Showing papers on "Organizational culture published in 2005"
Journal Article•
TL;DR: To regain relevancy, business schools must rediscover the practice of business and find a way to balance the dual mission of educating practitioners and creating knowledge through research.
Abstract: Business schools are facing intense criticism for failing to impart useful skills, failing to prepare leaders, failing to instill norms of ethical behavior--and even failing to lead graduates to good corporate jobs. These criticisms come not just from students, employers, and the media but also from deans of some of America's most prestigious B schools. The root cause oftoday's crisis in management education, assert Warren G. Bennis and James O'Toole, is that business schools have adopted an inappropriate--and ultimately self-defeating--model of academic excellence. Instead of measuring themselves in terms of the competence of their graduates, or by how well their faculty members understand important drivers of business performance, they assess themselves almost solely by the rigor of their scientific research. This scientific model is predicated on the faulty assumption that business is an academic discipline like chemistry or geology when, in fact, business is a profession and business schools are professional schools--or should be. Business school deans may claim that their schools remain focused on practice, but they nevertheless hire and promote research-oriented professors who haven't spent time working in companies and are more comfortable teaching methodology than messy, multidisciplinary issues--the very stuff of management. The authors don't advocate a return to the days when business schools were glorified trade schools. But to regain relevancy, they say, business schools must rediscover the practice of business and find a way to balance the dual mission of educating practitioners and creating knowledge through research.
1,885 citations
TL;DR: Insight into the educational, systemic and personal factors which contribute to the culture of the professions can help guide the development of innovative educational methodologies to improve interprofessional collaborative practice.
Abstract: Each health care profession has a different culture which includes values, beliefs, attitudes, customs and behaviours. Professional cultures evolved as the different professions developed, reflecting historic factors, as well as social class and gender issues. Educational experiences and the socialization process that occur during the training of each health professional reinforce the common values, problem-solving approaches and language/jargon of each profession. Increasing specialization has lead to even further immersion of the learners into the knowledge and culture of their own professional group. These professional cultures contribute to the challenges of effective interprofessional teamwork. Insight into the educational, systemic and personal factors which contribute to the culture of the professions can help guide the development of innovative educational methodologies to improve interprofessional collaborative practice.
1,247 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors focus on the impact of leadership empowerment behavior on customer service satisfaction and sales performance, as mediated by salespeople's self-efficacy and adaptability, and propose an interactive relationship whereby LEB will be differentially effective as a function of employees' empowerment readiness.
Abstract: This research focuses on the impact of leadership empowerment behavior (LEB) on customer service satisfaction and sales performance, as mediated by salespeople's self-efficacy and adaptability. Moreover, the authors propose an interactive relationship whereby LEB will be differentially effective as a function of employees' empowerment readiness. The authors' hypotheses are tested using survey data from a sample of 231 salespeople in the pharmaceutical field, along with external ratings of satisfaction from 864 customers and archival sales performance information. Results indicated that contrary to popular belief, employees with low levels of product/industry knowledge and low experience benefit the most from leadership behaviors that are empowering, whereas high-knowledge and experienced employees reap no clear benefit. The authors conclude with directions for future research and application.
789 citations
01 Jan 2005
TL;DR: In this article, it was hypothesized that employees' perceptions of an organizational culture strong in human relations values and open systems values would be associated with heightened levels of readiness for change which, in turn, would be predictive of change implementation success.
Abstract: It was hypothesized that employees' perceptions of an organizational culture strong in human relations values and open systems values would be associated with heightened levels of readiness for change which, in turn, would be predictive of change implementation success. Similarly, it was predicted that reshaping capabilities would lead to change implementation success, via its effects on employees' perceptions of readiness for change. Using a temporal research design, these propositions were tested for 67 employees working in a state government department who were about to undergo the implementation of a new end-user computing system in their workplace. Change implementation success was operationalized as user satisfaction and system usage. There was evidence to suggest that employees who perceived strong human relations values in their division at Time 1 reported higher levels of readiness for change at pre-implementation which, in turn, predicted system usage at Time 2. In addition, readiness for change mediated the relationship between reshaping capabilities and system usage. Analyses also revealed that pre-implementation levels of readiness for change exerted a positive main effect on employees' satisfaction with the system's accuracy, user friendliness, and formatting functions at post-implementation. These findings are discussed in terms of their theoretical contribution to the readiness for change literature, and in relation to the practical importance of developing positive change attitudes among employees if change initiatives are to be successful.
602 citations
TL;DR: The authors argue that a high-organizational error management culture, conceptualized to include norms and common practices in organizations, is pivotal to the reduction of negative and the promotion of positive error consequences.
Abstract: The authors argue that a high-organizational error management culture, conceptualized to include norms and common practices in organizations (e.g., communicating about errors, detecting, analyzing, and correcting errors quickly), is pivotal to the reduction of negative and the promotion of positive error consequences. Organizational error management culture was positively related to firm performance across 2 studies conducted in 2 different European countries. On the basis of quantitative and qualitative cross-sectional data from 65 Dutch organizations, Study 1 revealed that organizational error management culture was significantly correlated with both organizational goal achievement and an objective indicator of economic performance. This finding was confirmed in Study 2, using change-of-profitability data from 47 German organizations. The results suggest that organizations may want to introduce organizational error management as a way to boost firm performance.
601 citations
TL;DR: For example, the authors found that incivility causes its targets, witnesses, and additional stakeholders to act in ways that erode organizational values and deplete organizational resources, and that employees decrease work effort, time on the job, productivity, and performance.
Abstract: Executive Overview Incivility, or employees' lack of regard for one another, is costly to organizations in subtle and pervasive ways. Although uncivil behaviors occur commonly, many organizations fail to recognize them, few understand their harmful effects, and most managers and executives are ill-equipped to deal with them. Over the past eight years, as we have learned about this phenomenon through interviews, focus groups, questionnaires, experiments, and executive forums with more than 2,400 people across the U.S. and Canada, we have found that incivility causes its targets, witnesses, and additional stakeholders to act in ways that erode organizational values and deplete organizational resources. Because of their experiences of workplace incivility, employees decrease work effort, time on the job, productivity, and performance. Where incivility is not curtailed, job satisfaction and organizational loyalty diminish as well. Some employees leave their jobs solely because of the impact of this subtle for...
569 citations
TL;DR: The majority of the literature on creativity has focused on the individual, yet the social environment can influence both the level and frequency of creative behavior as discussed by the authors, and this article reviews the lite literature.
Abstract: The majority of the literature on creativity has focused on the individual, yet the social environment can influence both the level and frequency of creative behavior. This article reviews the lite...
542 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, it was hypothesized that employees' perceptions of an organizational culture strong in human relations values and open systems values would be associated with heightened levels of readiness for change which, in turn, would be predictive of change implementation success.
Abstract: It was hypothesized that employees' perceptions of an organizational culture strong in human relations values and open systems values would be associated with heightened levels of readiness for change which, in turn, would be predictive of change implementation success. Similarly, it was predicted that reshaping capabilities would lead to change implementation success, via its effects on employees' perceptions of readiness for change. Using a temporal research design, these propositions were tested for 67 employees working in a state government department who were about to undergo the implementation of a new end-user computing system in their workplace. Change implementation success was operationalized as user satisfaction and system usage. There was evidence to suggest that employees who perceived strong human relations values in their division at Time 1 reported higher levels of readiness for change at pre-implementation which, in turn, predicted system usage at Time 2. In addition, readiness for change mediated the relationship between reshaping capabilities and system usage. Analyses also revealed that pre-implementation levels of readiness for change exerted a positive main effect on employees' satisfaction with the system's accuracy, user friendliness, and formatting functions at post-implementation. These findings are discussed in terms of their theoretical contribution to the readiness for change literature, and in relation to the practical importance of developing positive change attitudes among employees if change initiatives are to be successful.
531 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explored the relationship between total quality management (TQM) practices and organizational culture with the purpose of identifying the particular cultures that determine the successful implementation of TQM practices.
Abstract: Purpose – This empirical study explores the relationship between total quality management (TQM) practices and organizational culture with the purpose of identifying the particular cultures that determine the successful implementation of TQM practices. Specifically, it tests two competing views on the relationship; the unitarist and pluralist views.Design/methodology/approach – The empirical data was drawn from 194 organizations in Australia. The research model employs the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award criteria as TQM framework and builds on the competing values model to frame organizational culture. The data was analysed using structural equation modelling technique.Findings – The findings support the pluralist view, wherein different subsets of TQM practices are determined by different types of cultures. Interestingly, hierarchical culture was found to have a significant relationship with certain practices of TQM. Additionally, the findings indicate that although the cultural factors underpinni...
410 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine how territorial behaviors are used to construct, communicate, maintain, and restore territories in organizations and discuss the organizational consequences of these behaviors, including their effects on organizational commitment, conflict, preoccupation, and individual isolation.
Abstract: Territorial feelings and behaviors are important, pervasive, and yet largely overlooked aspects of organizational life. Organizational members can and do become territorial over physical spaces, ideas, roles, relationships, and other potential possessions in organizations. We examine how territorial behaviors are used to construct, communicate, maintain, and restore territories in organizations. We then go on to discuss the organizational consequences of these behaviors, including their effects on organizational commitment, conflict, preoccupation, and individual isolation.
402 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that power and politics provide the social energy that transforms the insights of individuals and groups into the institutions of an organization, and that different forms of power in organizations are connected to specific learning processes.
Abstract: We argue that power and politics provide the social energy that transforms the insights of individuals and groups into the institutions of an organization. Moreover, we propose that different forms of power in organizations are connected to specific learning processes—intuition is linked with discipline, interpretation with influence, integration with force, and institutionalization with domination—and that an examination of these different forms of power provides a basis for understanding why some insights become institutionalized while others do not.
TL;DR: This paper is a conceptual study and therefore extends theory and the current understanding of how culture is examined by not only explicitly recognizing that behaviors are simultaneously influenced by multiple levels of culture but by also specifying conditions under which certain levels ofculture dominate.
Abstract: In an organizational setting, national culture is not the only type of culture that influences managerial and work behavior. Rather, behavior is influenced by different levels of culture ranging from the supranational (regional, ethnic, religious, linguistic) level through the national, professional, and organizational levels to the group level. The objective of this study is to integrate these different levels of culture by explicitly recognizing that individuals’ workplace behavior is a function of all different cultures simultaneously. It is theorized that the relative influence of the different levels of culture on individual behavior varies depending on the nature of the behavior under investigation. Thus, for behaviors that include a strong social component or include terminal and moral values, supranational and national cultures might have a predominant effect. For behaviors with a strong task component or for those involving competence values or practices, organizational and professional cultures may dominate. These propositions are illustrated with examples from the IS field. This paper is a conceptual study and therefore extends theory and the current understanding of how culture is examined by not only explicitly recognizing that behaviors are simultaneously influenced by multiple levels of culture but by also specifying conditions under which certain levels of culture dominate. Such an approach has the potential to inform researchers and practitioners about the generalizability or universality of theories and techniques across national, organizational, and professional borders.
TL;DR: The science of measuring safety culture is evolving, even as the demand for rigorous cultural assessment intensifies, and the enthusiasm for measuring culture may be outpacing the science.
Abstract: A step nearer to the reliable measurement of safety culture
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” Latsu
Safety culture is increasingly recognized as an important strategy—and perhaps a necessary precursor—to improving the widespread deficits in patient safety. The Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) included an annual assessment of safety culture in its 2007 patient safety goals. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) report “ To Err is Human ” spurred healthcare organizations to implement initiatives that improve patient safety.1
Despite this, culture is defined and measured in various ways. Definitions of culture commonly refer to values, attitudes, norms, beliefs, practices, policies, and behaviors of personnel. In essence, culture is “the way we do things around here”, whereby the word “here” refers not to the hospital, but rather to a particular work unit. In a safe culture employees are guided by an organization-wide commitment to safety in which each member upholds their own safety norms and those of their co-workers. A number of tools are available to measure safety culture, but each instrument has unique domains of culture, limited validity and reliability data, and average response rates that vary from poor (29%) to excellent (83%). The science of measuring safety culture is evolving, even as the demand for rigorous cultural assessment intensifies.
Many organizations have embarked on efforts to measure safety culture. It is not uncommon for senior leaders in these hospitals to use culture survey scores as a system level measure of patient safety to hold managers accountable, often with the use of bonuses. Although these efforts are laudable, the enthusiasm for measuring culture may be outpacing the science. Due perhaps to the nascent nature of cultural assessment in health care, culture researchers lack consensus and clarity about domains important in a culture …
Posted Content•
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the relationship between organizational learning culture, learning transfer climate, and organizational innovation, and found that organizational learning cultures predicted learning climate and both these factors accounted for significant variance in organizational innovation.
Abstract: This paper examines the relationship between organizational learning culture, learning transfer climate, and organizational innovation. The objective was to test the ability of learning organization culture to account for variance in learning transfer climate and subsequent organizational innovation, and to examine the role of learning transfer climate as a mediator between learning organization culture and innovation. Results showed that organizational learning culture predicted learning transfer climate, and both these factors accounted for significant variance in organizational innovation.
TL;DR: Zhang et al. as discussed by the authors found that both market and innovation orientations strongly improve employees' job attitudes, such as job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and confidence in their firm's future performance.
TL;DR: In this article, a literature review of the existing body of empirically-based studies relating to the causes and implications of how the ethical climate of a company ultimately affects the incidence of workplace deviance is performed.
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this article is to perform a literature review of the existing body of empirically‐based studies relating to the causes and implications of how the ethical climate of a company ultimately affects the incidence of workplace deviance.Design/methodology/approach – The article examines the issue of ethical contexts and climates within organizations, as measured by the Ethical Climate Questionnaire developed in 1987 by Victor and Cullen , and their implications in the daily work lives of participants. The causes of unethical behaviour, including the presence of counter norms, the environment in which a firm operates, and organizational commitment, as well as the manifestation of this behaviour in the form of workplace deviance, are reviewed. Finally, current trends in preventing workplace deviance are investigated, including promoting a strong culture of ethics, and the use of “toxic handlers”, individuals who take it upon themselves to handle the frustrations of fellow employees.Findi...
TL;DR: It is argued that, despite the considerable amount of research activity in these areas, the two research traditions have existed as ''stovepipes,'' operating in parallel but not communicating effectively with each other.
TL;DR: A cultural mosaic is presented as a framework to identify demographic, geographic, and associative features underlying culture, which is described as a complex system with localized structures, linking cultural tiles in ordered and chaotic ways.
Abstract: Workforce population trends have increased the numbers and kinds of culturally diverse people who work together. Researchers in organizational behavior have often examined culture through values; however, cultural values can be based on collections of people other than traditional nation states. A cultural mosaic is presented as a framework to identify demographic, geographic, and associative features underlying culture. An individual's unique collage of multiple cultural identities yields a complex picture of the cultural influences on that person. Developments in chaos and complexity theories are proposed as a theoretical base for study on the complexity of culture at the individual level. Additional developments in network theory serve as a theoretical base for cultural research at the group level. The cultural mosaic is described as a complex system with localized structures, linking cultural tiles in ordered and chaotic ways. Research propositions examining multiple cultural identities at individual and group levels are discussed.
TL;DR: Morton and Ashton as discussed by the authors show how to align talent management strategies to business goals, integrate all related processes and systems and create a "talent mindset" in an organization, which can create long-term organizational success.
Abstract: Getting the right people in pivotal roles at the right time should be nothing new to HR professionals, but done effectively, talent management can create long‐term organizational success. Here, Lynne Morton and Chris Ashton show how to align talent management strategies to business goals, integrate all related processes and systems and create a “talent mindset” in your organization.
TL;DR: This article examined the assumptions that underlie this emphasis on the importance of national culture differences in international management and re-analyse findings from previous research, such as Hofstede's, to test these assumptions.
Abstract: It is generally understood that human resource practices and strategies differ according to contextual factors such as size, industry and so forth. However, the globalization of business means that country differences in the environment for organizations have received increasing attention. Although countries can differ in many important ways (e.g. institutional and regulatory environments, labour-force characteristics such as education), a dominant focus of the international management literature is on national differences in culture, especially cultural values (Hofstede, 1980). We examine the assumptions that underlie this emphasis on the importance of national culture differences in international management and re-analyse findings from previous research, such as Hofstede's, to test these assumptions. We find, contrary to the interpretations of the original authors, that these assumptions receive only weak support when country effects are evaluated using variance explained estimates, rather than relying ...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the relationship between organizational learning culture, learning transfer climate, and organizational innovation, and found that organizational learning cultures predicted learning climate and both these factors accounted for significant variance in organizational innovation.
Abstract: This paper examines the relationship between organizational learning culture, learning transfer climate, and organizational innovation. The objective was to test the ability of learning organization culture to account for variance in learning transfer climate and subsequent organizational innovation, and to examine the role of learning transfer climate as a mediator between learning organization culture and innovation. Results showed that organizational learning culture predicted learning transfer climate, and both these factors accounted for significant variance in organizational innovation.
TL;DR: In this paper, an integrative approach to organizational learning and organizational knowledge is proposed, which links the two perspectives with the aim of providing an integrated approach to provide an understanding of learning, knowledge, and the relationship between them.
Abstract: Organizational learning and organizational knowledge have seen important growth in both the academic and business worlds. However, both approaches face various problems, the most striking of which is their theoretical confusion and diversity. This is due to the great number of authors and publications on the theoretical concepts, which originate in different fields, and are dealt with from different perspectives. Despite their implicit links, the two areas of literature retain a relative distance. This article sets out to improve the situation by linking the two perspectives with the aim of providing an integrative approach. Furthermore, the analysis outlines some common unresolved issues in these debates: the epistemological and ontological principles that underpin our understanding of learning, knowledge, and the relationship between them, as well as the relationship between individual and organizational learning and knowing.
TL;DR: It is determined that the pharmaceutical industry has paid special attention to benchmarking strategy, and companies should utilize the intangible assets available through a KMS to attain full participation from the employees to ensure the success of implementing an effective KMS.
Abstract: – The objective of this study is to discuss the critical success factors involved in implementing a knowledge management system (KMS), in order to enhance a firm's competitiveness, while keeping costs to a minimum., – Based on field studies and a literature review, this study outlined 32 variables in the implementation of a KMS. The research targets were on members of the Taiwan Pharmaceutical Marketing and Management Association (TPMMA). Out of the 355 questionnaires sent, 98 valid questionnaires were returned, resulting in a valid return rate of 27.6 percent., – After completing the statistical analysis, seven factors were determined to be critical: a benchmarking strategy and knowledge structure; the organizational culture; information technology; employee involvement and training; the leadership and the commitment of senior management; a learning environment and resource control; and evaluation of professional training and teamwork., – This paper chooses members of TPMMA as research targets; thus, to apply this study to other than pharmaceutical industries requires further research., – Strategy and organizational culture are important in the adoption of a KMS. This study has determined that the pharmaceutical industry has paid special attention to benchmarking strategy. Adopting a KMS can be easy with a core department to maintain proper function of the system. However, companies should utilize the intangible assets available through a KMS to attain full participation from the employees to ensure the success of implementing an effective KMS., – This paper identifies critical factors in adopting a KMS for the pharmaceutical industry. That can offer pragmatic indication for those companies intent on introducing a KMS.
TL;DR: Examination of users' attitudes to implementation of an electronic medical record system in Kaiser Permanente Hawaii found a transient climate of conflict was associated with adoption of the system, and organisational factors such as leadership, culture, and professional ideals played complex roles.
Abstract: Objective To examine users9 attitudes to implementation of an electronic medical record system in Kaiser Permanente Hawaii. Design Qualitative study based on semistructured interviews. Setting Four primary healthcare teams in four clinics, and four specialty departments in one hospital, on Oahu, Hawaii. Shortly before the interviews, Kaiser Permanente stopped implementation of the initial system in favour of a competing one. Participants Twenty six senior clinicians, managers, and project team members. Results Seven key findings emerged: users perceived the decision to adopt the electronic medical record system as flawed; software design problems increased resistance; the system reduced doctors9 productivity, especially during initial implementation, which fuelled resistance; the system required clarification of clinical roles and responsibilities, which was traumatic for some individuals; a cooperative culture created trade-offs at varying points in the implementation; no single leadership style was optimal—a participatory, consensus-building style may lead to more effective adoption decisions, whereas decisive leadership could help resolve barriers and resistance during implementation; the process fostered a counter climate of conflict, which was resolved by withdrawal of the initial system. Conclusions Implementation involved several critical components, including perceptions of the system selection, early testing, adaptation of the system to the larger organisation, and adaptation of the organisation to the new electronic environment. Throughout, organisational factors such as leadership, culture, and professional ideals played complex roles, each facilitating and hindering implementation at various points. A transient climate of conflict was associated with adoption of the system.
Book•
02 Mar 2005
TL;DR: The Context for Leadership and Management Models of Educational Leadership Leading and Managing the whole workforce Leading and managing the whole workforce as mentioned in this paper is the context for leadership and management models of educational leadership.
Abstract: PART ONE: SETTING THE SCENE The Context for Leadership and Management Models of Educational Leadership Leading and Managing the Whole Workforce PART TWO: KEY CONCEPTS Organizational Cultures Organizational Structure and Roles Leading and Managing for Diversity Motivation and Job Satisfaction Leading and Managing through Teams PART THREE: KEY PROCESSES Recruitment and Selection Induction and Retention Mentoring and Coaching Leading and Managing People for Performance Organizational Learning and Professional Development Succession Planning and Leadership Development Author index Subject index
TL;DR: If the employment prospects of people with disabilities are to be improved significantly, attention must be paid to the ways in which corporate culture creates or reinforces obstacles to employees with disabilities, and how these obstacles can be removed or overcome.
Abstract: This article addresses key questions arising from the economic and social disparities that individuals with disabilities experience in the United States. For instance, ‘‘What role does corporate culture play in the employment of people with disabilities?’’ ‘‘How does it facilitate or hinder their employment and promotional opportunities, and how can corporations develop supportive cultures that benefit people with disabilities, non-disabled employees, and the organization as a whole?’’ Corporate culture can create attitudinal, behavioral, and physical barriers for workers and job applicants with disabilities. This research concludes that if the employment prospects of people with disabilities are to be improved significantly, attention must be paid to the ways in which corporate culture creates or reinforces obstacles to employees with disabilities, and how these obstacles can be removed or overcome. Ultimately, we will make the case that corporate culture and
TL;DR: In an in-depth analysis of the 100 largest organizational crises of the last five years, a mutual logic behind these crises has been identified as discussed by the authors, which lies in the four areas of growth, change, leadership and organizational culture.
Abstract: Executive Overview Organizational crisis, which includes both bankruptcy and a dramatic fall in market value, has increasingly affected blue chip companies in recent years. Yet existing theory views failure as typical of declining companies at the end of their lifecycle. This article explains why once prosperous companies collapse at the height of their success. In an in-depth analysis of the 100 largest organizational crises of the last five years, a mutual logic behind these crises has been identified. In general the problems lay in the four areas of growth, change, leadership and organizational culture. In most cases the companies grew and changed too quickly, had too powerful managers and nurtured an excessive success culture. Conversely, if these factors were insufficiently developed, companies aged prematurely, which likewise led to failure. In order to sustain success, companies need to keep a balance between these extremes. In this article we present company examples and research-based findings th...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors propose taxonomic metaphors that identify different corrupt organizations on the basis of corruption scale and hierarchical involvement and define task environments (oligopoly intensity, regulatory control and structural uncertainty) and institutional environments (opaqueness, injustice and complexity) that stimulate illicit acts.
Abstract: An organizational view of corruption is a frontier and challenging issue in the realm of management and organization research. This article elucidates four interrelated yet sequential issues that collectively constitute organizational explanations of corruption: (i) corruption and organizational environment; (ii) corruption and organizational behaviour; (iii) corruption and organizational consequences; and (iv) corruption and organizational architecture. Specifically, it (1) offers taxonomic metaphors that identify different corrupt organizations on the basis of corruption scale and hierarchical involvement; (2) defines task environments (oligopoly intensity, regulatory control and structural uncertainty) and institutional environments (opaqueness, injustice and complexity) that stimulate illicit acts; (3) confers a typology of corrupt behaviors that align with these task and institutional environments and correspond to different metaphors (system malfeasance, procedural malfeasance, categorical malfeasance and structural malfeasance); (4) develops the logic that corruption impedes organizational development through quadri-damages (evolutionary hazard, strategic impediment, competitive disadvantage and organizational deficiency; and (5) illuminates a corruption-resisting architecture comprising corporate culture, organizational structure and compliance system.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: New research shows that work partners tend to be chosen not for ability but for likability, which has big implications for every organization, as people prefer the lovable fool over the competent jerk.
Abstract: When looking for help with a task at work, people turn to those best able to do the job. Right? Wrong. New research shows that work partners tend to be chosen not for ability but for likability. Drawing from their study encompassing 10,000 work relationships in five organizations, the authors have classified work partners into four archetypes: the competent jerk, who knows a lot but is unpleasant; the lovable fool, who doesn't know much but is a delight; the lovable star, who's both smart and likable; and the incompetent jerk, who.. .well, that's self-explanatory. Of course, everybody wants to work with the lovable star, and nobody wants to work with the incompetent jerk. More interesting is that people prefer the lovable fool over the competent jerk. That has big implications for every organization, as both of these types often represent missed opportunities. Because they are liked by a disproportionate number of people, lovable fools can bridge gaps between diverse groups that might not otherwise interact. But their networking skills are often developed at the expense of job performance, which can make these employees underappreciated and vulnerable to downsizing. To get the most out of them, managers need to protect them and put them in positions that don't waste their bridge-building talents. As for the competent jerks, too often their expertise goes untapped by people who just can't put up with them. But many can be socialized through coaching or by being made accountable for bad behavior. Others may need to display their competence in more isolated settings. Intriguingly, managers aren't limited to leveraging people that others like and changing those that others loathe. They also can create situations in which people are more apt to like one another, whatever their individual qualities.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe and explain current management control practices in new economy firms (NEFs), which are characterized by their R&D and knowledge intensity as well as venture capital finance.