Roundtable `Cognition,Rationality and Governance' Dedicated to the Memory of Herbert A. Simon – Introduction

Journal of Management and Governance -     

A ‘No Blame’ Approach to Organizational Learning

In high‐reliability organizations (HROs) even minor errors can seriously hinder the very existence of the firm and the safety of employees and customers. Field studies have shown that HROs encourage the reporting of errors and near misses, exploiting these incidents to improve their operative processes. In this paper, we describe this practice as a ‘no blame’ approach to error management, and link it to learning theory, showing how no blame practices can enhance organizational learning. By taking a cognitive perspective of organizations, we draw on existing contributions and on a set of empirical case studies to discuss the characteristics of no blame practices, and their applicability in traditional, non‐HROs. Our findings show that, in exploiting information from error‐reporting, no blame practices are beneficial in environments where learning and reliability issues are particularly relevant. Empirical evidence suggests that a no blame approach can be extremely constructive for organizations that want to enhance their learning processes. We conclude that a no blame approach is a valuable way to achieve an organization that has flexibility and variability. However, no blame practices imply a set of organizational issues and costs that pose significant challenges to firms operating in non‐high‐reliability settings. The findings from our study contribute to the literature on HROs and organizational learning.     

Support networks and social support for persons with psychiatric disabilities—a Swedish mixed-methods study

The aim of this study was to explore the structure, interaction, and function of the support networks of women and men with psychiatric disabilities. The study took a mixed-methods approach, using quantitative (n=181) and qualitative (n=42) data from a region in southern Sweden. The quantitative results showed that the respondents received widespread support of different types and from many different sources. However, the qualitative interviews revealed that many of the interviewees did not perceive the received support as supportive. The respondents’ internal resources influenced both their ability to receive support and their perception of the support. The informal and formal support sources formed the external resources of the respondents. Our interviewees often experienced formal support as conditional support, while informal support from the family was experienced as unconditional. There was thus a gap between the structure and function of the social support. This article contributes important knowledge from the perspective of persons with psychiatric disabilities.     

A Geometric Approach to Nonlinear Econometric Models

Conventional tests for composite hypotheses in minimum distance models can be unreliable when the relationship between the structural and reduced‐form parameters is highly nonlinear. Such nonlinearity may arise for a variety of reasons, including weak identification. In this note, we begin by studying the problem of testing a “curved null” in a finite‐sample Gaussian model. Using the curvature of the model, we develop new finite‐sample bounds on the distribution of minimum‐distance statistics. These bounds allow us to construct tests for composite hypotheses which are uniformly asymptotically valid over a large class of data generating processes and structural models.     

A structured procedure for materials planning during production transfer

This paper explores materials planning procedures to ensure the materials’ availability during production transfers. The paper defines a production transfer as the preparation, physical transfer and start-up of relocated production. A structured procedure of materials planning during production transfer is developed based on theory, and then validated and refined based on the analysis of four case studies. The paper shows that there is a need for a structured procedure of materials planning during production transfers. It also explains the importance of activities that create prerequisites for the materials’ availability during production transfer, such as updating and adapting documentation, planning and control systems, and describes the activities that ensure the materials’ availability, such as preventive and corrective actions. A valid estimation of the time needed to reach a steady state and a combination of several preventive actions improves the ability to ensure that materials are available. The cases showed differences across company size, because large companies took more and farther-reaching preventive actions.     

NCWWI Traineeships: A National Cross-Site Evaluation of Child Welfare Stipend Programs for Ethnically Diverse Students

The task of recruiting and retaining ethnically diverse, qualified, and committed social workers in child welfare is challenging. Federal funding supporting BSW and MSW education has been a catalyst for university–agency partnerships across the country. An important goal of these partnerships is to prepare social work students with the knowledge, skills, and competencies for effective child welfare practice. The National Child Welfare Workforce Institute’s innovative child welfare traineeships program prepares students from 12 social work programs around the country. This study focused on diversity, competency attainment, and readiness for the job. Results showed that programs recruited ethnically diverse students, and after receiving child welfare–specific content and hands-on experiences in the field, students felt competent and prepared for child welfare work.     

Child Aggression as a Source and a Consequence of Parenting Stress: A Three‐Wave Longitudinal Study

This longitudinal study examined the links between child aggression and parenting stress over 4 years. Child aggression was hypothesized to contribute to parenting stress, which should increase aggression. Parents and teachers of 239 German children aged between 6 and 15 years completed measures of child aggression at Time 1 and Time 3, complemented by children's self‐reports of aggression at Time 3. Parents rated their child‐focused and parent‐focused stress at an intermediate measurement Time 2. Child‐focused stress mediated the path from Time 1 to Time 3 aggression in boys and girls, whereas parent‐focused stress was unrelated to Time 3 aggression. The findings help to understand the continuity of aggressive behavior in childhood and adolescence and highlight the need to intervene early with families susceptible to parenting stress.     

A generalized analysis of the dependence structure by means of ANOVA

The multiple non-symmetric correspondence analysis (MNSCA) is a useful technique for analysing the prediction of a categorical variable through two or more predictor variables placed in a contingency table. In MNSCA framework, for summarizing the predictability between criterion and predictor variables, the Multiple-TAU index has been proposed. But it cannot be used to test association, and for overcoming this limitation, a relationship with C-Statistic has been recommended. Multiple-TAU index is an overall measure of association that contains both main effects and interaction terms. The main effects represent the change in the response variables due to the change in the level/categories of the predictor variables, considering the effects of their addition. On the other hand, the interaction effect represents the combined effect of predictor variables on the response variable. In this paper, we propose a decomposition of the Multiple-TAU index in main effects and interaction terms. In order to show this decomposition, we consider an empirical case in which the relationship between the demographic characteristics of the American people, such as race, gender and location (column variables), and their propensity to move (row variable) to a new town to find a job is considered.