Keele Management School

I have a PhD in applied economics from the Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest and a DPhil in Management Studies from Oxford University. I came to Keele in 1996 and was promoted to Chair in 2006. I am currently subject lead for the management group and a member of KMS executive team.

There are two inter-related strands to my current research.

1. The development of an American Pragmatist agenda for studying organisational practices and bridging the divide between academic knowledge and practice.  My books (Sage2008; Routledge, 2008; Gower, 2013;) and many of my recent articles, book chapters, conference papers and invited research talks advance American Pragmatism as an effective methodology for challenging the dualistic relationship between organisational knowledge and practice.  One of my recent AHRC grants entitled 'Bridging the Gap between Academic Theory and Community Relevance: Fresh Insights from American Pragmatism' involves both academic partners: Edinburgh, Open and Brunel Universities in the UK and Seinan Gakuin University in Japan, and community partners: New Vic Borderlines, The Glass-House Community Led Design and Mondo Challenge Foundation  in an attempt to address issues of language translation, power and cultural capital that unite or separate the academic world and the wider community. Underpinned by a Pragmatist approach this collaboration taps into narrative methods, dramaturgical approaches, visual studies, sociological theories and community studies and focuses on what is considered ‘actionable’ knowledge by communities and what makes knowledge relevant, useful and/or practical at their end.
   
   
2. The advancement of a Cultural Animation approach in management and organisation studies.  Rooted in the counter culture movement, Cultural Animation puts day to day experiences of ordinary people at the heart of inquiry, thus aligning well with my Pragmatist agenda.  This approach has as starting point the validation of the language used by organisational/community members to describe their experiences, and placing the 'mantle of expert' upon their shoulders in exploring what changes they would like to see, who should be involved and how to make it happen.  To achieve such ends, cultural animation practices involve critical reflexivity, storytelling, documentary theatre and drama performances.  My AHRC funded research on volunteering culminated in a documentary drama performed by the research subjects (i.e., volunteers) themselves at the New Vic Theatre, entitled A Little Act of Kindness.  The performance demonstrated the power of documentary drama in engaging with issues that are crucial to local communities. My most recently funded AHRC project on ‘Untold Stories of Volunteering’, in collaboration with Leicester University, The New Vic Theatre and National Council for Voluntary Organizations aims to co-design a methodology for co-producing and co-delivering a documentary drama that captures grass root experiences and counter-discourses of volunteering. For information about the forthcoming research workshop, please see here. 

For more information on my current work, please see here.  

Publications

Books

KELEMEN, M. and RUMENS, N. (eds) (2013), American Pragmatism and Organisation: Issues and Controversies (Ashgate: Gower).

KELEMEN, M. and RUMENS, N. (2008), An Introduction to Critical Management Research (London: Sage).

HASSARD, J., KELEMEN, M. and WOLFRAM-COX, J. (2008), Disorganisation Theory: Explorations in Alternative Organizational Analysis (London: Routledge).

KELEMEN, M. (2003) Managing Quality: Managerial and Critical Perspectives (London: Sage).

KELEMEN, M. and KOSTERA, M. (eds.) (2002), Critical Eastern European Management: Current Issues and Research (London: Palgrave).

CHOI, C. with KELEMEN, M. (1995)Generic Cultural Competencies: Managing Co-operatively across Cultures (Dartmouth: Gower Publishers).

Peer Reviewed Articles

BUNZEL, D. and KELEMEN, M. (2011) Learning from Leipzig: Regional Development and Socio-cultural Transition, Review of Economics and Finance, June, No. 3, pp. 52-62

RUMENS, N. and KELEMEN, M. (2010) American Pragmatism and Feminism: Fresh Opportunities for Sociological Inquiry, Contemporary Pragmatism: A Philosophy Journal, 7/1, pp 129-148

KELEMEN, M., BUNZEL, D. and WILLIS, P. (2009) Why Work? A Culturally Informed Critique of Past and Present Shop Floor Interpretations of Work, Annals of the University of Petrosani, Economics, 9/4, pp. 27-37

KELEMEN, M. and BUNZEL, D. (2008) Images of the Model Worker in State Socialist Propaganda and Novels: The Case of Romania, Culture and Organization, 14/1, pp. 1-14.

KELEMEN, M. (2007), A Pragmatist Response to ‘At the Sharp End of New Organisational Ideologies’ by Hassard, J. et al. (2006), Ethnography 8/3 pp. 375-382.

KELEMEN, M. and PAPASOLOMOU, I. (2007) Internal Marketing: A Qualitative study of Culture Change in the UK Banking Sector, Journal of Marketing Management, 23/ 7-8, pp. 745-767.

KELEMEN, M. and PELTONEN, T., (2005) Spirituality: A Wayto Alternative Subjectivity?, Organization Management Journal, 2/1, pp. 52-63.

KELEMEN, M. and PAPASOLOMOU, I (2004) Can Culture Be Changed: A Study of Internal Marketing, Service Industries Journal, 24/5, pp. 121-136.

KELEMEN, M. and BANSAL, T. (2002) The conventions of management research and their relevance to management practice, British Journal of Management, 13, pp. 97-108.

KELEMEN, M., PEARSON, G., FORRESTER, P., HASSARD, J., RAILEAN, V. and HINCU, R., (2002) The role of networking in the creation of local management knowledge: the case of Moldova, Journal of Teaching in International Business, 13/3-4, pp. 115-132.

LEWIS, M. and KELEMEN, M. (2002) Multiparadigm inquiry: exploring pluralism and paradoxes of contemporary organizational life, Human Relations, 55/2, pp 251-175.

HASSARD, J. and KELEMEN, M. (2002) Issues of production and consumption in organizational knowledge, Organization, 9/2, pp. 331-355.

KELEMEN, M. PEARSON, G, FORRESTER, P., HASSARD, J., RAILEAN, V. and HINCU, R. (2001) Reforming management education: learning from the Moldavian experience, Economic and Business Review for Central and South Eastern Europe, 2/4, pp. 309-321.

FOURNIER, V. and KELEMEN, M., (2001) The crafting of community: recoupling discourses of management and womanhood, Gender, Work, Organization, 8/3, pp. 267- 290.

KELEMEN, M.(2001)Discipline at work: distal and proximal views, Studies in Cultures, Organizations and Societies, 7/1, pp. 1-17.

KELEMEN, M. and SMITH, W., (2001) Community and its virtual promises: a critique of cyberlibertarian rhetoric, Information, Community, Society,4/2, pp. 1-18.

KELEMEN, M. and PELTONEN, T. (2001) Ethics, morality and the subject: the contribution of Zygmunt Bauman and Michel Foucault to ‘postmodern’ business ethics, Scandinavian Journal of Management, 17/2, pp. 151-166.

KILDUFF, M. and KELEMEN, M. (2001) The consolation of organisation theory, British Journal of Management, 12. pp. 55-59.

KELEMEN, M. and G. LIGHTFOOT (2000) Organizational and individual identities in transition: the case of the Romanian small and medium sized enterprise, Journal of Southern Europe and the Balkans,2/1, pp. 89-103.

KELEMEN, M. (2000) Too much or too little ambiguity: the language of total quality management, Journal of Management Studies, 37/4,pp. 483-498.

KELEMEN, M. (1999) Commentary on “Romanian Cultural Background and its Relevance for Cross-cultural Management” by A. Catana and D. Catana, Journal of Eastern European Management Studies,4/3, pp.259-262.

KELEMEN, M. (1999) The myth of restructuring, competent managers and the transition to a market economy: the Romanian case, British Journal of Management,10/ 3, pp. 199-208.

KELEMEN, M. and HRISTOV, L. (1998) From egalitarian culture to entrepreneurial culture: the example of Romanian and Bulgarian organizations, Journal of Enterprising Culture, 5/2, pp. 155-170.

Chapters in Books

KELEMEN, M. (2011) American Pragmatism in Key Concepts in Critical Management Studies (eds. Tadajewski, M. Maclaran P., Parsons, E. and Parker, M.),London: Sage

HASSARD, J. and KELEMEN, M. (2010) Paradigm Plurality in Case Study Research, in Mills, A. et al eds. Sage Encyclopaedia of Case Study Research, (Thousand Oaks, California: Sage).

KELEMEN and BUNZEL, D. (2008) Romanian Socialist Directors: Heroes or Tricksters?  in Kostera M. eds. Organizational Olympians: Heroes and Heroines of Organizational Myths, London: Palgrave.

KELEMEN, M. (2007) Total Quality Management, in The International Encyclopaedia of Organisation Studies (eds. Clegg S. and Bailey, J.), (London: Sage).

KELEMEN, M. (2007), Paradigm Incommensurability, in The International Encyclopaedia of Organisation Studies (eds. Clegg S. and Bailey, J.), (London: Sage).

KELEMEN, M. (2005), The morality and ethics of quality, in WOOD, J. C. and WOOD, M.C. (Eds.)  W. E. Deming: Critical Assessments in Business and Management, (London: Routledge), pp.480-501.

KILDUFF, M. and KELEMEN, M.  (2004) Deconstructing Discourse, in: GRANT, D. HARDY, C., OSWICK, C., PHILLIPS, N. and PUTNAM, L. (Eds.) The Sage Handbook of Organizational Discourse (London: Sage), pp. 259-272.

KILDUFF, M. and KELEMEN, M. (2003) Bringing ideas back in: eclecticism and discovery in organisational studies, in: E. LOCKE(Eds.) Postmodernism in Management: Pro's, Con's and Alternatives, (London: Sage), pp.89-112.

KELEMEN, M. and HASSARD, J. (2003) Paradigm plurality: exploring past, present and future trends, in: B. WESTWOOD and S. CLEGG and (Eds.) Debating Organization: Point Counterpoint in Organisation Studies (Oxford: Blackwells).

KELEMEN, M., FORRESTER, P., and HASSARD, J. (2000) BPR and TQM: convergence or divergence?, in: D. KNIGHTS and H. WILLMOTT (Eds.)The Re-engineering Revolution: Critical Studies of Corporate Change (London: Sage) pp. 154-173.

WRIGHT, L.T. and KELEMEN, M. (2000) The cultural contexts of advertising appeals to women consumers: the examples of Malaysiaand Romania, in: M.  CATTERALL et al (Eds.)Marketing and Feminism (London: Routledge) pp.143-159

KELEMEN, M. (1999) TQM in the UKservice sector: a social constructivist study, in: S. CLEGG, E. IBARRA and L. BUENO (Eds.) Theories of Management Processes: Making Sense through Differences (London: Sage) pp.163-176.

KELEMEN, M. (1998) Administracion de la calidad total en le sector servicio de la Gran Bretana: un estudio desde el constructivismo social, in S. CLEGG et al (Eds.) Administracion Global: Tensiones entre Universalism Teorico y Realidades Locales, (Mexico: Universidada Autonoma Metropolitana) pp. 253-272.

 

• Leading People (CPD) 
• Leadership (MA) 
• Research Methodologies (PT MBA) 
• Critical Perspectives on Management Research (Undergraduate)