Mason, Katy and Beech, Nic and Denyer, David (2011) Approaches to Studying Management Practices. In: 2011 Annual Meeting of the British Academy of Management, 2011-09-13 - 2011-09-15.
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
Many organization, strategy and management researchers have commented on the value of the practice-based approach which, drawing on movements in social sciences more generally, has been referred to as 'the practice turn'. While practice is often conceived as bundles of activities, there are significant differences in the conceptions of activities and their connections to one another. Practices are the context of action and are themselves constituted through meaningful action. Thus the study of practices incorporates understanding activities, experiences, presentation (and re-presentation), skills, learning and the materiality of action. However, a rich theoretical background and diverse contributions create conflicting advice for managers and researchers alike. The purpose of this symposium is to enable those in the field to explore the different positions adopted and to discuss where productive dialogues and debates between those positions might be fostered.