Showing papers in "Academy of Management Review in 1994"
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine the developmental process of cooperative interorganizational relationships (IORs) that entail transaction-specific investments in deals that cannot be fully specified or controlled by the parties in advance of their execution.
Abstract: This article examines the developmental process of cooperative interorganizational relationships (IORs) that entail transaction-specific investments in deals that cannot be fully specified or controlled by the parties in advance of their execution. A process framework is introduced that focuses on formal, legal, and informal social-psychological processes by which organizational parties jointly negotiate, commit to. and execute their relationship in ways that achieve efficient and equitable outcomes and internal solutions to conflicts when they arise. The framework is elaborated with a set of propositions that explain how and why cooperative IORs emerge, evolve, and dissolve. The propositions have academic implications for enriching interorganizational relationships, transaction cost economics, agency theories, and practical implications for managing the relationship journey.
4,904 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors focus on one set of constraints facing entrepreneurs in emerging industries -their relative lack of cognitive and sociopolitical legitimacy, suggesting how their successful pursuit of legitimacy may evolve from innovative ventures to broader contexts, collectively reshaping industry and institutional environments.
Abstract: Now organizations are always vulnerable to the liabilities of newness, but such pressures are especially severe when an industry is in its formative years. We focus on one set of constraints facing entrepreneurs in emerging industries-their relative lack of cognitive and sociopolitical legitimacy. We examine the strategies that founders can pursue, suggesting how their successful pursuit of legitimacy may evolve from innovative ventures to broader contexts, collectively reshaping industry and institutional environments.
2,852 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the potential of human resource systems to facilitate or inhibit the development and utilization of organizational competencies is explored, by focusing attention on the HR activities, functions, and processes that enhance or impede competency accumulation and exploitation.
Abstract: Drawing on the theoretical insights from the resource-based view of strategic management, this article explores the potential of human resource systems to facilitate or inhibit the development and utilization of organizational competencies. These competencies — managerial, input-based, transformational, and output-based—are presumed to yield sustained competitive advantage for a firm. The competency-based perspective, by focusing attention on the HR activities, functions, and processes that enhance or impede competency accumulation and exploitation, complements the behavioral perspective (Schuler & Jackson, 1987) and, thus, potentially enhances the understanding of strategic human resource management.
2,227 citations
TL;DR: A review of the book "Reengineering the Corporation: A Manifesto for Business Revolution" by Michael Hammer and James Champy can be found in this article, where the authors discuss the following:
Abstract: The article reviews the book “Reengineering the Corporation: A Manifesto for Business Revolution,” by Michael Hammer and James Champy.
1,845 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors compare total quality and management theory at both global and topic-specific levels and conclude that management practice could be improved by incorporating insights from management theory into total quality efforts.
Abstract: We introduce this theory-development forum by comparing total quality and management theory at both global and topic-specific levels. Our analysis suggests that management research could be enhanced by incorporating some insights of total quality into management theory. We also conclude, however, that management practice could be improved by incorporating insights from management theory into total quality efforts, and that, in fact, total quality has already incorporated many such insights. Finally, we suggest some directions for theory development and research on total quality.
1,711 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors highlight three alternative assumptions that underlie the specification of levels of theory throughout organizational behavior: (a) homogeneity within higher level units, (b) independence from higher-level units, and (c) heterogeneity within higherlevel units.
Abstract: Despite past entreaties to organizational theorists and researchers to address levels issues more carefully, levels issues continue to arouse confusion and controversy within the organizational literature. We highlight three alternative assumptions that underlie the specification of levels of theory throughout organizational behavior: (a) homogeneity within higher level units, (b) independence from higher level units, and (c) heterogeneity within higher level units. These assumptions influence the nature of theoretical constructs and propositions and should, ideally, also influence data collection, analysis, and interpretation. Greater attention to levels issues will strengthen organizational theory development and research.
1,533 citations
TL;DR: The authors argue that organizational typologies meet the criteria of a theory and that when typologies are properly developed and fully specified, they are complex theories that can be subjected to rigorous empirical testing using the quantitative models they develop.
Abstract: Organizational typologies have proved to be a popular approach for thinking about organizational structures and strategies. Authors developing typologies, however, have been criticized for developing simplistic classification systems instead of theories. Contrary to these criticisms, we argue that typologies meet the criteria of a theory. When typologies are properly developed and fully specified, they are complex theories that can be subjected to rigorous empirical testing using the quantitative models we develop. We conclude by discussing the advantages of typological theories and presenting guidelines to improve the development of typologies.
1,483 citations
TL;DR: In this article, Alice asked the Cheshire Cat to tell her which way she ought to go from here, and the Cat said that depends a good deal on where you want to get to, and then it doesn't matter which way you go.
Abstract: “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” Alice asked the Cheshire Cat. “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat. “I don't much care where...” said Alice. “Then it doesn't matter which way you go,” said the Cat. (Carroll, 1983: 72)
1,476 citations
TL;DR: The trade-offs inherent in accepting one definition of quality over another are described and the implications of using various definitions of quality in future research are discussed.
Abstract: The search for a universal definition of quality has yielded inconsistent results. Such a global definition does not exist; rather, different definitions of quality are appropriate under different circumstances. In this article, we trace the evolution of quality definitions and describe the trade-offs inherent in accepting one definition of quality over another. The implications of using various definitions of quality in future research also are discussed.
1,264 citations
TL;DR: The model of employee turnover described in this article applies constructs and concepts from decision making, statistics, and social psychology to facilitate understanding and to redirect theory development and empirical research, and five specific contributions of the model are suggested, and recommendations for empirical testing and future research are offered.
Abstract: The model of employee turnover described in this paper applies constructs and concepts from decision making, statistics, and social psychology to facilitate understanding and to redirect theory development and empirical research. The process of employee turnover is modeled by four distinctive decision paths; each decision path involves distinctive foci, psychological processes, and external events. Further, five specific contributions of the model are suggested, and recommendations for empirical testing and future research are offered.
1,250 citations
TL;DR: The Deming management method contains a set of 14 points that serve as guidelines for appropriate organizational behavior and practice regarding quality management as discussed by the authors. But despite the apparent effect of these 14 points on both the industrial world and the practice of management theory around the world, there is little evidence of the role of the Deming Management Method in the formalization and advancement of management theories.
Abstract: In its current form, the Deming management method contains a prescriptive set of 14 points that serve as guidelines for appropriate organizational behavior and practice regarding quality management. Despite the apparent effect of these 14 points on both the industrial world and the practice of management theory around the world, there is little evidence of the role of the Deming management method in the formalization and advancement of management theory. Although its impact on management practice is clear, neither its theoretical contribution nor its theoretical base has yet to be articulated. Yes, there is a theory of quality management underlying the Deming management method, but at present, this theory is presented in the prescriptive form of these 14 points. We propose and articulate a theory of quality management to describe and explain the effects of adopting the Deming management method. This theory is based on the conceptual synthesis of Deming's writings, literature on the Deming management metho...
TL;DR: In this article, a broader, more theory-driven perspective on TQM is proposed to clearly distinguish control from learning goals and, thus, to begin to address limitations in the way total quality management has been conceptualized and applied in the past.
Abstract: The singular emphasis on control that has characterized traditional approaches to total quality management (TQM) implementation are not well suited to conditions of high task uncertainty, a limitation that has not been recognized in the popular TQM movement. Although the fundamental precepts advocated by founders of the quality movement can accommodate conditions of high uncertainty, the way that these basic TQM precepts have been articulated, extended, and applied has not reflected the distinct, learning-oriented requirements associated with higher levels of uncertainty. A broader, more theory-driven perspective on TQM is proposed to clearly distinguish control from learning goals and, thus, to begin to address limitations in the way TQM has been conceptualized and applied in the past.
TL;DR: In this article, the role of government as a factor of production in the management of international business has been discussed and the strategic implications of such behavior are discussed in the context of the recent emphasis on resource-based models of strategy management.
Abstract: Alternative assumptions are advanced regarding the political nature of international business and the role of government as a factor of production, which firms must manage in their international value-added chains. Based on a model of business political behavior, various propositions are developed regarding the interactions among firm, industry, and nonmarket factors as well as the impact they have on various forms and intensities of political behavior, as affected by strategic objectives. Finally, the strategic-theorizing implications of such behavior are discussed in the context of the recent emphasis on resource-based models of strategy management.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors reanalyze a recent review of research on relationships between participation and performance or satisfaction; next they compare the results of this reanalysis with the findings of 10 other reviews.
Abstract: In this article I reanalyze a recent review of research on relationships between participation and performance or satisfaction; next I compare the results of this reanalysis with the findings of 10 other reviews. Despite ostensible differences among the initial findings of the 11 reviews, further analysis indicates that they all support the same conclusion: Research suggests that participation can have statistically significant effects on performance and satisfaction, but the average size of these effects is small enough to raise concerns about practical significance.
TL;DR: A cognitive theory of why planned organizational change efforts, such as total quality initiatives, often fail is presented and a dynamic model in which successful implementation of fundamental organizational transformation is partly dependent on management's ability to re-frame the change over time is proposed.
Abstract: This article presents a cognitive theory of why planned organizational change efforts, such as total quality initiatives, often fail. The theory suggests that employees resist total quality because their beliefs about the organization's identity constrain understanding and create cognitive opposition to radical change. We propose a dynamic model in which successful implementation of fundamental organizational transformation is partly dependent on management's ability to re-frame the change over time. Implementation may best be accomplished through a series of middle-range changes that are large enough to overcome cognitive inertia and relieve organizational stress, but not so large that members believe the proposed change is unobtainable or undesirable.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explored three interconnected decisions related to early retirement -the decision whether to leave a long-term job prior to age 65, the decision whether or not to accept bridge employment, and the decision to obtain bridge employment in the same industry or occupation as the last job-and the relationships among these three decisions and adjustment to retirement.
Abstract: This article explores three interconnected decisions related to early retirement- the decision whether to leave a long-term job prior to age 65. the decision whether to accept bridge employment, and the decision whether to obtain bridge employment in the same industry or occupation as the last job- and the relationships among these three decisions and adjustment to retirement. In addition, this article examines the key variables that influence these three decisions, integrating previous research on individual-level, family-level, job- and career-related, organization-level, and environmental-level factors. The article concludes with an examination of methodological issues in the study of early retirement decisions and provides directions for future theory development.
TL;DR: In this paper, total quality management (TQM) is examined in relation to the mechanistic, organismic, and cultural models of organization in an effort to bridge the gap between TQM practice and management theory.
Abstract: Total quality management (TQM) is examined in relation to the mechanistic, organismic, and cultural models of organization in an effort to bridge the gap between TQM practice and management theory. These models provide diverse analogues for explaining the management of organizations and highlight different issues concerning the practice of TQM. The article also suggests that research on TQM practice has potential to expand the understanding of these management models.
TL;DR: A speech by Donald C. Hambrick, president of the Academy of Management, delivered at the Columbia University, New York in 1993 is presented.
Abstract: The article presents a speech by Donald C. Hambrick, president of the Academy of Management, delivered at the Columbia University, New York in 1993. Topics include accomplishments of the Academy of Management, initiatives that must be considered by the Board of Governors, and the role of the Academy of Management in the field of business and management.
TL;DR: In this article, a system-focused perspective is considered with regard to the determinants of work performance and the system is seen as an important source of variance affecting performance both indirectly and interactively.
Abstract: Based on recently proposed principles of total quality management (TQM), a system-focused perspective is considered here with regard to the determinants of work performance The system is seen as an important source of variance affecting performance both indirectly and interactively Moreover, the individual is seen as potentially affecting the system Hierarchical level and autonomy are considered as key moderating variables in understanding individual versus system influences on work performance Implications are discussed with regard to performance management processes in organizations
TL;DR: In this article, the adaptive failures of entire industries are attributed to the micro-cultures of single organizations, but also to what are termed interorganizational "macrocultures" - relatively idiosyncratic beliefs that are shared by managers across organizations.
Abstract: Faced with turbulent national and international environments, entire U.S. industries — most notably steel and automobiles — have revealed a distinct propensity to overlook radically new types of competitors, cling to traditional technologies, and remain mired in similar, yet outdated, strategic postures. In this article, we ascribe the adaptive failures of entire industries not only to the microcultures of single organizations, but also to what we term interorganizational “macro-cultures” — relatively idiosyncratic beliefs that are shared by managers across organizations. More specifically, we propose that value-added networks linking organizations into collectivities both induce and reflect the existence and persistence of more or less homogeneous macrocultures. In turn, homogeneous macrocultures (a) increase the level of inertia these organizations experience, (b) influence the inventiveness of organizations and the diffusion of innovations among them, and (c) increase the similarity of member organizat...
TL;DR: In this article, three different points of view, or logics, are presented: formal logic, dialectics, and trialectics, with the intent of this paper is to expand the logics of change to include Trialectics.
Abstract: How we manage and produce organizational change is a function of the point of view we take regarding the phenomenon of change. But different points of view give us different understandings of the process. In this article, three different points of view, or logics, are presented: formal logic, dialectics, and trialectics. Although each point of view is discussed, the intent of this paper is to expand the logics of change to include trialectics. The implications of trialectics for organization change are discussed.
TL;DR: This article reviewed the book "Social Psychology in Organizations: Advances in Theory and Research, edited by J. Keith Murninghan" and found that the book is a good introduction to organizational psychology.
Abstract: The article reviews the book “Social Psychology in Organizations: Advances in Theory and Research,” edited by J. Keith Murninghan.
TL;DR: In the spring of this year, Newsweek magazine published an article with the startling title, "The Death of Management" (Samuelson, 1993). When I saw it, I groaned to myself, "Just my luck. My year as president of the Academy of Management and the whole thing goes belly-up" as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: In the spring of this year, Newsweek magazine published an article with the startling title, "The Death of Management" (Samuelson, 1993). When I saw it, I groaned to myself, "Just my luck. My year as president of the Academy of Management and the whole thing goes belly-up." Actually, it was not as crushing an article as its title implied. It was mainly a rehash of the obvious and well-worn point that someone who succeeds in managing one enterprise will not necessarily do well in another one-that you carn't just parachute in and analyze your way out of any complex managerial dilemma. As if someone said you could. One more straw man skewered. Namely, the article did not exactly deal a fatal blow to our field or its premises. So, as Mark Twain said, news of our death is greatly exaggerated. But it gets one thinking. What if the field of management, or say, specifically the Academny of Management, did die? Which, in turn, gets one thinking, What if the Academy of Management never existed? What if we had no occasion to be here in this room today? To think in these terms is to conjure up Frank Capra's film classic, It's A Wonderful Life. In the movie, Jimmy Stewart plays George Bailey, the small-town banker who attempts to end his own life, only to be shown the error of his ways by his guardian angel named Clarence. Clarence's tactic, of course, is to take George Bailey back through time and show him the void that would have occurred if there had been no George Bailey, reminding him of all the lives he's touched and people he's helped-how the world is much better off because he's here. Let me be your guardian angel for a few moments, giving you a glimpse of what might have been if there were no Academy of Management. It will be an unsettling trip. Unlike George Bailey, we will find that things might have worked out very, very well without us. Frankly, I'm not
TL;DR: This article reviewed the book "The Work of Nations: Preparing Ourselves for 21st-Century Capitalism" by Robert B. Reich and found that it is a good book to read.
Abstract: The article reviews the book “The Work of Nations: Preparing Ourselves for 21st-Century Capitalism,” by Robert B. Reich.
TL;DR: It is concluded that a high degree of consensus, however achieved, would suggest that the evolution of knowledge evolution is stable, and that the enforced consensus and dominant paradigm called for by Pfeffer would lead to a stagnation in knowledge evolution.
Abstract: Pfeffer's (1993) discussion of the causes and consequences of paradigm development led him to the conclusion that organizational scholars should place control over publication into the hands of a comparatively small elite group who would force a consensus by excluding views that diverge from a dominant paradigm. In his view. this action would lead to a number of positive benefits for organizational scholars and organizational studies in general. We argue from a different set of assumptions than those of Pfeffer. In our view. knowledge is socially constructed, and. thus, scholars are unable to make unambiguous claims on some absolute truth. Given this assumption, the enforced consensus and dominant paradigm called for by Pfeffer would lead to a stagnation in knowledge evolution. Further. we argue that the concept of consensus and its role in the evolution of knowledge has been overstated. In contrast to Pfeffer. we conclude that a high degree of consensus, however achieved, would suggest that the evolution...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors integrate contextual and cognitive explanations for gender-based selection in the workplace; they also consider the implications of this integration for understanding gender segregation, and explore specific ways in which organizational context influences decision makers' development and use of gender-associated schemas of typical jobholders.
Abstract: In this article we integrate contextual and cognitive explanations for gender-based selection in the workplace; we also consider the implications of this integration for understanding gender segregation. We argue that decision makers' propensity to use applicant gender as a basis for hiring and promotion decisions varies systematically across organizational contexts. We explore specific ways in which organizational context influences decision makers' development and use of gender-associated schemas of typical jobholders. We also argue that the interaction between context and cognition may be partially responsible for the persistence of gender segregation. Finally, we discuss the implications of our approach for the practice of personnel selection and research on selection and gender segregation.
TL;DR: This paper reviewed the book "Decision Making: Alternatives to Rational Choice Models, edited by Mary Zey" and concluded that "decision making: alternatives to rational choice models is not a good choice".
Abstract: The article reviews the book “Decision Making: Alternatives to Rational Choice Models,” edited by Mary Zey.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors use the brain as a metaphor to generate insights on how firms might design flexible production systems and suggest that flexibility can be enhanced by employing practices that promote distributed processes occurring in a parallel manner.
Abstract: Manufacturing flexibility is critical for survival in industries characterized by rapid change and diverse product markets. Although new manufacturing technologies make it possible to accomplish flexibility, their potential remains unrealized by firms whose organizational elements do not possess adaptive capabilities. We use the brain as a metaphor to generate insights on how firms might design flexible production systems. We chose the brain as a metaphor because it is a self-organizing system capable of responding rapidly to a broad range of external stimuli. The brain as a metaphor suggests that flexibility can be enhanced by employing practices that promote distributed processes occurring in a parallel manner. Such practices lie in contrast to those employed by production systems built on scientific management principles that promote localized processes in a sequential manner. By exploring these contrasting modes of operation, we argue that the brain as a metaphor opens up new avenues for theory develo...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors define and illustrate three types of internal models of authority: dependence, counter-dependence and interdependence, and suggest that these stances are enacted in similar ways across hierarchical and collaborative work arrangements and across various roles and positions.
Abstract: This article focuses on how organization members authorize and deauthorize both others and themselves in the course of doing their work. We argue that these authorizing processes are shaped, in part, by enduring, often unacknowledged stances toward authority itself. In turn, we suggest that these stances are enacted in similar ways across hierarchical and collaborative work arrangements and across various roles and positions. These stances are--as Hirschhom (1990) suggested--internalized models. Working from a theoretical framework that combines concepts from developmental and clinical psychology, group dynamics, and organizational behavior, we define and illustrate three types of internal models of authority: dependence, counterdependence, and interdependence. We offer propositions about how these internal models influence organization members' behaviors during task performances generally, and more specifically, as members of hierarchical dyads and work teams. We also suggest propositions about how these...
TL;DR: A review of the book "Beyond Mass Production: The Japanese System and Its Transfer to the United States" by Martin Kenney and Richard Florida can be found in this article, where the authors discuss the Japanese system and its transfer to the US.
Abstract: The article reviews the book “Beyond Mass Production: The Japanese System and Its Transfer to the United States,” by Martin Kenney and Richard Florida.