Category Archives: Management

Management

The best laid plans: Examining the conditions under which a planning intervention improves learning and reduces attrition.

Sitzmann, Traci; Johnson, Stefanie K.
Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol 97 Issue 5, Sep 2012, 967-981

Planning plays an instrumental role in prominent self-regulation theories (e.g., action regulation, control, goal setting), yet as a scientific community we know little about how people carry out their learning plans. Using an experimental field study, we implemented a repeated-measures intervention requiring trainees to create a plan for when, where, and how much time they intended to devote to training before each of 4 online modules and examined the conditions under which the planning intervention improved learning and reduced attrition. Trainees benefited from the planning intervention when it was paired with another intervention—prompting self-regulation—targeting self-regulatory processes that occur subsequent to planning (e.g., monitoring, concentration, learning strategies). Trainees’ learning performance was highest and attrition lowest when they received both interventions. The planning intervention was also advantageous for enhancing learning and reducing attrition when trainees followed through on the amount of time that they planned to devote to training. Finally, the relationship between planned study time, time on task, and learning performance was cyclical. Planned study time had a positive effect on time on task, which, in turn, had a positive effect on learning performance. However, trainees planned to devote less time to training following higher rather than lower learning performance. The current study contributes to our theoretical understanding of self-regulated learning by researching one of the most overlooked components of the process—planning—and examining the conditions under which establishing a learning plan enhances training outcomes.

Management

Go for the goal(s): Relationship between goal setting and transfer of training following leadership development

Stefanie Johnson, Lauren Garrison, Gina Hernez-Broome, John Fleenor and Judith Steed
Learning & Education, Vol. 11, No. 4

This paper examines the relationship between goal setting and transfer of training as measured on a 360-degree survey collected 3 months after a five-day leadership development program. Leaders set personal goals for behavior change during the program. For two of the three competencies measured (developing others, building and maintaining relationships), leaders who set a goal for change on a competency were perceived as having improved more on that competency than those who did not. Moreover, those who set more than one goal were perceived as having improved more across competencies than those who set only one goal.

Management

“National” identity, perceived fairness, and organizational commitment in a Hong Kong context: A test of mediation effects

Kyle Ehrhardt , Margaret Shaffer , Warren C.K. Chiu and Dora M. Luk
International Journal of Human Resource Management,Vol. 23, Issue 19, Pages 4166-4191

This paper builds on research exploring antecedents of organizational commitment in non-Western contexts. Using identity theory as a foundation, we develop a model which posits that the relationship between the strength of one’s ‘national’ identity and affective and normative commitment is mediated by justice perceptions. Using a sample of indigenous Hong Kong employees, we found that perceptions of distributive, procedural and interactional justice mediated the relationship between the strength of one’s Hong Kong ‘national’ identity and normative commitment; while perceptions of distributive and interactional justice mediated the relationship between the strength of one’s Hong Kong ‘national’ identity and affective commitment.
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Management

Academic decathletes: Insights from the metaphor and an exemplar

Sarah Kovoor-Misra
Journal of Management Inquiry,Vol. 21 Issue 3, Pages: 279-286
Business school professors are facing increasing pressure to excel in diverse academic roles that require different knowledge and skills. The multiplicity and diversity of roles evoke the image of the professor as an academic decathlete. In this article, the author explores the metaphor of the academic decathlete through conversations with Professor Tom Lee who has been successful in multiple academic roles. The interview sheds light on the dimensions and capacities of an academic decathlete and various strategies that can be used as academics seek to perform at high levels of excellence in a range of roles.

Management

Before Identity: The Emergence of New Organizational Forms

C. Marlene Fiol and Elaine Romanelli
Organization Science, May/June 2012 vol. 23 no. 3 597-611

The evolution of new organizational forms has attracted growing theoretical and empirical attention, but little research has considered the microsocial processes that promote the emergence of groups of quasi-similar organizations that sometimes evolve into new organizational forms. Drawing from social psychological and sociological theories of identity formation, we explain processes of individual identification and collective identity development that precede and promote the formation of similar clusters, which audiences can then recognize and distinguish from established organizational populations and other emerging similarity clusters.

Management

A theoretical model and analysis of the effect of self-regulation on attrition from voluntary online training

Traci Sitzmann
Learning and Individual Differences, Vol. 22, Issue 1, Pages 46–54

A theoretical model is presented that examines self-regulatory processes and trainee characteristics as predictors of attrition from voluntary online training in order to determine who is at risk of dropping out and the processes that occur during training that determine when they are at risk of dropping out. Attrition increased following declines in trainees’ commitment to training and self-efficacy. Trainees lower in conscientiousness were more vulnerable to dropping out than those higher in conscientiousness, and this effect was fully mediated by self-regulatory processes. Conscientiousness also moderated the effects of commitment and self-efficacy on attrition—a high level of conscientiousness provided a buffer against dropping out when trainees’ commitment and self-efficacy declined during training. The number of hours that trainees worked per week moderated the effort/attrition relationship; spending extra time reviewing increased attrition for trainees who worked longer hours and decreased attrition for trainees who worked shorter hours.

Management

When is ignorance bliss? The effects of inaccurate self-assessments of knowledge on learning and attrition

Traci Sitzmann and Stefanie K. Johnson
Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Vol. 117, Issue 1, Pages 192–207

Two studies were conducted to examine the implications of inaccurate self-appraisals in online training. Self-assessment of knowledge moderated the effects of trainees’ performance on subsequent performance and attrition. Performance was highest after uniformly positive ratings (i.e., high self-assessment and high performance), followed by underestimation, overestimation, and uniformly negative ratings, respectively. Attrition was lowest after uniformly positive ratings, followed by underestimation, uniformly negative ratings, and overestimation, respectively. Effort had a more positive effect on performance following low than high self-assessments and this interaction fully mediated the self-assessment/performance interaction on subsequent performance. Commitment had a more negative effect on subsequent attrition following low than high self-assessments and this interaction fully mediated the self-assessment/performance interaction on subsequent attrition. Finally, trainee conscientiousness affected their behavior when their performance and self-assessments were inconsistent—overestimating and underestimating performance increased attrition more for trainees low in conscientiousness and impaired performance more for trainees high in conscientiousness.

Management

An examination of the relationship between training comprehensiveness and organizational commitment: Further exploration of training perceptions and employee attitudes

Kyle Ehrhardt, Janice S. Miller, Sarah J. Freeman, and Peter W. Hom
Human Resource Development Quarterly,Vol. 22, Issue 4, Pages 459-489

For organizations, the value of employing highly committed individuals is well documented. Accordingly, scholars have endeavored to identify factors that may influence employees’ organizational commitment. One factor that has received growing attention in this regard is individuals’ perceptions of training offered by an organization. However, despite increased scrutiny over the past decade, the precise nature of the relationship between employee training perceptions and organizational commitment remains unclear. Consequently, in this study we use social exchange theory as a foundation to examine the relationship between perceptions of training comprehensiveness and organizational commitment among individuals serving on cross-functional product development teams within numerous large manufacturing firms. Results of a multilevel regression analysis support a direct relationship between perceived training comprehensiveness and organizational commitment. Additionally, whether individuals specifically chose to participate on a product development team moderated this relationship, but not in the expected direction. We discuss implications of study findings for both research and practice.
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Management

The Detrimental Effects of Power on Confidence, Advice Taking, and Accuracy

Kelly E. See, Elizabeth W. Morrison, Naomi B. Rothman, and Jack B. Soll
Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes,  November 2011

Incorporating input from others can enhance decision quality, yet often people do not effectively utilize advice. We propose that greater power increases the propensity to discount advice, and that a key mechanism explaining this effect is elevated confidence in one’s judgment. We investigate the relationships across four studies: a field survey where working professionals rated their own power and confidence and were rated by coworkers on their level of advice taking; an advice taking task where power and confidence were self-reported; and two advice taking experiments where power was manipulated. Results consistently showed a negative relationship between power and advice taking, and evidence of mediation through confidence. The fourth study also revealed that higher power participants were less accurate in their final judgments. Power can thus exacerbate the tendency for people to overweight their own initial judgment, such that the most powerful decision makers can also be the least accurate.

Management

Exploring entrepreneurial fulfillment for women in India: An empirical study

V. Kanti Prasad , G. M. Naidu , Kyle Ehrhardt , Doan E. Winkel and B. Kinnera Murthy
Journal of Enterprising Culture,Vol. 19, Issue 03, pp. 287-314

Drawing on social feminist theory, Indian cultural precepts, and previous research, we explore factors which may influence entrepreneurial fulfillment for women entrepreneurs in India. Results of a hierarchical regression analysis suggest that numerous network characteristics, as well as perceptions of family support, each contribute to a sense of entrepreneurial fulfillment for Indian women entrepreneurs. These factors furthermore each contributed to entrepreneurial fulfillment beyond the influence of the financial performance of the venture. Implications for understanding women entrepreneurs in emerging economies are discussed, as are practical implications for both women entrepreneurs and policy makers. We additionally present directions for future research.
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Management

A META-ANALYTIC EXAMINATION OF THE INSTRUCTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS OF COMPUTER-BASED SIMULATION GAMES

Traci Sitzmann
Personnel Psychology, Vol. 64, Issue 2, Pages 489–528

Interactive cognitive complexity theory suggests that simulation games are more effective than other instructional methods because they simultaneously engage trainees’ affective and cognitive processes (Tennyson & Jorczak, 2008). Meta-analytic techniques were used to examine the instructional effectiveness of computer-based simulation games relative to a comparison group (k= 65, N= 6,476). Consistent with theory, posttraining self-efficacy was 20% higher, declarative knowledge was 11% higher, procedural knowledge was 14% higher, and retention was 9% higher for trainees taught with simulation games, relative to a comparison group. However, the results provide strong evidence of publication bias in simulation games research. Characteristics of simulation games and the instructional context also moderated the effectiveness of simulation games. Trainees learned more, relative to a comparison group, when simulation games conveyed course material actively rather than passively, trainees could access the simulation game as many times as desired, and the simulation game was a supplement to other instructional methods rather than stand-alone instruction. However, trainees learned less from simulation games than comparison instructional methods when the instruction the comparison group received as a substitute for the simulation game actively engaged them in the learning experience.

Management

The paradox of stretch goals: Organizations in pursuit of the seemingly impossible

Sim B Sitkin, Kelly E See, C Chet Miller, Michael W Lawless, Andrew M Carton
Academy of Management Review,Vol. 36, Issue 3, Pages: 544-566.

We investigate the organizational pursuit of seemingly impossible goalscommonly known as stretch goals. Building from our analysis of the mechanisms through which stretch goals could influence organizational learning and performance, we offer a contingency framework evaluating which organizations are positioned to benefit from such extreme goals and which are most likely to pursue them. We conclude that stretch goals are, paradoxically, most seductive for organizations that can least afford the risks associated …
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Entrepreneurship, Management

The benefits of a long-lens approach to leader development: Understanding the seeds of leadership

Susan Elaine Murphy and Stefanie K. Johnson
The Leadership Quarterly Vol. 22, Issue 3, Pages 459–470

Although research has identified techniques for leader development, most of the extant research has focused on development in adulthood, ignoring development at an early age. A recent resurgence in interest in the genetic or other early development factors, such as attachment, points to the benefits of understanding the developmental trajectories (Day,
Harrison, & Halpin, 2009) of individuals throughout adulthood. This paper argues for an examination of the earliest “seeds” of leader development. In this paper we present a framework that explores the tasks of leadership at various ages before adulthood, the skills
required to accomplish these tasks, and the mechanism by which younger leaders develop these skills. In understanding what skills and what features of leadership identity have long roots, we can begin to understand more fully the developmental needs of adults. Without a more comprehensive look at leadership over the lifespan, leader development practices will not meet their full potential.

Business Analytics, Management

Artifacts, identification and support for change after an acquisition

Sarah Kovoor-Misra, and Marlene A. Smith
Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 32 Iss: 6, pp.584 – 604

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the extent to which individuals’ identification with a changed organizational artifact is associated with their cognitive, behavioral, and affective support for change in the later stages of a change effort, and the role of contextual variables in mediating these relationships.

Design/methodology/approach – Primarily quantitative with some qualitative data from an online organization that had acquired the non-personnel assets of its competitor.

Findings – The paper finds that: artifacts can be an important part of employees’ perceptions of their organizations; artifact identification is associated with cognitive and behavioral support in the later stages of a change effort; a positive perception of the change mediates between identification and cognitive and behavioral support, and also facilitates affective support; emotional exhaustion is a marginal mediator; and trust towards top managers does not play a mediating role.

Research limitations/implications – Future research could study the factors that influence artifact identification. Studies of support for change must address its various dimensions to more accurately assess support.

Practical implications – During the later stages of change, managers can foster artifact identification, highlight the positives, and reduce emotional exhaustion to ensure support.

Originality/value – This study is one of the first to examine the relationship between artifact identification and support for change in the later stages of a change effort, and the mediating role of contextual factors. In addition, it investigates the multi-dimensional aspects of support for change, an area that has received limited empirical research attention.

Management

A meta-analysis of self-regulated learning in work-related training and educational attainment: What we know and where we need to go.

Sitzmann, Traci and Ely, Katherine
Psychological Bulletin, Vol 137, Issue 3, pages 421-442

Researchers have been applying their knowledge of goal-oriented behavior to the self-regulated learning domain for more than 30 years. This review examines the current state of research on self-regulated learning and gaps in the field’s understanding of how adults regulate their learning of work-related knowledge and skills. Self-regulation theory was used as a conceptual lens for deriving a heuristic framework of 16 fundamental constructs that constitute self-regulated learning. Meta-analytic findings ( k = 430, N = 90,380) support theoretical propositions that self-regulation constructs are interrelated—30% of the corrected correlations among constructs were .50 or greater. Goal level, persistence, effort, and self-efficacy were the self-regulation constructs with the strongest effects on learning. Together these constructs accounted for 17% of the variance in learning, after controlling for cognitive ability and pretraining knowledge. However, 4 self-regulatory processes—planning, monitoring, help seeking, and emotion control—did not exhibit significant relationships with learning. Thus, a parsimonious framework of the self-regulated learning domain is presented that focuses on a subset of self-regulatory processes that have both limited overlap with other core processes and meaningful effects on learning. Research is needed to advance the field’s understanding of how adults regulate their learning in an increasingly complex and knowledge-centric work environment. Such investigations should capture the dynamic nature of self-regulated learning, address the role of self-regulation in informal learning, and investigate how trainees regulate their transfer of training.

Management

Mass media and massive failures: Determining organizational efforts to defend field legitimacy following crises

Vinit M. Desai
Academy of Management Journal, Volume 54, Issue 2, pp. 263-278

Although much is known regarding how individual organizations respond to accidents, scandals, and other disruptions that directly affect their own operations, scrutiny following disruptions can spread to impact other organizations in the same field. Yet existing research provides little guidance regarding how these other organizations respond when an entire field’s legitimacy is threatened. Drawing on institutional theory, I examine how organizations may undertake efforts to minimize disruptions and defend activities within their field. Findings suggest that defensive efforts depend on similarities between stricken firms and potential responders and on how constituents attend to related issues across the field.

Management

The effects of technical difficulties on learning and attrition during online training

Sitzmann, Traci; Ely, Katherine; Bell, Bradford S.; and Bauer, Kristina N.
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, Vol 16, Issue 3, Pages 281-292

Although online instruction has many potential benefits, technical difficulties are one drawback to the increased use of this medium. A repeated measures design was used to examine the effect that technical difficulties have on learning and attrition from voluntary online training. Adult learners (N = 530) were recruited online and volunteered to participate in a 4-hr training program on using computer spreadsheets. Technical difficulties were inserted in some of the training modules in the form of error messages. Using multilevel modeling, the results indicated that the presence of these technical difficulties impaired learning, such that test scores were lower in modules where trainees encountered technical difficulties than in modules where they did not encounter technical difficulties. Furthermore, the effect on learning was greater among trainees who eventually withdrew from the course than among trainees who completed the course. With regards to attrition, pretraining motivation provided a buffer against dropping out, especially when trainees encountered technical difficulties. Learning also predicted attrition from the subsequent module, such that attrition was higher among trainees with low test scores in the previous module. The current study disentangles some of the implications of technical difficulties and suggests that organizations should provide trainees with the technical support required to overcome technical difficulties in training. Furthermore, the findings contribute to our theoretical understanding of the implications of interruptions on performance in online training.

Finance, Management, Sustainability

Environmental Risk and Shareholder Returns: Evidence from the Announcement of the Toxic 100 Index

Kenneth Bettenhausen, John Byrd, and Elizabeth S. Cooperman
International Review of Accounting, Banking and Finance, Volume 2, Issue 3, pp. 28~45

This paper examines the stock price response to the announcement that a U.S. company has been named to the Toxic 100 list of the largest air polluters, where rankings are based on data from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Risk Screening Environmental Indicator (RSEI) project. We find a significant negative average abnormal return (AR) of – 1.20% in 2006 and – 1.60 % in 2008 over the two – day announcement periods for the Toxic 100 announcements, representing an average drop in market value for the average firm in the index of – $235,944,909 in 2006 and – $237,595,885 in 2008.  Firms in the top 10 ranking of the index had a significantly, larger negative abnormal return than in the bottom 10 ranking. Firms that were not on the 2006 index, but were added to the 2008 index experienced an average abnormal return of -3.5%. The results are interesting for two reasons. One, they show that investors impound environmental risk into their company valuations, implying that environmental disclosure and reporting is important. Two, the results suggest that although analysts had the RSEI data prior to the release of the Toxic 100 lists, they view the Toxic 100 as a significant event. This suggests limits to the semi-strong form of market efficiency, suggesting that the anticipated payoff from computing their own environmental risk assessment may not justify their time and effort required to do so.

Management

Power, legitimacy, and urgency in organizational learning: Learning through stakeholder complaints to improve quality in the California nursing home industry

Vinit M. Desai
Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, Volume 17 Issue 3, pp. 264-275

Although research suggests that organizations learn through interactions with stakeholders, little is known regarding how this process occurs. The author addresses this void by examining how the power, legitimacy, or urgency related to stakeholders’ interactions influence organizations’ abilities to learn from these interactions. Hypothesis tests on a panel of nursing homes suggest that organizations learn more effectively through interactions with powerful stakeholders or those whose feedback requires immediate response. Findings contribute to organizational learning theory by identifying how different forms of experience vary substantially in their impacts on organizational activity. Related implications for stakeholder management and managerial practice are also discussed.

Management

Using ESI Discovery Teams to Manage Electronic Data Discovery.

Ruhnka, John and Bagby, John
Communications of the ACM; July 2010, Vol. 53 Issue 7, pp. 142-144

The article discusses the management of electronically stored business information in the context of pre-trial legal discovery proceedings. Statistics on the typical amount of litigation faced by U.S. firms are presented, and the usefulness of outsourcing parts of the electronic discovery process is noted. Multi-disciplinary teams are often tasked with handling litigation holds, as such holds impose a legal obligation to preserve any information which could reasonably be considered relevant to an ongoing lawsuit. The issue of proprietary information is also discussed in this context.