Digital orientation: Conceptualization and operationalization of a new strategic orientation

Although there is ample evidence that digital technologies are strategically important for value creation, extant literature lacks holistic concepts that capture an organization’s strategic orientation concerning digital innovation and transformation initiatives. This study integrates recent digitalization themes with IT business alignment research to conceptualize a new strategic orientation construct: digital orientation. The construct is manifested in four dimensions which we operationalize for computer-aided text analysis. We validate the construct based on 6498 shareholder letters from large US firms over 16 years. Building upon the resource-based view, we validate the digital orientation construct by linking it to firm performance. Our findings advance the literature on strategic orientations and bring the domains of strategy and information systems closer together. The novel digital orientation construct and the validated measurement instrument lead to many new research opportunities.     

新生代员工参与需求对领导风格偏好的影响

通过问卷调查对594位新生代员工进行分析,并从下属中心视角探讨新生代员工参与需求对其领导风格偏好的影响机制。研究发现,新生代员工参与需求对指令式和授权式领导风格偏好产生显著消极影响,对参与式和教练式领导风格偏好产生显著积极影响,主管信任和员工参与感知在新生代员工参与需求与指令式和授权式领导风格偏好的关系中起显著调节作用。     

Market orientation in uncertain environments: The enabling role of effectuation orientation in new product development

While uncertainty is generally recognized as an aversive contextual condition, several research studies confirm that market-oriented firms deliver a better new product performance in uncertain environments. However, we still know little about organizational factors that enable firms to reap benefits out of uncertainty through marketing activities. The present study introduces effectuation and its corporate-level notion of effectuation orientation (EffO) as a moderator of the relationship between market orientation (MO) and new product performance in uncertain markets. The theoretically derived research model is empirically validated using survey data from 190 SMEs. Our empirical findings show that dimensions of EffO (except for affordable loss orientation) strengthen the MO–new product performance relationship in uncertain markets.     

Entrepreneurial orientation as a function of national cultural variations in two countries

Building on a large-scale survey study in Germany and China, this research develops and validates a model of internal variables fostering entrepreneurial orientation. The objective of the research is to understand whether organizational mechanisms, such as organizational structure or leadership style that underlie entrepreneurial organizations are universal or are contingent on national culture. The findings of this study indicate that some components are universal and some are contingent on culture. For instance, cross-functional integration, consideration, and development culture impact most dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation across cultures positively, whereas centralization does so negatively, suggesting strong similarities of entrepreneurial organizations. On the other hand, participation exerts an influence on entrepreneurial orientation only in Germany. There are also differences in the strength of relationships: cross-functional integration and consideration have stronger effects in China than in Germany. One major implication is that commonalities of entrepreneurial organizations are generally not strong enough to completely outweigh the influences of national culture. This research may help managers to foster the degree of entrepreneurial orientation in their businesses that operate internationally.     

互动导向与新企业绩效:组织合法性中介作用

新企业如何克服组织合法性门槛、实现成长一直是创业研究的重要课题,信息技术的快速发展为新企业响应顾客日益个性化的需求和获得组织合法性提供了新的手段。整合互动导向视角和组织合法性视角,分析信息技术背景下新企业的互动导向对组织合法性和新企业绩效的作用机制,尤其是组织合法性的中介作用,选取中国情境下209个新企业作为调查样本,采用多元回归方法对研究假设进行检验。研究结果表明,新企业互动导向正向影响新企业绩效和组织合法性水平,互动导向通过组织合法性的部分中介作用影响新企业绩效。这表明在信息技术日益发达的今天,中国新企业可以利用信息技术平台提升互动导向水平,促进组织合法性,从而克服新企业组织合法性门槛,实现成长。     

On the psychological and motivational processes linking job characteristics to employee functioning: Insights from self-determination theory

The aim of this study was to provide insight into the differential relationships between job characteristics (job demands and resources) and employee functioning by examining the psychological and motivational processes involved. Drawing on self-determination theory, we tested a model in which job demands are positively related to negative manifestations of employee functioning (psychological distress and psychosomatic complaints) through psychological need frustration and low-quality work motivation (controlled motivation), whereas job resources are positively related to positive manifestations of employee functioning (work engagement and job performance) through need satisfaction and high-quality work motivation (autonomous motivation). Data were collected from 699 Canadian nurses. Structural equation modelling (SEM) results support the proposed model: psychological needs and work motivation partially mediated the relationship between job characteristics and employee functioning. Specifically, job demands negatively predicted employee functioning (high distress and psychosomatic complaints, low engagement and performance) through need frustration and controlled motivation. In contrast, while positively predicting need satisfaction and negatively predicting need frustration, job resources fostered optimal work motivation (more autonomous and less controlled motivation) and employee functioning. The implications for self-determination theory (SDT) and research on occupational health and stress are discussed.     

The Evolution of Korean corporate HRD: launching,growing pains,and transforming

Enthusiasm and greater attention from the international HRD community to Korea has motivated us to conduct research on the evolution of Korean corporate HRD in order to explore where we are now and where we are heading. Research literature on the topic, however, was minimal. The purpose of this study was to examine the evolution of Korean corporate HRD through interviews with 18 HRD researchers and practitioners who have witnessed the field’s growth. In addition, we reviewed the literature and company archives of HRD activities. We identified three major historical milestones of Korean corporate HRD including: the launching period in the 1980s, the growing pains period in the 1990s, and the transforming period from the 2000s to the present. We addressed major trends and issues of Korean corporate HRD in an attempt to generate a future research agenda.     

National cultures and safety orientation: A study of seafarers working for Norwegian shipping companies

Up to now, little work has been conducted on safety in relation to national culture. This paper examines the association between national culture and the safety orientation of seafarers on Norwegian-owned vessels. Safety orientation is the result of cultural, organizational, and contextual factors that create attitudes and behaviours that in turn influence safety. In this study a safety culture/orientation questionnaire was designed and used to determine risk and safety characteristics. Survey data was collected from 2,558 seafarers from 27 countries. The sample used consisted of seafarers from the 10 countries for which there were more than 10 respondents. Five national (cultural) characteristics were calculated using Hofstede's Value Survey Model 94. Multivariate analysis of variance revealed that (a) the number of nationalities represented on a vessel was related to their attitude towards safety issues, such that two-nation vessels obtain relatively negative scores regarding these issues, and (b) national culture was related to safety culture, such that high power distance, high uncertainty avoidance, and high individualism were positive for safety. The implications of these findings for practice and future research are discussed.     

A Comparative Analysis of Korean and American Management Education: A Knowledge-Based Odyssey

The evolution of post-industrial society is resulting in a `knowledgeeconomy. The changes involve `knowledge workers' in contrast to `manualworkers' of the past industrial economy. The quantity and quality of knowledgeworkers will determine success in national borderless competition. Althoughthe United State's recent prosperity and near perfect employment rate areexemplary, the technology leading to this success has been developed andshared by traditional industrial powers, i.e., Japan and France, and mid-techpowers such as South Korea.This paper examines methods by which South Korea incorporates Americanapplications of the knowledge economy into its system. The interdisciplinaryapproach includes sociological, linguistic, educational, and ethical elements.Suggested methods include double loop sharing, knowledge management withelectronic support systems, professional journals, and professionalinternational conferences. This paper offers a brief history and synopsis ofcurrent developments in knowledge-based systems, and suggests South Korean andAmerican applications. Recommendations also include the emphasis on Englishas the primary language to improve Korean communication among government,industry, and academic entities.     

新巴斯德象限：高科技政策的新范式

把科学研究象限模型的巴斯德象限变换为科技象限模型的新巴斯德象限,反映了科学和技术的关系以及科技政策意义的变化。通过若干实证事例分析,发现高科技各个前沿领域主要分布于新巴斯德象限;从巴斯德象限蕴涵的科技政策含义变化,探讨了基于新巴斯德象限的高科技政策新范式及其战略意义;进而延伸到基于知识活动系统的产学研三螺旋创新模型的重构,并以此作为实现高科技产业化的基本对策。     

Entrepreneurial orientation dimensions and the performance of high-tech and low-tech firms: A configurational approach

Building on the entrepreneurial orientation (EO)-as-experimentation perspective, we examine how configurations of the EO dimensions (innovativeness, risk-taking, and proactiveness) might lead to high and low firm performance, and how the configurations differ under different firm contexts. We adopted a configurational approach and applied fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to a sample of 110 UK small and medium-sized enterprises. Our findings show that three (four) configurations can result in high (low)-firm performance, demonstrating that the EO dimensions can contribute to as well as hinder firm performance. Moreover, the configurations leading to the same outcome are distinct between high-tech and low-tech firms, indicating that the impacts of the EO dimensions on firm performance depend on the firm context. Our findings offer useful insights for managers on how to configure the portfolio of firms' entrepreneurial activities to achieve superior performance.     

The structure of employee attitudes to safety: A European example

This paper concerns organizational safety culture and the structure or architecture of employee attitudes to safety as part of that culture. It begins by reviewing the somewhat scant literature relevant to this area, and then reports a study, conducted in a European company, which collected and factor analysed data on employee attitudes to safety. The framework provided for the study was that offered by Purdham (1984), and the results suggested that employees' attitudes to safety, within this company (across occupation/occupational level and country), could be mapped By five orthogonal factors: personal scepticism, individual responsibility, the safeness of the work environment, the effectiveness of arrangements for safety, and personal immunity. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed, and attention is drawn to their subsequent use in an intervention to enhance safety culture within the organization by attacking supervisors' attitudes to safety.     

Training and organizational commitment: exploring the moderating role of goal orientation in the Lebanese context

In this study, we investigated the impact of organizational training on organizational commitment and whether goal orientation moderates the relationship between training and commitment. The sample consisted of 124 employees from different industries in the country of Lebanon. Multiple regression and hierarchical moderated regression were used to test hypotheses. The results of the analysis showed that training has a significant effect on organizational commitment. Moderation analysis showed that the relationship between training and affective commitment was stronger for individuals who had higher levels of learning goal orientation. Performance goal orientation failed to moderate the relationship between training and affective commitment. Ultimately, this suggests that advanced training offered to individuals with performance goal orientations may not necessarily increase their commitment to their employer, in contrast to individuals with learning goal orientations. Theoretical and management implications in the context of Lebanon are proposed.     

Relationship between participation in communities of practice and organizational socialization in the early careers of South Korean IT employees

This paper focuses on the relationship between participation in communities of practice (CoP) and organizational socialization of informational technology employees in their early careers. In this paper, the authors limited their research to CoP, which were recognized and supported by the organization. Results showed that participation in CoP was more strongly related to adjustment (job satisfaction, organizational commitment and intention to remain) than to learning (sense of belonging to the organization and role comprehension) when the characteristics of CoP and the degree of participation were controlled. The intensity of participation in CoP was significantly related to the socialization outcomes while there were no relationships between the length of participation and the socialization outcomes. Recommendations for future research include the use of objective rather than self-reported data, longitudinal research, the identification of other variables related to learning in CoP, and consideration of variations in national and organizational culture.     

顾客授权与新企业合法性关系实证研究

从互动导向与合法性视角,基于中国转型情景下的大样本数据验证了政治网络对于顾客授权与组织合法性关系的负向调节作用。这一结论说明转型背景下的新企业可以借助政治网络行为获得一定的成长资源并缓冲制度压力,其依赖顾客授权式互动获取合法性的市场动机与行为下降,从而表现出顾客授权与组织合法性关系强度上的减弱。     

From social capital to entrepreneurial orientation: The mediating role of dynamic capabilities

This paper analyzes how social capital and its three dimensions—structural, relational, and cognitive—affect entrepreneurial orientation through dynamic capabilities. We specifically analyzed the effect of each dimension of social capital on firms' entrepreneurial orientation and the mediating effect of dynamic capabilities to explain these relationships. This study was conducted on a sample of firms in the Spanish agri-food industry. The results of the empirical analysis show that dynamic capabilities are generated by firms' social capital. Dynamic capabilities lead relational and cognitive social capital to develop a higher entrepreneurial orientation. The negative effect of structural social capital can only be countered if firms build and develop dynamic capabilities.     

组织行为研究的新领域:积极行为研究述评及展望

新的竞争时代呼唤新的员工行为。在对传统行为研究与管理实践进行评论的基础上,介绍了组织行为学研究的新领域——积极行为,从概念发展、分类问题、测量工具、理论基础、前因及后果研究等方面做了述评,对文献中存在的问题进行了分析,并结合中国传统文化特征提出了若干研究建议。     

市场导向对组织创造力的非线性作用机理——组织二元结构文化与创业导向的影响研究

在我国加快实施创新驱动发展战略中,如何提升企业组织创造力以促使企业创新变得至关重要。企业战略是影响组织创造力和创新的重要情境因素。市场导向和创业导向是新兴经济体国家的企业发展的战略核心。然而,现有研究对市场导向与企业创造性产出之间关系的观点却不一致。创业导向如何影响市场导向对组织创造力的作用也尚未得到关注和研究。本研究以145家企业的979份高层管理人员与核心员工的套问卷数据为样本,研究发现：市场导向对组织创造力产生倒U型影响,且倒U型影响通过二元结构文化（一致性文化与适应性文化）的不同传导机制而产生,即：一致性文化在市场导向与组织创造力之间正向中介效应随市场导向的增强而减弱,并在高度市场导向时转变为负向中介效应,而适应性文化在市场导向和组织创造力之间发挥部分中介效应。研究还发现：市场导向对组织创造力的倒U型影响受创业导向的调节作用,即：当创业导向较高时,市场导向对组织创造力的积极影响随市场导向的增强而逐渐增强,反之,则逐渐减弱。研究结论为提升企业组织创造力提供新的思路和理论参考。     

Governance structure and internationalization of family-controlled firms: The mediating role of international entrepreneurial orientation

Stemming from resource dependence theory this article investigates the mediating role of international entrepreneurial orientation on the relationship between the involvement of non-family members in the firms' governance structure and both pace of internationalization and international performance of family firms. Relying on a sample of 113 German family firms, the theoretical model proposed in the study is tested via structural equation modeling techniques. Our findings suggest that a high involvement of non-family members in governance structure has a positive impact on family firms' pace of internationalization, and that this relationship is mediated by the international entrepreneurial orientation of the firm. The discussion section offers implications for family business and international entrepreneurship literature, as well as practical implications.