Om ansvar : ansvarsföreställningar och deras betydelse för den organisatoriska verkligheten
(1998)- Abstract
- Based on an ethnographic study, the dissertation discusses the concept of "responsibility" in the context of what happened when workers were made responsible for an area of their own. It turned out that "being responsible", was related to a narrative identity that differed from the one they used before they were made formally responsible. For most of the workers, the narrative of being "responsible" was related to a new way of making sense of themselves as well as their work at hand. This new sensemaking brought about new ways of acting and responding to the organizational reality, both towards clients and towards other people in the organization.
The dissertation shows how the symbolic and taken-for-granted meaning can... (More) - Based on an ethnographic study, the dissertation discusses the concept of "responsibility" in the context of what happened when workers were made responsible for an area of their own. It turned out that "being responsible", was related to a narrative identity that differed from the one they used before they were made formally responsible. For most of the workers, the narrative of being "responsible" was related to a new way of making sense of themselves as well as their work at hand. This new sensemaking brought about new ways of acting and responding to the organizational reality, both towards clients and towards other people in the organization.
The dissertation shows how the symbolic and taken-for-granted meaning can be unpacked and themathized through grounded theory informed analyses. It also demonstrates how organizational transformation can be regarded as a transformation in sensemaking and identity, as well as top management's role in this process.
The meaning of "responsibility" revealed from field studies in three companies shows great similarities with the view on organizational change and responsibility previously demonstrated by Follett in the beginning of the century and discussed explicitly in the 90s both by feminist researchers and by other critics of a rationalist concept of responsibility. The rationalist view upon responsiblity, rooted in the views of Taylor, Fayol and Barnard, constructs "responsibility" as a concept closely related to hierarchies and (abstract and general) principles. It is argued here that the results of the empirical study cannot be properly understood only from a rationalist concept of responsibility. Instead, a counternarrative is constructed, regarding responsiblity as a creative and emotional response to a specific context, thereby both following and breaking rules at the same time. (Less) - Abstract (Swedish)
- Ansvar är ett ord som både praktiker och forskare ofta använder. Det är ett centralt begrepp i organisatoriska sammanhang. Innebörden av begreppet är dock oftast för givet tagen.
Om ansvar diskuterar betydelsen av för-givet-tagna begrepp och reflekterar över ansvarsbegreppets innebörd utifrån en granskning av såväl företagsekonomisk teori som praktik. De frågor som inledningsvis ställs är vilken innebörd som begreppet tilldelas i olika sammanhang och hur detta meningstilldelande påverkar organisatoriskt meningsskapande och handlande.
Om ansvar innehåller redogörelser från fältstudier i tre bostadsföretag som på olika sätt tilldelat fastighetsskötarna ansvar för den dagliga skötseln av bostadsområden. Att se sig själv som... (More) - Ansvar är ett ord som både praktiker och forskare ofta använder. Det är ett centralt begrepp i organisatoriska sammanhang. Innebörden av begreppet är dock oftast för givet tagen.
Om ansvar diskuterar betydelsen av för-givet-tagna begrepp och reflekterar över ansvarsbegreppets innebörd utifrån en granskning av såväl företagsekonomisk teori som praktik. De frågor som inledningsvis ställs är vilken innebörd som begreppet tilldelas i olika sammanhang och hur detta meningstilldelande påverkar organisatoriskt meningsskapande och handlande.
Om ansvar innehåller redogörelser från fältstudier i tre bostadsföretag som på olika sätt tilldelat fastighetsskötarna ansvar för den dagliga skötseln av bostadsområden. Att se sig själv som ansvarig visar sig ha betydelse inte bara för den egna identiteten utan också för det dagliga handlandet. Dessutom påverkar det ansvariga förhållningssättet organisatoriska hierarkier och förändringen av organisationerna. På så sätt knyts organisatorisk förändring, begreppsbildning och handlande.
Studien innehåller också analyser av ansvarsbegreppets ställning i klassisk företagsekonomi, förvaltningsteori samt feministisk teoribildning. Mot en huvuddiskurs av principiellt orienterade ansvarsbegrepp ställs en där det situationella - eller kontextuella - responderandet utgör grunden. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/18634
- author
- Johansson, Ulla LU
- supervisor
- opponent
-
- Professor Jönsson, Sten, Gothenburg University
- organization
- alternative title
- About responsibility - an ethnographic study of three companies that have delegated responsibility to the workers
- publishing date
- 1998
- type
- Thesis
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- management, Företagsledning, housing management, feminism, Management of enterprises, responsibility, organisational change, identity, narratives
- pages
- 360 pages
- publisher
- Lund University Press
- defense location
- Holger Craaford Center, School of Economics and Management, Lund University
- defense date
- 1998-01-01 10:15:00
- external identifiers
-
- other:ISRN: LUSADG/SAEK--98/1044--SE
- ISBN
- 91-7966-542-X
- language
- Swedish
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 5788e890-7d43-44b3-a096-5c71637dc6b9 (old id 18634)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-04 11:11:44
- date last changed
- 2023-04-24 14:09:29
@phdthesis{5788e890-7d43-44b3-a096-5c71637dc6b9,
abstract = {{Based on an ethnographic study, the dissertation discusses the concept of "responsibility" in the context of what happened when workers were made responsible for an area of their own. It turned out that "being responsible", was related to a narrative identity that differed from the one they used before they were made formally responsible. For most of the workers, the narrative of being "responsible" was related to a new way of making sense of themselves as well as their work at hand. This new sensemaking brought about new ways of acting and responding to the organizational reality, both towards clients and towards other people in the organization.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
The dissertation shows how the symbolic and taken-for-granted meaning can be unpacked and themathized through grounded theory informed analyses. It also demonstrates how organizational transformation can be regarded as a transformation in sensemaking and identity, as well as top management's role in this process.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
The meaning of "responsibility" revealed from field studies in three companies shows great similarities with the view on organizational change and responsibility previously demonstrated by Follett in the beginning of the century and discussed explicitly in the 90s both by feminist researchers and by other critics of a rationalist concept of responsibility. The rationalist view upon responsiblity, rooted in the views of Taylor, Fayol and Barnard, constructs "responsibility" as a concept closely related to hierarchies and (abstract and general) principles. It is argued here that the results of the empirical study cannot be properly understood only from a rationalist concept of responsibility. Instead, a counternarrative is constructed, regarding responsiblity as a creative and emotional response to a specific context, thereby both following and breaking rules at the same time.}},
author = {{Johansson, Ulla}},
isbn = {{91-7966-542-X}},
keywords = {{management; Företagsledning; housing management; feminism; Management of enterprises; responsibility; organisational change; identity; narratives}},
language = {{swe}},
publisher = {{Lund University Press}},
school = {{Lund University}},
title = {{Om ansvar : ansvarsföreställningar och deras betydelse för den organisatoriska verkligheten}},
year = {{1998}},
}