‘Talking the talk’ – a discursive approach to evaluating management development

Much evaluation practice is guided by a theoretical anachronism. Systematized and formulaic approaches of chain reaction models of evaluation are based on conceptions of management which are over 50 years old. This study presents an evaluation of a management development intervention which used evidence of discursive shift in learners as an indicator of attitudinal and behavioural change brought about by the learning programme. The approach taken characterizes the learning event and the evaluation process as interventions which have the capacity to help learners to shape their identity and in which language is a mediator of learning. The results of the study, which applies both quantitative and qualitative techniques, are used to argue in favour of the deployment of a model of evaluation which has a focus on social and relational aspects of a managers' role.     

Work-related stress in the UK: a new, ‘Management Standards’ approach

Abstract

Workplace victimization has recently emerged as an important topic in occupational health psychology. One of the major limitations of this research is that it generally employs cross-sectional designs. The current study, however, used a 13-month two-wave prospective design to examine the relationship between target personality and workplace interpersonal conflict in a sample of 166 non-faculty employees at a Midwestern university in the United States. Results suggested that victims' positive affectivity, negative affectivity, and core self-evaluations were associated with interpersonal conflict. Furthermore, employee personality was related to subsequent interpersonal conflict from supervisors even after initial levels of interpersonal conflict were controlled. Analyses further suggested that target negative affectivity might be an especially strong predictor of interpersonal conflict. Consistent with past theorizing, we found evidence that initial interpersonal conflict with co-workers can result in subsequent interpersonal conflict with supervisors. We conclude with a discussion of the practical and theoretical implications of our findings.     

‘Training,it's a load of crap!’: the story of the hairdresser and his ‘Suit’

Many managers of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are more concerned about survival rather than growth. There are consistent findings that indicate managers in SMEs do not respond favourably to offers of HRD interventions and government policy now recognizes the value of informal learning and demand-led intervention. A social constructionist approach is suggested to consider engaging and working with SME managers. A framework of SME ‘worlds’ is considered before the case of one SME is examined. Using data from three different sources, the various positionings are considered. The case shows how from an apparently antagonistic view of external training, the manager was prepared to allow a coach/mentor to work with him towards his vision for expansion and growth. Conclusions are provided concerning engagement and stretch with SMEs, policy and future funding for HRD and the definition of skills development.     

Enacting the ‘true self’: Towards a theory of embodied authentic leadership

This paper argues that although authentic leadership may be rooted in the notion of a ‘true self’, it is through the embodiment of that ‘true self’ that leaders are perceived as authentic or not. In making this claim, we consider ways in which a somatic sense of self contributes to the felt sense of authenticity, and how through engaging with somatic cues, leadership can be performed in a way which is experienced as authentic, both to the leader and to those he or she seeks to lead. In developing our ideas further, we draw from the acting theory of Stanislavski (1936a, 1936b, 1961) to explore how authentic dramatic performances are created, focusing on the role of emotional memory, the magic ‘if’ and physical action in performances. We propose three key components of a resulting theory of how embodied authentic leadership is created: self exposure, relating, and making leaderly choices.     

Supervisors’ power to deal with employees’ inner resignation: How perceived power of the organization and the supervisor relate to employees’ voluntary and enforced work behavior

Power is fundamental in organizations and is exerted on employees by the organization itself as well as by supervisors. In this study, I applied the slippery slope framework (SSF) and interpersonal power interaction (IPI) model to shed light on how power dynamics relate to employees’ inner resignation and contextual performance.Survey data was obtained from 1102 employees of Austrian and German organizations. In line with expectations, the results of path modeling revealed that perceived coercive power of the organization and supervisors positively relates to employees’ inner resignation. Perceived legitimate power of the organization and supervisors is positively associated with contextual performance and negatively associated with inner resignation. Finally, supervisor reward power further strengthens the beneficial relationship between legitimate organizational power and inner resignation. The results are discussed in light of self-determination theory and the effort-reward imbalance model.     

‘First,get to know them’: a relational view of organizational socialization

An important episode in workplace learning is the socialization of newly hired people into the organization. Typically, the literature conceptualizes the socialization of new employees as a learning process whereby the newcomer is responsible for learning to fit into the organization. This perspective seems to underestimate the social influences of co-workers and managers. Research and theorizing on social exchange and interpersonal relationships identify the quality of relationships between members of a group as a fundamental factor moderating the quality and outcomes of other interactions related to learning and work. This paper presents the findings of a recent study of organizational socialization experienced by new engineers recently hired into a large, global manufacturing company based in the US. Results of this qualitative case study explore and explain the socialization process from a relational perspective providing compelling evidence that relationship building is a primary driver of the socialization process in organizations.     

The how and why of a firm’s approach to CSR and sustainability: a case study of a large European company

This paper aims to analyse “how” and “why” a company engages in CSR and sustainability. The “how” concerns the features of the firm’s CSR and sustainability approach, defined in terms of a firm’s strategy (implemented issues, initiatives and activities) and organization (organizational structures and roles and managerial systems adopted). The “why” refers to the key determinants, both internal and external, of CSR and sustainability. Finally, how the firm’s CSR and sustainability approach evolves over time and the relation between CSR determinants in various stages of the CSR evolutionary path are also investigated. The research method is based on the longitudinal analysis of a case study concerning a large multinational company operating in the telecommunications industry in Europe. The analysis of the case study shows that sub-cultural differences in the approach to CSR and sustainability may occur across hierarchical levels and functional units. Moreover, embedding CSR and sustainability principles doesn’t follow a linear and continuous process, made by sequential stages. Indeed, it can be characterized by an up and down evolutionary path, based on different stages with a changing emphasis given to CSR and sustainability issues. Finally, we find that the firm CSR and sustainability approach is not an autonomous choice, but it is a consequence of the contingent role played by both the external and the internal drivers and by their relative importance during the company’s CSR history.     

Correction to: From enforcement to financial reporting controls (FRCs): a country‑level composite indicator

Journal of Management and Governance - In the original publication of the article the following text and tables were published incorrectly. The correct text and tables have been provided with this...     

‘Physicians to a dying planet’: Helen Caldicott,Randall Forsberg,and the anti-nuclear weapons movement of the early 1980s

This article profiles two important leaders of the anti-nuclear weapons movement in the United States during the early 1980s. Helen Caldicott and Randall Forsberg were visionary, transformational leaders who crossed a variety of boundaries for the common good, and as such are prime exemplars of integrative leadership in action. Caldicott was a charismatic figure who used her status as physician and mother to rally a worldwide movement opposed to the ongoing proliferation of nuclear weapons and talk of “winnable” nuclear war. Forsberg was the main architect of the nuclear “Freeze” campaign whose humanitarian vision and common-sense approach to political action helped unite diverse segments of the American public around the Freeze proposal and push the Reagan administration towards disarmament talks with the Soviet Union. The article analyzes the leadership of both women in historical and social–scientific context, shedding light on two relatively unknown — yet important — social movement leaders whose stories have much to tell us about integrative public leadership, the challenges faced by women leaders, and the strengths and pitfalls of charismatic leadership.     

Applying the ‘comply-or-explain’ principle: discursive legitimacy tactics with regard to codes of corporate governance

The comply-or-explain principle is a central element of most codes of corporate governance. Originally put forward by the Cadbury Committee in the UK as a practical means of establishing a code of corporate governance whilst avoiding an inflexible “one size fits all” approach, it has since been incorporated into code regimes around the world. Companies can either comply with code provisions or may explain why they do not comply, i.e., why they deviate from a code provision. Despite its wide application very little is known about the ways in which comply-or-explain is used. In addressing this we employ legitimacy theory by which explanations for deviating can be understood as means of legitimizing the company’s actions. We analyzed the compliance statements and reports of 257 listed companies in the UK and Germany, producing some 715 records of deviation. From this we generated an empirically derived taxonomy of the explanations. In a second order analysis we examine the underlying logic and identify various legitimacy tactics. We discuss the consequences of these legitimacy tactics for code regimes and the implications for policy makers.     

Factors influencing a firm’s decision to conduct remanufacturing: evidence from the Thai automotive parts industry

This paper aims to investigate the key factors influencing the decision-making process of firms in conducting remanufacturing activities, using the Thai automotive parts as a case study. Our results show that on average, business feasibility is the most influential determinant driving the decision-making of firms, followed by areas of the firm’s strategic factors, and policy factors. In terms of individual factors, product maturity is ranked first as the most important factor for a firm to engage in remanufacturing activities, followed by financial aspects, availability of skilled workers and technical aspects. Policies related to trade, intellectual property rights and the environment are identified as the least crucial factors in affecting the decisions of firms. Characteristics of firms and products matter in ranking the factors influencing a firm’s decision to conduct remanufacturing.     

An expatriate’s perspective on leadership and leading (a global organization) in India: interview with Matt Barney

Organizations are often confronted with the challenges of developing global leaders who can function effectively in different cultural contexts. The existing scholar-practitioner literature offers limited information regarding evidence-based practices for developing global leaders who are called to exercise effective leadership in different cultures. The interview presented here is an attempt to highlight some of the unique challenges and opportunities senior executives face when they operate in international contexts.     

Research on Women Entrepreneurs: Challenges to (and from) the Broader Entrepreneurship Literature?

This paper has three overarching objectives. The first is to document the development of the body of work known as women's entrepreneurship research. The second is to assess the contributions of this work, specifically vis-à-vis the broader entrepreneurship literature. The third is to discuss how this broader literature poses challenges (both difficulties as well as opportunities) for scholarship on female entrepreneurs. We approach these objectives from the standpoint of informed pluralism, seeking to explore whether and how women's entrepreneurship research offers extensions to—and can be extended by—general research on entrepreneurs and their ventures.     

Standard of Living as a Right,Not a Privilege: Is It Time to Change the Dialogue from Minimum Wage to Living Wage?

Dating back to the 1930s, President Franklin D. Roosevelt argued that workers were entitled to a wage that allowed them to enjoy a decent standard of living—a conviction that led the president to propose the first federally‐mandated minimum wage. Mr. Roosevelt’s proposal was met with highly partisan resistance in congress and the courts—reactions not different in kind from the highly partisan resistance former President Obama experienced in his proposal to increase the federal minimum wage from its current level of $7.25 per hour. Reflecting President Roosevelt’s convictions, it is clear that many low wage workers today are not, and cannot, enjoying a decent standard of living at current minimum wage levels. Further, many of the economic arguments raised in opposition to increasing the minimum wage have been thoroughly discredited: empirical evidence suggests that increased minimum wages would not lead to dramatic spikes in unemployment, massive substitutions of capital for labor, business closings, and significantly increased consumer prices. However, as compelling as arguments for increasing the minimum wage may be, the reality is that this may not be sufficient to alleviate the plight of low income workers, particularly given the political nature of minimum wage adjustments. Indeed, it may be time to shift the national focus away from the minimum wage to an emphasis on viable living wage legislation, a proposition consistent with the social justice perspective of contemporary ethicists.     

The Transfer of ‘International Best Practice’ in a Brazilian MNC: A Consideration of the Convergence and Contingency Perspectives

This study examines the transfer of a Brazilian MNC's HR model to its subsidiaries in the UK, Canada, Switzerland and Norway. It enquires where the model was sourced from, to what extent it bore a distinct Brazilian complexion, and whether it was adapted to meet the strictures of host institutional constraints and traditions. The paper uses these questions to address an important theoretical debate in the international business literature; that is, whether the pattern of diffusion of management practices within MNCs will lead to a convergence of practices across companies and countries à la the convergence perspective, or whether this is unlikely given the variety of social and political constraints limiting such a process as suggested by the contingency perspective. We find that the MNC imposed a unitary (US-sourced) model of HR ‘best practice’ on all of its subsidiaries. Thus our empirical findings support the convergence thesis. However, we argue that these outcomes are largely explained by relations of power and economic dependence; specifically, the co-existence of dominant-country (US) practices and a dominant sectoral firm operating in economically dependent regions. Where similar circumstances are replicated one might foresee convergence within sectors across countries, but otherwise pluralism and eclecticism between sectors and across countries might be the predominant pattern along the lines envisaged in the conceptualization of “converging divergences”.     

How to beat early movers: The role of competitive strategy and industry dynamism on followers’ performance in the telecommunications industry

The idea of first-mover advantages is frequently used by both managers and academics alike. Despite its importance for understanding the performance of entry in new markets, the evidence remains mixed. Our study advances research on the entry timing-performance relationship by adopting a contingency perspective that includes both micro (competitive strategies) and macro (industry dynamics) dimensions to explain differences in entrants' profitability. In this paper we focus on follower firms and propose that cost leadership is the best strategy for them to successfully entering a market. In addition, recognizing the contingency effect of industry dynamism, we also examine how market growth and technology evolution affect the effectiveness of followers’ competitive strategies. Specifically, we propose that followers will be better off by using cost strategies in growing markets, while when operating in contexts of technological change the performance of the cost leadership strategy will be lower.     

The illusion of independence: Spun-off firms’ risk-taking as a function of status and attachment to the parent firm

This paper examines the post-divestiture behavior of spun-off firms. Drawing on the spin-off literature and middle-status conformity theory, we argue that spun-off firms—as newly independent and publicly traded firms—tend to limit their risk-taking behavior to match the expectations of a crucial audience, i.e., security analysts. Following the logic of middle-status conformity theory, we hypothesize that firms with mid-level status are particularly susceptible to analysts' pressures, whereas high- and low-status firms are free to take greater risks. Crucially, however, we propose that this relationship is less pronounced for spun-off firms that are more attached to their parent firms, as formal and informal linkages between these two types of firms can endure beyond the separation and limit spun-off firms' independence. Using a dataset of 102 spin-off transactions occurring between 1995 and 2010, we find empirical support for a U-shaped relationship between spun-off firms' status and risk-taking. This relationship is attenuated when spun-off firms are more attached to their parents. We contribute to the spin-off literature by demonstrating that a spun-off firm's post-divestiture behavior is determined by the capital market audience's expectations and the attachment to the parent firm. In so doing, we also contribute to the literature on middle-status conformity theory by identifying a boundary condition of the theory. Additionally, we make a methodological contribution by combining ideas from the spin-off and institutional theory literature to develop a particularly comprehensive measure of attachment.     

Environmental and economic assessment for the optimal configuration of a sustainable solid waste collection system: a ‘kerbside’ case study

The article presents a case study concerning the improvement of the ‘kerbside’ waste collection system, now increasingly implemented in many Italian municipalities, as an alternative to traditional bring collection, with the aim of increasing the quality of waste collection and the collection rate, in order to reduce the final impact on the environment. A planning model for an integrated waste management system based on kerbside collection is presented. A heuristic procedure is also applied in order to obtain some admissible solutions of the real problem in reasonable computational time. The economic and environmental impacts are considered as significant elements for the evaluation and validation of the obtained solutions. Five alternative configurations of kerbside system, diverging in number of sub-area, synchrony of vehicles and directionality of the arcs, are compared in an economic point of view. Finally, Life-Cycle Assessment is used as a tool to compare the overall potential environmental impacts of the alternative of kerbside collection systems and also to compare the kerbside system with the traditional bring one. The different scenarios of kerbside system are comparable in terms of damage on the impact categories, while the bring system is the worst one, in terms of damage on human health, in the consumption of resources and also for the total damage score.