Browsing by Author "Ladkin, Donna"

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    Art-based Methods in Management Education
    (Cranfield University, 2014-12) Springborg, Claus; Ladkin, Donna; Turnbull James, Kim
    The purpose of this dissertation is to develop explanatory theory for the learning processes facilitated by art-­‐based methods in management education (ABMs). Such theory is important because managerial educators increasingly use ABMs, and without a well-­‐developed theory it may be difficult to realise these methods’ full potential. Current research on ABMs uses theories from other fields but generally sees ABMs as methods for making important information available for reflection, e.g. information about unconscious assumptions, aesthetic experience, or non-­‐propositional or tacit knowledge. This shows that the field is grounded in a representationalist view of cognition. This view of cognition makes it difficult to explain certain themes in the research field, such as, the importance of staying with the senses without reflecting, aesthetic agency, and the process of making. I therefore asked: What insights can be gained from exploring ABMs, using theories grounded in the embodied view of cognition, in particular Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) (Lakoff & Johnson, 1999) and simulation theories (Barsalou, 2008). For the empirical work, I used an experimental design with 60 managers from Danish companies. All participants selected problems from their work they perceived as important, yet unsolvable. They were randomly divided into three groups: Two groups using different ABMs to address problems and a comparison group where no ABM was used. The experiment indicated that 1) creating new metaphors for a problem based on different sensory metaphors enabled the participants to import behaviour from contexts unrelated to the problematic situation, and 2) focusing on sensory experience enabled participants to remove judgments about self or others. Furthermore, the experiment indicated that learning outcomes reflected participants’ experience of the concrete learning intervention. These findings contribute to CMT by suggesting that it is possible to formulate relationships between changes in metaphors and specific learning outcomes. They contribute to ABM by suggesting that experiences that participants have during ABMs are later used as tools for structuring other experiences – not merely as data for reflection.
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    Arts-based methods for facilitating meta-level learning in management education: Making and expressing refined perceptual distinctions
    (Cranfield University, 2011) Springborg, Claus; Ladkin, Donna
    Arts-based methods are increasingly used to facilitate meta-level learning in management education. Such increased use suggests that these methods are relevant and offer a unique contribution meeting a need in today’s management education. Yet, the literature is not clear on what this unique contribution may be even though it abounds with suggestions of varying quality. To explore this matter, I conduct a systematic literature review focused on arts-based methods, management education, and meta-level learning. I find that the unique contribution of arts-based methods is to foreground the process of making and expressing more refined perceptual distinctions, not to get accurate data, but as integral to our thinking/learning. This finding is important, because it imply that certain (commonly applied) ways of using arts-based methods may limit their potential. Finally, I suggest that future research regarding arts-based methods should focus on exploring the impact the process of learning to make and express more refined perceptual distinctions may have on managerial practice to further understand the relevance of these methods to managers.
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    Back to the workplace: How organisations can improve their support for management learning and development
    (Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2004-03-01T00:00:00Z) Belling, Ruth; James, Kim; Ladkin, Donna
    This paper explores how organisations can become more sophisticated at supporting transfer of learning, by identifying the perceived barriers and facilitators to transfer of learning, by examining a range of individual characteristics and workplace features associated with these barriers and facilitators and then relating these to the type of programme that managers undertake. The longitudinal survey methodology and programme typology used in the research are described. Findings highlight 26 perceived barriers and 17 facilitators to the transfer of learning, significant associations are shown with particular features such as mentoring and personal values. The paper goes on to identify the characteristics associated with a lack of transfer and suggests a tentative model of perceived influences on transfer of learning. Based on this research, it is concluded that it is important to take programme learning design into account when considering support for transfer of learning from management development programmes back to the workplace.
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    A constitutive view on risk communication in organisations managing high-risk processes: Towards a conceptual framework
    (Cranfield University, 2013-09) Marynissen, Hugo; Ladkin, Donna
    This study presents a conceptual framework for a constitutive view of risk communication in organisations managing high-risk processes. Over the last decades, multiple incidents in these types of organisations indicate that the mere communication of risk information and safety procedures does not necessarily lead to risk aversive attitudes. Therefore, it might suggest that the traditional transfer of information is not fulfilling its aim, namely to keep the organisation safe. This doctoral thesis proposes a form of constitutive communication that involves all organisational members in an open safety dialogue as an alternative to this informational approach of communication. As such, it offers a way of taking into account the interpretive, subjective aspects of communication and shows how they interweave with formal communication structures to create the possibility of ongoing safe operations. An on-shore gas-receiving terminal on the European continent was the subject for two empirical research studies. Based on multiple methods, including qualitative interviews, ethnographic data analysis, repertory grid-based interviews, and social network analysis, this study indicates how a constitutive dialogue that creates a common mindset concerning safe operations among all staff can be installed and supported. Furthermore, it demonstrates how despite the fact that every individual in this organisation has different perceptions of the present risks, constitutive risk communication leads to coordinated safe behaviour. These findings offer new perspectives on the solution-oriented knowledge about the relationship between risk communication and risk savvy in organisations managing high-risk processes. The theoretical background to this phenomenon was supported by a literature review in the field of risk communication and risk perception in organisations managing complex interactive and tightly coupled processes. These findings, together with those of the empirical research projects, were compared with insights in the theoretical fields of High-Reliability Organisations (HRO) and Communication Constitutes Organisations (CCO), and result in a conceptual framework for a constitutive view on risk communication in organisations managing high-risk processes. This research offers a number of theoretical and practical contributions to the field of HROs, the field of CCO research. It not only confirms key insights into these theoretical fields, it is also the first study that links the use of CCO to organisations managing high-risk technologies.
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    Corporate turnaround as knowledge subversion: a dialogic perspective on transformational change
    (Cranfield University, 2013-02) Pillay, John; Braganza, Ashley; Ladkin, Donna
    This research presents a knowledge-based perspective on corporate turnaround. In this research it is proposed that subverting existing knowledge is as much a part of the corporate turnaround process as other change management activities, a concept termed “dialogic knowledge subversion”. Conceptual development was supported by a literature review into change, knowledge, discourse and Bakhtinian theories. This theoretical investigation was further developed using two empirical studies. The first empirical work focused on the case study of an organisation which had turned itself around. Findings from fifteen interviews and a focus group workshop were gathered and analysed using story network architecture and dialogic concepts. The data was further developed with a second empirical study, which investigated corporate turnaround from the perspective of twelve expert practitioners. Findings from these studies were used to develop a model for knowledge subversion in corporate turnaround situations. There are a number of contributions to change management theory and practice offered by this investigation. The research finds that dialogic knowledge subversion is present and required in the process of corporate turnaround. Furthermore, practitioners use the breakdown of existing knowledge in the organisation to create the impetus for change and build momentum for the turnaround. Indeed the research suggests that experts regard knowledge subversion as essential to the change process and actively create the conditions where it thrives. A dialogic knowledge subversion model for corporate turnaround is proposed, which is a resource for change theorists and practitioners alike.
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    Enacting the 'true self': Towards a theory of embodied authentic leadership
    (Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam., 2010-02-01T00:00:00Z) Ladkin, Donna; Taylor, Steven S.
    This paper argues that although authentic leadership may be rooted in the notion of a ‘true self’, it is through the embodiment of that ‘true self’ that leaders are perceived as authentic or not. In making this claim, we consider ways in which a somatic sense of self contributes to the felt sense of authenticity, and how through engaging with somatic cues, leadership can be performed in a way which is experienced as authentic, both to the leader and to those he or she seeks to lead. In developing our ideas further, we draw from the acting theory of Stanislavski (1936a, 1936b, 1961) to explore how authentic dramatic performances are created, focusing on the role of emotional memory, the magic ‘if’ and physical aspects of performances. We propose three key components of a resulting theory of how embodied authentic leadership is created: self exposure, relating, and making leade
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    Exploration into the relationship between managers' sensemaking and CSR outcomes
    (Cranfield University, 2009-10) Jackson, Sharon M.; Ladkin, Donna
    This study aims to understand the relationship between managers’ sensemaking of their organisations’ espoused Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) intentions and outcomes through asking: 1. How do managers make sense of the CSR intentions espoused by their organisations? 2. What are the outcomes of the sensemaking process? 3. To what extent are these outcomes congruent with the organisations’ espoused CSR intentions? The reason for this research is because organisations are struggling to integrate their espoused CSR into daily business processes and are being criticised for a gap between rhetoric and action by stakeholders. The sector chosen for this study is the electronic consumer products industry because it has a potentially huge impact on the environment and society and is starting to engage in CSR. There are few empirical studies on CSR in this sector. This exploratory, qualitative, empirical study uses a case study approach to collect data through focus group dialogue which is analysed through Conversation Analysis. Two main findings are 1. Managers’ sensemaking processes can lead to ‘no action’ in terms of embedding espoused CSR intentions. 2. Organisational culture impacts on CSR outcomes. Furthermore, managers do not read their organisations’ CSR communications. A limitation of this research is that just two cases and fifteen participants were studied. Future research is necessary to explore suggestions emerging from the findings. This study makes a contribution to theory, in that ‘no action’, status quo is a possible outcome of sensemaking, and also contributes theoretical insight into the phenomenon of the interrelationship between organisational sensemaking and individual sensemaking.
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    How do organizations learn from their external stakeholders in the context of corporate responsibility? : a systematic review
    (Cranfield University, 2010-08) Maher, Rajiv; Ladkin, Donna
    In the past few decades private firms have increasingly been scrutinized by external stakeholders such as civil society organizations, local communities and government with regards to their corporate responsibilities towards society and the environment. Firms have been challenged with meeting these rising societal expectations. The private sector has responded by creating Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) departments and entering into dialogue with some of their staunchest critics from civil society in search of finding more responsible ways of operating. The main challenge being proposed to the private sector by civil society, practitioners and academics is that they embed CSR into their organizational cultures and way of working. Organizational learning theories have been established for several decades unlike the concept of CSR which is relatively immature in academia. Organizational learning in many ways requires firm members to reconsider the current modes of working, acquire new knowledge and then create the necessary changes within the organization to enhance competitiveness. In many ways organizational learning is about embedding new concepts of working throughout the organization. Therefore in this systematic literature review I aim to bridge both CSR/Stakeholder and organizational learning domains and pose the following questions of why, how and what do organizations learn from their external stakeholders in the context of CSR. It can be argued that organizational learning concepts can be appropriately applied for understanding how firms interact with and learn from their external stakeholders. By applying organizational learning theories it is possible to see that despite the relatively few empirical studies we can argue firms learn in one of two ways: in a prudent, incremental and risk manner or as the consequence of a crisis, and if so their learning is deeper and more likely to be embedded into the organizational culture.
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    How does Martin Buber's concept of I-Thou dialogue inform the theory and practice of relational leadership?
    (Cranfield University, 2014-02) Reitz, Megan; Ladkin, Donna
    This thesis explores the possibility of dialogue between leader and follower in order to further develop the theory and practice of relational leadership. It draws from and contributes to Relational Leadership Theory (Uhl-Bien 2006) and Buber’s concept of ‘I- Thou’ dialogue (Buber 1958). Using first-person and co-operative inquiry methods (Reason and Bradbury 2008b) the ‘space between’ (Bradbury and Lichtenstein 2000, Buber 1958) leader and follower is explored in order to reveal the complexities inherent within leadership relations. Four main findings are detailed which enrich our understanding of how leadership relations operate from ‘within living involvement’ (Shotter 2006). Firstly, the quality of leader-follower encounter could be affected by levels of ‘busyness’ and the ensuing assessment and prioritising process. Secondly, the pressure to ‘seem’ rather than ‘be’ may strengthen the construction of a façade which might be dismantled, in part, through disclosure, though this may feel extremely risky given organisational ‘rules’. Thirdly, mutuality between leader and follower may be crucially influenced by the way in which ‘leader’, ‘leadership’ and ‘power’ are constructed in the between space. Finally, ineffable dialogic moments may occur through sensing a particular quality of encounter amidst and despite the complexity of a myriad of micro-processes vying for attention in the between space. This thesis contributes a further strand to RLT constructionist work focused on the quality of leader-follower encounter which has not been previously revealed. Leadership constructs and macro-discourses relating to power, ‘busyness’ and the need for ‘worthwhile meetings’ encourages transactional relating. Consequently, opportunities for genuinely encountering others in organisational settings are suffocated. This holds important implications for ‘leaders’ and ‘followers’ who wish to creatively address pressing organisational issues in the 21st century through dialogue. Fundamentally this thesis suggests we pause to consider the implications that the nature of our encounters in our work-life have upon us as human beings wishing to know what it is to be fully human.
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    Leadership as Art: Theme and Variations
    (2010-08-01T00:00:00Z) Ladkin, Donna; Taylor, Steven S.
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    Leading Beautifully: How Mastery, Congruence and Purpose Create the Aesthetic of Embodied Leadership Practice
    (Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam., 2008-02-01T00:00:00Z) Ladkin, Donna
    This paper explores the territory of leading as an embodied activity through the lens of the aesthetic category of ‘the beautiful’. Its starting point is that although much of the literature about effective leadership practice focuses on leadership behaviours, little is written about the way in which those behaviours are actually enacted. The musician, Bobby McFerrin serves as a case study for identifying three key aspects of leading beautifully: mastery, congruence between form and content, and purpose. These are further considered through reference to the concept of beauty as theorised by the philosophers Plato and Plotinus. The paper then considers how ‘leading beautifully’ might differ from other conceptualisations of leadership and discusses the particular insight it brings to understanding the nature of leading as a relational phe
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    Realising the potential of art-based methods in managerial learning: embodied cognition as an explanatory view of knowledge
    (Academy of Management, 2014-12-31) Springborg, Claus; Ladkin, Donna
    Although art-based methods are increasingly being used in management learning interventions (Taylor & Ladkin, 2009) there is little understanding about the means by which these methods foster particular learning outcomes. This conceptually-based paper addresses this concern through revisiting the philosophy of art and education (Arnheim, 1969; Dewey, 1934; Eisner, 2002; Langer, 1951) in light of recent theoretical developments in neuroscience known as embodied cognition (Niedenthal, Barsalou, Winkielman, Krauth- Gruber, & Ric, 2005; Rohrer, 2007; Wilson, 2002). We propose that embodied cognition’s recognition of the central role played by ‘simulation’ (Barsalou 1999, 2008) in learning processes offers unique insights into the mechanisms through which arts-based methods work and how they differ from (other) experiential learning interventions. This exploration leads to two propositions, a) stimulating new activation patterns in the way the brain engages with a phenomenon enables new possibilities for dealing with that phenomenon; and b) making art is a means by which those new activation patterns can be created. The paper concludes by demonstrating the power of this understanding by re-interpreting three scholarly accounts of the use of art-based methods within manager development, and suggesting implications for how such interventions can more fully realise their developmental potential.
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    Transferring managerial learning back to the workplace : the influence of personality and the workplace environment
    (Cranfield University, 2000-12) Belling, Ruth; Ladkin, Donna
    This thesis identifies the influences of individual characteristics, particularly psychological type preferences, and workplace environment features, on managers’ perceptions of the barriers and facilitators to transferring their learning from management development programmes. In doing so, it provides information and insights to help increase understanding of the transfer of learning process through the building of a model of transfer. Guided by a Realist perspective, this research was conducted using longitudinal survey methodology, incorporating both questionnaires and interviews. The survey gathered data at three time points, establishing a chronological ‘Base Map’ representing programme participants’ journeys through four kinds of learning event/experience, their expectations of those programmes, resulting learning outcomes and applications of learning back in their workplaces. This research identified 26 perceived barriers and 17 perceived facilitators to transfer of learning from 17 organisations, incorporating a wide range of workplace environments, described how these barriers and facilitators operate and identified the need to take the nature of the learning event/experience into account to provide a meaningful context for the transfer of learning outcomes. This research presents a series of ‘Route Maps’, highlighting the significant associations between individual characteristics, workplace features and elements of the learning and transfer processes, based on programme type. Psychological type was found to influence perceptions of barriers and facilitators to transfer and is associated with critical elements in the transfer process. This thesis contributes to theory and practice about transfer of learning from management development programmes and has implications for organisations, programme designers and future participants on such programmes.
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    What influences community positions towards nearby mining projects : eight cases from Brazil and Chile
    (Cranfield University, 2014-06) Maher, Rajiv; Ladkin, Donna
    This thesis looks at the influences and dynamics of community positions towards nearby mining projects in Brazil and Chile from an affected communities perspective. This subject is important because even after many initiatives and guidance aimed at helping companies to obtain good community relations, also known as a social license to operate (SLO), conflict in many mining community contexts is still prevalent today. In considering this, the thesis draws from Stakeholder, Resource Dependence and Social Movement Theories to help explain community positions towards these mining projects. The field research includes multiple stakeholder interviews from case studies of eight different mining affected communities in Brazil and Chile which are categorized into groups of higher or lower conflict. The main findings are that the more independent from mining a community is the greater the likelihood of conflict and the more independent type of communities perceived the mining projects as threats to their independence. The lower conflict communities were more economically dependent on their nearby mining projects. My findings also indicate that these more independent communities’ collective mobilization to resist such projects is nullified by influence strategies employed by mining companies via initiatives such as corporate social responsibility (CSR) that can serve as co-optation and lead to divisions within communities. The findings of this thesis call into question the validity of CSR-related notions such as an SLO from an affected communities perspective. An SLO implies community power; however, the research from the community perspective indicates that community power is not a constant or unchallenged. When countered by mining companies and the State, community resistance is broken down and community positions change. The scenario of mining company community relations set in a globalized world is dynamic and ever changing due to the various influences directed to and from affected mining communities. I propose a model which suggests that in situations of high interdependence between mining company and local community, stakeholder theory holds true. In these cases the vast array of social responsibility-related practical guidance literature on gaining good community relations is valid. Where a community is more independent and collectively resists the mining project, the company will use countermobilziation, CSR, co-optation and obstruction strategies to obtain a resistance free environment in which to conduct mining activity. The research contributes to stakeholder and resource dependence theories as well as to related practitioner literature on community relations and business and human rights by problematizing these theories and guidance. Specifically, the findings question the idea that CSR and best practice community relations lead to a win-win situation. In many cases implementing CSR exacerbates community conflict and divisions and is ultimately more irresponsible than responsible. The literature does not sufficiently consider the complexities of power imbalances between company/State and community in a globalized context and how this affects community relations and conflict from a community perspective. Further research should be conducted around the dynamics of influence strategies employed by State, company and community in the realm of development and human rights.