Socially Sustainable Technologies Flagship - Research Flagship Project

Building ‘Our’ Productivity: Understanding Sustainable Collective Productivity in New Zealand Firms
(Foundation for Research, Science and Technology, New Zealand)

Research Team

Science Leader: Professor Sally Davenport (Victoria University of Wellington, science leader)

Researchers: Associate Professor Urs Daellenbach (Victoria University of Wellington), Senior Lecturer Jane Bryson (Victoria University of Wellington), Professor Shirley Leitch (Swinburne University of Technology), Professor Judy Motion (University of New South Wales), Dr Geoff Mason (Senior Research Fellow at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, UK ). 

Publications and Other Research Outputs

• Publications
  

  Leitch, S., and Palmer, I. (2010). Analyzing Texts in Context: Current Practices and New Protocols for Critical Discourse Analysis in Organization Studies. Journal of Management Studies, 47 (6): 1194-1212.

  Renton, M., Davenport, S., Bryson, J., Daellenbach, U., Leitch, S., Scott, S., and Motion, J. (2010), ‘’We must be more productive’: Global discourse strategies’, Australian & New Zealand Academy of Management (ANZAM) Conference, Adelaide.

  Leitch, S., Davenport, S., Motion, J. and Renton, M. (2010), ‘The ‘Truth’ of science and the branding of food products and organizations’, European Group of Organization Studies (EGOS) Conference, Lisbon.

  Motion, J., Leitch, S., and Davenport, S. (2010), ‘Global Network facilitators, entrepreneurial mavericks and deal makers’, European Group of Organization Studies (EGOS) Conference, Lisbon.

  Davenport, S., Leitch, S., Motion, J., and Renton, M. (2009), ‘Mobilizing scientific discourse to rebrand organizational identity’, European Group of Organization Studies (EGOS) Conference, Barcelona.



• Media Coverage
• Audio Visual Material
  

Context

The fundamental research question for the project is: What is ‘our’ collective productivity and how does it differ between high and medium value-added firms within sectors and between sectors? In a knowledge economy it is likely that intellectual capital (explicit and tacit knowledge, innovation models), symbolic capital (identity and brands) and social capital (relationships and networks) are vital to generating sustainable value. Thus, the specific research objectives are: i) to identify successful collective strategies and processes for sustainably improving firm productivity, ii) to understand what attributes and value intangible capitals (intellectual, symbolic and social) bring to collective productivity, and (iii) to compare firm-level productivity in two sectors, the innovation and alliance intensive biotechnology sector and the more labour intensive food & beverage sector, in order to understand the transferability of strategies and processes.

Research Programme

A case study research design is used which is based upon the Strategic Theory of the Firm, which considers the firm to be a bundle of tangible and intangible resources and capabilities to be managed, and data analyses employ a range of theoretical frameworks and methodological approaches. A critical discourse analysis (CDA) is being conducted of the textual production processes, discursive practices and the broader socio-economic and cultural contexts that influence sustainable productivity. CDA is an approach which considers the interrelationship between the three dimensions of discourse: texts (both written and spoken, including visual elements); discourse practices (associated with the production, distribution and consumption of texts); and socio-cultural practices (the broader context within  which discourse practices are enacted).

Links

• Victoria University of Wellington
• University of New South Wales
• National Institute of Economic and Social Research, UK