Knowledge that Transforms

Despite the increased salience of metaphor in organization theory, current perspectives are flawed and misguided in assuming that metaphor can be explained with the so-called comparison model. I therefore outline an alternative model of metaphor understanding—the domains-interaction model—which suggests that metaphor involves the conjunction of whole semantic domains in which a correspondence between terms or concepts is constructed rather than deciphered and where the resulting image and meaning is creative. I also discuss implications of this model for organizational theorizing and research.

Social science theories can become self-fulfilling by shaping institutional designs and management practices, as well as social norms and expectations about behavior, thereby creating the behavior they predict. They also perpetuate themselves by promulgating language and assumptions that become widely used and accepted. We illustrate these ideas by considering how the language and assumptions of economics shape management practices: theories can "win" in the marketplace for ideas, independent of their empirical validity, to the extent their assumptions and language become taken for granted and normatively valued, therefore creating conditions that make them come "true."

“What determines the scope of the firm?” is one of the most fundamental questions in strategic management. We argue that, in addition to product relatedness, a focus on institutional relatedness—defined as an organization's informal linkages with dominant institutions that confer resources and legitimacy—helps answer this question. We address this question both longitudinally (firms in developed and emerging economies over time) and cross-sectionally (developed versus emerging economies), thus contributing to an institution-based theory of corporate diversification.

We propose a model of justice in teams that articulates the social influence processes through which shared perceptions of justice emerge and that explores the subsequent effects on team effectiveness outcomes. We also consider barriers to the emergence of shared team justice and introduce configural forms of justice that may result. Theoretical and practical contributions of the model for understanding the meaning and operation of justice at the team level of analysis are discussed.

The article reviews the book ?Winning in Asia: Strategies for Competing in the New Millennium,? by Peter J. Williamson.

I present a complex theoretical explanation that draws on multiple bodies of literature to present an academically rigorous version of a simple argument: good deeds earn chits. I advance/defend three core assertions: (1) corporate philanthropy can generate positive moral capital among communities and stakeholders, (2) moral capital can provide shareholders with insurance-like protection for a firm's relationship-based intangible assets, and (3) this protection contributes to shareholder wealth. I highlight several managerial implications of these core assertions.

This article presents a response by Richard M. Steers, Richard T. Mowday and Debra L. Shapiro to Christopher Michaelson's comments on the July 2004 “Academy of Management Review” Special Topic Forum regarding the Future of Work Motivation Theory. Steers and colleagues agree with Michaelson that the articles in the forum did not directly address his desire to see further linkages developed between work motivation theories and people's legitimate desire for meaningful lives. The authors note that no papers were submitted to this special issue directly examining the topic and encouraged Professor Michaelson to develop this linkage. If there are to be any future papers on the subject the line of theory development will need to be differentiated from current constructs in work motivation research which currently focus on intrinsic sources of motivation.

We offer a simple model of policy making, emphasizing socialization and limits on human cognition to explicate mechanisms of change in emergent (as opposed to established) institutions. Emergent institutions are more susceptible to change, and their opponents may use frames or existing reference points to illustrate inconsistency with prevailing notions of legitimacy. Broader institutional structures and specific organizational characteristics moderate pressure for change. This perspective has novel implications for strategy and policy design.

We present a theory of how individuals compose their reflected best-self portrait, which we define as a changing self-knowledge structure about who one is at one's best. We posit that people compose their reflected best-self portrait through social experiences that draw on intrapsychic and interpersonal resources. By weaving together microlevel theories of personal change and macrolevel theories of human resource development, our theory reveals an important means by which work organizations affect people's capacity to realize their potential.

Current models of how emotion regulation impacts strain focus on intraindividual processes that operate within the mind and body of the person regulating the emotion. This article presents a social interaction model of how emotion regulation impacts strain based on interpersonal processes. In this model, explanations of how emotion regulation impacts strain are based on the receiver' response to the sender' emotion regulation and display, the form of emotion regulation, and the emotion being regulated.