Zeit in Organisationen — Eine kurze Bestandsaufnahme

This article analyzes the demands of time on organizations and the way how organizations deal with time. Especially two aspects are important in the context of the argumentation: Firstly the patterns of organizational structuring of time is dealt with. Here we find a clear hierarchical distribution of time-autonomy. The second aspect refers to general developments of time structures in society and their demands on modern organizations: Removing restrictions of time and space in the context of globalization leads to increasing speeding up and flexibility. Consequences of these developments are high demands on organizations and their members, which have been, so far, rather neglected both in the theory of business administration and in daily routines and lifes in organizations.     

Das vereinte Deutschland — Eine lebenswerte Gesellschaft?

This paper focusses on the question how people measure the quality of life in the German society. The analysis shows that citizens perceive a number of problems: lack of equal opportunities and social justice, insufficient protection from crime and deficits in social security. Some people even hold that elementary rights of freedom have not been realized. Against this background, the citizens’ overall evaluation of the German society is presented as well as the importance of the aspects of freedom, security, justice and wealth. Finally, the question is discussed why east Germans regard the social conditions in the Federal Republic in a far more critical way than west Germans. It becomes obvious that neither an interpretation based on the theory of socialization nor an interpretation based on the actual situation is apt to provide an adequate explanation of this phenomenon. For this purpose, an alternative model of explanation has been introduced that integrates objective and subjective aspects and gives them a historic dimension, following Koselleck’s definition of “experience” and “expectation”.     

Zerbrochene Liebe: Unterschiede und Gemeinsamkeiten in den Ursachenzuschreibungen der beiden Partner — Eine Interviewstudie —

This essay analyses the subjective attribution processes of six couples after the separation. The theoretical basis for this exploration of attributions is a classification scheme (Debler, W. 1984) with dimensions location, stability, globalisation and control. The result is the predominating manifestation of external attribution in the sense of making the partner responsible. The hypothesis that all cases of women desiring the separation show a stronger internal attribution cannot be confirmed. In a second evaluation, concrete attributions in connection with communication, personal characteristics of the partner, birth of the first child and sexuality are pointed out in the context of the overall stories. In connection with personal characteristics of the partners the phenomenon of “changing attribution” can be observed — a trait of the partner that initially rated positive is seen as a cause of separation at the end of the relationship.     

Die Wirkung organisationaler Rituale – Eine qualitative Interviewstudie

Organizational rituals pose a paradox. They are ubiquitous in business and other organizations; however, they do not fulfill an obvious organizational purpose. Psychological research on ritual suggests that group rituals fulfill important social functions and thereby solve the adaptive problems associated with living in large groups. Prior research on organizational ritual is dominated by case studies that often neglect the ritual participants’ perspective. Thus, in this article we aim at investigating which effects organizational members attribute to organizational rituals and at tapping into the implicit theories concerning the evolution of these effects. Based on qualitative interviews conducted with employees of different organizations from different sectors, holding different positions and employment contracts, the effects of organizational rituals on the individual as well as on the group level will be presented. Results suggest that organizational group rituals are linked above all with positive effects, whereby fostering and establishing group cohesion is the most frequently mentioned effect. The article will conclude with practical implications derived from the study results.     

Eine Forschungsstudie zum Elternkurs des Deutschen Kinderschutzbundes e.V. „Starke Eltern — Starke Kinder®“

The course for parents organized by the German Society for the Protection of Children ?Strong parents — strong children“ offers support to parents in their methods of upbringing their children. The effects the participation in this course can have on parents, their children, the family atmosphere and the partents-child relationship were evaluated in a research study at the University of Applied Sciences Cologne.After briefly introducting the course for parents the study ist meant to show how deeply the drawing up of research parameter (i.e. dimensions of education) and the realisation of the evaluation were influenced by the anthropology and dialogical pedagogy of the Polish doctor and pedagogue Janusz Korczak (1878–1942).The contribution describes pedagogical reflections on and the relevant dimensions of the educational methods that encourage respectively inhibit development. The essay then delivers first results of the accompanying research.     

Choosing to Stay: (Im)Mobility Decisions Amongst Mongolia’s Ethnic Kazakhs

One of the defining characteristics of globalization is the increased flow of migrants across international borders. Fluctuating migration flows in rural communities of the Global South have the potential to significantly contribute to or undermine the livelihoods of local residents. Households that choose not to migrate, that remain immobile, play a key role in sustaining rural communities. Migration studies in the Global South, however, have largely neglected these households. Utilizing questionnaire and life history interview data collected between 2006 and 2009, we examine immobility amongst the Kazakh ethnic minority population in rural Mongolia. Our findings challenge the dichotomous portrayal of immobile households as either ‘left behind’ or ‘embedded’ within their community, providing evidence that immobility decisions are both fluid and flexible and require more interrogation from scholars. Our findings help broaden the social and cultural context in which immobility studies are conducted and the characterization of immobility amongst non-migrant populations. More broadly, this study contributes to our understanding of the implications to livelihood sustainability in rural communities.     

Sozialkompetenz im Projektmanagement: Eine unterschätzte Dimension

The article explains the systematic position of the concept of social competence and argues for a social-science-approach to project management, since the lager part of the project management literature is mainly oriented methodologically. A discussion of the epistemological reasons shows that a mere psychological approach comes too short. Since any behaviour is social behaviour and success or failure always emerges from social situations, the situational components of behaviour need to be taken into account in a more substantial way. In the context of a research project for the Austrian branch of the IPMA (International Project Management Association) the consequences of these considerations for certifications of project managers are discussed. The question was how the existence and availability of social competence can be checked in assessments and how the assessors can be prepared for this “fuzzy” and non-technical component of project management skills.     

Kundenorientierung: Eine Managementaufgabe mit psychologischem Feingefühl

From a psychological point of view the concept of customer orientation is discussed and its importance for business reengeneering is demonstrated. The transformation of this concept into concrete strategical steps is given. Thus, this concept is much more complex than typically applied. Frequently isolated measures are dysfunctional and expensive. Finally, this concept demands a cooperation with the customer as a complex psychic system.     

Dualismus oder Reduktion – Eine Antwort auf Gregor Bongaerts

Gregor Bongaerts (2016b) has objected to my criticism of arguments in favor of a non-reductive sociology (both articles in this journal) and my proposal of a reductive individualism more generally. This contribution defends reductive individualism as a viable program in social theory. Bongaerts’s main objection, that I do not distinguish sufficiently between creation (Urheberschaft) and causation (Verursachung), can only be understood as an objection if one conceives the social sense of an action as an irreducible collective concept. Although this possibility cannot be excluded a priori, it poses a number of fundamental challenges. Firstly, it has to be asked whether or not this position can be connected with a realization proviso (that everything social is ultimately realized by individuals). Secondly, the attribution argument used by Bongaerts is either no objection to individualism, or it is threatened by a logical regress, since it is not plausible that subsequent interpretations of an action can produce the subjective meaning related to action. Finally, the question arises whether a collectivist argument does not require a collective bearer of meaning-attribution, the existence of which can hardly be asserted within the framework of a practice theory inspired by Bourdieu. The essay ends with some questions, especially with regard to the multi-dimensionality and unity of Bongaerts’s concept of meaning (Sinn).     

Eine neue Methode zur Untersuchung von Mikroprozessen in Lerndyaden: Eine Videostudie unter Berücksichtigung von kognitiven Grundfähigkeiten und Zielorientierungen

The study at present uses a new video method with individual audio tracks to investigate micro processes within learning in a simulation based learning setting. Visible and listenable behaviour was coded with regard to peer tutoring and problem solving. The frequencies and durations of these categories were summarized and used as dependent variables in regression models with cognitive abilities and goal orientations as predictors. Results showed that variation in the dyadic interactional behaviour was systematically related to these properties of the partners. For example, while overt problem solving behaviour is related to goal orientations there was no such effect for the cognitive abilities. Implications for the composition of dyadic learning groups and for further video study arrangements applying the new method will be discussed.     

Neue Heimat Vorstandsteam? Eine Frau wird Mitglied im Unternehmensvorstand

The article is based on interviews of board members of German companies as part of a study conducted by the Bertelsmann Foundation. It examines the question how the sole female members tried to make themselves influential in the team. To succeed in making top management teams more diverse it is not enough to appoint a woman to a Board of Directors. She will only stay and contribute meaningfully if she is respected and can be influential. Considering the homogenity and exclusivity of German Boards this is no easy task. Also considered are obstacles and supporting conditions of the organisational context.     

Trapped in the Working Class? Prospects for the Intergenerational (Im)Mobility of Latino Youth

Opportunities for upward mobility have been declining in the United States in recent decades. Within this context, I examine the mobility trajectories of a contemporary cohort of 1.5‐, second‐, and third‐plus‐generation Latino youth. Drawing on survey data from California that accounts for the precarious legal status of many 1.5 generation immigrants, I find that Latino youths' patterns of postsecondary enrollment and employment do not differ by generation since migration. Additionally, I do not find evidence of racial/ethnic barriers to Latino youths' enrollment in less selective colleges and participation in the labor market. Yet, given the low socioeconomic origins of many Latino youth and their correspondingly low 4‐year college enrollment rates, only a small proportion will likely enjoy upward mobility through jobs that require a bachelor's degree. Overall, the cohort of Latino youth coming of age during the Great Recession is poised to experience working‐class stagnation. This group's future access to economic and political positions of power will likely be limited by their low enrollment rates in 4‐year colleges in general, but in selective postsecondary institutions in particular.     

Der Einfluss des Kooperationsverhaltens auf den Unternehmenserfolg – Eine spieltheoretische Analyse

The influence of competitive behaviour in contrast to cooperative behaviour within a company on the productivity and employer’s satisfaction is analyzed based on the game theoretical work of Robert Axelrod and compared to the empiric results of Adam grant’s studies on reciprocity. The superiority of cooperative cultures compared to competitive cultures is shown including a quantitative estimation. Additionally, we discuss these results in the context of neurobiology and Kant’s categorical imperative.     

Supervision im Spiegel der Kritik: Eine kritische Rückspiegelung

This treatise is a critical and belligerent flashback of Tomke Böhnisch’s article ?Anspruch und Wirklichkeit eines Beziehungsberufes“ wich was published in this journal (2/2002). This article is based on the text analysis of several publications from trade journals of Supervision. Its thesis is that the authors of those publications do not have a reflective attitude towards their own advisory work. In the following answer, formal aspects of the made analysis are questioned critically concerning their hermeneutic conclusiveness, and it is proven that the author obviously did not succeed in fully understanding the meaning of the texts she criticizes.     

Young people’s drinking spaces and Im/Mobilities: a case of ‘hyper-diversity’?

This paper draws on a ‘palette’ of interdisciplinary methods to explore young people’s alcohol consumption practices and experiences in the hyper-diverse suburban locations of Chorlton and Wythenshawe, Manchester, UK. This paper contributes to literature on the emerging theme of hyper-diversity by exposing the heterogeneity of young people’s drinking experiences, with a focus on bars, pubs, streets and parks. I demonstrate how young people’s inclusion and exclusion from such spaces is bound up with the traditional identity markers of age, gender and class, alongside more performative, embodied, emotional and affective aspects; for instance, the atmospheres, smell and soundscapes of particular drinking spaces. More than this, the paper enhances understandings of hyper-diversity by elucidating the ways in which young people’s everynight alcohol-related mobilities and diversity interpenetrate each other. Through analysing young people’s alcohol consumption practices and experiences, I show how young people are hyper-diverse in terms of their alcohol-related lifestyles, attitudes, and activities.     

Wenn alle tatsächlich in einem Boot sitzen — Eine Studie zur Identifikation mit der Schule im Kontext einer erlebnispädagogischen Gruppenerfahrung

We report on the results of an experience-pedagogic project on the identification of pupils from a technical school with their classes and school. The analysis is done from a perspective of organisational psychology and group dynamics, which is influenced by the social Identity Approach. It is stipulated that the experiences of a communal out-of-school activity strengthens the organisational identification. Additionally, it is verified whether the attitudes of the pupils towards their classes, and the participation in lessons, changes by influence of the project. The study shows a positive effect of this experience on organisational identity, attitudes toward the school, and behavioural intentions.     

Demokratischer Smog? Eine empirische Untersuchung zum Zusammenhang zwischen Sozialschicht und Umweltbelastungen

For years the public and scientific debate about Environmental Justice was mostly confined to the U.S. Only recently, the question about the existence and strength of the “social gradient” of environmental pollution has entered the European debate. Earlier research simply records subjective perceptions of pollution and correlates them with indicators of social status. Objective measures of environmental quality are seldom used, and even then only in studies of small geographic areas. In contrast, the present study uses various objective measures of air pollution (nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter, ozone) and road traffic noise (day, night) and assigns them to the respondents of the Swiss Environmental Survey 2007 (N?=?3 369) using a geographic information system (GIS). The combination of objective GIS coded data with subjective measures allows for a new approach in Environmental Sociology that takes spatial context into account, which is often neglected in sociological studies. Using bivariate and multivariate statistical methods this objective data on pollution is related to indicators of social stratification such as income, education and nationality as well as the subjective perception of pollution. Subjective and objective measures of pollution are positively correlated with the interesting exception of ozone. Surprisingly, and contrary to the expectations, income is not significantly correlated with the pollutants considered and there is even a significant and positive correlation with education. In the multivariate analysis, however, a significant and negative correlation with income is observed, although this effect is fairly weak. Also, foreigners from Non-Western countries suffer from a higher burden of environmental pollution. However, in comparison to social and minority status differences in environmental impact between urban areas and the countryside are much more pronounced. We suppose that problems of environmental justice may be more accentuated in countries with a higher degree of segregation than in the Swiss population.