Papers by silvio carlo ripamonti
RISORSA UOMO, 2005
Presentazione: Il presente contributo presenta il dispositivo di ricerca adottato ed alcuni dei p... more Presentazione: Il presente contributo presenta il dispositivo di ricerca adottato ed alcuni dei principali risultati di un processo di produzione di conoscenza e di apprendimento organizzativo sviluppato a partire dalle iniziative promosse dall'Assessorato Formazione e Lavoro della Provincia ...
In family firms, the business and the family are two arenas in which processes significantly over... more In family firms, the business and the family are two arenas in which processes significantly overlap and influence management. The present paper investigates the overlap of the family system and the business through the use of culture. Adopting an idiographic approach and recognising the unique psychodynamic process of family business (FB), this study aims to identify the cultural patterns within the FB, starting from what families define as a) family, b) business and, c) the generational change. Twenty-five family firms were considered during the generational change. The results show how and when this overlap takes shape pointing out how the role of family tradition can became a critical or success factor for the business.
Patient centered care (PCC) is an essential dimension of healthcare systems' mission worldwide an... more Patient centered care (PCC) is an essential dimension of healthcare systems' mission worldwide and is
recognized as an important condition for ensuring the quality of care. Nonetheless, it is also acknowledged
that various care providers perceive patient centeredness differently and that there remain several
unanswered questions about the aspects of healthcare delivery that are linked to an actual achievement
of PCC. In the paper, we categorize the current research on PCC into two streams (“dyadic” and “organizational”)
and we discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each. Despite their important contributions
to healthcare services research, these approaches to PCC do not fully capture the network of practices
and relationships constituting patients and providers' experiences within healthcare contexts. Therefore,
we propose an alternative interpretation of PCC that integrates insights from “practice theories” and
emphasizes the negotiated and local nature of patient centeredness, which is accomplished through the
engagement of providers and patients in everyday care practices. To develop such interpretation, we
propose a research approach combining ethnographic and reflexive methods. Ethnography can help
achieve more nuanced descriptions of what PCC truly encapsulates in the care process by drawing
attention to the social and material reality of healthcare contexts. Reflexivity can help disentangle and
bring to surface the tacit knowledge spread in everyday care practices and transform it into actionable
knowledge, a type of knowledge that may support services improvement toward PCC. We anticipate that
such improvement is far from straightforward: an actual achievement of PCC may challenge the interests
of different stakeholders and unsettle consolidated habits, hierarchies and power dynamics. This unsettlement,
however, can also serve as a necessary condition for engaging in a participative process of
internal development. We discuss the outcomes, limitations and benefits of our approach through a
hospital case study.
In family firms, the business and the family are two arenas in which processes significantly over... more In family firms, the business and the family are two arenas in which processes significantly overlap and influence management. The present
paper investigates the overlap of the family system and the business through the use of culture. Adopting an idiographic approach and
recognising the unique psychodynamic process of family business (FB), this study aims to identify the cultural patterns within the FB, starting
from what families define as a) family, b) business and, c) the generational change. Twenty-five family firms were considered during the
generational change. The results show how and when this overlap takes shape pointing out how the role of family tradition can became a
critical or success factor for the business.
Management Learning
The aim of this article is to demonstrate the importance of local knowledge for the design of ass... more The aim of this article is to demonstrate the importance of local knowledge for the design of assessment tools
intended to develop and enhance human resources in organizations. With respect to the standardization
of assessment procedures brought about by the application of universal and global reference models, the
article uses a case study to illustrate the potentialities and shortcomings of using a local approach. After a
brief survey of the main theoretical frames of reference, the article describes how local knowledge was used
at an assessment centre set up at a multinational operating in the maritime transport sector, with a view to
developing the competences required by the company. The article describes and discusses the ways in which
certain classic knowledge management situations were adapted at the assessment centre to local needs and
conditions, and the main results obtained. Finally discussed are the practical and social implications, as well
as the limitations and the transferability, of a local approach to assessment.
Journal of Management Inquiry, May 6, 2015
Managers today increasingly find themselves facing unexpected problems, needing to learn how to c... more Managers today increasingly find themselves facing unexpected problems, needing to learn how to cope with complex
environments and to take action in an often chaotic flow of events. This article discusses how researchers can engage
managers in a form of dialogical action research, capable of nurturing knowledge and change. This is achieved by creating
space for collaborative dialogue between managers and researchers, and supplementing it with the integration of a reflexive
writing practice. We first present methodological reflections related to the challenges of sustaining management practice
through action research. Second, we explicate dialogical action research and illustrate the reflexive writing practice through
two vignettes which provide opportunities to reflexively explore “how things work” in managers’ organizational contexts.
This forms the basis for sustaining participation and learning at individual and collective levels. Finally, we identify and discuss
the specific conditions and limits of such an approach.
Journal of Workplace Learning, 2009
Purpose -This paper seeks to provoke thoughts around the possibility of using the lever of practi... more Purpose -This paper seeks to provoke thoughts around the possibility of using the lever of practices and situated knowledge to trigger organisational change and to redesign it with the involvement of the whole organisation. Design/methodology/approach -The paper presents connections between a psychosociological approach and a practice-based approach. The use of ethnomethodology is offered as a way to detect situated practice and meaning at works. Findings -This contribution underlines how change and learning in organisations can find support in investing in local knowledge and in detecting and reflecting around the living practices of daily activities. Knowing in practice requires the involvement and continuous work of connecting among individuals, groups, organisations and institutions in situated contexts. The paper shows how strategic a process this is, presenting a way to work on situated data. Practical implications -The paper represents a way to work on organisational change grounded on action research. Originality/value -The paper combines a psychological perspective within the field of practice-based studies and sustains a specific ethnographic method to create organisational areas of reflexivity.
Systemic Practice and Action Research, 2011
This article explores the importance of power and dissymmetry in promoting participative knowledg... more This article explores the importance of power and dissymmetry in promoting participative knowledge and change in action research. Based on the analysis of two action research cases, the paper builds its argument by analyzing two key aspects: the construction of the action research setting and its maintenance during the process. It does so by highlighting the decisions assumed with respect to the relationship between researchers and participants and with respect to power issues. The findings indicate that promoting a functional dissymmetry in internal relationships allows distribution of the necessary types of power that make the participants use their authority and knowledge to invest in change. Thus, the distributed leadership is essential every time an organization needs to create a realistic and workable change of roles and responsibilities inside its boundaries. The article discusses some key factors in employing dissymmetry for sustained learning and knowledge-sharing.
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Papers by silvio carlo ripamonti
recognized as an important condition for ensuring the quality of care. Nonetheless, it is also acknowledged
that various care providers perceive patient centeredness differently and that there remain several
unanswered questions about the aspects of healthcare delivery that are linked to an actual achievement
of PCC. In the paper, we categorize the current research on PCC into two streams (“dyadic” and “organizational”)
and we discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each. Despite their important contributions
to healthcare services research, these approaches to PCC do not fully capture the network of practices
and relationships constituting patients and providers' experiences within healthcare contexts. Therefore,
we propose an alternative interpretation of PCC that integrates insights from “practice theories” and
emphasizes the negotiated and local nature of patient centeredness, which is accomplished through the
engagement of providers and patients in everyday care practices. To develop such interpretation, we
propose a research approach combining ethnographic and reflexive methods. Ethnography can help
achieve more nuanced descriptions of what PCC truly encapsulates in the care process by drawing
attention to the social and material reality of healthcare contexts. Reflexivity can help disentangle and
bring to surface the tacit knowledge spread in everyday care practices and transform it into actionable
knowledge, a type of knowledge that may support services improvement toward PCC. We anticipate that
such improvement is far from straightforward: an actual achievement of PCC may challenge the interests
of different stakeholders and unsettle consolidated habits, hierarchies and power dynamics. This unsettlement,
however, can also serve as a necessary condition for engaging in a participative process of
internal development. We discuss the outcomes, limitations and benefits of our approach through a
hospital case study.
paper investigates the overlap of the family system and the business through the use of culture. Adopting an idiographic approach and
recognising the unique psychodynamic process of family business (FB), this study aims to identify the cultural patterns within the FB, starting
from what families define as a) family, b) business and, c) the generational change. Twenty-five family firms were considered during the
generational change. The results show how and when this overlap takes shape pointing out how the role of family tradition can became a
critical or success factor for the business.
intended to develop and enhance human resources in organizations. With respect to the standardization
of assessment procedures brought about by the application of universal and global reference models, the
article uses a case study to illustrate the potentialities and shortcomings of using a local approach. After a
brief survey of the main theoretical frames of reference, the article describes how local knowledge was used
at an assessment centre set up at a multinational operating in the maritime transport sector, with a view to
developing the competences required by the company. The article describes and discusses the ways in which
certain classic knowledge management situations were adapted at the assessment centre to local needs and
conditions, and the main results obtained. Finally discussed are the practical and social implications, as well
as the limitations and the transferability, of a local approach to assessment.
environments and to take action in an often chaotic flow of events. This article discusses how researchers can engage
managers in a form of dialogical action research, capable of nurturing knowledge and change. This is achieved by creating
space for collaborative dialogue between managers and researchers, and supplementing it with the integration of a reflexive
writing practice. We first present methodological reflections related to the challenges of sustaining management practice
through action research. Second, we explicate dialogical action research and illustrate the reflexive writing practice through
two vignettes which provide opportunities to reflexively explore “how things work” in managers’ organizational contexts.
This forms the basis for sustaining participation and learning at individual and collective levels. Finally, we identify and discuss
the specific conditions and limits of such an approach.
recognized as an important condition for ensuring the quality of care. Nonetheless, it is also acknowledged
that various care providers perceive patient centeredness differently and that there remain several
unanswered questions about the aspects of healthcare delivery that are linked to an actual achievement
of PCC. In the paper, we categorize the current research on PCC into two streams (“dyadic” and “organizational”)
and we discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each. Despite their important contributions
to healthcare services research, these approaches to PCC do not fully capture the network of practices
and relationships constituting patients and providers' experiences within healthcare contexts. Therefore,
we propose an alternative interpretation of PCC that integrates insights from “practice theories” and
emphasizes the negotiated and local nature of patient centeredness, which is accomplished through the
engagement of providers and patients in everyday care practices. To develop such interpretation, we
propose a research approach combining ethnographic and reflexive methods. Ethnography can help
achieve more nuanced descriptions of what PCC truly encapsulates in the care process by drawing
attention to the social and material reality of healthcare contexts. Reflexivity can help disentangle and
bring to surface the tacit knowledge spread in everyday care practices and transform it into actionable
knowledge, a type of knowledge that may support services improvement toward PCC. We anticipate that
such improvement is far from straightforward: an actual achievement of PCC may challenge the interests
of different stakeholders and unsettle consolidated habits, hierarchies and power dynamics. This unsettlement,
however, can also serve as a necessary condition for engaging in a participative process of
internal development. We discuss the outcomes, limitations and benefits of our approach through a
hospital case study.
paper investigates the overlap of the family system and the business through the use of culture. Adopting an idiographic approach and
recognising the unique psychodynamic process of family business (FB), this study aims to identify the cultural patterns within the FB, starting
from what families define as a) family, b) business and, c) the generational change. Twenty-five family firms were considered during the
generational change. The results show how and when this overlap takes shape pointing out how the role of family tradition can became a
critical or success factor for the business.
intended to develop and enhance human resources in organizations. With respect to the standardization
of assessment procedures brought about by the application of universal and global reference models, the
article uses a case study to illustrate the potentialities and shortcomings of using a local approach. After a
brief survey of the main theoretical frames of reference, the article describes how local knowledge was used
at an assessment centre set up at a multinational operating in the maritime transport sector, with a view to
developing the competences required by the company. The article describes and discusses the ways in which
certain classic knowledge management situations were adapted at the assessment centre to local needs and
conditions, and the main results obtained. Finally discussed are the practical and social implications, as well
as the limitations and the transferability, of a local approach to assessment.
environments and to take action in an often chaotic flow of events. This article discusses how researchers can engage
managers in a form of dialogical action research, capable of nurturing knowledge and change. This is achieved by creating
space for collaborative dialogue between managers and researchers, and supplementing it with the integration of a reflexive
writing practice. We first present methodological reflections related to the challenges of sustaining management practice
through action research. Second, we explicate dialogical action research and illustrate the reflexive writing practice through
two vignettes which provide opportunities to reflexively explore “how things work” in managers’ organizational contexts.
This forms the basis for sustaining participation and learning at individual and collective levels. Finally, we identify and discuss
the specific conditions and limits of such an approach.