Outstanding Paper - Emerald

International Journal of
Productivity and
Performance
Management
Outstanding Paper
The dynamo and the computer: an engineering
perspective on the modern productivity
paradox
Bernard C. Beaudreau
Department of Economics, Université Laval, Québec,
Canada
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an engineering
perspective on the modern productivity paradox. Specifically, to
shed new light on the failure of information and communication
technology (ICT) to increase overall factor productivity.
Design/methodology/approach – To this end, alternative
approaches to modeling material processes are presented and
discussed. Empirical evidence is brought to bear on the question of
ICT productivity. Finally, the implication of the findings for production
and management technology are presented and discussed.
Findings – The principal finding is theoretical in nature, namely that,
according to classical mechanics and applied physics, ICT is not
physically productive. Rather, information is an organizational input.
Practical implications – By identifying the role of ICT in material
processes, the paper provides a framework to better understand
and evaluate ICT investment, both at the firm and industry level.
While ICT does not contribute to increasing physical output, it does
nonetheless increase profitability. On a broader level, the paper
provides a framework to evaluate ICT-related public policy
measures.
Originality/value – Among the contributions of the paper are the
use of basic engineering principles to shed light on the modern
productivity paradox; and the conclusion that information, unlike
energy, is not physically productive and as such cannot be counted
upon to increase output.
Keywords Productivity rate, Communication technologies
www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/17410401011006086
IJPPM
Volume 59 Number 1, 2010, pp. 7-17
Editors: Thomas F. Burgress and John Heap
41
International Journal of
Public Sector
Management
Outstanding Paper
‘‘Staying native’’: coproduction in mental
health services research
Steve Gillard
Kati Turner
Kathleen Lovell
Division of Mental Health,
St George’s University of London, London, UK
Kingsley Norton
West London Mental Health NHS Trust, Southall, UK
Tom Clarke
South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS
Trust, Springfield University Hospital, London, UK
Rachael Addicott
The King’s Fund, London, UK
Gerry McGivern
Ewan Ferlie
Department of Management, King’s College, London, UK
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe a recent
experiment in research coproduction in an evaluation of service
planning at a London Mental Health NHS Trust. The paper aims to
consider whether members of the research team who have
themselves been users of mental health services are able to
contribute to the research process as ‘‘experts by experience’’, or if
their experiential knowledge is ‘‘colonized’’ within the academic
research team.
Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative, comparative case
study approach was adopted, using structured observations and
semi-structured interviews. Researchers’ reflective accounts and a
reflective focus group were employed to explore the process of
coproduction.
Findings – The paper concludes that, far from ‘‘colonising’’
expertise by experience, the experiment builds local capacity in
research coproduction and usefully informs a service planning
process that reflects the priorities and concerns of a range of
stakeholders.
Research limitations/implications – The paper describes a small,
local experiment in research coproduction and so findings are
limited in their scope. However, the study demonstrates an effective
methodological approach to evaluating, empirically, the impact of
coproduction on the health services research (HSR) process.
Practical implications – The paper demonstrates the potential for
repeated exercises in coproduction to build capacity in collaborative
approaches to both HSR and service planning.
Originality/value – The involvement of experts by experience is
increasingly a policy requirement in the domains of both health
service planning and HSR in the UK. There are very few empirical
studies that evaluate the impact of that coproduction.
Keywords Change management, Mental health services,
Learning organizations, Health services, Knowledge management,
United Kingdom
www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/09513551011069031
IJPSM
Volume 23 Number 6, 2010, pp. 567-77
Editor: Joyce Liddle