Boston College
glynnmg@bc.edu
My research has been
concerned with the
construction of
meaning in and by
organizations.
Topics that define
the domain of POS,
such as creativity,
learning,
intelligence, play,
symbolism, and
identity, have been
the subjects of my
work at both the
individual and
collective levels.
In my research, I
study these
POS-related
processes and
examine their
implications and
effects on personal
and systemic change.
Currently, I focus
on POS through the
macro-level lens of
institutionalism.
With Tim Dowd of
Emory University, I
am exploring the
changing context of
positive
organizational
practices and
activities. We focus
on the potential
struggle between
substantive and
formal rationality
(i.e., a
value-driven logic
of operation vs. an
efficiency-driven
logic) and how that
struggle unfolds
across time (and
organizations). We
equate positive
organizational
practices and
activities with
substantive
rationality which
often faces threats
from pressures
arising from more
dominant modes of
formal rationality.
The substantive base
of POS practices can
fall away with time,
can erode in the
face of economic
challenges, or can
wane with diffusion
(e.g., when
organizations adopt
the “routines” of
positive
organizations
without the
“substance” that
informs these
routines). As a
result, positive
organizational
practices face the
considerable
challenge of
reproduction. With
this focus on POS
forms, we
investigate how and
under what
circumstances POS
forms are likely to
reproduce
successfully. The
institutional view
of POS emphasizes
the fragile nature
of positive
organizational
practices and
routines, reminding
us to celebrate
those moments when
they do erupt.
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