Do you think management research is lacking on the political front? Given the fact that we are witnessing an increasing interplay between politics (e.g., policies made by political leaders that profoundly affect businesses and some of their core competitive advantages) and business organizations? Should academics be more engaged on this front?
Geopolitics is such an area which needs to be attended by the management researchers which is of prime concern and is shaping the business world wide. Areas like Middle East, Arctic, South East Asia,Kashmir issue, etc. are the recent examples of the Geopolitics. Countries are highly effected by the political decisions and so do the companies and the businesses.
it may be more than simply geopolitics. also consider trends in government/ governance theory. sovereigns and corporates are developing in terms of governance. governance of corporates and sovereigns at the multinational level is also emerging. this should also have an effect on doing business
hi
the following articles can be useful
Thomas, R., & Davies, A. (2005). Theorizing the micro-politics of resistance: New public management and managerial identities in the UK public services. Organization studies, 26(5), 683-706.
Hofstede, G. (2007). Asian management in the 21st century. Asia pacific journal of management, 24(4), 411-420.
Dear Marwan:
"Do you think management research is lacking on the political front?" stimulates me to share ideas.
Its part of this answer can be found in Book Organizations as Complex Systems: An Introduction to Knowled...
Good luck and Very best wishes,
Siribuppa
My answer is YES. Bolman and Deal suggest that organizations could be understood from perspectives of four frames (structural, human resource, political, and symbolic). Political frame describes organizations as arenas, contests or jungle. Conflict is rampant because of enduring differences in needs, perspectives, and lifestyles among competing individuals and groups. I strongly believe that much more research is needed for the topic of organizational politics, but the challenge of data collection may stop many researchers from engaging on this topic. One of sources of this challenge is both information providers and information analysts may face extremely high risks.
Academicians should engage on political front as well, that researcher do since we have PEST analysis. Political cognizance we have in environment analysis which is never been obviated.
I agree with Sarang Bhola's comment. It seems to me the political analysis in the context of PEST analysis is on the macro level, rather than on micro level. My sense tells me researchers and information providers may face much higher risks in conducting organization politics analysis on micro level than they do on macro level, as micro level analysis is much more relevant to individual's interests.
PEST lacks in this context. for one, it is not strategic, forward looking or thorough enough
While I agree that management research has not focused on public policies and their impact on business, I would like to say that this is only true in some economies. Some of the answers given above indicate that there is some work which has taken account of the political context of business related policy formulation. However, this now to be popularised also in developing country contexts. It is therefore necessary to first of all assess to what extent management research is applied or lacking and in what groups of countries. Beyond that it is important to analyse the impact of research, where it has been conducted. To what extent has it improved understanding and therefore improved policy formulation as viewed from business perspectives becomes an important issue. Given the levels of development of economies and the difference in approaches to policy formulation, I hesitate to make a general statement. Maybe you could start there by identifying where this is practised and where it is lacking.
Institutionalist have been focusing on political theory. Among them, some sociologists and some economists (those who reject neo-classical views) have been on the forefront of political institutions.
Please read institutional literature! Unless you have some understanding of the assumptions and micro-processes, the causal inputs may not serve your purpose.
Thank you all for your valuable thoughts. Very much appreciated. I believe that both institutional theory advocates as well as neo-classical economic theorists still have some agreement on the crucial role played by the political entities and players in shaping the business environment and yet research is still lacking on several accounts.
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