Zeit und Mediation

The idea to go into the relationship between time and mediation comes from practical experience. (Mediation in industry, commerce and trade ist dealt with here.) As I am a mediator in medium-sized and large companies, I have to trace the often hidden reasons for conflicts and confront the conflicting parties with them. They can then try to overcome them through their own resources expressed in a long-lasting consensus. Both, the process of conflict counselling through mediation as a whole and the causes which create and escalate conflicts in the world of work, depend on and are determined by the time factor in my experience. However, when causes and solutions dealing with the conflict process, mainly, but not only, depend on the time constellation. This being the case then the opposite can apply. Thus, time-management in production and personnel leadership which is based on the human principles of mediation serves to prevent conflict from developing. Furthermore, it operates prophylactically where conflict is pre-programmed when the way people cooperate is sometimes at odds with successful management geared to market conditions not primarily concerned with the human needs of people working in these structure.     

Success and Failure of Nonprofit Organizations: Theoretical Foundations,Empirical Evidence,and Future Research

Success and failure of nonprofit organizations (NPOs) have been prominent themes in the nonprofit community for more than 30 years. However, since there is no common understanding on success and failure of NPOs, the research field is still fragmented. Drawing from research on organizational success and failure in the for-profit context as a theoretical background, this paper systemizes the academic knowledge on NPO success and failure. By shedding light on theoretical approaches used, empirical evidence on the determinants of these constructs, and the sectors analyzed most frequently in this regard, the paper develops an instructive research agenda concerning studies on success and failure of NPOs.     

Strategic Development of Business Models: Implications of the Web 2.0 for Creating Value on the Internet

There is virtually a consensus that, to remain competitive, firms must continuously develop and adapt their business models. However, relatively little is known about how managers can go about achieving this transformation, and how, and to what extent, different types of business models should be adapted. To illustrate the differential effect of environmental changes on different business model types, this article draws from the ‘4C’ Internet business model typology to elaborate on how a recent wave of changes on the Internet – the emergent Web 2.0 phenomenon – is affecting each of its four business model types. We argue that Web 2.0 trends and characteristics are changing the rules of the ‘create and capture value’ game, and thus significantly disrupt the effectiveness of established Internet business models. Since systematic empirical knowledge about Web 2.0 factors is very limited, a comprehensive Web 2.0 framework is developed, which is illustrated with two cases and verified through in-depth interviews with Internet business managers. Strategic recommendations on how to what extent different Web 2.0 aspects affect each business model type are developed. Executives can use the ideas and frameworks presented in the article to benchmark their firm's efforts towards embracing the changes associated with the Web 2.0 into their business model.     

The performance effects of collective and individual bargaining: A comprehensive and granular analysis of the effects of different bargaining systems on company productivity

Using representative company‐level data for all Member States of the European Union, the authors analyse the relationship between different processes and institutional structures of collective bargaining and the development of company labour productivity. Their results clearly show that these differences have wide‐ranging effects. While some processes and structures of collective bargaining – specifically sectorally uncoordinated systems – appear to be detrimental to company performance, the opposite can be said about sectorally coordinated systems. Thus, what matters are the processes and institutional structures in which collective bargaining is embedded and not whether bargaining should be conducted collectively or individually.     

Négociation et performance: une analyse exhaustive et précise de l'effet de différents systèmes de négociation sur la productivité des entreprises

S'appuyant sur des données représentatives au niveau des entreprises, disponibles pour l'ensemble de l'UE, les auteurs analysent la relation entre les processus et structures institutionnelles de négociation collective et l'évolution de la productivité du travail. Ils montrent que la nature du système de négociation a une influence marquée: certaines caractéristiques sont associées à une baisse de performance (notamment la présence d'un système de négociation sectorielle non coordonné), d'autres à une amélioration (systèmes sectoriels coordonnés). Plus que le caractère individuel ou collectif de la négociation, c'est donc bien la nature des processus et structures dans lesquels elle s'inscrit qui importe en la matière.