Showing papers in "Journal of Management Studies in 1990"

Performance implications of strategic coalignment: a methodological perspective

Abstract: Strategic coalignment - viewed in terms of internal consistency among key strategic decisions or the alignment between strategic choices and critical contingencies posed by either environmental or organizational contexts - is an important theoretical perspective in strategic management. However, extant research is characterized by both poor clarifications of the theoretical meanings of coalignment as well as inappropriate statistical modelling. This article adopts a methodological orientation to examining a general proposition of the performance implications of strategic coalignment among three generic strategy dimensions: marketing, manufacturing and administrative. Such a proposition is evaluated using three seemingly complementary perspectives of statistical modelling: (a) interactionist; (b) profile-derivation; and (c) covariation, and data collected from two hundred business units. The analysis and results generally support the proposition using two of three perspectives, thus raising critical methodological issues relating to multiple specifications of the statistical form of coalignment.

Relationships of job categories and organizational levels to use of communication channels, including electronic mail: a meta-analysis and extension*

Abstract: This study tests hypotheses derived from information processing theory concerning relationships between individuals' job category, organizational level, and levels and patterns of media usage. Media studied include face-to-face, meetings, memos/letters, telephone and electronic mail. In the meta-analysis of over 40 studies, usage of different media was significantly different for managers/executives versus others, and was highly correlated with organizational level. In the individual-level analyses of four organizations, the majority of respondents were classified into their actual job categories, and according to distances between organizational levels, by a discriminant function involving only relative extent of media use, especially participation in meetings. Contrary to information richness theory, upper-level respondents (managers) did not necessarily use electronic mail less than did lower-level respondents (clerical workers). The article concludes by discussing implications for theories of organizational media use and implementation of electronic mail systems.

Bases of interorganization co-operation: propensity, power, persistence*

Abstract: Co-operation may enable organizations to attain ends that they cannot achieve alone. However, the co-operating partners must have an unusual mix of (1) propensity, (2) power, and (3) persistence. Joint ventures are used in this article to elucidate these critical elements in the relationship.

Planning and tactical factors in the project implementation process

Abstract: It has been a well-recognized axiom in project management research that the project implementation process can be greatly facilitated by addressing a variety of project critical success factors. It is argued here that critical factors often fall into two distinct sub-groups: those related to initial project planning and those concerned with subsequent tactical operationalization. A field study was conducted to explore changes in the perceived importance of project planning and tactical factors across four stages in the project life cycle. The sample consisted of 408 managers currently involved in projects. It was found that the relative importance of planning and tactical factors varies across the project life cycle. Further, the perceived importance of these factors is contingent upon the type of success measure employed. When an efficiency success measure is used, planning factors are initially perceived to be of high importance but are overtaken by tactical issues as the project progresses through its life cycle. When ‘external’ success measures (perceived value of the project and client satisfaction) are employed, project planning factors dominate tactics throughout the project's life cycle. Finally, implications for managers are developed and directions for future research are discussed.

Structured observation of managerial work: a replication and synthesis*

Abstract: This study uses structured observation categories to investigate the relationship between managerial behaviour, performance, and environmental and demographic variables. We found significant differences in managerial behaviour related to environmental and demographic variables but not to performance. Our replication and synthesis of other studies generally supports earlier conclusions regarding the brief, varied, fragmented and interpersonal nature of managerial work. The results also point to the important relationship between the environment and managerial behaviour. Implications for managerial practice and research are discussed.

Identifying factors which influence product innovation: a case study approach

Abstract: This article provides an analysis of factors affecting the level of product innovation in a small enterprise setting. The perspective chosen considers the interaction of management and environmental factors and its impact on product innovation and explores how these factors interrelate to influence small business success (growth). A causal multi-site model is developed which will assist in identifying product innovation determinants for high-growth and low-growth firms. Moreover, direct and secondary explanations of product innovations will be isolated. Twelve case studies will be examined. The conclusions are that, for high-growth firms, determinants of product innovation that influenced small-business success (growth) were technology, competitive edge, research and development, product life-cycle, market change, product/market mix and customer base. For low-growth firms, customer base was a major determinant of product innovation which influenced small-business success (growth).

Strategic decisions made by top executives and middle managers with data and process dominant styles

Abstract: The influence of a manager's decision style in strategic decision-making is explored using simulations. The Jungian style classification is extended to identify ‘data and process dominant’ styles of decision-making. Managers with process dominant styles can use several types of data and managers with data dominant styles can apply various modes of data processing. Both the expanded and the traditional definitions of style are used as factors to explain how 79 top executives and 89 middle managers rated project simulations. Decision style is found to be a key factor in explaining the likelihood of taking strategic action and the risk seen in this action. Decisions made by top executives are more style dependent than those of middle managers. The extended definition of style reveals more about the preferences of top executives than traditional style categories.

A RESEARCH AGENDA FOR STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT IN THE 1990s

Abstract: The importance of thinking strategically is often glossed over when academics try to apply this concept to themselves. This frequently results in research or articles that are not very insightful or useful either to other academics or to practising managers. To overcome this problem and to explore the future needs of the field of strategic management, this article proposes topics for a research agenda for strategic management in the 1990s that is based on the forecast of ‘experts’ in the field.

Strategic time periods and strategic groups research: concepts and an empirical example

Abstract: This article briefly reviews previous research on strategic groups and focuses upon the influence of time on strategic positioning. This stability approach also motivates research into the dynamics of strategic group shifts. An illustrative example drawn from the drug industry emphasizes the practical application of these concepts. The analytically-derived strategic groupings are then compared with evidence drawn from industry and academic research. Finally, following discussion of the results, some suggestions about integrating the strategic group concept into strategic management research are also made.

Professionals and innovation: structural-functional versus radical-structural perspectives*

Abstract: The study of the role of professionals in the organizational innovation process has been dominated by a Structural-Functional perspective. The assumptions associated with this perspective are examined, critiqued, and shown to have led to research findings marked by equivocality and instability. An alternative approach, based on Radical-Structural principles is developed, and suggestions for implementing this approach in future research are offered.

The corporate performance conundrum: a synthesis of contemporary views and an extension

Abstract: What characterizes superior organizational performance? The question has always fascinated practitioners and academic researchers, and a string of recent bestsellers attests to the current prominence of performance as an organizational issue. This article brings together recent perspectives on performance and provides some further conclusions of its own based on analysis of a new database. Articles on 74 companies rated by Business Month as being one of the five best-managed companies during each of the 15 years in the 1972–86 timeframe were content analysed in an effort to isolate the key strategic and organizational factors associated with superior corporate performance. Results indicate that superior performance is associated with a broad product line accompanied by geographic diversity, an emphasis on planning coupled with sound financial controls and reporting systems, a high level of commitment to product and process innovation, investments in modernization of manufacturing facilities, a reputation for superior quality and customer service, and progressive human resource management practices. These findings are compared and contrasted with the conclusions of other recent studies and implications of the findings for management are discussed. Far from being the result of applying any particular formula, superior performance is found to require a diverse mix of competencies and values.

The symbolic impact of double bind leadership: double bind and the dynamics of organizational culture

Abstract: They are playing a game. They are playing at not playing a game. If I show them I see they are, I shall break the rules and they will punish me. I must play their game, of not seeing I see the game (Laing, 1971). Members of an organization are supposedly led, but very often they do not see the way. On the contrary, they are exposed to conflicting management signals and caught in double bind situations. Double bind connotes a situation where conflicting messages occur, but where it is vitally important to discern what message is being communicated, and where the individual is unable to comment upon the ambiguity. The result is that the individual is not capable of meta communication and thus incapable of learning about the situation. We presume that the double bind phenomenon can often be found in organizations. In extreme cases this creates ‘double bind organizations’ in which the members are continuously confronted with double bind situations. The members become incapable of exploring the existing models of organizational behaviour. Organizational dynamics emerge ‘behind the back’ of people in the organization. The organization's meaning horizon is narrowed due to a lack of authentic dialogue. Attempted changes of organizational direction are experienced as just another double bind, and attempted changes of the double bind patterns become victims of the logic they attempt to alter. In such cases, the organization could be said to be characterized by a form of institutionalized learning incompetence. Understanding the double bind phenomenon should be seen as being important for managing organizations in general, and for the change and the management of change in particular.

The ‘texture’ of organizing

Abstract: The article briefly introduces the concept of ‘texture’ and indicates its role in the organizing process. The history of texture and related ideas in the field of organizational studies is summarized. Texture itself is viewed analogically as a weave or web of interacting elements that resists operational definition. It is a tacit quality of the field of social action that, by definition, must remain beyond the grasp of explicit statement. Some implications of the ‘logic’ of texture are discussed briefly in relation to the understanding of ‘instrumental action’ in organizations as well as rethinking the ‘organization-environment’ problem in terms of ‘contextures’.

Assessing rational and intuitive styles: a human information processing metaphor

Abstract: This article has four distinct but related purposes. First, we describe the research setting for assessing human information processing style in terms of the rational-intuitive complementarity. We highlight earlier management study that directly deals with this dimension. Then we review popular instruments for assessing style in rational-intuitive terms. Second, we outline a conceptual model that elaborates the rational—intuitive styles of human information processing into three modes each. There are innovative management studies, and Eastern and Western philosophical bases for this model. We use this background to help synthesize three lines of neurophysiological research to formulate a six-mode human information processing (HIP) metaphor. Third, we use the HIP metaphor to develop an HIP survey with a scale for each mode. This section describes how conceptual definitions are derived from the model with guidance from the rational-intuitive term pairs and the survey item pool. Finally, we describe the statistical analysis of the reliability and validity of the six scales for the HIP survey. We use a criterion-based factor analytic approach for isolating the scale items. Then, the HIP metaphor is used to predict associations among the scales in our study. We use a modified form of the multitrait—multimethod approach to test our predictions. Finally, this section summarizes the results of the predicted relationships among the variables on the self-assessment tools used in this study. The study helps bring the rational—intuitive assessment of human information processing into the mainstream of management research.

Construing Organizational Texture in Young Entrepreneurial Firms

Abstract: In a young entrepreneurial firm, two developmental processes are identified. One reflects the emergence of a social network whilst the other reflects the emergence of a task domain. The concept of ‘organizational dialogue’ is introduced to describe the action strategies through which these two processes are connected. The resulting textures may critically be examined to produce ‘process’ knowledge. It is argued that organizational theory can benefit from more work of this kind.

Public services management: activities, initiatives and limits to learning

Abstract: Private sector-style management initiatives to ensure UK public services managers’ learning from private sector management practice are examined, and their rationale questioned. The lack of a coherent, systematic and agreed view of what constitutes ‘management’ and ‘managerial work’ in the private sector is discussed. It is argued that there are reasons for believing that the particular character and organizational contexts of public services will require different managerial behaviours. The manner in which experimental managerial initiatives in some public services have shifted into mandatory innovations is examined. Such innovations can be incompatible with the values of those managing in the public service, who frequently fail to recognize the advantages of late innovation, incrementalism and circumspection. In public services particularly, many managerial activities are the province of ‘non managerial’ staff. Though frequently not considered, the values of these de facto managers may be central to the progress of such innovations. It is further argued that risk-taking as applied in a business context is inappropriate to the degree that public services managers must be concerned with the common weal, equity and accountability. The article concludes with a detailed research agenda to support the need to recognize public services management as a rich and varied area of managerial behaviour in its own right. Its character and variation warrants further investigation as a basis for formulating more appropriate management concepts against which to measure public services managers’ behaviour and performance.

Adopting japanese-style manufacturing methods: a tale of two (uk) factories*

Abstract: Japanese manufacturing methods such as just-in-time production and total quality control are serving as a model of manufacturing organization which many UK manufacturers are currently emulating. This article describes the implementation of just-in-time production and its supporting practices in two factories owned by the same company. Empirical evidence demonstrates a profoundly political dimension to these innovations, requiring a significant rewriting of organizations’ political and cultural maps.

The industrial market as an interfirm organization

Abstract: Recent theorizing in the marketing and organization theory literature attests to the notion that the market is a complex organizational form. We discuss the techno-economic and institutional forces that structure the industrial market as an interorganizational network. The manner in which these forces structure the market determines segmentation and integration and the changing nature of co-operation and competition in industrial markets.

The strategic contingencies theory of power: multiple perspectives

Abstract: The strategic contingencies theory of power proposed by Hickson et al. (1971) has been tested and compared to an alternative perspective. In the alternative perspective, the theory has been modified to include control of strategic contingencies as a moderating variable in the relationships between power and its determinants. A field study, using questionnaire and interview responses of 54 administrators at five universities, partially supports the modified theory.

The ‘texture’ of organizing in an italian university department*

Abstract: The texture of organizing is an elusive concept, one that embraces the intangible quality of the activities of an organization's members. In this article we use examples taken from an empirical study of a department of mathematics in an Italian university to illustrate the social processes that underlie the construction of texture. We define ‘texture’ as that imaginative domain of organizational actors where processes such as the creation of a sense of togetherness and of ownership, mutual understanding and misunderstanding of organizational life, shifting memberships and audiences link and interweave. Some methodological issues concerning the concept of texture are also examined.

Review essay studies on transitions: meanings and method

Abstract: This article analyses the link between research methodology and knowledge generation. It argues that the selection of a method of data collection and analysis determines the potential boundaries and depth of knowledge that can be generated. Choice of methodology, therefore, has major constraining or liberating potential. This is illustrated in an examination of three recent texts on transition. The first of these adopts an occupational psychology approach based on large-scale surveys. It is argued that this approach runs the risk of ignoring key existential issues. The two other texts analysed are a clinical psychology approach to the major transitions in work and power occasioned by the introduction of new information technologies, and a novel examining key transition episodes in the ‘lives’ of its main protagonists. These two texts, it is suggested, provide an extremely rich source of data and are a pleasure to read. The article ends with an argument for the redefinition of the boundaries that constitute knowledge in management and organization studies.

A comparative analysis of strategic decisions

Abstract: This study examines the process of upward influence in a variety of strategic decisions. The study provides a list of categories and supporting data for the agents, methods, perceived outcomes, and perceived causes of success and failure of upward influence interactions that impact upon the strategic decision-making process in organizations. The results suggest that: (a) middle-level managers (MLMs) deal directly with their superiors and use rational or persuasive arguments in their upward influence interactions in strategic decisions; (2) MLMs are very successful in their influence interactions and attribute their successes to internal causes; (3) MLMs and their superiors view the influence episode similarly; and (4) upward influence activity in strategic decisions is quite similar to upward influence activity in non-strategic decisions. The study also examines individual and organizational factors that are associated with success and failure in influence activity in strategic decision-making.

The substitutability of strategic control choices: an empirical study*

Abstract: In one stream of literature, organizational control has been observed to have two types - bureaucratic and cultural - and to be related to strategic adaptation. In another stream of literature, societal culture has been discussed as influencing the choice of organizational control types. This empirical study combines these two streams of literature. Drawing on Child (1981) we argue that the choice of organizational control types is a cultural choice. Within this context, the substitutability of one organizational control type for the other is examined using data from two culturally distinct sets of organizations - Japanese and American. The results of canonical correlation analysis suggest that the substitutability hypothesis is supported in only a very limited sense and that the relationship between the two control types may be better viewed as balanced. Implications of these results for strategic managers are discussed.

A strategic perspective of bank financial conglomerates in london after the crash

Abstract: The deregulation of financial markets has led to severe challenges for bank management and banking strategy. Investment banking is a sector that has experienced important and well-publicized changes. London's celebrated ‘Big Bang’ helped to stimulate new banking strategies that were characterized by the formation of so-called ‘bank financial conglomerates’. The October 1987 stock market crash, however, has precipitated strategic and organizational crises for many of these banks active in securities business and capital market products. This article re-examines investment banking strategies in London and some of the lessons associated with the crash experiences.

Women's centres: relationships between values and action

Abstract: This article adopts an ‘organizing’ perspective to examine the relationship between values and action. Drawing on case studies of organizing activity which is undertaken with reference to the core values of the autonomous women's movement, the essentially negotiated nature of this relationship is argued and illustrated. Variation is shown to occur in the terms and arenas of negotiation and attention is drawn to the dimensions of the characteristic ‘texture of organizing’ in the settings described.