Special Issue:Patricia Wolf, Jens O. Meissner, Terry Nolan, Mark Lemon, René John, Evangelia Baralou & Silke Seemann (Eds.): Methods for Qualitative Management Research in the Context of Social Systems Thinking / Qualitative Methoden zur Managementforschung in sozialen Systemen 368 pages.
This HSR-Issue offers a Print Version of the FQS Online Edition (FQS 2010, 11/3). The papers follow three thematic threads that seem to be of particular importance to qualitative ma-nagement research from the stance of systems theory. The first of these themes relates to observation, i.e. the observable in management research. The second stream discusses up to date methods and the design of system theoretic studies for application in empirical research. And the third thread highlights the implications of those studies on what was studied, i.e. management in organizations. The presented papers offer a variety of ap-proaches for designing and conducting system theoretic research projects as well as how to present the findings within the respective research field.
The term “social systems” is derived chiefly from the theoretical starting point propounded by Niklas LUHMANN. A key underlying assumption for this special is-sue is our belief that the reluctance of the scientific com-munity to apply LUHMANN’s social system theory in management research boils down to first the relative difficulty readers face when trying to follow his writing and the complexity of the theoretical approach, and, second and more significantly, a missing methodological basis for conducting research grounded in LUHMANN’s social system theory and related theoretical approaches.
A very strong motivation for the composition of the special issue was the – from the perspective of qualitative management studies – under researched field of methods using a social systems approach. The most important driver for reprinting the special issue in Historical Social Research is the insight that social systems research can not be conducted without the knowledge about the historical development of a specific situation and the evolutionary dynamics of social systems. Socially constructed presence is only interpretable and understandable by knowing and reflecting on the development path of an organization, taking its stories and narrations into account. Thus, this issue contributes to extend the methodological understanding of historic social research with relation to organization and management studies.
Allen Abonnentinnen und Abonnenten von H-Soz-u-Kult bieten wir die neu erschienene HSR-Ausgabe Vol. 36 (2011) No. 1 zu einem Sonderpreis von € 12,- an.
Rückfragen und Bestellungen richten Sie bitte an: zhsf@gesis.org Dr. Philip Jost Janssen GESIS HSR Redaktion Liliencronstr. 6 50931 Köln Fon +49 / 221 / 476 94 - 96 Fax +49 / 221 / 476 94 - 55 Links zur HSR: <www.gesis.org/hsr> <www.ssoar.info/index.php?id=145> <www.hsr-retro.de/>
CONTENTS
SPECIAL ISSUEPatricia Wolf, Jens O. Meissner, Terry Nolan, Mark Lemon, René John, Evangelia Baralou & Silke Seemann (Eds.): Methods for Qualitative Management Research in the Context of Social Systems Thinking / Qualitative Methoden zur Managementforschung in sozialen Systemen
Patricia Wolf, Jens O. Meissner, Terry Nolan, Mark Lemon, René John, Evangelia Baralou & Silke Seemann Methods for Qualitative Management Research in the Context of Social Systems Thinking / Qualitative Methoden zur Managementforschung in sozialen Systemen. Seite 7
Cristina Besio & Andrea Pronzini Inside Organizations and Out. Methodological Tenets for EmpiricalResearch Inspired by Systems Theory. Seite 18
Gian-Claudio Gentile Die Gesprächsanalyse der dokumentarischen Methode als “Schlüssel” zu selbst-referenziellen Kommunikationssystemen? Theoretisch-methodologische Grundlagen und empirische Vignetten. Seite 42
Victoria von Groddeck The Case of Value Based Communication – Epistemological and Methodological Reflections from a System Theoretical Perspective. Seite 66
René John & Jana Rückert-John Observing Possibilities. A Function-Analytical Approach to Organizational Change Processes. Seite 87
Tina Bering Keiding Observing Participating Observation – A Re-description Based on Systems Theory. Seite 106
Morten Knudsen Surprised by Method – Functional Method and Systems Theory. Seite 124
Mark Lemon, John Craig & Matthew Cook Looking In or Looking Out? Top-down Change and Operational Capability. Seite 143
Katharina Mayr & Jasmin Siri Management as a Symbolizing Construction? Re-Arranging the Understanding of Management. Seite 160
Jens O. Meissner & Martin Sprenger Mixing Methods in Innovation Research: Studying the Process-Culture-Link in Innovation Management. Seite 180
Thorsten Peetz, Karin Lohr & Romy Hilbrich Management, Organisation, Struktur. Theoretische Überlegungen und empirische Ergebnisse zur Transformation des Managements von Bildungsorganisationen. Seite 199
Harald Tuckermann & Johannes Rüegg-Stürm Researching Practice and Practicing Research Reflexively. Conceptualizing the Relationship Between Research Partners and Researchers in Longitudinal Studies. Seite 230
Patricia Wolf Balanced Evaluation: Monitoring the “Success” of a Knowledge Management Project. Seite 262
MIXED ISSUE
ARTICLES
Rainer Diaz-Bone Die Performativität der Sozialforschung – Sozialforschung als Sozio-Epistemologie. Seite 291
Ronald Gebauer Cadres on the Diplomatic Stage. The Social Origins and Career Patterns of GDR’s Ambassadors. Seite 311
CLIOMETRICS
Marcela Veselkova Global Imbalances from the Historical Perspective. Seite 321