Showing papers in "Academy of Management Journal in 2007"
TL;DR: The research strategy of theory building from cases, particularly multiple cases, involves using one or more cases to create theoretical constructs, propositions, and/or midrange theory from case-based, empirical evidence.
Abstract: This article discusses the research strategy of theory building from cases, particularly multiple cases. Such a strategy involves using one or more cases to create theoretical constructs, propositions, and/or midrange theory from case-based, empirical evidence. Replication logic means that each case serves as a distinct experiment that stands on its own merits as an analytic unit. The frequent use of case studies as a research strategy has given rise to some challenges that can be mitigated by the use of very precise wording and thoughtful research design.
13,581 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the main object of case studies should be to provoke thought and new ideas, rather than to poke holes in existing theories, since theories are only simplifications of a much more complex reality.
Abstract: This article presents some helpful suggestions on how researchers can write an interesting and convincing paper based on case-based research. A single case study, unless the subject is extremely interesting, will be hard to make interesting enough to hold readers' attention. Case-based research is often criticized for having a biased sample of cases. The main object of case studies should be to provoke thought and new ideas, rather than to poke holes in existing theories. Theories are only simplifications of a much more complex reality.
3,408 citations
TL;DR: The authors proposed that interdependence in a work context determines to what extent work roles are embedded within a broader social system and, further, that uncertainty determines whether work roles can be formalized or whether they emerge through adaptive and proactive behavior.
Abstract: We propose that interdependence in a work context determines to what extent work roles are embedded within a broader social system and, further, that uncertainty determines whether work roles can be formalized or whether they emerge through adaptive and proactive behavior. Cross-classification of task, team member, and organization member behaviors with proficiency, adaptivity, and proactivity produced nine subdimensions of work role performance. Ratings from 491 supervisors from 32 organizations and self-ratings from employees in two organizations (n's = 1,228 and 927) supported the proposed distinctions. Self-reports of proactivity were positively correlated with two external measures of proactivity.
1,856 citations
TL;DR: This article investigated the relationship between two types of change-oriented leadership (transformational leadership and managerial openness) and subordinate improvement-oriented voice in a two-phase study and found that openness is more consistently related to voice, given controls for numerous individual differences in subordinates' personality, satisfaction, and job demography.
Abstract: We investigate the relationships between two types of change-oriented leadership (transformational leadership and managerial openness) and subordinate improvement-oriented voice in a two-phase study. Findings from 3,149 employees and 223 managers in a restaurant chain indicate that openness is more consistently related to voice, given controls for numerous individual differences in subordinates’ personality, satisfaction, and job demography. This relationship is shown to be mediated by subordinate perceptions of psychological safety, illustrating the importance of leaders in subordinate assessments of the risks of speaking up. Also, leadership behaviors have the strongest impact on the voice behavior of the best-performing employees.
1,524 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined processes (mediation and moderation) linking high-performance human resource practices and productivity and turnover, two indicators of organizational performance, taking a relational perspective on the employment relationship.
Abstract: Taking a relational perspective on the employment relationship, we examined processes (mediation and moderation) linking high-performance human resource practices and productivity and turnover, two indicators of organizational performance. Multilevel analysis of data from hotels in the People's Republic of China revealed that service-oriented organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) partially mediated the relationships between high-performance human resource practices and both performance indicators. Unemployment rate moderated the service-oriented OCB-turnover relationship, and business strategy (service quality) moderated the service-oriented OCB-productivity relationship. Copyright of the Academy of Management, all rights reserved.
1,285 citations
TL;DR: Shared leadership refers to a team property whereby leadership is distributed among team members rather than focused on a single designated leader as mentioned in this paper, and is defined as "a team property that allows team members to focus on their individual goals rather than a single leader".
Abstract: Shared leadership refers to a team property whereby leadership is distributed among team members rather than focused on a single designated leader. We examined antecedent conditions that lead to th...
1,260 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present multilevel research on bribery, national identity, team boundary spanning, professional role identity, organizational citizenship, interorganizational exchanges, and divestitures.
Abstract: Most management problems involve multilevel phenomena, yet most management research uses a single level of analysis. A micro or a macro lens alone yields incomplete understanding at either level. Multilevel research addresses the levels of theory, measurement, and analysis required to fully examine research questions. This forum presents multilevel research on bribery, national identity, team boundary spanning, professional role identity, organizational citizenship, interorganizational exchanges, and divestitures. To enrich the impact of future management research, we recommend (1) applying multilevel designs to existing models (2) considering bottom-up effects, (3) collaborating across disciplines on multidisciplinary topics, and (4) addressing major real-world problems via multilevel approaches.
1,002 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine practice diffusion in an environment where competing logics exist, specifically investigating how trustee and performance logics that were rooted in different locations (Boston and New York) led to variation in how mutual funds established contracts with independent professional money management firms.
Abstract: This article examines practice diffusion in an environment where competing logics exist, specifically investigating how trustee and performance logics that were rooted in different locations (Boston and New York) led to variation in how mutual funds established contracts with independent professional money management firms. This focus on competing logics redirects institutional research away from isomorphism and the segregation of institutional and technical forces and toward an appreciation of how multiple forms of rationality underlie change in organizational fields. Implications for the dominant two-stage institutional model of diffusion and for research on institutions, organizations, and professions are discussed.
956 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors adopted a resource dependence theory lens to analyze women's representation on corporate boards of directors and found that women are increasing in number among corporations' board of directors, yet their representation is far from uniform across firms.
Abstract: Women are increasing in number among corporations' boards of directors, yet their representation is far from uniform across firms. In this study, we adopted a resource dependence theory lens to ide...
951 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the impact of partner technological diversity and alliance organizational form on firm innovative performance was examined using a sample of 463 R&D alliances in the telecommunications industry, and the authors found that partner diversity was positively associated with innovative performance.
Abstract: In this paper, I examine the impact of partner technological diversity and alliance organizational form on firm innovative performance. Using a sample of 463 R&D alliances in the telecommunications...
872 citations
TL;DR: The authors examined the moderating effect of power distance and Chinese traditionality on relationships between supervisor-subordinate dyads in a cross-organizational sample of 163 supervisor and subordinate dyads from mainland China.
Abstract: Drawing on a cross-organizational sample of 163 supervisor-subordinate dyads from mainland China, we examined the moderating effect of power distance and Chinese traditionality on relationships bet...
TL;DR: In this paper, a taxonomy that reflects the theoretical contribution of empirical articles along two dimensions: theory building and theory testing is introduced, and the authors used that taxonomy to track trends in the theoretical contributions offered by articles over the past five decades.
Abstract: We introduce a taxonomy that reflects the theoretical contribution of empirical articles along two dimensions: theory building and theory testing. We used that taxonomy to track trends in the theoretical contributions offered by articles over the past five decades. Results based on data from a sample of 74 issues of the Academy of Management Journal reveal upward trends in theory building and testing over time. In addition, the levels of theory building and testing within articles are significant predictors of citation rates. In particular, articles rated moderate to high on both dimensions enjoyed the highest levels of citations.
TL;DR: This paper developed a dual-tuning perspective concerning how positive and negative moods interact to influence creativity in supportive contexts using data on employees in an oil field services company, using data collected from an online survey.
Abstract: We develop a dual-tuning perspective concerning how positive and negative moods interact to influence creativity in supportive contexts. Using data on employees in an oil field services company, we...
TL;DR: In this paper, a multimethod study of one open source software community, they found that members developed a shared basis of f  o r erentity of f f e r e r.
Abstract: Little is known about how communities producing collective goods govern themselves. In a multimethod study of one open source software community, we found that members developed a shared basis of f...
TL;DR: The Academy of Management Journal (AMJ) requires that all articles published in the AMJ must also make strong theoretical contributions as discussed by the authors. And, believe me, there is no breaching or skirting this policy, and it is well known that the top journals in management require that all manuscripts contribute to theory.
Abstract: Many nice things can be said about theory. Theories help us organize our thoughts, generate coherent explanations, and improve our predictions. In short, theories help us achieve understanding. But theories are not ends in themselves, and members of the academic field of management should keep in mind that a blanket insistence on theory, or the requirement of an articulation of theory in everything we write, actually retards our ability to achieve our end: understanding. Our field’s theory fetish, for instance, prevents the reporting of rich detail about interesting phenomena for which no theory yet exists. And it bans the reporting of facts—no matter how important or competently generated—that lack explanation, but that, once reported, might stimulate the search for an explanation. It is well known that the top journals in management require that all manuscripts contribute to theory (Colquitt & Zapata-Phelan, 2007; Rynes, 2005; Sutton & Staw, 1995). 1 The current editorial statement of AMJ (its “Information for Contributors”) mirrors those of our other top journals and illustrates this insistence explicitly: “All articles published in the Academy of Management Journal must also make strong theoretical contributions.” And, believe me, there is no breaching or skirting this policy. After years of comparing notes with colleagues about the rejection letters we have received, it seems the most annoying passage—which I am sure editors have preprogrammed for handy one-click insertion—is this one: “The reviewers all agree that your paper addresses an important topic and is well argued; moreover, they find your empirical results convincing and interesting. At the same time, however, the reviewers believe the paper falls short in making a theoretical contribution. Therefore, I’m sorr y... etc., etc., etc.”
TL;DR: In this article, the conditions associated with sense giving by stakeholders and by leaders were investigated, based on a longitudinal study of sense-gathering in organizations, and conditions for each group were identified.
Abstract: Drawing on a longitudinal study of sensegiving in organizations, we investigate the conditions associated with sensegiving by stakeholders and by leaders. For each group, we identify conditions tha...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the attempt of a high-technology R&D organization to transform into a market-oriented organization by "grafting" new, non-technological knowledge.
Abstract: We investigated the attempt of a high-technology R&D organization to transform into a market-oriented organization by “grafting” new, nontechnological knowledge. The intended strategic transformati...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine the effects of storytelling on a firm's ability to secure capital and argue that narratives help leverage resources by conveying a comprehensible identity for an entrepreneurial firm, elaborating the logic behind proposed means of exploiting opportunities and embedding entrepreneurial endeavors within broader discourses.
Abstract: Adopting a narrative approach to resource acquisition research, we examine the effects of storytelling on a firm’s ability to secure capital. We argue that narratives help leverage resources by conveying a comprehensible identity for an entrepreneurial firm, elaborating the logic behind proposed means of exploiting opportunities and embedding entrepreneurial endeavors within broader discourses. Qualitative analyses of all 1996–2000 initial public offering prospectuses in three high-tech industries reveal how identity constructions, story elaboration, and contextual embedding are invoked within narratives. Our quantitative findings show how these aspects of an entrepreneurial narrative impact resource acquisition net of previously emphasized factors.
TL;DR: The authors unpack the concept of managerial risk taking, distinguishing among three major elements: the size of an outlay, the variance of potential outcomes, and the likelihood of extreme loss.
Abstract: We unpack the concept of managerial risk taking, distinguishing among three of its major elements: the size of an outlay, the variance of potential outcomes, and the likelihood of extreme loss. We ...
TL;DR: In this paper, a decision to offer breakfast to homeless people led to radical change in a church and its environment, and the dynamic interaction of amplifying actions, contextual conditions, and small changes led to continuous radical change.
Abstract: A decision to offer breakfast to homeless people led to radical change in a church and its environment. Existing theories of change do not fully explain observations from our qualitative study; however, complexity theory constructs suggest how and why such change emerged. We offer four key findings. First, the radical change was unintended, emergent, and slow. Second, destabilizing conditions helped small changes to emerge and become radical. Third, subsequent actions amplified an initial small change and, though not intended to do so, promoted radical change. Finally, the dynamic interaction of amplifying actions, contextual conditions, and small changes led to continuous radical change.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigate how competing logics facilitate resistance to institutional change, focusing on banking professionals' resistance to large, national banks' acquisitions of smaller, local banks, and argue that these efforts to introduce a banking logic emphasizing efficiencies of geographic diversification triggered new forms of professional entrepreneurialism intended to preserve a community logic of banking.
Abstract: We investigate how competing logics facilitate resistance to institutional change, focusing on banking professionals' resistance to large, national banks' acquisitions of smaller, local banks. Acquisitions led to new bank foundings, particularly when out-of-town banks were the acquirers and a community's local population of bank professionals was large. We argue that the national banks' efforts to introduce a banking logic emphasizing efficiencies of geographic diversification triggered new forms of professional entrepreneurialism intended to preserve a community logic of banking. Contributions to a synthesis of ecological and institutional perspectives and to research on entrepreneurship and resistance to institutional change are discussed.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss the definition of richness and what it meant to zoologist and Harvard professor Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz, and use a forest fire disaster that occurred in 1949 at the Mann Gulch to illustrate the importance of richness.
Abstract: The article discusses the definition of richness and what it meant to zoologist and Harvard professor Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz. Agassiz taught his students to see the richness in objects or activities. The author uses a forest fire disaster that occurred in 1949 at the Mann Gulch to illustrate the importance of richness. There were so many factors and complex interactions that contributed to the fire that an analysis of the situation results in some lessons that can apply to other observable important moments.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors propose that searching for and transferring knowledge across divisions in a diversified firm can cultivate innovation and find that the use of interdivisional knowledge positively affects the impact of an invention on subsequent technological developments.
Abstract: We propose that searching for and transferring knowledge across divisions in a diversified firm can cultivate innovation. Using a sample of 211,636 patents from 1,644 companies during the period 1985–96, we find that the use of interdivisional knowledge positively affects the impact of an invention on subsequent technological developments. Furthermore, the positive effect of the use of interdivisional knowledge on the impact of an invention is stronger than the effect of using knowledge from within divisional boundaries or from outside firm boundaries. Our empirical findings have significant implications for the management of knowledge in diversified firms.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigate competitive tension, or the strain between a focal firm and a given rival that is likely to result in the firm taking action against the rival, and show that perceived competitive tension is influenced by the independent and interactive effects of three factors: relative scale, rival's attack volume, and rival's capability to contest.
Abstract: This paper investigates competitive tension, or the strain between a focal firm and a given rival that is likely to result in the firm taking action against the rival. Drawing on the awareness-motivation-capability perspective, we show how perceived competitive tension, as constructed from managers’ and industry stakeholders’ competitor assessments, is influenced by the independent and interactive effects of three factors: relative scale, rival’s attack volume, and rival’s capability to contest. Our results provide a new avenue for studying competitors and the relationship between competitor analysis and interfirm rivalry. In science, there is a steady state in which opposing forces hold each other in check until the build-up of tension turns the static relationship into dynamic interplay—the point when the steel cable snaps, the steam chamber’s pressure valve opens, or one psychological force overwhelms the other. In business practice, a similar phenomenon exists: when tension that one opponent imposes on another triggers rivalrous actions. Competitor analysis is central to strategy and organization research (Hitt, Ireland, & Hoskisson, 2005; Porter, 1980). Previous research has explored a number of important issues, including conjecture variation (Amit, Domowitz, & Fershtman, 1988), competitor identification (Porac & Thomas, 1990), and blind spots (Zajac & Bazerman, 1991), and has made advances in such areas as theoretical integration of competitor analysis and interfirm rivalry (Chen, 1996). Fundamental questions—such as who a focal firm’s competitors are, and how much competition the firm faces from each rival—have been implicitly or explicitly addressed by a variety
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine the differences between academic journals that deal with theoretical questions of personnel management and periodicals that investigate human resource management issues that occur in real-life situations.
Abstract: In this article the authors examine the differences between academic journals that deal with theoretical questions of personnel management and periodicals that investigate human resource management issues that occur in real-life situations. They note that there is a significant difference between human resource management as practiced in an academic setting as opposed to in the workplace. The management process known as “evidence-based management” is examined, the practice defined as an application that allows managers to use social science and organizational research to handle personnel matters.
TL;DR: In this paper, the challenges of being a manager in tainted work and how managers normalize taint were investigated using exploratory, semistructured interviews with managers from 18 dirty work occupations, and four types of practices were revealed: occupational ideologies, social buffers, confronting clients and the public, and defensive tactics.
Abstract: Dirty work refers to occupations that are viewed by society as physically, socially, or morally tainted. Using exploratory, semistructured interviews with managers from 18 dirty work occupations, we investigated the challenges of being a manager in tainted work and how managers normalize taint--that is, actively counter it or render it less salient. Managers reported experiencing role complexity and stigma awareness. Four types of practices for countering taint were revealed: occupational ideologies, social buffers, confronting clients and the public, and defensive tactics. We discuss links between these practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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TL;DR: In this article, the effects of economic globalization on the field of management science are discussed. But the focus is on the U.S. and not on the differing cultural, social, and economic ideas and practices persons of different nations bring to the management of the same international operation.
Abstract: The article focuses on the effects of economic globalization on the field of management science. The continued growth of international business enterprises means that a corresponding importance must be placed on research into their management problems and practice. This obvious fact has been recognized, and there has been a large increase in research in this area published in the leading scholarly periodicals of the discipline. There is, however, a worrisome tendency for researchers to employ the paradigms of research into North American, primarily U.S. management. This ignores the differing cultural, social, and economic ideas and practices persons of different nations bring to the management of the same international operation. Research into these businesses requires a pluralistic approach if it is to accurately reflect their real world operations.
TL;DR: This paper used cultural self-representation theory to develop a model of the processes linking delegation to work outcomes and found that self-esteem and perceived insider status fully mediated the influence of delegation on affective organizational commitment, task performance, and innovative behavior and partially mediated delegation's influence on job satisfaction.
Abstract: We used cultural self-representation theory to develop a model of the processes linking delegation to work outcomes. We tested this model with data from a sample of 171 subordinate-supervisor dyads from the People's Republic of China. Regression results revealed that organization-based self-esteem and perceived insider status fully mediated the influence of delegation on affective organizational commitment, task performance, and innovative behavior and partially mediated delegation's influence on job satisfaction. Furthermore, traditionality moderated the relationships between delegation and the mediators in such a way that the relationships were stronger for individuals lower rather than higher in traditionality. © Academy of Management Journal.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine how management science researchers and academics might more fruitfully collaborate with actual managers, and the two groups are separated by, among many other things, the language they use.
Abstract: The article examines how management science researchers and academics might more fruitfully collaborate with actual managers. The two groups are separated by, among many other things, the language ...
TL;DR: In this paper, a qualitative analysis identified four critical generative elements: socialized agency, differentiated expertise, defensible turf, and organizational support for knowledge-based innovative structures to emerge and embed.
Abstract: How do innovative knowledge-based structures emerge and become embedded in organizations? We drew on theories of knowledge-intensive firms, communities of practice, and professional service firms to analyze multiple cases of new practice area creation in management consulting firms. Our qualitative analysis identified four critical generative elements: socialized agency, differentiated expertise, defensible turf, and organizational support. We demonstrate that these elements must be combined in specific pathways for knowledge-based innovative structures to emerge and embed. These pathways emerge from practitioner networks, markets for knowledge-based services, and professional firms' hierarchies. Our findings have important implications for studying innovation in the knowledge-based economy.