Asiye Yüksel, Mehmet Şahin Gök and Ayşe Günsel
There is a need to understand the role of innovative literacy in intellectual capital literature. This study aims to develop the innovative literacy scale, starting from the…
Abstract
Purpose
There is a need to understand the role of innovative literacy in intellectual capital literature. This study aims to develop the innovative literacy scale, starting from the framework of innovative literacy, which is not prominent in the literature. Accordingly, this study develops and validates an innovative literacy scale.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative research methodology was used for this study, whereby a unipolar 5-point Likert scale self-report questionnaire was designed. Scale development analyses were performed in three steps: (1) The first item pool was created by literature review; (2) preliminary quantitative testing of the reliability and validity of the items, including confirmatory factor analyses (CFA), was performed; and (3) final scale validation through a discriminant and validity test was done using descriptive factor analyses (DFA) and structural equation modelling (SEM).
Findings
For the developed scale, the sample size was 220 in the first stage, 440 in the second stage, and 457 in the third stage. The validity and reliability analyses of the results were completed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) programs. After the preliminary stages, the validity and reliability tests of the scale were carried out, and 17 items (in 4 dimensions) of the innovative literacy scale were finally developed.
Research limitations/implications
This research fills a conceptual gap in the literature. However, since this concept is evaluated using the human, customer and structural components of intellectual capital, future researchers may examine this concept together with other features of intellectual capital and with larger samples.
Originality/value
The article contributes to understanding innovation by developing a scale to evaluate InnoLiteracy, which may be an essential factor influencing innovative literate behaviours. The perceived multi-dimensional scale of InnoLiteracy will be beneficial for academicians and human resources professionals. Although there are studies in the related literature on the importance of the concept of innovative literacy, a scale from the perspectives of intellectual capital and sustainable innovation will be unique since there is no tool for its measurement yet. The findings of the InnoLiteracy research are meaningful, and the scale has the potential to meet the needs of researchers, schools, government agencies and businesses.
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Ayşe Günsel, Serdar Bozkurt and Özge Mehtap
In the hyper-dynamic business world of today, innovation has become the lifeblood of organizations. Knowledge management (KM) is widely considered an essential antecedent of…
Abstract
Purpose
In the hyper-dynamic business world of today, innovation has become the lifeblood of organizations. Knowledge management (KM) is widely considered an essential antecedent of innovation. However, very little empirical research has specifically addressed how KM is nurtured as support for innovation from a behavioral point of view. This paper aims to operationalize the characteristics of a fitting context – in terms of top management support, organizational rewards and mutual trust – and to clarify the role of organizational context on knowledge management strategies (KMS) and ultimately on firm innovativeness.
Design/methodology/approach
By studying 98 surveys from 23 companies from Technology Fast 50 list, based on using the partial least squares method, the authors find that this organizational context has a significant impact on the formulation and implementation of KMS.
Findings
Organizational/behavioral context has significant effects on the formulation and implementation of KMS as well as firm innovativeness. The results also demonstrate that the tacit KMS has a crucial impact on firm innovativeness.
Originality/value
From a behavioral perspective, this study empirically examines the role of organizational context (top management support, organizational rewards and mutual trust), KMS and firm innovativeness in a holistic manner in Turkey, a developing country. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no researcher has undergone those relationships in literature.
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Birol Baysak, Serdar Bozkurt and Ayşe Günsel
In this study, the authors aim to test the reflections of two so-called universal leadership styles -paternalistic leadership (PL) and transformational leadership (TL)- on…
Abstract
Purpose
In this study, the authors aim to test the reflections of two so-called universal leadership styles -paternalistic leadership (PL) and transformational leadership (TL)- on entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and ultimately on firm performance (FP) within the context of SMEs of a developing country, Turkey. Moreover, examining the contingency of uncertainty avoidance (UA) on the relationship between EO and firm performance is another aim of the study.
Design/methodology/approach
In this explanatory cross-sectional study, by studying a dataset of 345 small and medium-sized (SME) Techno-park companies in Turkey based on using the Partial Least Squares (PLS) method, the authors try to examine the antecedent role of PL and TL on EO and ultimately on FP. Moreover, we followed a mediation procedure to reveal the mediator role of EO on the relationship between leadership style and firm performance. Finally, the authors also conducted a moderation analysis through SmartPLS 3.0 to explore the contingency of UA on the relationship between EO and firm performance.
Findings
Study results indicate that TL is a significant antecedent of EO that results in higher firm performance. However, while PL has a negative impact on entrepreneurial orientation, the results provide no statistical evidence in support of a significant relationship between PL and firm performance. Moreover, the findings indicate that the higher UA, the weaker the relationship between EO and firm performance.
Practical implications
Managers, following a TL approach, can successfully encourage their subordinates to be innovative and creative. Transformational leaders are conducive to both entrepreneurship and firm performance within the context of technology-based startups. Besides, avoiding the risks and uncertainties naturally weakens the consequences of EO. Hence, EO, as an essential intangible resource, requires a proper cultural context to result in a competitive advantage.
Originality/value
This research provides a comprehensive understanding regarding the interrelationships amongst transformational and paternalist leadership styles, EO and firm performance within an UA context in Small Business and Technology Development Centers (SBTDCs) and Techno-parks. To the best of the authors' knowledge, no other researcher has studied those links in a holistic manner in general, particularly on the SMEs of Techno-park firms of a developing Eastern country. The findings significantly enrich the literature on paternalist leadership and entrepreneurship orientation in a cultural context.
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Ayse Günsel, Erkut Altındağ, Selva Kılıç Keçeli, Hakan Kitapçı and Mahmut Hızıroğlu
The purpose of this paper is to develop a holistic model regarding the antecedents and consequences of organizational ambidexterity in the context of small and medium sized…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a holistic model regarding the antecedents and consequences of organizational ambidexterity in the context of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), particularly for developing countries such as Turkey. Moreover, this paper also aims to reveal the moderating role of networking between organizational ambidexterity and firm performance.
Design/methodology/approach
By studying 105 SMEs engaged in small business and technology development centers (SBTDCs), structural equation modeling through SmartPLS is executed.
Findings
The findings show that: discipline and support positively influence the formation and the maintenance of organizational ambidexterity; organizational ambidexterity significantly contributes to firm performance; and the greater the networking the greater the relationship between exploitation capability and firm performance.
Originality/value
To date, there has been no systematic attempt in the extant literature to develop a holistic manner of organizational ambidexterity, with its antecedents and consequences in the context of SMEs in general, in SMEs of a developing country, Turkey in particular. Moreover, the moderating role of networking between organizational ambidexterity and a firm’s performance has never been examined.
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At the doorsteps of the fourth wave of the industrial revolution, it is compulsory to develop a new understanding regarding the future of human labor based on “Industry 4.0” for…
Abstract
At the doorsteps of the fourth wave of the industrial revolution, it is compulsory to develop a new understanding regarding the future of human labor based on “Industry 4.0” for German manufacturers, and two American concepts: “The Industrial Internet” and “The Internet of Things.” How will the nature of human work be in the digital economy of the forthcoming future? The problem of unemployment and the composition of the labor market, in terms of professional skills, are yet to be waiting for answers. Scientific management is also transforming to answer the emerging requirements of this new era, as “Digital Taylorism” to re-organize work in a techno-centric manner. Accordingly, the aim of this chapter is to examine the nature and the possible opportunities and threats of the digital age and try to develop a digital Taylorism understanding to minimize the negative impacts of digitalism on both individual workers and society in a way that all parts including the manufacturers can fully take the benefit of potential advantages of this new era.