semi-structured interviews in 10 stores of four leading U.K retailers and an office and two warehouses of a global logistics company. These revealed 32 categories of safety practices in these service organizations which we aligned to those indicated in the OHSAS 18001 framework to allow comparison across industries. There were few practices that were not common to all service environments. Moreover, these closely resembled safety practices conducted in production-oriented high-hazard environments. We explain this homogeneity by institutional isomorphism, which encourages conformity through coercive, normative and mimetic pressures arising respectively from legal and regulatory requirements, professional standards and training, and lack of resources and staff turnover. We draw attention to the contingent relationship between hazards and appropriate safety practices and conclude that these pressures encourage organizations to borrow practices inappropriately and to accumulate layers of practices to ensure safe working needlessly increasing organizational costs. Opportunities for further research are discussed.
Open Access
Effective risk governance for environmental policy making: a knowledge management perspective
(Elsevier, 2014-05-24) Mauelshagen, Craig William; Smith, Mark; Schiller, Frank; Denyer, David; Rocks, Sophie A.; Pollard, Simon J. T.
Effective risk management within environmental policy making requires knowledge on natural, economic and social systems to be integrated; knowledge characterised by complexity, uncertainty and ambiguity. We describe a case study in a (UK) central government department exploring how risk governance supports and hinders this challenging integration of knowledge. Forty-five semi-structured interviews were completed over a two year period. We found that lateral knowledge transfer between teams working on different policy areas was widely viewed as a key source of knowledge. However, the process of lateral knowledge transfer was predominantly informal and unsupported by risk governance structures. We argue this made decision quality vulnerable to a loss of knowledge through staff turnover, and time and resource pressures. Our conclusion is that the predominant form of risk governance framework, with its focus on centralised decision-making and vertical knowledge transfer is insufficient to support risk-based, environmental policy making. We discuss how risk governance can better support environmental policy makers through systematic knowledge management practices.
Open Access
Enterprise 2.0: the new organisational democracy?
(Cranfield University, 2010-03) Flowers, P.; Denyer, David
Organisations have increasingly turned to new technologies to facilitate discussion, aid decision-making, increase participation and engagement, and to share information and views. Recently, collaborative web-based technologies, known as Enterprise2.0 or social media, have been deployed into the workplace, and some organisations have moved beyond simple experimentation. Considered an extension as the consumer-led Web2.0 phenomena, Enterprise2.0 placed great emphasis on social interaction, ease of use and network effects. Whilst practitioners have actively discussed the issues associated with Enterprise2.0, little academic work has explored the use of these technologies to aid participation and engagement or enquired into how Enterprise2.0 is experienced by those in the organisation. This study took an interpretivist case study approach to investigate a rare and revelatory example of large scale organisational adoption of Enterprise2.0, and used the academic lens of organisational democracy, and the associated fields of organisational politics and power to help explain the case. Three embedded units of analysis were considered, each of which had varying levels of both employee engagement and Enterprise2.0 adoption. The study sought to understand to what degree the technology allowed more conversation between leaders and workers, and considered the experience of the different actors within the organisation regarding the drivers, uses, benefits or barriers they perceived. The study found that the use of technology resulted in a largely one-way conversation, that both leaders and workers politicised the interventions, and used power and control to restrict or inhibit discussion and debate. The findings suggested the interventions shared parallels with studies into organisational democracy, and were affected by similar contextual factors. These aspects are described, and the study proposes a model for overcoming the tensions that were found to exist, calling upon wider literature to explain the underlying mechanisms that might be at play, and resulting in a proposed agenda for future research.
Open Access
Examining shared perceptions and awareness of gendered organisational political climates in male-dominated organisations: a power base model.
(Cranfield University, 2022-09) King, Michelle; Denyer, David; Parry, Emma
Organisational politics and political behaviour are gendered, and this contributes to gender differences in building and maintaining power at work. This research utilises a systematic review to elicit mechanisms from the extant literature relating to organisational political climate (OPC) and power sources and their bases. Adopting semi-structured interviews and an abductive reasoning process, this research then examines how and why OPC and political behaviours are gendered by examining how power sources and bases are activated in two organisations (renamed EnergyCo and FinanceCo to ensure anonymity), where women make up less than 10% of senior positions at the time of undertaking the interviews. Examining how OPC and political behaviours are gendered within male-dominated organisations is important, as the gendered nature of these constructs is more likely to be heightened within this environment. The findings reveal that perceptions of OPC and political behaviours are gendered through the perceptions individuals form of the ideal worker, which is both gendered and political. The gendered nature of both OPC and political behaviours results in differential outcomes for men and women at work, reinforcing the gender power gap.
Open Access
An exploratory study of global leaders' and Chinese managers' leadership constructs in multinational corporations in China
(Cranfield University, 2012-03) Wang, Lake; Turnbull James, Kim; Denyer, David; Bailey, Catherine
This research explores the leadership constructs of global leaders and Chinese managers in multi-national corporations (MNCs) in order to understand whether their constructs are misaligned, and if so, in what ways. To address these questions, data was gathered via repertory grid test interviews with 31 global leaders and 59 Chinese managers in six MNCs’ China organizations. Analysis subsequently revealed that global leaders rely upon twelve key constructs to define global leadership capability and potential. These are: creative, drive to improve, communication skill, collaborative style, charisma, professional knowledge and experience, visionary, cross culture, flexibility, confidence, team development and emotional intelligence. Crucially however, half of the global leaders’ key constructs were not identified as important to Chinese managers; furthermore, most of the missing constructs resonate with charismatic and transformational leadership characteristics, indicating a gap between the two groups’ leadership concepts. Subsequently, both groups of leaders’ leadership constructs were compared with their respective companies’ Leadership Competency Frameworks. The results again revealed gaps, suggesting reliance upon headquarter-developed leadership frameworks to communicate leadership expectations and develop local leaders is either deficient, or inappropriate. The global leaders and Chinese managers’ perspectives on Chinese managers’ career barriers were also explored, with the evidence indicating that perceptions of both groups are influenced by their own cultural assumptions. As the global leaders’ perspectives aligned with their own leadership constructs but Chinese managers were not aware of the importance of those constructs, it seems to support the contention that a bias may exist when global leaders evaluate Chinese managers’ leadership capability and potential.
Open Access
Exploring reliability in information systems programmes
(Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam., 2011-05-31T00:00:00Z) Denyer, David; Kutsch, Elmar; Lee-Kelley, Liz; Hall, Mark L.
The recent epidemic of information systems (ISs) programme failures worldwide suggests that the effective management of programmes to cope with uncertainty and achieve mission in the medium term remains a key challenge. Research into high reliability organisations (HROs) has shown that it is possible to avoid, trap and mitigate the risks inherent in complex socio-technical systems. Studies of HROs originally focused on the operation of high risk technologies but have begun to explore other situations that present a similar need for reliable performance. One such environment is the IS programme. By comparing and contrasting the salient features of programme environments and HROs and presenting an in-depth case study with two embedded units of analysis (two troubled IS programmes), we aim to contribute to the ongoing debate about IS programme failure and to the theoretical development of programme reliability.
Open Access
Exploring shared leadership in a UK public sector programme
(Cranfield University, 2010-02) Bates, Simon; Lupson, Jonathan; Denyer, David; Turnbull James, Kim
This thesis considers shared leadership in a UK public sector programme. Many UK public sector change initiatives are delivered through programmes. In recent years, the practice and academic domain of programme management have developed from within the established discipline of project management. The leadership of projects has been widely studied, both conceptually and empirically, but programmes are substantively different. Shared leadership is a relatively new conceptualisation of leadership which may be valuable for the study of leadership of programmes. The thesis uses a case study of one programme to explore shared leadership in this environment, primarily based on 15 interviews and observation of meetings and events. In particular, it focuses on the leadership tasks of setting the vision and establishing and structuring the programme. The study helps to improve the characterisation of the emerging theoretical concept of shared leadership by adding empirical evidence. It supports the conceptualisation of shared leadership as a plural, processual, diagonal and lateral influence-based phenomenon by unpacking the above leadership tasks into their constituent activities and interactions. It provides evidence for the mechanism of “numerical action” through the seamless transfer of leadership and contributes to the discussion on the nature of “concertive action”. It also highlights the propensity of organisational actors to attribute artefacts of leadership to individuals. It supports the conceptualisation of leadership in such an environment as hybrid or integrated, combining traditional vertical with shared leadership. In light of this, it proposes a dual processual and artefactual approach to the study of leadership. It does not support defined, complementary roles and structures as important for effective programme leadership. It provides useful guidance to programme management practitioners and stakeholders from seeing their own experiences and environments through the lens of shared leadership.
Open Access
Guided by principles or rules: a Delphi study on how safety professionals frame safety practices
(Elsevier, 2025-04-01) Pilbeam, Colin; Denyer, David; Sutliff, Mike
This study explores how safety professionals conceptualize and articulate safety practices, examining how their framing influences actions, facilitates learning from failures, and impacts overall safety outcomes. Twenty-nine safety professionals participated in a Delphi study, which included three online workshops and three rounds of surveys. Eighteen safety practices were developed, framed as both rules-based and principles-based practices. Survey results indicated that both rules-based and principles-based practices were considered essential for achieving safety, with their relative balance likely being context-dependent. While all practices were considered important for preventing accidents, those framed as principles were seen as more challenging to implement but ultimately more effective, especially in complex situations. Better understanding of the way in which safety practices are framed has significant implications for the development of safety standards, guidelines, and recommendations.
Open Access
Helping leaders do leadership in an uncertain world
(International Executive Development Programs, 2017-06-04) Denyer, David; Turnbull James, Kim
Embargo
How institutional entrepreneurs theorize change and change theorization.
(Cranfield University, 2023-06) Djabbarov, Ibrat; Pavlov, Andrey; Denyer, David
This thesis explores how over time institutional entrepreneurs (IEs) theorize change in mature fields. Based on the case of a social enterprise that seeks to secure support for its innovative solution and introduce change across multiple actors in a mature field of global health, this study highlights how IEs theorize change and change their theorization throughout the institutional change project. Furthermore, drawing on the process ontology, I elaborate on the process of theorization by showing how field actors contest change and solution, prompting organization members to become more deeply embedded in the institutional environment and change their theorization. This counterintuitive observation adds a new perspective to the paradox of embedded agency and contributes to understanding how theorization and institutionalization processes unfold recursively. Finally, the insights from this study challenge the assumptions of IEs as heroic figures by illustrating how the cognitive frames and solutions of organization members change as they make sense of the institutional arrangements, interests, and issues of different field actors.