Dmitrijs Kravcenko

14: Simply Managing, by Henry Mintzberg

August 2, 2016 Dmitrijs Kravcenko 0:11:18
The book we analyzed in this episode, Simply Managing (2013), is an updated study of managers conducted by Henry Mintzberg based on observing 29 managers at all levels of organizations across a range of industries and organizational structures: business, government, healthcare, and pluralistic organizations such as museums and non-governmental organizations.Read More

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13: Banana Time – Donald Roy

July 5, 2016 Dmitrijs Kravcenko 0:09:57
One of the most famous ethnographic works, Banana Time: Job Satisfaction and Informal Interaction describes Donald F. Roy's experience of working as a drill press operator (as in the picture on this page) for two months. Set against the backdrop of Taylor-inspired Scientific Management, the paper provides a thick description of the setting, the tools of work and, most importantly, behaviour and dynamics of the group of workers whom Roy was assigned to work with.Read More

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How to Use Podcasting as a Teaching Tool

June 16, 2016 Dmitrijs Kravcenko
Nowadays, podcasts are everywhere and they are being used more and more in educational settings. But not everyone knows how best to use them to supplement teaching. One of our founders, Dmitrijs, has broken the code and is here to help!Read More

12: On the Value of Conferences — Emma Bell and Paul Duguid LIVE

June 7, 2016 Dmitrijs Kravcenko
Dmitrijs and Ralph are joined by Professors Paul Duguid and Emma Bell to talk about the value and form of conferences in promoting, disseminating and facilitating knowledge. The four of us shared some personal conference-attending experiences, considered the current format and emergent alternatives, and pondered on the nature of knowledge as such. Read More

11: Culture and High Reliability – Bierly and Spender

May 31, 2016 Dmitrijs Kravcenko 0:13:15
We discuss Culture and High Reliability Organizing (HRO). While not universally known within management and organization studies, High Reliability is concerned with formal structure and process, as well as informal commitment, motivation and trust. HRO describes a subset of hazardous organizations that enjoy a high level of safety over long periods of time. What distinguishes types of high-risk systems is the source of risk, whether it is the technical or social factors that the system must control or whether the environment, itself, constantly changes.Read More

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10: Twelve Angry Men (1957) – Directed by Sidney Lumet

May 10, 2016 Dmitrijs Kravcenko 0:10:25
12 Angry Men, directed by Sidney Lumet, is one of the major milestones of film history. It dates back to 1957 and tells the story of a jury, the twelve angry men of the title, and how they decide on the innocence or guilt of a young boy accused of murder. The entire film takes place in the jury room, with the exception of a few scenes, namely those in the courthouse and in the bathroom. We use this story as a lens to discuss themes in organizational theory such as decision making and consensus building among groups.Read More

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9: Hawthorne Studies – Elton Mayo

April 19, 2016 Dmitrijs Kravcenko 0:09:41
The Hawthorne studies take their name from the Hawthorne works, a factory near Chicago which belonged to Western Electric. Even though these studies are traditionally solely associated with Mayo’s name, most of the experimental work was carried out by Fritz Roethlisberger (his graduate assistant) and William Dickson (head of the department of employee relations at Western Electric). The experiments took place between 1924 and 1932 and were commissioned because the company wanted to understand which was the optimal level of lighting to increase workers’ productivity. Mayo’s work "The Social problems of an Industrial Civilization" (1945) is the text we are reading for this episode. In this book, Mayo reports on a number of his research projects – including the studies in the Textile Mill in Philadelphia and the Hawthorne Studies previously mentioned – and provides an ambitious social commentary on industrial society.Read More

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8: The Ends of Men – Chester Barnard

March 29, 2016 Dmitrijs Kravcenko 0:10:47
Continuing with our discussion of Chester Barnard's master work - The Functions of The Executive (1938) - we look at parts III & IV of the book. Here he is going into more depth on a number of organizational aspects and on the process of management. Specifically, Barnard talks about the parts that make up an organization in Part III and, finally, the functions of the executive in Part IV.Read More

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7: Phases of Cooperation – Chester Barnard

March 1, 2016 Dmitrijs Kravcenko 0:10:47
This is the first of two episodes devoted to The Functions of the Executive. For this episode we are reading Parts I and II of the book, where Barnard outlines his understanding of the individual, of why individuals would form organizations, and of the basic principles of the formal organization.Read More

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6: Bureaucracy – Max Weber

February 16, 2016 Dmitrijs Kravcenko 0:13:02
We discuss two chapters of Max Weber's 1922 book Economy and Society. Weber was most interested in bureaucracy. He believed that bureaucratic coordination of activities is a hallmark of the modern and civilized society. This was not least because bureaucracies are organized according to rational principles, and rationality is an ongoing intellectual effort that is subject to education and discipline. In a bureaucratic organization offices are ranked in a hierarchical order and their operations are characterized by impersonal rules.Read More

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