Volume 3, Issue 2
The Socio-Economic Approach to Management originated in Lyon, France, is a different way to look at organizational change and management. In addition to growing as an organizational change intervention method, SEAM has been spreading in the academic environment. Henri Savall, developed SEAM theory in 1975 while being a professor at the University of Lyon. Over years, SEAM theory grew as a discipline. Eventually a separate department (École Universitaire de Gestion Innovante, EUGINOV) at the College of management (IAE Lyon, University of Jean Moulin) was created and it offered bachelor, master and doctoral degrees, training about 300 students each year. The socio-economic theory of organizations was built based on socio-economic interventions in organizations carried out by ISEOR, a research center at the University of Lyon led by Henri Savall. Over time, 700 junior researchers have worked at ISEOR and about 150 out of them have prepared a doctoral dissertation about using SEAM.
In the last 25 years, SEAM ideas have been spreading to other countries and continents, where SEAM is taught as part of business school curricula. Recently the University of Balamand in Lebanon and the University of Lyon started a joint DBA program in SEAM for students in Lebanon. At this point in time, these are the only two universities offering doctoral degrees in SEAM.
In this issue, three of the Lebanese initial graduates summarize their doctoral research findings. Jihane Masry with co-authors described a SEAM intervention in a small family business in Lebanon, where the management system is ancient and patriarchal. SEAM helped undo the dictatorial top-down management and opened the company up to a more collaborative work.
The focus of Jamil Kobrossi’s article, co-authored with his professors, is a SEAM intervention in a Lebanese hospital that involves the leadership and the IT department of the organization. His description of the SEAM process details the results of work with each group. Poor communications were a big issue with leaders, and this was greatly reduced using the SEAM management tools. The IT department was found to have significant time delays, which were reduced.
Rana Sawaya and co-authors wrote about a private university in the Arabian Gulf region that used SEAM to reduce dysfunctions of the top-level administration and the administrative staff as they worked to respond to higher education institution accreditation requirements.
The papers by Lebanese graduates provide an insight into a different cultural business environment. The paper by Lynn Kalnbach and Dave Swanson from the College of St. Scholastica describes a SEAM intervention in a university in the US through the eyes of faculty in the School of Business and Technology.
Often, people who hear about SEAM for the first time, question whether the method, developed in France, would work in their organization or in other cultural settings. The papers of this issue are a good illustration of the positive answer. Each of the papers in this issue is a case study that can be added to the socio-economic database. ISEOR has been gathering and processing data through almost 2,000 case studies in 42 countries, in 73 industries, over 43 years. These interventions resulted in the creation of a quite unique database that proves that SEAM works in different cultures, in organizations of different sizes and types. The key is having the leadership with the right mindset, specifically, with the understanding that investing into human potential will increase the economic performance and profitability of organizations.
Alla Heorhiadi, PhD, EdD
In the last 25 years, SEAM ideas have been spreading to other countries and continents, where SEAM is taught as part of business school curricula. Recently the University of Balamand in Lebanon and the University of Lyon started a joint DBA program in SEAM for students in Lebanon. At this point in time, these are the only two universities offering doctoral degrees in SEAM.
In this issue, three of the Lebanese initial graduates summarize their doctoral research findings. Jihane Masry with co-authors described a SEAM intervention in a small family business in Lebanon, where the management system is ancient and patriarchal. SEAM helped undo the dictatorial top-down management and opened the company up to a more collaborative work.
The focus of Jamil Kobrossi’s article, co-authored with his professors, is a SEAM intervention in a Lebanese hospital that involves the leadership and the IT department of the organization. His description of the SEAM process details the results of work with each group. Poor communications were a big issue with leaders, and this was greatly reduced using the SEAM management tools. The IT department was found to have significant time delays, which were reduced.
Rana Sawaya and co-authors wrote about a private university in the Arabian Gulf region that used SEAM to reduce dysfunctions of the top-level administration and the administrative staff as they worked to respond to higher education institution accreditation requirements.
The papers by Lebanese graduates provide an insight into a different cultural business environment. The paper by Lynn Kalnbach and Dave Swanson from the College of St. Scholastica describes a SEAM intervention in a university in the US through the eyes of faculty in the School of Business and Technology.
Often, people who hear about SEAM for the first time, question whether the method, developed in France, would work in their organization or in other cultural settings. The papers of this issue are a good illustration of the positive answer. Each of the papers in this issue is a case study that can be added to the socio-economic database. ISEOR has been gathering and processing data through almost 2,000 case studies in 42 countries, in 73 industries, over 43 years. These interventions resulted in the creation of a quite unique database that proves that SEAM works in different cultures, in organizations of different sizes and types. The key is having the leadership with the right mindset, specifically, with the understanding that investing into human potential will increase the economic performance and profitability of organizations.
Alla Heorhiadi, PhD, EdD