Administrative Science Quarterly Online Table of Contents Alert
A new issue of Administrative Science Quarterly is available online:
December 2018; Vol. 63, No. 4
December's ASQ articles introduce us to people grappling with issues of identity-those following more than one career path, embracing (or resisting) changes to how they define their work, and redefining the boundaries of their field. It introduces us to people affected by their (career) neighbors' status, trying to make the best hiring decisions, entering the workforce for the first time, and figuring out how much innovation might be too much for their bottom line to handle. Now is a good time to meet all of these people-to learn from their dilemmas and successes.
It's also a good time to thank some people who have done extraordinary work on ASQ's behalf, as well as to introduce some initiatives you may not have heard about. My letter From the Editor will fill you in.
Articles
From Synchronizing to Harmonizing: The Process of Authenticating Multiple Work Identities
Brianna Barker Caza, Sherry Moss , and Heather Vough
Plural careerists-people who choose to hold and identify with multiple jobs simultaneously-often have fascinating lives, but they also struggle to be, feel, and seem authentic. How can someone have more than one valued identity without succumbing to this struggle? This study sheds some light.
Blog post is here
Dismantling Knowledge Boundaries at NASA: The Critical Role of Professional Identity in Open Innovation
Hila Lifshitz-Assaf
Open innovation could revolutionize how R&D professionals accomplish their work, which is exciting for some and frightening for others. This study reveals that to tap into the potential of open innovation, R&D professionals must first refocus their own identity so they move from being problem solvers to solution seekers. Besides, we all know that NASA is one of the coolest organizations around...
Blog post is here
Field Expansion and Contraction: How Communities Shape Social and Symbolic Boundaries
Stine Grodal
As the nanotechnology field emerged, its boundaries-both social and symbolic-expanded so that its pioneers could access new resources. But over time, those expanding boundaries threatened the identity (and the access to resources) of the people at the center of the field, so they worked to pull the boundaries back in. This study has much to say about how core communities and peripheral communities manipulate field boundaries-and why.
Blog post is here
Status Spillovers: The Effect of Status-conferring Prizes on the Allocation of Attention
Brian P. Reschke, Pierre Azoulay, and Toby E. Stuart
Fred Rogers was right: Neighbors are quite important people in our lives, including in our professional lives. This study shows that people who work in domains close to ours may prove threatening: if someone in a neighboring domain wins a prestigious prize, my own work will likely receive less attention. Why? And how can I overcome that kind of negative spillover? And yes, the study speaks to professors' careers too.
Blog post is here
Posting and Slotting: How Hiring Processes Shape the Quality of Hire and Compensation in Internal Labor Markets
JR Keller
More than half of jobs are filled by internal hiring, either through posting a job and inviting candidates to apply or by identifying a good candidate and slotting that person into the job. When it comes to the quality of hires, as well as to compensation, which approach wins? That would be posting. Why? Posting internally is like a market, and markets with uncertainty work better when more information is available.
Blog post is here
Train Them to Retain Them: Work Readiness and the Retention of First-time Women Workers in India
Aruna Ranganathan
This study of an Indian garment factory shows that for women entering the workforce for the first time, training conducted by people with a lot of experience is crucial to success and retention. Experienced trainers know to address issues that a typical training program may not cover-everything from how to get to work on time to how to separate one's work and home lives.
Blog post is here
Path-dependent Routines in the Evaluation of Novelty: The Effects of Innovators' New Knowledge Use on Brokerage Firms' Coverage
Matt Theeke, Francisco Polidoro, Jr., and James W. Fredrickson
Companies need to innovate. They also need capital, which means they need brokerage firms to pay attention to them. And if they innovate in ways unfamiliar to brokerage firms, those firms may choose not to cover them. This is a real dilemma, and our celebration of a few radical innovators shows how little it is understood – they are exceptions to the rule that radical innovations risk being ignored.
Blog post is here
Book Reviews
Jens Beckert and Matias Dewey (eds.): The Architecture of Illegal Markets: Towards an Economic Sociology of Illegality in the Economy
Michel Anteby
David Waller and Rupert Younger: The Reputation Game: The Art of Changing How People See You
Michael Jensen
Yves L. Doz and Keeley Wilson: Ringtone: Exploring the Rise and Fall of Nokia in Mobile Phones
Robert A. Burgelman
Mukti Khaire: Culture and Commerce: The Value of Entrepreneurship in Creative Industries
Stephen Mezias
Rangaraj Ramanujam and Karlene H. Roberts (eds.): Organizing for Reliability: A Guide for Research and Practice
Karl E. Weick
Each article in this issue is featured in a blog on my site Organizational Musings . And don't forget that our student-run ASQ Blog features interviews with ASQ authors that offer insights into the research and writing process.
You now have three ways to connect with ASQ on social media: follow us on Twitter (@ASQJournal), like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ASQJournal ), and follow us on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/administrative-science-quarterly/ ).
Henrich R. Greve, INSEAD
Editor, Administrative Science Quarterly