This study initially aimed to evaluate dynamic capability theory using a longitudinal empirical case of a highly successful FTSE-100 company operating within a volatile market. Using a range of rich qualitative data to open the “black box”, dynamic capabilities theory is extended through a detailed account of the process through which the case firm reconfigures and deploys their so-called zero-order or operational capabilities. Although there is a burgeoning literature, research findings remain diverse, disparate and largely conceptual. The limited examples of empirical work in the extant literature, tend to focus on what dynamic capabilities are with little attention in demonstrating how they actually operate. This study details several stages of significant change within the case firm as it moves from start up to its current MNE status. In-depth interviews with the senior team both past and present capture discussions of those factors underlying the success of this firm. Thematic development revealed examples of resource configurations and routines that matched dynamic capability as defined in literature. However, attempts to use Winter's (2003) hierarchy of capability to organize the data proved inadequate; far from being heterogeneous, the dynamic capability found looks like best practice; and whilst operational capability can be seen to evolve, the dynamic capability identified has not. Turning to the wider strategic management literature one can argue that the dynamic capability found in this firm fits better with a wider set of concepts such as knowledge management, absorptive learning, organizational change, leadership, HR practices, strategic decision making, team building, etc. Using a dynamic capability perspective, the findings might extend the under-developed notions of dynamic managerial capability and entrepreneurial fitness. Dynamic managerial capability, as described in the literature, can be articulated within the case firm. Managerial agency is key to competitive success in this firm and this study shows that the concept of agency is more encompassing than that of dynamic managerial capabilities and Teece’s (2007) vision of sensing, seizing and reconfiguring. There are cognitive aspects to creating the context for leadership action and the roles of sense-making and sense-giving to sustain the organizational culture and create the framework for innovation, learning and change. Yet, it is equally possible to account for competitive advantage within this case without recourse to dynamic capability theory. By linking the data gathered to the concept of "dominant logic" (Prahalad & Bettis, 1986; 1995), it is argued that traits and attitudes of the founders and senior managers of the case firm contribute to the “logic” that drives action. Over time these traits have been expressed as a series of simple rules that, in turn, have been operationalized in an organizational culture providing the context for the development of both routines and ad-hoc action. The thesis then demonstrates analytically how rules and their underlying traits act as a mechanism for the creation, sustenance and adaptation of operational capabilities traceable directly to actions taken in response to or in anticipation of environmental changes as well as actions taken in the context of an organizational culture which reflects these rules and underlying traits. It is through managerial agency that rules are created, the culture sustained and “entrepreneurial fitness” is achieved. As such, the research presented here contributes to the resource-based theory of the firm without recourse to the dynamic capabilities construct.

Market-heavy pension systems, in which low or moderate state benefits are topped up by private welfare arrangements, have long been expected not only to create dualisms, but also to fuel patterns of politics that perpetuate and even increase such dualisms over time. The starting point of this research is the observation that while some market-heavy pension systems indeed remain dualised in the post-industrial context, others have become more universal, either through changes to the structure of the state pension or through regulation to extend the coverage of private pensions. My research objective is to explain the universalising changes that have occurred. I show that the very institutional features that are usually expected to lead to further dualisation, namely a reliance on market-based arrangements, the prevalence of targeting and limited earnings replacement, contribute to bringing about universalising reforms. In particular, I show how under certain conditions these institutional features help structure the policy preferences of key political actors such that those actors usually associated with the extension of state provision embrace market means, while those associated with private provision push for the expansion of the state pension. I use fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) of nine market-heavy pension systems over the three decades since 1980 to map the combinations of causal conditions under which universalising reforms have occurred. In addition, I present case outlines linking the institutional conditions to the reform outcomes via the policy preferences of key political actors. In doing so I provide a causal logic that reinforces the results of the fsQCA and offers a substantial explanation for the introduction of universalising reform in some market-heavy systems, as well as for the absence of such reform in others.

This thesis is based on a study with 42 public servants, who were white-collar workers in the Taiwan Provincial Government (TPG). The downsizing in the TPG is used as an opportunity to explore how particular public servants adjust themselves to changes, how they interact with the bureaucratic organisation and how they use interpersonal networks to sort out difficulties in their work. In order to understand these situations, the case study method is used. Semi-structured interviews are also employed in this study. This study aims to re-conceptualise learning, with reference to the way public servants interact with their colleagues and their environment. It attempts to build on the view that individuals' learning in bureaucratic organisations can be triggered by social processes emanating from their mutual engagements and shared practices. The claim is supported by data associated with introducing and discussing the concept of communities of practice. It supports the view that learning is a social practice and that its motivation grows out of the interaction between interpersonal networks and daily sense-making activities. Based on this argument, the thesis traces 4 basic elements in relation to the desire to be accepted by the group, making comparisons, establishing interpersonal networks and engaging in exchanges. The argument is that learning is a by-product of social interactions. Considering the relationship between power and the market in knowledge, individuals engage in a learning process in order to acquire particular resources. This research indicates that the sluggish system such as the TPG still has the potential to break the power hierarchy of the bureaucracy so as to facilitate its members' learning of organizational knowledge. This research also suggests that the influence of the basic elements is modulated by 3 factors - one's value system, official business and one's attitude to interactions.

Within the NHS, there has been endorsement of a central role for clinical leaders in the organisation, where clinical leadership is defined as leadership for clinicians, by clinicians. This is a reflection of recent attempts by the NHS to move from a hierarchical, command-and-control, transactional model of leadership, to one based on a transformational, distributed approach. Assumptions have been made that new models can be adopted within the organisation at clinical level, but literature has identified significant challenges in the introduction of a clinical leadership model. Notable is the long-standing divide between clinicians and managers, with clinicians tending to denigrate the role of managers in the organisation. In addition to this, leadership development has often been unstructured and post hoc in the NHS, but recent policy has suggested a new approach, where clinical leaders are offered timely and appropriate development. The question arises, how do clinicians make a transition to clinical leadership, and what factors influence the construction and enactment of a clinical leader identity? To address issues of identity construction in clinical leadership, I focus on the case of midwifery, where there has been a struggle to attain a distinctive professional identity within the NHS. The profession has been singled out for attention in recent reports, on the basis of concerns relating to the ageing workforce profile and the devastating impact of poor or ineffective leadership. I use an in-depth case study approach, incorporating observation of three midwifery-focused leadership development programmes, narrative interviews with nine midwifery leaders, and interaction with an online midwifery forum, in order to gain insight into the challenges facing midwives who make the transition to leadership roles in the NHS. Using role and social identity perspectives, I explore the complex interaction between individuals, professional group and wider organisational structures in clinical leadership identity construction and enactment. I challenge ideas of shared language and identity within the midwifery profession, demonstrating the destructive nature of conflict within the professional group, and I address the challenges faced by the profession in establishing a distinctive identity at the organisational level. Both of these issues are found to be important in the construction and enactment of a clinical leadership identity.

This study assesses information-seeking and perceptions of expertise in Electronic Networks of Practice (ENoPs). ENoPs are a particular type of online community focused on sharing information related to a specific work-related profession (Wasko and Faraj, 2005). To date, there has been little empirical work on the dynamics of information exchange in ENoPs (Whelan, 2007). The little we do know is based on face-to-face communities, which cannot be generalized to online interactions due to changes in size, purpose, and method of communication. Understanding the type and perceived value of information is an important line of theoretical inquiry because it has the potential to identify the specific informational needs these communities fulfil and the types of people most likely to fulfil them. This research was conducted in an ENoP focusing on the exchange of information related to the practice of engineering. The community studied, Eng- Tips, is a thriving network focusing on the practice of engineering that has produced over 150,000 posts, and is comprised of engineers from twenty-one different specialties. Interactions take place solely through the use of virtually mediated technology, and focus primarily on practice-related issues. The format of interaction is typically based on a query and a stream of ensuing replies. Data were collected through metrics and a coding procedure that allowed me to identify the most common queries in the ENoP. My data revealed queries in the ENoP tended to focus on obtaining solutions, meta-knowledge, or validation. The high emphasis on validation was similar to that found in face-to-face friendship networks, and was contrary to Cross et al.’s (2001) anticipated results, most likely due to the presence of anonymity. I also found that experience of interacting with multiple specialties (i.e. interactional expertise) was positively associated with perceived expertise. Finally, I discovered that replies, giving out nominations, and frequently logins were positively associated with the number of expert nominations one received in the community. This research makes contributions to both theory and practice. I contribute to theory on information-seeking by extending Cross et al.’s (2001) research to the online environment, and articulating the type of informational benefits sought in the ENoP. I contribute to theory on expertise by exploring the characteristics associated with perceived expertise, and exploring the reasons why interactional expertise may be particularly valued in ENoPs. My work in this area reveals that—in the context of the ENoP studied—a ‘common practice’ is highly fragmented and loosely knit, further distinguishing this entity as a unique organizational form. My findings in this area call into question the validity of a practice-based approach for examining these entities, and for these reasons, I suggest they may be better conceptualized as Electronic Networks of Discourse. Practical ramifications focus on describing the type of information members want to obtain from their involvement in the community, which may benefit members, organizations, and managers of the ENoP.

This thesis explores the EU-GCC relationship and tests the hypothesis that if the EU and the GCC states share interests and grand goals, to the extent that these are prioritised by the EU and its member states, then value-driven differences are subordinated to interests and as a result (i) the EU and the GCC states enhance their relationship towards a “strategic partnership” and (ii) the EU’s (self-) image as a foreign policy actor is weakened in terms of its normative (self-)image and enhanced in terms of its effectiveness as a useful ‘strategic partner’ in a multipolar and interdependent world. In doing so, the thesis attempts to provide a comprehensive conceptualisation of a ‘strategic partnership’ and to test it within the broader context of EU foreign policy, exploring the role of interests, values and (self-)images in the shaping of EFP. The framework of ‘strategic partnership’ is applied in two case studies of economics and politics; the EU-GCC negotiations for establishing a Free Trade Area and the cooperation of the EU and the GCC states in dealing with the crises in Yemen. The findings of the research suggest that the EU and the GCC states, to the extent that they prioritise their common interests and respond to each other’s (self-) images deriving from the current symmetrical power balance, are moving towards a strategic partnership. Despite the wide gap in the value systems of the parties, this factor has not been the most decisive for the development of this relationship. This conclusion calls for further exploration of the shaping and application of EFP, especially having in mind on one hand the ‘normative power’ argument and on the other hand the need of the EU to negotiate interests, values and perceptions when dealing with emerging powers. Regarding the concept of ‘strategic partnerships’ the research confirms the central role of the symmetrical power balance between the parties and their interdependency. It has identified a level of division of labour between the EU and the GCC states regarding regional challenges and it has highlighted the role of non state actors. It has also underlined the need for flexibility, questioning the role of cohesiveness and institutionalisation of interactions as prerequisites for a ‘strategic partnership’.

This thesis investigates three research questions about the nature of managerial work: (1) What do we know about the nature of managerial work?; (2) To what extent is the work of top managers in the public and private sectors different?; and (3) What are the ethical implications of using the shadowing method to study top managers? These three research questions are presented in three research papers. The first paper titled Historical developments in research on managerial work: A critical overview is a comprehensive literature review, which outlines how research on managing has evolved theoretically, methodologically, and empirically since inception. Identifying a number of gaps in the literature, this paper suggests that much could be gained if contemporary notions of practice are brought into the study of managerial work and increased attention were paid to the sociomaterial, situated, and gendered nature of managerial work. The second paper in this thesis, Is managing in the public and private sectors really 'different'? A comparative study of managerial work activities is based on the results of an observational study in which four Canadian healthcare CEOs were shadowed for a period of 12 weeks (488 hours). Using a set of structured categories set out by Mintzberg (1973) this paper examines the extent to which managerial work is similar and different in the public and private sectors by comparing results to an investigation conducted in the private sector. Through an analysis of work type, hours, location, activities, and contact patterns, this paper finds that there are relatively few differences between the work activities of public and private managers at the top manager level. Implications for future research, managerial practice, recruitment, education, and training are theorized. The third paper in this thesis, Ethical issues and dilemmas in shadowing research: Lessons from the field of managerial work, explores ethical situations that were encountered in this study. Informing research ethics and methodology literature, this paper outlines and critically evaluates the ethical process followed in this study of top managers. Dividing the ethics process into two phases, those addressed by ethics committees (procedural ethics) and those that revealed themselves in the field (ethics in practice), this paper illustrates that while useful, procedural ethics committees are unable to establish ethical practice in and of themselves. In response, this paper poses a number of suggestions as to how ethical practice can be attained through reflexivity and contingency planning. As a collection of three independent, yet interrelated papers on the nature of managerial work, this thesis contributes to management theory, management practice, and the methodological study of management by: (1) Providing researchers with a new plateau from which managerial work can be studied and theorized; (2) Presenting fresh empirical data and conceptualizations on what top managers do in practice; and (3) Offering insights as to how managerial work can be ethically and practically investigated.

This thesis examines intra-organizational opportunities and career paths for managers in the context of a general trend of downsizing. The thesis presents new evidence on the impact of the trend on the traditional career and aims to produce an analysis that moves beyond the optimistic and pessimistic accounts. The strength of an in-depth investigation was sought in companies within the same industrial environment and labour market. All the research sites are in the automotive sector and geographically located in the Midlands, England. Field work was carried out at Rover Group Ltd., LucasVarity Aerospace Ltd., GKN Automotive Driveline Division UK Operations Plc., and Valeo (UK) Wipers Systems Ltd., and covered also Mayflower Vehicle Systems Plc. and Peugeot Motor Company Plc. as ancillary sources of information. This is a long-established sector of the economy where change may have a more dramatic impact. The case-study was the format chosen as the best suited for my predominantly exploratory endeavour. The main tools of data collection were a questionnaire and semi- structured interviews directed at managers. The former concentrated on core matters such as the managers' education and past career paths. The latter enabled deep-probing so as to explore detail and perceptions. Primarily with a qualitative orientation, collected data were sorted and analysed within categories that emerged from inside this same material. A quantitative element was incorporated with a complementary controlling function. This joint approach elicited findings which answered some important questions. In face of a pessimistic literature on managers in the downsized organization, Dopson and Stewart (1990) suggested that there might still be some hope. Other optimistic authors came to emphasize managerial empowerment to an extreme, notably Heckscher (1995) with the vision of a `professional' manager in a post-corporate era. My results can be linked, instead, to existing studies that adopt a middle ground between optimism and pessimism, such as Watson's (1994) and, more recently, Gratton et al. 's (1999). My own distinctive contribution is two-fold. The boundaries of current knowledge are expanded at an empirical level with fresh evidence on the management career, revealing how managers are making sense of, and living with, a situation of career uncertainty and pressure. At an analytical level, the thesis develops a theoretical model which condenses the key conclusions of the present research study and depicts the emerging structure of a spiral career, with limited upward movement for many and further spiralling upwards for the minority. The former is for `the majority of us'; the latter is for the `high flyers' and the `shining stars'. Optimism applies to this group while for the rest there is not uniform reluctance but realistic acceptance of the situation by many combined with cynicism expressed by some.

This study aims to develop an in-depth understanding of the policy of Saudiization, situating it within its real-life context in the Saudi public sector. The purpose is to evaluate critically how national culture-based programmes like Saudiization, infused as they are with universalistic assumptions, can affect organisations, focusing specifically on their impact upon job performance and organisational effectiveness. Adopting an holistic and integrative approach, Saudiization is examined, both in process and content terms, and from different dimensions (strategic, cultural, organisational, and managerial).Within each dimension, related literature is critically reviewed to guide the discussion and frame the investigation of the linkage between Saudiization and job performance. The main findings reveal the reality of Saudi society and work organizations to be diverse, yet neglected in policy deliberations. There are cultural differences, diversities and contradictions within Saudi society and organisations, despite commonalities and similarities at the macro level. These differences and diversities have been found to influence work-related values, attitudes, behaviour, relationships and practices significantly, making the link between national culture, organisational culture and job performance more complex than predicted through Saudiization and in previous studies. The failure to recognize this diversity and complexity limits the potential of Saudiization, and in some areas detracts from the stated aim of improving job performance and organisational effectiveness. Taken together, the theoretical and empirical sections of this thesis provide a more compelling and realistic picture of the cultural diversities within Saudi society and organisations, counteracting the influence of narrow yet popular accounts of homogeneity. Pluralist thinking is incorporated to provide a better understanding of the complex link between organisational culture and job performance and to highlight the pitfalls of the crossvergence perspective when examining the link between national culture and local management practices. The crossvergence perspective tends to omit intra-cultural differences and subcultures, implying that management values and practices are culture or country-specific.

The main objective of this study is to develop an understanding of the causes of turnover in manufacturing companies in the West Bank. Within this context, the study attempts to investigate the characteristics of ex-workers in relation to the causes of turnover which influence their decisions, the characteristics of short-term, medium-term and long-term quitters. In addition the way in which the reasons for turnover perceived by ex-workers, personnel managers and union leaders are examined. This study emphasises the differences between causes, conditions and correlates of turnover. Finally, the study relates the correlates to the causes of turnover rather than to the turnover rates as done by many previous studies. In order to achieve the main objective of the study, 306 ex-workers, 30 personnel managers and 10 union leaders were included in this study (questioned or interviewed). The result of the study showed that the major reasons for turnover which influenced the ex-workers were (i) inadequate salary (ii) poor supervision (iii) lack of autonomy at work. In addition availability of jobs in the neighbouring labour markets was a condition which also encouraged the workers to leave their work. Moreover, it was found that personal reasons were the least frequently cited reasons. But, personal characteristics were found to be the most important group of variables which discriminate between the responses of leavers.