Exeter Centre of Leadership talk- Bex Hewett- What’s interesting about people management in self-managing organisations?

What’s interesting about people management in self-managing organisations?

In self-managing organizations (SMOs), authority is formally distributed throughout the workforce, enabling employees to collectively make decisions, set objectives, and manage their own work processes. The reduction in management hierarchy which is part of SMOs has the potential to foster a culture of autonomy, trust, and innovation, and harness the diverse skills and talents of their members, fostering adaptability in an ever-evolving global landscape. Yet there is also a risk that the removal of well-established forms of governance and participation create greater control from social norms and individual pressure. Despite a popular narrative that SMOs reduce complexity in management processes, in some ways they actually create a greater need for well-designed people management practices (e.g., thorough onboarding, individual coaching, transparent reward practices). In this study – which involves c.40 organisations who are in some way self-managing – we explore what is interesting and important from an HRM perspective. I will initial report findings from a study about practices which enable high participation in SMOs, and some preliminary reflections on some emerging questions about the function of leadership control; the implications of neo-liberal versus socialist narratives which underpin SMOs; and some questions about manager identity in this context. 

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Bio:

Bex Hewett is an Associate Professor in the Department of Organisation and Personnel Management of Rotterdam School of Management. Her work is driven by a passionate belief that work should make people's lives better. Bex's research focuses on the interface between HR practices and people's everyday experiences at work. She is interested in how work and employment can be designed to benefit the lives of workers whilst achieving organisational goals. Bex is currently looking at how people management works in self-managing organisations. Her research has been published in journals including Journal of Management, Journal of Management Studies, Human Relations, Human Resource Management Review and Human Resource Management.

Bex is Academic Director of RSM’s part-time PhD programme and works with organisations to apply research to practice via the Erasmus Centre for HR Excellence. She is currently an Associate Editor of Human Resource Management Review and a member of the Executive Committee of the HR Division of the Academy of Management.

Bex was awarded her PhD from Royal Holloway, University of London. Prior to this she worked for 10 years as an HR professional, finally as Head of HR Operations at Ofcom (the UK's communications regulator).

If you would like the MS Teams link please email T.M.Welch@exeter.ac.uk