One size does not fit all: Entrepreneurial families’ reliance on family offices

Family offices are organisations dedicated to the management of entrepreneurial families’ private wealth. Based on agency theory, we analyse types of family offices with regard to the families’ goals and the control mechanisms used to ensure goal achievement. Family-dominant management and private client structures involve stronger emphasis on non-financial goals in single and multi-family offices than in non-family-dominant management and open client structures. Variations in family involvement, ranging from family dominance to the complete absence of family ownership and/or management, and diverse client structures justify the differential reliance on formal and informal control mechanisms.     

A Review of Organizational Stress Management Research:

Evaluation studies of worksite stress management training (SMT) are reviewed and methodological considerations are offered regarding (1) program orientation, (2) experimental design, (3) worker participants, (4) outcome measures, and (5) duration of training effects and worker compliance. Suggestions for additional research include the need to (1) employ additional comparison groups in order to detect training-specific effects, (2) evaluate SMT in blue-collar settings, (3) expand the scope of outcome measures to include employee behaviors, and (4) assess long term effects of SMT and factors associated with worker maintenance of learned skills. It is concluded that SMT has value as a prevention activity in work settings but its use as a treatment strategy for troubled workers is not supported conceptually or empirically. Companies and practitioners are encouraged to view SMT not as an isolated activity but as one component of occupational health and safety activities. A holistic approach which incorporates stress management into company health and safety philosophies is viewed as the optimal strategy.     

A Comparison of Lecture Versus Role-Playing in the Training of the Use of Positive Reinforcement

Managers of organizations, often in coordination with personnel departments, create training programs for their staff. The emphasis in human service organizations is to train staff to use behavior modification techniques, especially to reinforce appropriate client behavior. Unfortunately, published research evaluating the quality of this training has been almost nonexistent (Kazdin & Moyer, 1976). Two different instructional formats of training were compared in this study: two groups received a lecture on reinforcing appropriate behavior and two groups role-played the act of reinforcing appropriate behavior. Follow-up observations of the staff showed that the performance of the lecture-trained staff was stable or declined after an initial improvement. The performance of staff who role-played, however, continued to improve. Feedback and physical action may be the reasons for the superiority of role-playing over a lecture format.     

R&D (Re)location and Offshore Outsourcing: A Management Perspective

The paper reviews and systematizes the management literature directly and indirectly related to (re)location of research and development (R&D), in the form of both insourcing and outsourcing. The focus in particular is on R&D offshore outsourcing and its main drivers, including locational constraints and opportunities, motives, strategic decisions and managerial challenges. The analysis synthesizes and links the main propositions and findings of the theoretical and empirical work to build an original management and strategy centred framework which looks at R&D (re)location from a client–vendor perspective. In this case, the client is the offshoring company, and the vendors are the firms located in the host country. The characteristics of the firms and locations considered vis‐à‐vis the offshoring firm's goals are examined, the strategies implemented, the management and organizational challenges that R&D offshore outsourcing entails, and the ways in which offshoring impacts on both home and host locations are investigated.     

Cognitive therapy and behavioural coping in the management of work-related stress: An intervention study

Transactional models of stress emphasize the importance of cognitive appraisal of potential stressors in the determination of the stress response. This appraisal can be modified by the use of techniques normally associated with cognitive therapy. The contribution of a specifically cognitive component when intervening in work-related stress has not been well evaluated to date. This research seeks to determine the effectiveness of stress management training in the treatment of the work-related effects of stress by comparing the role of modifying dysfunctional cognitions with the teaching of appropriate behavioural coping strategies. Participants were allocated to one of two intervention conditions or to a waiting list control group. Those in the intervention conditions received group stress management either with the focus on delivering cognitive therapy techniques or with the focus on behavioural coping skills. Measures of general health were taken at the beginning and end of intervention and at 3-month follow-up. Participants in the cognitive therapy groups who were reporting symptoms of general ill-health at the start of the intervention showed a significant improvement at follow-up. Cognitive therapy appears to have been an effective intervention in work-related stress. Those in the behavioural group showed a smaller but still clinically effective improvement. Results are discussed in terms of methodological issues and implications for future research. It is suggested that changes in cognitive appraisal may need to be developed.     

When is a physician network a group?

Developing a network of physicians into a high-performing group requires a cultural transformation. The hallmarks, as well as the obstacles, to achieving this are reviewed by two experienced consultants. The requirements of highly successful physician organizations range from sharing a common mission, vision, and values to developing an effective infrastructure to having visionary leadership. Barriers to successful physician groups include a lack of clarity of purpose and goals, lack of quality standards, and an absence of shared learning. A blueprint on how to become a successful physician group is provided.     

Reconstruction of decision-making behavior in shareholder and stakeholder theory: implications for management accounting systems

This paper focuses on two interrelated research questions. First, an analysis of managerial decision-making is incorporated into shareholder and stakeholder theory. Secondly, the paper investigates what consequences result for management accounting from inherent conceptions of managerial decision-making behavior. These research questions are based on assumptions of complex interrelationships among decision-making managers, management accountants, and techniques they employ. The findings of this research support that tenets of management accounting systems correspond best with shareholder theory. In doing so they apply financial measures, pursue the goal of profit maximization, and focus on decision-making behavior resulting from the agency relationship between shareholder and manager. Stakeholder theory, however, is fundamentally different from shareholder theory in terms of goals, management philosophy, relationships, behavioral assumptions etc. For these reasons differences with respect to managerial decision-making behavior are reasonable and different requirements related to management accounting systems appear appropriate.     

A Literature Review of Organizational Behavior Management Interventions in Human Service Settings from 1990 to 2016

We reviewed the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA), Journal of Organizational Behavior Management (JOBM), and Behavior Analysis in Practice (BAP) from 1990 to 2016, to identify articles that evaluated organizational behavior management interventions in a human service setting. Of those articles, 75 articles met the inclusion criteria for the review, 44 from JABA (1990 to 2016), 22 from JOBM (1990 to 2016), and 7 from BAP (2008 to 2016). We categorized each selected article by setting, employee population, client population, assessment, dependent variable, independent variable, and outcome measures. Results from the review are discussed for all three journals. Recommendations are made to broaden the scope of population and dependent variable targets, include more assessments, and include outcome data when applicable.     

Causal Linkages in Supply Chain Management: An Exploratory Study of North American Manufacturing Firms

In this paper we investigate the key causal linkages in supply chain management. We propose a conceptual framework and test this framework on data from 215 North American manufacturing firms using structural equation modeling techniques. Three major research issues are addressed in this study: Do sourcing decisions affect the degree to which firms achieve manufacturing goals of cost, flexibility, dependability, and quality? Does the degree of manufacturing goal achievement lead to higher customer responsiveness? Does the degree of manufacturing goal achievement lead to higher internal manufacturing performance? The study examines the relationship among sourcing decisions, manufacturing goals, customer responsiveness, and manufacturing performance. The results support the notion that an integrated supply chain involves aligning sourcing decisions to achieve manufacturing goals that are set to respond favorably to the needs of customers.     

A survey of goal programming

In this paper the applications of goal programming to industrial and economic planning are reviewed, and it is shown how the linear programming framework can be extended to include a series of goals (or objectives). A planning method is suggested in which the decision maker is presented with a list of all the possible attainable goals from which he picks the most appropriate set.     

The Consolations of Organization Theory

The call for greater relevance in management research leads us to examine the remedies offered by organization theory to organizational problems. In contrast to Starkey and Madan (2001), we argue that research engagement with other academic disciplines helps produce broadly useful knowledge. Installing practitioners in central places in the research process may focus research on short-run rather than deep-seated processes. We illustrate the relevance of organization theory through two examples of how apparently esoteric knowledge (produced through cross-disciplinary collaboration) can have surprising application. First we show how the social network perspective proved useful in rescuing a manager from the perils of unpopularity. Second, we show how deconstruction can uncover the institutionalized routines that disempower managers and workers. Neither the management training centers nor the web-based learning initiatives admired by Starkey and Madan are likely to deliver insights that address deep-seated processes of change within society. Collaboration with academics across the university can further our goals of research relevant to practitioners.     

The current practice of bank long-range planning

This paper reports on a recent survey of long-range planning practices in 105 large United States banks. The survey results indicate that long range planning is a relatively new corporate activity with more than half the respondents initiating long range planning the last 5 years. To the extent these banks lead others, this finding suggests greater adoption of long range planning systems in small and medium size banks in the future. Profitability and growth goals are the primary goals quantified in the planning process. These goals are pursued via various strategies. Profit goals are typically pursued by improving pricing policies, adjusting mix and maturity of assets and liabilities to minimize adverse effects of interest rate fluctuations, managing spreads through proper loan pricing and bond portfolio management and tightening cost control with a particular emphasis on non-interest expense. Growth goals are achieved by branch expansion, use of bank holding companies, and increased market penetration through product diversification and sales training programmes designed to develop new business. In addition, information is presented on trends that appear to be developing in the area of long-range planning in the banking industry.     

The use of advanced management techniques in R & D

The paper discusses information collected in a study carried out by Bradford University Management Centre in 1985/86 to establish the state-of-the-art in the use of advanced management techniques in R & D departments of UK organisations. Data from two questionnaires were supplemented by more detailed discussions with selected respondents and a survey of the relevant literature was carried out. Indications are that both project management in R & D and managerial development of R & D staff are receiving attention, particularly from senior management. As yet, however, the potential of recent advances in computer technology and of existing MS techniques has not been fully realised. In this context, the effectiveness of present training courses in project management techniques is questioned.     

Improving Computer Training Effectiveness for Decision Technologies: Behavior Modeling and Retention Enhancement*

Managers and analysts increasingly need to master the hands‐on use of computer‐based decision technologies including spreadsheet models. Effective training can prevent the lack of skill from impeding potential effectiveness gains from decision technologies. Among the wide variety of software training approaches in use today, recent research indicates that techniques based on behavior modeling, which consists of computer skill demonstration and hands‐on practice, are among the most effective for achieving positive training outcomes. The present research examines whether the established behavior‐modeling approach to software training can be improved by adding a retention enhancement intervention as a substitute for, or complement to, hands‐on practice. One hundred and eleven trainees were randomly assigned to one of three versions of a training program for spreadsheets: retention enhancement only, practice only, and retention enhancement plus practice. Results obtained while controlling for total training time indicate that a combination of retention enhancement and practice led to significantly better cognitive learning than practice alone. The initial difference in cognitive achievement was still evident one week after training. Implications for future computer training research and practice are discussed.     

关于管理研究及其理论和方法的讨论

继续作者关于中国管理学科定位和发展方向的学术讨论,从管理学的研究动机,研究对象,以及理论和方法选择方面,讨论作者个人的一些初步想法.其基本观点主要有:1)学术研究的终极动力应该是对科学真理的追求;2)这种追求的一个重要特点就是勇于创新,勇于挑战现有的范式;3)这种创新必须基于严格的训练和严密的设计;4)这种严密的设计必须考虑到研究对象与理论和方法的匹配;5)中国管理学研究应该鼓励多种理论,多种学说,多种方法共同发展,取长补短,在借鉴国外主流管理学科发展的经验和教训的基础上,发挥中国管理学者的特长,解释和预测中国遇到的管理问题和现象,为整个管理学科的发展做出贡献.     

History and Contribution of Organizational Behavior Management to Services for Persons with Developmental Disabilities

ABSTRACT

This article traces the development of the field of organizational behavior management (OBM) from its origins in early behavior modification studies, the development of a technology for modifying staff behavior, to recent developments in the evolution of cultures. An ecological model of staff behavior is outlined using Bronfenbrenner's (1979) ecological model of human development. The technology used to modify staff behavior is briefly reviewed. In the final section recommendations for managers and researchers are made. Managers should be aware that there is an effective technology for modifying a wide range of staff behaviors that can be implemented both in response to crises and during routine management. Future research on OBM should address three major concerns. First, OBM should broaden the scope of its enquiry beyond the immediate staff and consumer dyad to include analysis of and intervention upon the entire ecosystem within which the consumer's behavior occurs. Second, the issue of integrating theory with practice should be pursued more vigorously through fundamental research on supervisor behavior and through basing interventions on an analysis of the variables maintaining current supervisory behavior. Third, greater attention should be paid to developing training for middle managers as general ist users of the principles of OBM.     

Behaviour Modelling: Its Record and Potential in Training and Development

Behaviour modelling training is an approach to training systems design which has a strong conceptual base in social learning theory (Bandura, 1977). In the mid 1970s, Goldstein and Sorcher produced a now well-known book which described the application of behaviour-modelling techniques to supervisory training. In the last 15 years or so the conceptual basis of behaviour modelling has progressed (Bandura, 1986) and there has been a steady stream of studies (see Decker and Nathan, 1985; Goldstein and Gessner, 1988) investigating the use and potential of the approach in organizational settings. The first half of this article provides an overview of the conceptual basis for behaviour modelling training and examines the extent to which behaviour modelling practice provides a valid operationalization of underlying theory. The remainder of the article is concerned with issues of evaluation and applicability. Research on the use of behaviour-modelling techniques has shown consistently good reaction and learning data (i.e. trainees like the material and are able to learn from it). Evidence concerning the transfer of learning back to the job (i.e. behaviour change and organization impact) is much more equivocal. The available evidence is reviewed and used to produce an account of the record and potential of behaviour modelling training.     

Evaluating leadership coaching: A review and integrated framework

Leadership coaching reflects an evolving dynamic between the client and coach that is qualitatively different from most approaches to leadership development and therefore holds particular challenges for evaluation. Based on reviews of academic and practitioner literatures, this paper presents an integrated framework of coaching evaluation that includes formative evaluations of the client, coach, client–coach relationship, and coaching process, as well as summative evaluations based on coaching outcomes. The paper also includes a quantitative synthesis examining evaluation methodologies in 49 leadership coaching studies. The results revealed that self-reported changes in clients' leadership behaviors are the most frequently assessed coaching outcome, followed by clients' perceptions of the effectiveness of coaching. Recommendations to advance coaching evaluation research include the creation of collaborative partnerships between the evaluation stakeholders (client, coach, client's organization, and coaching organization) to facilitate systematic formative evaluations, the collection of multi-source and multi-level data, and the inclusion of distal outcomes in evaluation plans.     

Evaluation von Coaching

Evaluation of executive coaching — an inquiry of coaches and clientsThe variables, the effects and the connection between variables and effects of executive coaching are examined in a questionnaire study with coaches and clients. The results show that executive coaching represents an effective intervention that positively affects both the client’s self-reflection and his/her behaviour. The client’s willingness to change and his/her intensity of suffering prove to be good predictors of success in achieving the desired effects. From the coach’s perspective these factors include the intelligibility of the coaching concept and a participative procedure. Additionally, the influence of the relationship on the coaching results is identified, resembling findings in psychotherapy research. Coach and client tend to agree with regard to their perception of the coaching process.     

An Evaluation of the Effects of Very Difficult Goals

In 1968 the first cohesive theory on goal setting proposed that difficult goals produce higher levels of performance than easy goals and that specific goals produce a higher level of performance than “do your best” goals. While over 40 years of research supports this theory, there has been some discrepancy regarding the use of very difficult goals. This study was designed to examine the effects on performance of different levels of performance improvement goals and two different types of feedback, as feedback is often used in conjunction with goal setting. A group design was used with participants receiving one of two goal levels, and two different types of feedback. While no significant effects were found between the two types of feedback, goal level produced significant results in terms of performance and accuracy.