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Accelerationist thinking needs an organizational lens to progress. This paper explores how family firms cope with growth pressure.

Five case studies of French family multinationals, including semi-directive interviews conducted with senior, middle managers and operational employees showed how these allegedly “human-oriented organizations” have handled growth.

Four organizational change initiatives were undertaken: (1) the transition from a functional structure to a matrix model, (2) the formalization of a corporate value system, (3) the centralization of an information and communication system and (4) the involvement of external consultants. Further analyses suggested an empowerment-control tension. In line with previous critical work on business empowerment practices, these organizational initiatives conceal a control reinforcement. This translates into internalization of repression, among family director, manager, and operational employees, both at headquarters and subsidiaries. Thus, one is misguided if turning to family firms to escape from becoming both subject and driver of control as they are submitted to the same market pressures as others, pressure condemned by accelerationists.

Accelerationism thinking aims at a post-capitalist era and is a fertile ground for collective reflection, which should feedback the family organization with a brighter future. The family firm can only acknowledge this compelling phenomenon and fulfill its role of society stakeholder raised to a higher level.

Family businesses, themselves, roll out their own repressive mechanisms due to the market system. This paper connects two literature studies: family business growth and accelerationism thinking.

This paper aims to offer a review of the concept of wasta, as a form of social capital in Arab societies. Furthermore, this paper seeks to elucidate the main implications of the use of wasta among human resource management (HRM) practices on the workplace environment and the overall performance of institutions.

The authors embraced a qualitative approach in this paper. A total of 27 semi-structured interviews were conducted with HR officials from different levels in a number of Jordanian public organizations.

The results obtained indicate that wasta has negative consequences on the overall performance of organizations, through the influence it exerts on employee motivation, morale and job satisfaction, frustration, workplace diversity, turnover, brain drain, as well as its effect on the image and reputation of the individuals and organizations alike.

In this paper, the authors attempted to illustrate the concept of wasta as a form of social capital and to analyze its links with the features of the Jordanian culture through two of Hofstede’s dimensions. Furthermore, this paper is based both on the available literature and on data obtained through the semi-structured interviews. The findings through this process not only corroborate what we already know in the literature but they also generate an understanding of the hidden mechanisms that link the different implications of wasta together, creating the actual known consequences of this practice.

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought unexpected implications for the world of work, accelerating the use of digital technologies and hybrid workspaces, and posing new questions on how to manage working relationships. This chapter explores whether employee empowerment experiences can ensure better work-life connections. Empowerment involves a permanent transfer of power from the line manager to the employee. Although not all line managers are willing to use it as a development tool for fear of seeing their role downsized, research has been conducted to better understand the empowerment experiences of Generation Z employees, identifying positive and negative aspects of the relationship with their line managers. Generation Z employees have certain expectations when it comes to their job that are not always met, and understanding and managing these expectations through empowerment has great value to shape the future of organizations and create a better work-life connection for upcoming generations of workers. The chapter adopts a new conceptual framework for understanding employees’ empowerment experiences, proposes specific structural actions that line managers can take and reflects on the implications of employee empowerment for the HR function in terms of work-life interface.

This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.

As China takes on the role of workshop of the world, how do its businesses and their customers recognize and react to the need for corporate social responsibility?

The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.

The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy‐to digest format.