Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at

2007, Vol. 50, No. 1, 25–32.

A ‘‘building code’ ’ for preference measurement is needed in a world in which many expressions of preference are constructed when people are asked a valuation question. Construction of preferences means that preference measurement is best viewed as architecture Ž building a set of values. rather than as archaeology Ž uncovering existing values.. We describe potential faults in the process of preference construction, offer guidelines for measuring constructed preferences Ž a ‘‘building code’ ’. to mitigate these faults, and discuss how the code must be sensitive to the purpose of the valuation Ždesign vs. prediction.. Key words: constructive preferences, value measurement, decision aiding JEL Classification: D80

Abstract not found

On behalf of:

suggestions. We are also deeply indebted to the many administrators, scientists, managers, and entrepreneurs who agreed to be interviewed. Martha Cobb and Melissa

Lotus Notes, a broad-based software environment tailored for access to distributed databases and electronic communications, has been called the "foundation of a virtual library. " Its flexibility and ability to incorporate numerous databases across domains make it a contemporary "microcosm " of how electronic resources can be a tool for organizational learning. Lotus Notes is a particularly rich environment for finding and archiving existing information, no matter how ephemeral or "unofficial." However, offering an interoperable information infrastructure and delivery system does not, by itself, render information useful. Based on the results of a recent ethnographic study of a customer support organization, we learned that customer support personnel help each other find and make use of information through face-to-face collaborations. Collaborative processes such 1 as joint problem-solving, re-registering problems, data interpretation and sifting information are part of the larger enterprise that turns stored information into knowledge. Moreover, we identified a key person in the group whose breadth of knowledge and troubleshooting skills were so well developed that he became an indispensable "information mediator " for the group.

Most extant knowledge management systems are constrained by their overly rational, static and acontextual view of knowledge. Effectiveness of such systems is constrained by the rapid and discontinuous change that characterizes new organizational environments. The prevailing knowledge management paradigm limits itself by its emphasis on convergence and consensus-oriented processing of information. Strategy experts have underscored that the focus of organizational knowledge management should shift from `prediction of future' [that cannot be computed] to `anticipation of surprise.' Such systems may be enabled by leveraging the divergent interpretations of information based upon the meaning-making capability of human beings. By underscoring the need for synergy between innovation and creativity of humans and the advanced capabilities of new information technologies, this article advances current thinking about knowledge management.

Methodological fit, an implicitly valued attribute of high-quality field research in organizations, has received little attention in the management literature. Fit refers to internal consistency among elements of a research project—research question, prior work, research design, and theoretical contribution. We introduce a contingency framework that relates prior work to the design of a research project, paying particular attention to the question of when to mix qualitative and quantitative data in a single research paper. We discuss implications of the framework for educating new field researchers. To advance management theory, a growing number of scholars are engaging in field research, studying real people, real problems, and real organizations. Although the potential relevance of field research is motivating, the research journey can be messy and inefficient, fraught with logistical hurdles and unexpected events. Researchers manage complex relationships with sites, cope with constraints on sample selection and timing of data collection, and often confront mid-project changes to planned research designs. With these additional challenges, the logic of a research design and how it supports the development of a specific theoretical contribution can be obscured or altered along the way in field research. Compared to experimental studies, analyses of published data sets, or computer simulations, achieving fit between the type of data collected in and the theoretical contribution of a given field research project is a dynamic and challenging process.

The capitalist and socialist societies of the 20 th century assigned firms different roles within their economic systems. Enterprises transforming from socialist to market economies thus face fundamental organizational restructuring. Many former state-owned firms in the transition economies of Central and Eastern Europe have failed at this task. These firms have pursued primarily defensive downsizing, rather than strategic restructuring, as a result of both internal and external constraints on restructuring strategies. Building on the organizational learning and resource-based theories, we analyze strategies available to management in privatized, former state-owned enterprises in transition economies to restructure their organization. Both internal forces promoting or inhibiting the restructuring process, and external constraints arising in the transition context are examined. A model and testable propositions are developed that explain post-privatization performance. Implications of our research point to the ways in which firms should manage and develop their resource base to transform to competitive enterprises.