The Effects of Transformational Leadership on Organizational Performance through Knowledge and Innovation*

Today's information and knowledge society requires new leaders who can confront a reality based on knowledge and foster innovation to achieve improvements in organizational performance. However, organizations sometimes fail to achieve sustainable competitive advantage due to their limited understanding of the relationships between these strategic variables. To date, very little research has analysed the direct and indirect relationships between these variables. Our study seeks to fill this research gap by analysing theoretically and empirically how the leader's perceptions of different intermediate strategic variables related to knowledge (knowledge slack, absorptive capacity, tacitness, organizational learning) and innovation influence the relation between transformational leadership and organizational performance. Based on the literature, we develop a theoretical model that shows the interrelations between these variables. We then test the model using data from 408 Spanish organizations, discuss the findings and provide several implications for business practitioners.     

The Effects of Competitive Environment on Supply Chain Information Sharing and Performance: An Empirical Study in China

Information sharing in supply chains has become an important topic over the past decade. This study uses data from 617 Chinese manufacturing firms to investigate the relationships among competitive environments, supply chain information sharing (SCIS), and supply chain performance. The results of structural equation modeling analysis show that (i) international competition is positively related to all three types of SCIS whereas local competition is not significantly related to any of the three types, (ii) internal information sharing is positively related to external information sharing with suppliers and customers, and (iii) internal information sharing and information sharing with customers are positively related to superior supply chain performance, whereas supplier information sharing is not significantly related to performance. The findings enhance our understanding of the relationships among competitive environment, SCIS, and supply chain performance in Chinese manufacturing settings.     

Responsive supply chain: A competitive strategy in a networked economy

Supply chain management (SCM) has been considered as the most popular operations strategy for improving organizational competitiveness in the twenty-first century. In the early 1990s, agile manufacturing (AM) gained momentum and received due attention from both researchers and practitioners. In the mid-1990s, SCM began to attract interest. Both AM and SCM appear to differ in philosophical emphasis, but each complements the other in objectives for improving organizational competitiveness. For example, AM relies more on strategic alliances/partnerships (virtual enterprise environment) to achieve speed and flexibility. But the issues of cost and the integration of suppliers and customers have not been given due consideration in AM. By contrast, cost is given a great deal of attention in SCM, which focuses on the integration of suppliers and customers to achieve an integrated value chain with the help of information technologies and systems. Considering the significance of both AM and SCM for firms to improve their performance, an attempt has been made in this paper to analyze both AM and SCM with the objective of developing a framework for responsive supply chain (RSC). We compare their characteristics and objectives, review the selected literature, and analyze some case experiences on AM and SCM, and develop an integrated framework for a RSC. The proposed framework can be employed as a competitive strategy in a networked economy in which customized products/services are produced with virtual organizations and exchanged using e-commerce.     

供应链治理机制与供应链绩效之间的相互作用关系——基于信息共享的中介效应和信息技术水平的调节效应

本文构建起了供应链治理机制与供应链绩效之间的相互作用关系理论模型，并进而对信息共享在其中所起的中介效应及信息技术水平在其中所起着的调节效应进行剖析。以380份来自于供应链相关岗位的中高层管理人员及技术人员的问卷作为样本，利用结构方程模型对社会控制、正式控制、信息技术水平、信息共享及供应链绩效之间的相关关系进行实证研究。研究结果表明：（1）社会控制对信息共享及供应链绩效均产生正向影响，信息共享对供应链绩效也产生正向影响；而正式控制则对信息共享产生显著的负向作用关系，且其对供应链绩效的作用关系并不显著；（2）信息共享在社会控制和供应链绩效之间的作用关系中起着部分中介的作用，但其在正式控制-供应链绩效间的中介作用则并不显著；（3）信息技术水平对于社会控制-信息共享和正式控制-信息共享间的关系具有调节效应。     

A Resource‐Based View of Strategic IT Alignment: How Knowledge Sharing Creates Competitive Advantage

A critical decision problem for top management, and the focus of this study, is whether the CEO (chief executive officer) and CIO (chief information officer) should commit their time to formal planning with the expectation of producing an information technology (IT)‐based competitive advantage. Using the perspective of the resource‐based view, a model is presented that examines how strategic IT alignment can produce enhanced organizational strategies that yield competitive advantage. One hundred sixty‐one CIOs provided data using a postal survey. Results supported seven of the eight hypotheses. They showed that information intensity is an important antecedent to strategic IT alignment, that strategic IT alignment is best explained by multiple constructs which operationalize both process and content measures, and that alignment between the IT plan and the business plan is significantly related to the use of IT for competitive advantage. Study results raise questions about the effect of CEO participation, which appears to be the weak link in the process, and also about the perception of the CIO on the importance of CEO involvement. The paper contributes to our understanding of how knowledge sharing in the alignment process contributes to the creation of superior organizational strategies, provides a framework of the alignment‐performance relationship, and furnishes several new constructs.     

Realizing Benefits from Enterprise Resource Planning: Does Strategic Focus Matter?

A key driver of the recent wave of enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementations was the assumption that the integration of business information would provide firms with a competitive advantage, yet concrete business benefits have been uneven across adopting firms. A possible explanation is that although the resource‐based view holds that competitive advantage is derived from inimitable resources, ERP software has become a commodity. Socio‐technical theory suggests that internal organizational resources based on a foundation of ERP technology may be the true drivers of ERP benefits. A firm's strategic configuration is posited to influence the portfolio of organizational competencies available to leverage the benefits of integrated business information, and a number of hypotheses are developed based on the notion that firms with different strategic objectives will realize different operational benefits from the adoption of ERP systems. Survey data from North American manufacturing firms that have implemented ERP systems demonstrate that ERP adopters seeking operational performance improvements are likely to realize these benefits. On the other hand, those seeking external market and supply chain performance improvements must first establish a foundation of internal operational performance improvements before customer satisfaction and supply chain benefits can be realized.     

Leveraging Supply Chain Integration through Planning Comprehensiveness: An Organizational Information Processing Theory Perspective

This study extends prior research on supply chain planning and integration by examining the underlying capabilities by which firms exploit the information they gain from integration activities. We use organizational information processing theory (OIPT) to develop hypotheses that identify the comprehensiveness of an organization's supply chain planning capabilities as an important mediator in the relationship between its supply chain integration activities and its operational performance. Further, our interpretation of OIPT suggests that an organization's usage of technology‐enabled supply chain management systems (SCMS) moderates these effects. Using survey data from 445 global firms, we estimate the corresponding moderated‐mediation structural model. The results indicate that usage of SCMS enables organizations to better utilize the information they gain from external integration efforts (relationships with customers and suppliers), thus improving the comprehensiveness of their supply chain planning capabilities. In contrast, the use of SCMS appears to be a partial substitute for internal integration as a driver of planning comprehensiveness. Most importantly, the results suggest that planning comprehensiveness is a significant generative means by which integration and technology investments produce superior operational performance. These findings provide a richer and more theoretically grounded explanation of relationships between supply chain integration, supply chain planning, and operational performance.     

供应链管理实施对组织绩效的影响分析

本文将竞争优势作为中介变量,构建了一个供应链管理实施与组织绩效间关系的理论模型,并以来自西南和华南等地区的177个企业为实证样本,用结构方程模型对理论模型和研究假设进行实证检验。结果显示,供应链管理实施对竞争优势、组织绩效有显著直接影响,并且通过竞争优势还对组织绩效产生显著的间接影响;竞争优势对于供应链管理实施与组织绩效间关系具有部分中介效应。     

ROI: the building blocks for successful global organizations in the 21st century

As organizations move into the 21st century, past measures of organizational performance based largely on accounting and financial statements will be insufficient to meaningfully assess value. Short- and long-term performance will be increasingly determined by three resources: ideas, information, and investment capital, of which only investment capital is measured in traditional accounting and financial statements. Consequently, the 20th century orientation of return on investment needs to be expanded to include and account for both return on ideas and return on information. By focusing on these three measures of ROI the organization will be able to unleash creativity and obtain a sustainable competitive advantage. In this paper it is suggested that organizations should balance their focus on return on ideas, return on information, and return on investment, a ROI³ orientation for assessing organizational performance.     

The impact of information sharing in supply chains on organisational performance: an empirical study

Information sharing has been cited as one of the major means to enhance supply chain performance. It allows companies to better coordinate their activities with their supply chain partners that lead to increased performance. This study conceptualises and assesses several factors that influence the degree of information sharing in supply chains, namely integrated information technologies, internal integration, information quality and costs–benefits sharing. The relationship between the degree of information sharing and organisational performance is then tested. Data from 150 manufacturing companies were collected and proposed relationships are examined using structural equation modelling. The results show that integrated information technologies and information quality have positive influence on the intensity of information sharing. However, internal integration and costs–benefits sharing do not relate to the intensity of information sharing. This study finds that information sharing does not directly relate to organisational performance. Its relationship is mediated by collaboration practices with supply chain partners. This suggests that information sharing is essential but insufficient by itself to bring significant performance improvements.     

Economic analysis of demand uncertainty and delayed information sharing in a third-party managed supply chain

Designers and retailers in consumer products industry are faced with high demand volatility and potential loss of profit from design piracy. Many retailers rely on third-party supply chain managers (SCMs) to manage global supply chains. A SCM starts raw materials procurement and production process based on expected demand and takes financial risks associated with demand uncertainty. But a retailer often delays sharing product design information with SCM forcing it to expedite production and distribution processes incurring additional financial penalties. To analyse economic impact of delayed information sharing under uncertain demand, we develop a mathematical model. Our model indicates that higher demand volatility lessens the effect of penalty associated with delayed information sharing for retailers. The model also shows that for a given demand volatility, per-unit premium increases asymptotically for a retailer compared to marginal production cost increase for SCM. Such findings are not intuitive for SCMs or retailers.     

A review of the Chinese cultural influences on Chinese enterprise management

In order to create and sustain competitive advantage, a company should not only develop technologies to create products and processes that meet customer needs, but also stimulate a corporate culture that commits to continuous performance improvement. Managing corporate culture is one of a number of important factors that make for organizational change and business success. This paper reviews the cultural roots and identifies the characteristics of Chinese cultural values and management. A comparative analysis of the differences between Anglo-American and Chinese cultures is made. The cultural influences on Chinese management systems are then elaborated with reference to enterprise management in Mainland China and Hong Kong. With unique cultural heritage, collective orientation has a pervasive influence on the mode of Chinese management and organization. The prevailing Chinese culture values stress largely the paternalistic approach to management, acceptance of hierarchy and the importance of relationships. Today's Chinese enterprises need to determine changes in practice or value or both aspects of corporate culture in order to facilitate organizational change and maintain a competitive edge over their rivals. The paper also discusses the links of cultural values to employee involvement (EI) and total quality management (TQM), and initiates a need to manage cultural influences on EI/TQM practices to improve organizational performance in Chinese enterprises.     

Data analytics effects in major league baseball

The use of data analytics has enjoyed resurgence over the last two decades in professional sports, businesses, and the government. This resurgence is attributable to Moneyball, which exposed readers to the use of advanced baseball analytics by the Oakland Athletics, and how it has resulted in improved player selection and game management. Moreover, it changed managerial vocabulary, as the term “Moneyballing” now commonly describes organizations that use data analytics. The first research question that this study examines is whether the organizational knowledge related to baseball data analytics has provided any advantage in the competitive Major League Baseball (MLB) marketplace. The second research question is whether this strategic advantage can be sustained once this proprietary organizational knowledge becomes public. First, I identify “Moneyball” teams and executives, i.e., those who rely on baseball data analytics, and track their pay/performance over time. Next, using econometric models, I analyze whether these “Moneyball” teams and GMs, have enjoyed a pay-performance advantage over the rest of MLB, and whether this advantage persists after the information becomes public.     

基于策略性竞争博弈的供应链信息共享策略

在供应链成员的市场信息以及成本非对称的情形下，讨论两个终端企业（一个自产自销，一个从上游批发产品），在供应链中信息共享策略的方案，包括：信息优势企业如何根据市场需求情况确定是否信息共享（若是，则如何共享）；信息劣势企业如何根据对方透露出的市场信息来决策订货量；上游供应链如何决策批发价，从而控制整个供应链的博弈态势，使下游销售商在竞争中更为主动。经过研究发现，低市场类型时，自产自销商乐于共享信息，使竞争对手摄于低迷的市场状况从而降低订货量；在高市场类型且市场波动较小时自产自销商依然选择共享，在乐观的市场条件下表明自己的竞争优势，从而一定程度上威摄入侵者；而市场波动较大时，由于信息共享的额外收益不足以抵消信息共享需付出的额外成本，从而选择不共享信息。     

Introduction: Knowledge Construction and Creation in Organizations*

While adopting a knowledge‐based perspective on organizations has been valuable, since, among other things, it enables us to see links between organizational learning and a firm's competitive advantage through the development of idiosyncratic capabilities, it has nonetheless tended to treat organizational knowledge as ‘given’, exploring how it is related to other ‘given’ variables. The focus of this special issue is to unpack the notion of organizational knowledge by exploring the processes and practices through which knowledge is constructed and created in organizations. A constructivist perspective assumes that ‘knowledge’ presupposes work and seeks to explore how what comes to be considered as organizational knowledge is established and validated (or fails to do so). By seeing organizational knowledge as work we can further probe into how knowledge is shaped by organizational strategies and incentives and, more radically, how power and politics influence the struggle between competing bodies of knowledge in organizations.     

Decision knowledge sharing: flexible supply chains in KM context

Supply chain excellence has a real impact on business strategy. Building supply chains as flexible systems represents one of the most exciting opportunities to create value and one of the most challenging tasks for the policy makers. It requires integrated decision making amongst autonomous chain partners with effective decision knowledge sharing between them. The key to success lies in knowing which decision has more impact on the overall performance and this can be achieved by appropriate knowledge sharing. In this context, knowledge management (KM) can be used as an effective approach to achieve knowledge sharing and decision synchronisation in supply chains. Flexible supply chains (FSC_s) are more complex and involve multiple autonomous players with varying technical cultures (affects knowledge mindsets), managerial background (affects decision knowledge) and supply chain management (SCM) exposures (affects knowledge sharing attitudes). Thus there is a need to develop demo models that can encourage chain managers towards collaborative knowledge sharing in the supply chains. This paper presents the application of one such model based on decision knowledge sharing (DKS) for improved supply chain management. A simulation model of a flexible supply chain based on DKS framework is developed for demo purposes. The key results are highlighted along with industry implications. The cost based performance of DKS at different levels of flexibility is studied. Thus a careful analysis of the chain with a focus on collaborative decisions is useful to ensure success. This paper addresses this interesting and challenging domain.     

An Exploratory Analysis of the Value of the Skills of IT Personnel: Their Relationship to IS Infrastructure and Competitive Advantage

Determining and assessing the requisite skills of information technology (IT) personnel have become critical as the value of IT has risen in modern organizations. In addition to technical skills traditionally expected of IT personnel, softer skills like managerial, business, and interpersonal skills have been increasingly cited in previous studies as mandatory for these employees. This paper uses a typology of IT personnel skills—technology management skills, business functional skills, interpersonal skills, and technical skills—and investigates their relationships to two information systems (IS) success variables, IS infrastructure flexibility and the competitive advantage provided by IS. The study investigates these relationships using the perceptions of chief information officers (CIOs) from mostly Fortune 2000 companies. The contributions of this study are: IT personnel skills do affect IS success, technical skills are viewed as the most important skill set in affecting IS infrastructure flexibility and competitive advantage, and modularity is viewed as more valuable to competitive advantage than integration. Several explanations are offered for the lack of positive relationships between the softer IT personnel skills and the dimensions of IS success used in this study.     

供应链中具有产能限制的竞争企业中的信息共享研究

本文研究由一个供货商和两个制造商组成的二级供应链中，制造商之间的横向信息共享策略和供应商的定价问题。在模型中，上游供应商同时为下游两家制造商提供价格相同的原材料，下游制造商生产具有替代性的商品进行数量竞争，并受到相同的产能限制。以Cournot博弈为研究手段，求解了制造商的均衡订货决策和信息共享策略，分析比较了在不同的信息共享策略下制造商的利润、供应商的利润和批发价格。本文在研究制造商的信息共享策略时考虑了上游供应商的批发价格的影响。研究表明，当均衡解受到产能约束时，制造商的信息共享策略会反向。在某些情况下，完全信息共享和完全信息不共享都可能成为博弈的占优策略。上游供应商通过调整批发价格可以影响制造商的信息共享决策。该模型为上游供应商提供了一种最优定价策略，也为下游制造商提供了求解自身最优订货量和信息共享决策的方法。     

Organizational cynicism: Spillover effects on supervisor–subordinate relationships and performance

Organizational cynicism has grown in contemporary Western organizations. However, its impact on interpersonal relationships and consequently on organizational functioning remains understudied. The present study addresses these gaps by: a) exploring the spillover effect of organizational cynicism on supervisor–subordinate relationships, and b) examining if the spillover effect extends to employee performance. Specifically, it examines if affective commitment to the supervisor mediates the relationship between the PSS × organizational cynicism interaction effect and performance (i.e., mediated-moderation). Data were collected from both employees and supervisors (N = 274) from 45 organizations. Our results generally support our hypotheses. This study provides evidence that organizational cynicism interferes in the relationship employees develop with their supervisors, with consequences to performance. This study opens new avenues for research on organizational cynicism and carries implications for theory and practice.     

Transforming Public Organizations into Learning Organizations: A Conceptual Model

The concepts of organizational learning and learning organizations have gained popularity in recent organization theory literature as complementary subjects. So far majority of studies on these issues focused on the relationship between organizational learning and its ultimate consequences such as increased innovative capacity, increased productivity, and higher competitive advantage of organizations. Nevertheless, many researchers examined the processes of organizational learning from the standpoint of private enterprises, paying little attention to the dynamics of organizational learning in public sector. This paper is aimed to fill this gap by introducing and discussing the basic constituents of a novel conceptual model which demonstrates the relevant steps in transforming of public organizations into learning organizations.