Peter J. Frost

This book features some of the most informative and provocative articles to appear in the Crossroads section of Organizational Science. Crossroads is devoted to the publication of papers intended to stimulate conversations across different disciplines, perspectives, and orientations. Written by outstanding scholars, the themes of the book cover a wide range of issues at the heart of the study of organizations. These include debates over the role of economics in strategic management research and the now classic exchanges between Jeff Pfeffer and John Van Maanen over the direction of organizational science studies; discourses that describe, analyze and critique ways to present and understand organizations, including a re-appraisal of Gibson Burrell and Gareth Morgan's seminal work on sociological paradigms of organizational analysis and views on (organizational) culture expressed by several leading writers on the topic: It includes dialogues on some quite radical or unusual "takes" on organizational life: the role of the tempered radical or unusual "takes" on organizational life: the role of the tempered radical, working inside the organization for fundamental change; the dilemmas facing individuals publishing qualitative research in main stream journals; the implications of adopting a spiritual lens to the study of organizations; and a discussion of ways we might better bridge the gap between academic thinking and business practice. The articles reveal the authors' depth of knowledge and passion for their subject. They are an ideal source of information and insight, for both new and mature scholars. These debates can serve as an excellent basis to spark enlightened and enjoyable conversations in research seminars and are very useful for informal study.

This book features some of the most informative and provocative articles to appear in the Crossroads section of Organizational Science. Crossroads is devoted to the publication of papers intended to stimulate conversations across different disciplines, perspectives, and orientations. Written by outstanding scholars, the themes of the book cover a wide range of issues at the heart of the study of organizations. These include debates over the role of economics in strategic management research and the now classic exchanges between Jeff Pfeffer and John Van Maanen over the direction of organizational science studies; discourses that describe, analyze and critique ways to present and understand organizations, including a re-appraisal of Gibson Burrell and Gareth Morgan's seminal work on sociological paradigms of organizational analysis and views on (organizational) culture expressed by several leading writers on the topic: It includes dialogues on some quite radical or unusual "takes" on organizational life: the role of the tempered radical or unusual "takes" on organizational life: the role of the tempered radical, working inside the organization for fundamental change; the dilemmas facing individuals publishing qualitative research in main stream journals; the implications of adopting a spiritual lens to the study of organizations; and a discussion of ways we might better bridge the gap between academic thinking and business practice. The articles reveal the authors' depth of knowledge and passion for their subject. They are an ideal source of information and insight, for both new and mature scholars. These debates can serve as an excellent basis to spark enlightened and enjoyable conversations in research seminars and are very useful for informal study.

This is a 'must-have' book. It is a primer to publishing for all Ph. D. students and junior faculty members. --Anne Tsui, Graduate School of Management, University of California, Irvine "The most difficult transitions faced by entering doctoral students are those associated with (1) becoming a scholar rather than a student and (2) moving from the business world to the academy. What is research? What is quality research? What skills are required to produce a quality manuscript? What role does the journal system serve and how does it work? How are manuscripts refereed? What do professors at research universities do? How are they evaluated and rewarded? What does it take to be successful as a scholar at a research-oriented academic institution? These and other issues are effectively addressed through the 28 thought-provoking yet entertaining essays of unusually consistent quality contained in Publishing in the Organizational Sciences. The essays are timeless, promoting journeys and treks through a landscape that is otherwise unlikely to be encountered. Students love the book and the conversations it promotes. I cannot think of a more appropriate vehicle for introducing these critically important issues to the next generation of scholars in the organizational sciences." --Robert W. Zmud, Department of Information and Management Sciences, Florida State University Presenting a range of analytical and emotional issues, Publishing in the Organizational Sciences is a comprehensive overview of all aspects of the publishing process. Unique in its content, this volume is written especially for the prospective author/scholar who wants to learn more about the field to advance their career and publishing success. Some of the topics covered in this provocative volume are the manuscript review process, publication system, newcomers' perspectives, values, reviewing manuscripts, rejection, becoming a reviewer, and editorial process. More than just a "how-to" book, Cummings and Frost examine the process from the perspective of the writers, reviewers, editors, and readers, ranging from the newcomer to the established scholar. The authors explain the entire context of scholarly publishing and how it should work toward advancing knowledge and successful management practice. This comprehensive, detailed volume is a must for students and professionals in organization and management studies.

Doing Exemplary Research is one of my favorite books because it is one of the most open and least contained books, out of whose intertextuality many other possible books can be written, journeys made, and exemplars established. It is a book that does much more than it says. It is capable of many readings, diverse indexing, and possible trajectories. It works, despite itself on occasion, as a postmodern text, rewritten every time it is read. Stewart Clegg in Contempory Sociology "The pieces by the original authors are very illuminating about the false starts, frustrations, and interpersonal problems in doing research in organizations, as well as difficulties associated with getting material published. In the book's last two chapters, the editors explore the common themes in the preceding chapters and then speculate about the broader significance of the seven exemplars. These two chapters are excellent and more insightful than most of the commentaries. Frost and Stablein reveal a number of common themes which are well illustrated with examples from the preceding discussions. . . . The book provides an excellent introduction to the nature of the research process as it is lived by researchers . . . as such it will be of immense use to students of research methodology." --Organization Studies "I could scarcely put Doing Exemplary Research down until I had finished it. I found it engrossing and enlightening. . . . Your book is the richest of all the texts and readings on organizational sociology to which I have been exposed. . . . You have made a tremendous contribution to my knowledge of the field and growth as a social scientist!" --Marcia R. Prior-Miller, Iowa State University "This book is an unusual and valuable one on how research in the social sciences is actually carried out. . . . The book's structure is itself innovative. . . . Frost and Stablein have themselves achieved a piece of exemplary research in this book. I found it engrossing and rewarding reading, and enthusiastically recommend it to anyone interested in how social scientists actually go about the process of doing good research. Its messages are of particular practical value to younger members of the research community who should benefit even more from their second and third readings. It could make the basis of a good short course within any post-graduate research program in business studies." --Creativity and Innovation Management "By having both junior and senior scholars reflect on the work that led up to their exemplary research publications, this book provides valuable insights into the contemplation, speculation, perspiration and frustration that constitute successful research. The emphasis on process in Doing Exemplary Research is unique and the book deserves a wide readership in all fields of management and the social sciences. In my class the students from mathematics, economics, and behavioral science backgrounds all found the book informative and, indeed, inspiring." --Kenneth R. MacCrimmon, E. D. MacPhee Professor of Management, University of British Columbia "Absorbing. Instructive. These are at least two of the terms that best describe this book for me. It is absorbing in the sense that any good book of short stories draws readers in and holds their interest tightly from one chapter to the next--virtually a 'can't put it down until I've finished' volume. It is, then, thoroughly engrossing in a charmingly engaging manner. However, the book is also much more than that--much more than the proverbial 'good read.' This is because it is also highly instructive in the way in which it makes you think and ponder while you are perusing it. No one, rookies or veterans alike, can come away from this collection of commentaries and observations without having learned something at a deeper level than before about the research process. This volume illuminates and teaches as well as entertains. . . . Together with their elicitation of authors' and experts' commentaries and their own analyses, (Frost and Stablein) have produced an exemplary book." --from the Foreword by Lyman Porter "This is a work of the spirit. It is an edited collection of moral journeys into the inner life and craft of scientific research in organization studies. . . . This format offers enlightening juxtapositions of the viewpoints of writers and readers of each research study and of the front-stage and back-stage goings-on of each research study. These juxtapositions also make for a dramatic structure that builds and holds the reader's interest. . . . Instead of lording over the reader with textbook commandments about how research ought to be done (commandments that confirm us all in sin), it beseeches the reader with moral stories of research done well. Far from the canonical ideal, these stories depict a research process that includes more error, more success, more effort, more serendipity, more despair, more humor, and more human drama. Charming anecdotes abound. . . . (These stories also) depict a research process that is a complex and nuanced whole, rather than a stylized construction of logical steps and simple techniques." --Lloyd Sandelands, University of Michigan Research is a curious process of immersion in ideas and data, passion, insight, challenge, uncertainty, persistence, and learning regardless of the outcome. Once in a while there comes along a book that opens a window on the research process, giving research a human face by introducing the human element into a methodical process. Doing Exemplary Research is just such a book. These fascinating recollections of research journeys provide an array of ideas and insights about how research takes place that leads to exemplary outcomes. Contributions feature recollections by the researchers on the origins, experiences, and outcomes of the studies and original expert commentaries upon those classic models. An exciting inside look at the give and take of scholarly collaboration and the process of doing empirical research, the candid accounts and revealing commentaries in this volume seek to demystify the research process and provide inspiration for future research. Doing Exemplary Research is an essential resource for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, as well as researchers across the social sciences. It will be of special interest to those in the organizational sciences, including organizational consultants, managers, and other professionals.