ABSTRACT
This chapter integrates the one-way transfer theory of Boulding (1973) and Mauss (1967) with the loosely coupled systems theory of Weick (1976) to advance the thesis that one-way transfers are plausible events under conditions of slack and ambiguity—the prime dimensions of loosely coupled systems. A field research project of in-depth interviews with retirees is reported in narrative form to verify past theory and to search for new theoretical formulations on giving in the organizational setting. The results of the research show that dramatic reports of organizational life are surfaced in the process of searching for one-way transfers. People taking a risk that produces a positive outcome for someone else is a powerful, if traditional, narrative. The surprising finding of the research shows negative gifts (corrections to alter or reshape behavior that are unappreciated at the time but are later valued) are a constant theme in the data.
