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PEER GROUPS
Non-hierarchical ways of setting targets, sharing knowledge and exercising control.
Companies such as BP and Cargill seem to believe that "peer groups" are an important innovation in their management processes. Yet it is not entirely clear how peer groups differ from other familiar approaches such as co-ordination committees, quality circles, etc. It may be that the crucial differences have to do with:
- no hierarchical leadership
- shared stretch goals for which members are collectively accountable
- stretch individual goals that can only be reached with peer group assistance
The Research will aim to learn more about the peer group process and to understand the workings of peer groups better. It will address issues such as:
- what is special about peer groups?
- when is their use appropriate/inappropriate?
- what makes them work well/poorly?
- what makes them work well/poorly?
- how important are they as a management process innovation?
It will also look at peer groups within the wider context of the Challenging the Parent project.
The research will involve:
- identification of companies using peer groups and other related devices, maybe using a questionnaire as well as personal contacts and literature
- field research with exemplars, including BP and Cargill
- survey of relevant literature
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