Culture and cross-functional coopetition: The interplay of organizational and national culture

Scholars now recognize coopetition—the joint occurrence of cooperation and competition—between functional units as an important factor for a firm's learning and performance. We know little, however, about the drivers of cross-functional coopetition and in particular the roles of organizational culture and national culture. This study introduces cross-functional coopetition to the international management literature by illuminating the cultural antecedents of cross-functional coopetition. Specifically, we develop a cross-cultural model to analyze the influence of organizational and national culture on cross-functional coopetition. Drawing on a dataset of 646 companies from seven countries, we theoretically advance and empirically validate the influence of organizational culture and the moderating role of individualism and uncertainty avoidance on cross-functional coopetition. Organizational cultural dimensions directly enhance cross-functional coopetition. Furthermore, strong social values of individualism and uncertainty avoidance weaken the relationship between organizational culture and cross-functional coopetition. This study provides a novel perspective on how organizational culture can represent a strategic resource by illuminating the cultural mechanisms that influence coopetition within the firm.     

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。     

Country differences in the relationship between leadership and employee engagement: A meta-analysis

Leadership is frequently related to important organizational outcomes such as follower engagement. However, to date we have little insight into the degree to which this relation is contingent upon (a) types of leadership style and (b) national culture. These two issues are addressed in a meta-analysis of 209 independent (257 effect sizes), mainly cross-sectional studies (79%), involving 82,386 participants from 45 countries. The findings show that whereas abusive supervision was negatively associated with work engagement, several leadership styles (e.g., servant, empowering, ethical, and charismatic leadership) have positive correlations with subordinate engagement; some dimensions of national culture (e.g., gender egalitarianism, human orientation, performance orientation, future orientation, and power distance) moderate the leadership–employee engagement relationship. However, the correlations between servant, ethical, and transactional leadership and subordinate engagement are less likely to vary across national cultural characteristics. Notwithstanding the proliferation of leadership–employee engagement literature with more than 200 published articles, a strong reliance on cross-sectional designs have impeded it to gain any solid conclusions about causality due to endogeneity biases. We conclude by providing a detailed future research agenda and discussing how our results can stimulate future leadership research and inform practices with regards to leader development.     

What is the “right” market orientation for new entrepreneurial ventures?

A general notion in research on entrepreneurial marketing is that new ventures that adopt both strong market orientation and entrepreneurial orientation outperform other firms. The present research provides a more fine-grained analysis of this common wisdom. First, while extant research focuses on responsive market orientation, this research seeks to differentiate responsive from proactive market orientations in young ventures. Second, the study examines the moderating effects of the degree of entrepreneurial orientation on proactive and responsive market orientation’s performance consequences in the context of new ventures since these ventures must understand which orientations are worth pursuing, especially given their resource constraints. The theoretically developed research model is tested using survey data of 259 ventures in operation less than fifteen years from five national cultures in order to detect national dependencies and establish the robustness of the findings. Recommendations concerning which type of market orientation entrepreneurial and less entrepreneurial new ventures should follow are provided.     

创业者个体学习、组织学习如何交互影响企业创新行为？——基于整合视角的纵向单案例研究

社会经济的不断发展促使分工愈发精细,对个人与组织间的技术隔离也愈加明显,亟待创业者个体及组织开展跨层次的交互学习以构建组织创新优势。基于此,本文援引学习理论与意义构建视角,从"行动"与"解释"出发,采用纵向单案例研究方法,基于"个体-组织"整合性分析框架,探究了不同创业阶段内跨层次行动主体间的学习互动模型,揭示了其对企业创新的影响路径。研究发现:创业者个体学习与组织学习间的互动,表现为渐变初期个体利用式学习经"自上而下"团队互动主导形成组织单环式行动;而在调整转变期,个体学习与组织学习发生交互影响,包含个体探索式学习经"横向协同式"团队互动主导形成组织双环式行动,以及组织双环式行动转换为单环式之后,经由持续反思与质询,刺激形成创业者个体利用式学习;最后,在发展突变期,个体利用式学习经"制度化统筹式"团队交互合作促成组织单环式行动,同时个体探索式学习经"跨越层次自主式"团队交互激活组织双环式学习。此外,在不同创业阶段,3种互动逻辑与意义构建框架下的创新决定机制呈现出以个体创意激发与扩散、信息整合与匹配以及平衡矛盾与冲突3种不同的影响路径展开的态势。本研究为创业学习理论和创业实践过程贡献了新的启示。     

研发/制造/营销跨职能整合与新产品开发：产品创新性的差异效应研究

本文考察了研发/制造/营销跨职能整合的前端驱动要素及跨职能整合对新产品开发绩效的提升机制。结果表明：联合创新激励、高层管理者支持、产品开发正式化和产品开发动态性是增强跨职能整合有效性的重要前因变量,跨职能整合提升了产品线协同和新产品开发绩效,产品线协同和新产品开发有助于增加企业市场绩效,而产品创新战略则在以上路径关系间发挥了差异效应影响。当企业开发低创新性产品时,高层管理者支持和产品开发正式化对跨职能整合的驱动效应以及产品线协同对企业市场绩效的促进作用要更大,而当企业开发高创新性产品时,联合创新激励和产品开发动态性对跨职能整合的正向影响以及研发/制造/营销跨职能整合对产品线协同和新产品开发绩效的驱动效应则更为显著。     

11 The Effects of Governments on Management and Organization

Abstract

We review and integrate existing research from organization theory, strategy, organizational behavior, economics, sociology and political science on the effects of governments on organization and management, with a focus on how governing ideology and government capability influence independent organizations’ forms, strategies, and their participants’ behavior. When brought together these works suggest significant research opportunities in the fields of management and organization, as well as new perspectives on public policy challenges. Several avenues of potentially profitable empirical research include more attention to the influence of government on corporate strategies, more research on the strategies of pursuing corruption and government capture for competitive advantage, the role of government in fostering innovation and the growth of entrepreneurial organizations, and extra‐organizational contextual effects on managerial and employee organizational behavior. Possible public policy implications are illustrated with an application to the role of organizations in national wealth generation and dispersion.     

Confucian values and the implications for international HRD

Abstract

The consideration of cultural issues has become increasingly important in scholarly inquiry and explorative practice in international human resource development (HRD). We review and explore the core characteristics of Confucian-based culture in relation to organizations and unfold how these Confucian values may affect organizational and management practices in China and other Asian countries. Five major aspects of Confucianism are examined. They are: (a) hierarchy and harmony, (b) group orientation, (c) guanxi networks (relationships), (d) mianzi (face) and (e) time orientation. The impact of these values on management practices in the Chinese organizational context is presented in four areas: (a) working relationships, (b) decision-making processes, (c) ruling by man (ren zhi) instead of by law (fa zhi) and (d) HR practices. Implications for organizations and international HRD are also discussed.     

Examining Facilitative Configurations of Entrepreneurially Oriented Growth: An Information Processing Perspective

This study examines how the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and firm growth is shaped by learning orientation in technologically sophisticated environments. We draw upon an information processing perspective that emphasizes alignment between information processing demands and support mechanisms. Using data from 116 small to medium‐sized enterprises in the Netherlands, we observe that the ability of entrepreneurial orientation to drive firm growth greatly depends on the joint consideration of technological sophistication and learning orientation. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of how configurations of strategic orientations and environmental considerations work in concert to influence the efficacy of organizational entrepreneurial efforts dramatically.     

From Entrepreneurial Orientation and Learning Orientation to Business Performance: Analysing the Mediating Role of Organizational Learning and the Moderating Effects of Organizational Size

Following the organizational learning theory and the knowledge‐based view approach, this contribution aims to study the influence of entrepreneurial orientation and learning orientation on organizational learning, considering the latter as a mediating variable in the relationships between both antecedent cultural values and business performance. We also analyse the moderating role of organizational size on these previous relationships. The hypotheses proposed in our research model are tested on a sample of 140 Spanish industrial companies, applying variance‐based structural equation modelling: partial least squares. In order to assess the moderating effects of organizational size, we adopt a multi‐group approach using two subsamples with large firms and small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). Our findings indicate that organizational learning partially mediates the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and performance and fully mediates the link between learning orientation and performance. Likewise, the results reveal that the relationship established between entrepreneurial orientation and organizational learning is more intense for the group of large firms than for the group of SMEs. Moreover, the influence of learning orientation on organizational learning is greater in SMEs than in large firms.     

7. A contingent configuration approach to understanding the role of personality in organizational groups

We argue that past research has taken one of three basic theoretical approaches to explaining the nature of member personality effects on group process and team performance: (1) universal - certain traits always predict teamwork success; (2) contingent - certain traits predict team performance depending on the task or organizational culture; and (3) configuration - the mix of traits within a group, or the “fit” of individual members with each other, predicts team performance. Each of these three approaches to personality in groups has received significant empirical support in the literature and yet has some shortcomings. We offer suggestions for improving research using each approach but argue that a full understanding of the role of personality in group processes must integrate all three of these approaches into what we call the contingent configuration approach. We conclude by discussing the implications of adopting this approach to understanding the role of personality in organizational groups.     

组织创业气氛、创业导向与创业企业绩效研究

基于创业认知理论,拓展了创业导向与创业绩效的经典模型.通过数据调查,实证检验了组织创业气氛、创业导向以及创业企业绩效三者之间的关系,由此得出结论:①组织创业气氛与创业绩效具有正向关系,创业导向与创业绩效具有正向关系;②创业导向在组织创业气氛与衍生企业绩效之间起中介作用.     

公司创业导向、双元能力与组织绩效

环境不确定的加剧,导致更多公司采取创业导向的战略,但是从公司创业导向到组织绩效,中间需要一定的转化路径与组织能力的支持.从理论上论证了组织的双元能力,即机会探索能力与机会开发能力在创业导向转化为组织绩效中所起的中介作用,并通过185份有效样本验证了中国背景下创业导向的独特维度组成,以及双元能力的中介效应.     

手段导向、知识获取与新企业创业能力的实证研究

创业能力对于新企业创造和维持竞争优势具有重要意义,相关研究受到创业领域学者们的广泛关注。然而创业能力的实证研究主要集中于创业者个体层面创业能力的前因和结果分析,组织层面的创业能力的实证研究尚处于探索阶段,仍有待运用有效的理论揭示新企业如何构建组织层面创业能力的内在机理和路径。作为新兴的创业理论,手段导向理论有助于面临高不确定性的新企业在创业过程中持续进行迭代式学习,而组织学习理论认为,知识获取作为组织学习的核心环节有助于组织创业能力的构建。因此,手段导向可能通过知识获取提升新企业创业能力。然而,少有学者关注此方面研究。 运用手段导向理论和组织学习理论,深入剖析手段导向各维度对创业能力的积极影响,检验知识获取在手段导向与创业能力关系间的中介作用。采取大样本问卷调查,收集215家中国新企业数据,并运用多元线性回归分析和因子分析等方法进行实证检验。 研究结果表明,手段导向的4个维度均对创业能力具有积极影响,试验、可承受损失和先前承诺3个维度通过知识获取提升新企业创业能力,但是知识获取在柔性与新企业创业能力关系间的中介作用不显著。 研究结论对于丰富和拓展组织层面创业能力相关研究和推动手段导向理论的发展具有重要意义,为新企业如何在高不确定性和强资源约束下构建组织创业能力提供必要的理论指导。     

Linking CIO–CMO Communication and Product Innovation via Virtual Customer Environment Engagement: A Moderated Mediation Study

Intuitively, we would expect that CIO–CMO communication plays a minimal role in product innovation performance, because product innovation is primarily driven by firms’ market orientation, knowledge of customer needs and cross-functional integration among marketing, R&D and operations management. In a sharp contrast to this perspective, we propose that CIO–CMO communication increases product innovation performance through enhancing virtual customer environment (VCE) engagement. Such proposed effects are supported by two studies with different samples (i.e. MBA alumni in Study 1 and a representative sample in Study 2) and different performance measures (i.e. subjective ratings in Study 1 and objective sales data in Study 2). Furthermore, the effect of CIO–CMO communication on product innovation performance via VCE engagement is contingent upon two situational factors, namely marketing–IT integration policy and market uncertainty. The effect of CIO–CMO communication on product innovation performance via VCE engagement is positive and significant when marketing–IT integration policy is strong or when market uncertainty is high, but not when marketing–IT integration policy is weak or when market uncertainty is low. Theoretical contributions and managerial implications of these findings are discussed, especially on how managers can capitalize on CIO–CMO communication and VCE engagement to enhance the success of new product innovation.     

基于文化差异观的组织文化友好性和一致性对组织变革的影响

本文在组织文化的价值层面、事实层面及其两层面差异的视角上,研究组织文化友好性和一致性对组织变革的认知反应和行为反应的影响,并以我国302个中高级管理者代表的企业为样本进行实证研究。结果表明:相对于价值层面的组织文化友好性,事实层面的组织文化友好性对变革认知反应和行为都具有推动作用;两层面文化友好性的差异仅推动变革认知反应;相对于价值层面的组织文化一致性,事实层面的组织文化一致性仅对变革行为反应具有阻碍作用;两层面文化一致性的差异阻碍变革认知反应和行为反应。     

新企业网络导向如何影响其创业导向

作为战略管理与创业管理的交叉领域,创业导向研究日益成为学界关注的热点,而受到"新生弱性"困扰的新创企业往往缺乏必要的资源基础和实力,尤其在中国经济转型背景下,如何通过外部关系网络来增强创业导向成为新企业面临的关键难题。结合社会网络理论与组织学习理论,对网络导向影响创业导向的内在过程进行剖析,发现网络嵌入机制和创业学习机制是影响新企业网络导向与创业导向关系的两种主要机制。运用多层次回归分析的方法实证研究新企业网络导向影响其创业导向的影响机理,结果显示:(1)网络导向与创业导向之间呈倒U型关系;(2)新企业的网络嵌入与创业学习在"网络导向-创业导向"主效应中能起到正向调节作用,不过其中的利用性创业学习调节作用不显著;(3)网络嵌入与创业学习之间存在一定的匹配互补性,其中关系嵌入与利用性学习、结构嵌入与探索性学习具有显著的协同调节效应。本文研究深化了网络与学习双重视角下的创业导向前因理论研究,研究结论有助于新企业把握网络导向影响创业导向的内在规律,从而指导新企业对网络嵌入与创业学习行为进行科学规划。     

A configurational analysis of the antecedents of entrepreneurial orientation

Entrepreneurial orientation is widely acknowledged as a strong predictor of firm performance. It is therefore critical to understand the factors and conditions that nurture it. In this paper, we investigate what configurations of motivations and personality traits trigger entrepreneurial orientation in three strategic leadership situations: successor of a family business, family-oriented founder, non-family founder. Strategic leaders in these situations are differently exposed to the opportunities and constraints to pursue entrepreneurial posture, because of the influence of family embeddedness and organizational resistance. We apply Fuzzy Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis to a sample of 257 Italian SME owner/managers. We identify 12 coherent configurations of internal and external motivations, and personality traits that are all conducive to entrepreneurial orientation. These configurations are consistent with features of the family and organization environments in which the entrepreneurial action takes place; furthermore, in each strategic leadership situation, different configurations of attributes lead to entrepreneurial orientation.     

创业导向与创新绩效：高管团队特征和市场动态性的影响

创业导向对创新绩效的提升具有重要的影响,但创业导向与创新绩效的关系还可能受高管团队特征和市场动态性的影响。根据基于注意力的观点,对创业导向、创新绩效、高管团队的异质性、高管团队的共同愿景和市场动态性的关系进行研究,探讨高管团队的异质性和共同愿景对创业导向与创新绩效关系的调节作用,并进一步研究这种调节作用是否受市场动态性的影响。利用在广东、江苏、山东、陕西和河南5地收集的264份调查问卷,采用多元线性回归和调节效应的检验方法对研究假设进行实证检验。研究结果表明,创业导向对创新绩效有正向促进作用,高管团队的异质性有助于加强创业导向与创新绩效的关系。在稳定的市场环境下,高管团队的异质性对创业导向与创新绩效关系的调节效应更强;在不考虑环境动态性和环境动态性较低的情况下,高管团队的共同愿景对创业导向与创新绩效关系的调节效应不显著,但在动态性较高的市场环境下,可以显著地正向调节创业导向与创新绩效的关系。     

Conflicting Subcultures in Mergers and Acquisitions: a Longitudinal Study of Integrating a Radical Internet Firm into a Bureaucratic Telecoms Firm

Media and telecommunications companies face the problem of how to integrate diametrically opposite radical internet firms after acquisition. Extant mergers and acquisitions (M&A) studies report that differences in the organizational culture are important in the cultural integration process. Frequently, M&A research assumes organizational cultures to be homogeneous and unified, but a large body of organizational literature suggests that organizations should be understood as heterogeneous living worlds in which employees construct their own subcultures. The paper focuses on the question of how such subcultures affect the long‐term cultural integration of merged firms. A 12‐year longitudinal field study in the Netherlands examined the integration of iPioneer into Telcom. The findings of the study show how three subcultures in iPioneer influenced the cultural integration process. The paper makes a contribution to the academic debate on cultural integration in domestic M&A by acknowledging that the numerous coexisting subcultures influence cultural integration in the complex process of post‐acquisition integration.