Using data from embedded participant-observers and a field experiment at the second largest mobile phone factory in the world, located in China, I theorize and test the implications of transparent organizational design on workers' productivity and organizational performance. Drawing from theory and research on learning and control, I introduce the notion of a transparency paradox, whereby maintaining observability of workers may counterintuitively reduce their performance by inducing those being observed to conceal their activities through codes and other costly means; conversely, creating zones of privacy may, under certain conditions, increase performance. Empirical evidence from the field shows that even a modest increase in group-level privacy sustainably and significantly improves line performance, while qualitative evidence suggests that privacy is important in supporting productive deviance, localized experimentation, distraction avoidance, and continuous improvement. I discuss implications of these results for theory on learning and control and suggest directions for future research.
This article examines the factors that influence academic–practitioner research partnerships at the state level. The state longitudinal data system (SLDS) offers the capacity to link client-level data across multiple state agencies, providing an unparalleled opportunity to facilitate data informed decision making across PreK–20 educational and workforce agencies. Analysis of sixty-nine qualitative interviews with agency administrators and university researchers in four SLDS states (Maryland, Texas, Virginia, and Washington) suggests that understanding organizational culture, combined with formal and informal factors, influences the quality and likely long-term sustainability of these efforts. Fostering effective partnerships is fundamental to advancing public-sector, data-driven decision making.
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