Disliked Practices

In recent years, the concept of organizational practices has become increasingly popular in organization studies. The focus of research that follows a "practice approach" is on the actual activities in organizations as opposed to prescribed procedures or standardized routines. This book is about a hitherto neglected category of practice, namely, disliked practices in organizations. On the basis of an empirical study in three German companies, the author reveals how continuous practicing of disliked practices results in a discrepancy between practitioners and their practices. This stands in contrast to previous literature, which understands practices as being exclusively positive and in which the consent of the practitioner to their practices is generally assumed. Based on the findings from the inductive study, the author develops a Theory of Disliked Practices, which explicates findings about the nature and the evolvement of disliked practices, and the negative effects of disliked practices on practitioners and organizational functioning. This book addresses researchers, lecturers, students and all those interested in organization studies and related disciplines, such as industrial-organizational psychology and sociology. The results of the study have significant implications for practice theory and methodology. Moreover, the theoretical model presented in this book provides a valuable basis for further research. Beyond that, the book will be insightful for managers and consultants who strive to improve the well-being of employees and overall organizational functioning.