Innovativeness of social economy entities in Poland. An empirical study from the perspective of Positive Organizational Scholarship

The Polish system of tackling social exclusion is based on social economy entities, such as social integration centers and social cooperatives. The aim of the article is to define the essence and conditions of their innovativeness while answering the question to what extent the organizations can make use of management theories created for business entities. The empirical basis for the article are 3 focus group interviews with representatives of social integration centers and social cooperatives operating in Poland. The results suggest that low innovativeness of the entities is, among others, the effect of an authoritarian management style and a lack of care about positive relationships among employees.     

Politics under abusive supervision: The role of Machiavellianism and guanxi

The study examines the relationships between abusive supervision, subordinates’ perceptions of organizational politics (POPs), and political behavior. The moderating roles of Machiavellianism (Mach) and guanxi in these relationships are also examined. Data were collected from 280 supervisor–subordinate dyads in a Chinese taxation bureau. Results indicate that, under abusive supervision, subordinates experienced heightened POPs and were more likely to engage in political behavior. Furthermore, the relationship between abusive supervision and POPs was stronger among low-Mach subordinates. Moreover, the relationship between POPs and political behavior is strongest among high-Mach individuals who have strong guanxi with their supervisor. The findings indicate that abusive supervision has important implications for political dynamics in an organization, and the political perspective serves as a meaningful theoretical lens to examine its impact.     

The lie of race: the politics of evil

Abstract

This is a paper about a world without racism; it addresses the tenacity of racism as equivalence to privilege. The biology of love as a conversation is explored. Organization theory is juxtaposed as a system of Others. Some language of quantum theory is used to present a hypothesis about why systems of privilege are created and conserved through self-reference. The God metaphor is posed as the penultimate organization enabling privilege. This is offset by seeing that love is not a choice, thus freeing both gods and humans to the universe of possibilities. Threads for further research in organization theory are suggested.     

Goodness‐of‐Fit based on Downsampling with Applications to Linear Drift Diffusions

Abstract. A goodness‐of‐fit test for continuous‐time models is developed that examines if the parameter estimates are consistent with another for different sampling frequencies. The test compares parameter estimates obtained from estimating functions for downsamples of the data. We prove asymptotic results for stationary and ergodic processes, and apply the downsampling test to linear drift diffusions. Simulations indicate that the test is quite powerful in detecting non‐Markovian deviations from the linear drift diffusions.     

Whether Professional Training Matters: Attitudinal Antecedents to the Turnover Intentions of Social Workers in Guangzhou,China

This study aims to identify whether the professional training of social workers has an effect on the attitudinal antecedents of turnover intention. This study investigated 395 trained and 353 non-trained social workers from the Integrated Family Service Centers in Guangzhou, China. It was found that professional education did not significantly alter the attitudinal antecedents to turnover intention. In both groups, a higher feeling of burnout or a lower level of organizational commitment produced a higher intention of turnover. Furthermore, the significant influences of burnout and organizational commitment were found to be respectively mediated by job satisfaction with professional association or job satisfaction with organizational environment. This study not only provides insights into the stabilization of the emerging workforce of Chinese social workers, but also poses serious questions about social work education.     

Leadership succession and the performance of nonprofit organizations: A fuzzy‐set qualitative comparative analysis

Leadership succession is critical to the performance of nonprofit organizations. Existing research has mostly treated leadership succession as an instantaneous event, and it has examined the independent effects of certain factors on organizational performance. However, little research has focused on the combinations of causally relevant factors. This article integrated organizational life cycle, resource dependence, and institutional theories, as well as the organizational fit literature, to explain how contextual and strategic factors combine to affect postsuccession performance. A fuzzy‐set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was used to analyze 15 succession events in Chinese environmental nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). The study identified four pathways to good NGO performance after succession. It also highlighted that it is not succession per se but the succession context (i.e. founders' control, board governance, professionalization, and political environment) and the strategic orientations of the successor that affect postsuccession performance in nonprofit organizations.     

Wildfire forecasting: between criminal act and unintentional events

Forecasting represents the new credo in the reorganization of risks prevention. What does the introduction of such technology mean in terms of fire-fighting practice and policy? By applying Practice-Based Studies, forecasting practice emerges as a form of practical knowledge resulting from the alignment of the forecasting tool with foresters’ former competences, expertise, practices and tools. The acknowledgement of practical and scientific knowledge linked to forecasting allows the identification of the different organizational cultures linked to fire-fighting. For foresters wildfire is mainly a criminal act and forecasting a policing activity. This use of the artefact silences alternative approaches to wildfire-fighting such as the prevention of unintentional acts. While forecasting technology may reproduce forms of blindness in the future, anticipation becomes then an interesting research objet, embedded in dominant professional cultures and forms of knowledge.     

How does training improve customer service quality? The roles of transfer of training and job satisfaction

This study explores the roles of transfer of training and job satisfaction in the relationship between training and customer service quality. The data were collected from 230 employees and their supervisors and analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results show that training indirectly influences customer service quality through the mediation of transfer of training and job satisfaction. Moreover, training directly and indirectly affects transfer of training through the mediation of job satisfaction, which in turn partially mediates the relationship between transfer of training and customer service quality. Furthermore, perceived organizational support (POS) moderates the relationship between training and transfer of training. This study extends social exchange theory, norm of reciprocity, and goal setting theory. Practical implications and future research directions are discussed.     

大学组织创新:概念、逻辑与动因分析

我国高等教育发展模式已经发生重要转换,由规模和速度主导的外延式发展模式向质量和结构主导的内涵式发展模式转变,促使大学更新与转变组织机制和发展方式.基于资源基础理论,决定大学竞争优势的要素不再仅仅是大学所拥有的人力资源存量和物质资源存量,更重要的是大学组织资源的存量和价值,大学的持续竞争优势越来越依赖于组织资源的有效开发,组织创新即是大学投资于组织资源的开发,使静态的组织资源变为可增值的组织资本,实现组织资源潜在价值的过程.文章基于资源基础观的组织能力理论和组织资本理论,界定了大学组织创新的概念,提出了大学组织创新-组织资本-组织能力的逻辑关联模型、大学组织创新的四维动力模型.