Organisational identity and alcohol use among young employees: A case study of a professional services firm

Background: Cultural influences on young people's drinking have been the focus of much research and policy practice. Young people's drinking is influenced by a range of institutions, including the workplace, yet this has received comparatively little attention by researchers and policymakers. This study examines the workplace influences on young people's drinking through the conceptual lens of organisational identification. Methods: Data was collected through 16 semi-structured interviews with mainly young employees of a professional services firm in New Zealand. The interviews were coded and analysed thematically, generating five themes of alcohol use at work. Results: Alcohol was used in a number of ways by the respondents in relation to their work, from acting as a means of relieving stress or anxiety induced by work, to providing a means for bonding with work colleagues. Their work also impacted on their alcohol use in more 'positive' ways (e.g. respondents limiting their intake to prevent damage to their career prospects). Conclusion: The study highlights how processes of organisational identification both encourage and inhibit alcohol use. The consumption of alcohol at work provides young professionals with a medium to engage in a variety of organisational identification processes. An understanding of these processes can assist policymakers in focusing on the workplace, an area largely ignored to date, as a target for their campaigns aimed at reducing the harmful effects of young people's heavy alcohol use. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Organisational identity and alcohol use among young employees: A case study of a professional services firm

Background: Cultural influences on young people's drinking have been the focus of much research and policy practice. Young people's drinking is influenced by a range of institutions, including the workplace, yet this has received comparatively little attention by researchers and policymakers. This study examines the workplace influences on young people's drinking through the conceptual lens of organisational identification. Methods: Data was collected through 16 semi-structured interviews with mainly young employees of a professional services firm in New Zealand. The interviews were coded and analysed thematically, generating five themes of alcohol use at work. Results: Alcohol was used in a number of ways by the respondents in relation to their work, from acting as a means of relieving stress or anxiety induced by work, to providing a means for bonding with work colleagues. Their work also impacted on their alcohol use in more 'positive' ways (e.g. respondents limiting their intake to prevent damage to their career prospects). Conclusion: The study highlights how processes of organisational identification both encourage and inhibit alcohol use. The consumption of alcohol at work provides young professionals with a medium to engage in a variety of organisational identification processes. An understanding of these processes can assist policymakers in focusing on the workplace, an area largely ignored to date, as a target for their campaigns aimed at reducing the harmful effects of young people's heavy alcohol use. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Scientization, instrumentalization, and commodification of mindfulness in a professional services firm

Mindfulness programs, and related practices of contemplation and spirituality, are a growing trend in contemporary work organizations. Increasingly adopted into corporations, mindfulness is often described as a remedy for workplace challenges such as constant hurry, interruptions, and stress. Despite increasing research on mindfulness, little research examines how mindfulness is adapted in corporate settings, including concerns of co-optation during implementation. This article addresses this gap by qualitatively examining corporate mindfulness practices within an international, knowledge-intensive firm. We identify the processes of scientization, instrumentalization, and commodification of mindfulness programs, exploring the mechanisms by which these three processes interact with each other. We conclude by discussing the importance of scientization, instrumentalization, and commodification for understanding mindfulness in practice, and for building a research agenda around emic and situated understandings of corporate mindfulness.

STRATEGIC SYNERGY OF SERVICE OFFERINGS WITHIN A PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FIRM

The architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry has traditionally been structured based upon a firm concentrating on select markets and specific service offerings. More recently, however, the industry has moved away from the piece by piece process of developing a project into a more holistic view. This paper suggests the concept that holistic strategies can create positive business synergies. Two types of synergies are identified-synergies related to practice and knowledge and synergies related to service and delivery. Examples of these synergies are provided with cases provided for engineering, architecture, and management firms. The increase in strength of the firm as a result of the strategy is more than the net additive growth or change; hence, it is deemed synergistic. Conclusions identify the synergies outcomes and discuss the need for future research in this area, particularly data-based research to test the theory.

Innovation management and Value Chain Design: Case of a Small Professional Services Firm

The concepts of innovation and innovation management were usually associated with large firms in developed countries that focused on product manufacturing. More recently, researchers turned to studies of innovation in services and the relevance to small firms in developing countries. This paper explores the relevance and applicability of the concept of innovation management to small firms, particularly in the field of professional services, in the context of a developing state. A qualitative research method was employed involving collection and analysis of published articles, reports, and leading texts on the subject of innovation management. The main finding is that innovation management is highly relevant to small firms especially those that operate in the services sector. The value of the paper lies in the fact that innovation management and value chain innovation were not previously investigated in small professional services firms in the Caribbean, and, therefore, the paper contributes to filling that gap in the literature. The practical implications for managers are that open innovation and services innovation must be embraced, and business model and value chain innovation are critical to small firm delivery of services.