Jill E. Ellingson and Kristina B. Tirol-Carmody
Self-report questionnaires are the predominant method used in human resource management (HRM) research to assess employees’ work-related psychological constructs (e.g., processes…
Abstract
Self-report questionnaires are the predominant method used in human resource management (HRM) research to assess employees’ work-related psychological constructs (e.g., processes, states, and attributes). However, this method is associated with significant shortcomings, including the introduction of self-serving bias and common method variance when used exclusively. In this chapter, the authors challenge the assumption that individuals themselves are the only accurate source of the self-focused information collected in HRM research. Instead, the authors propose that other-ratings – ratings of a target individual that are provided by a workplace observer, such as a coworker, supervisor, or subordinate – can accurately assess commonly measured work-related psychological constructs. The authors begin by explaining the advantages of other-ratings for HRM research and practice, reviewing the history of other-ratings and how they emerged in the personality and person-perception literature, and outlining how they have been used in HRM research to date. Then, the authors build upon Funder’s (1995) realistic accuracy model to develop a theoretical argument detailing why workplace others should be able to accurately judge how another employee thinks and feels about work. Next, the authors highlight existing evidence in the literature on the accuracy of other-ratings and present the results of a preliminary meta-analysis on the ability of other-ratings to predict self-ratings of work-related psychological constructs. Finally, the authors discuss potential moderators of other-rating accuracy and reflect on a number of practical considerations for researchers looking to use other-ratings in their own work. The authors intend for this chapter to meaningfully contribute to the larger conversation on HRM research methods. Other-ratings are a simple, yet powerful, addition to the methodological toolkit of HRM researchers that can increase flexibility in research design and improve the overall quality of research.
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Mastura Ab. Wahab and Deborah Blackman
As the literature reveals contrasting arguments regarding the positive effect of a proactive personality on well-being, this paper aims to investigate the negative consequences of…
Abstract
Purpose
As the literature reveals contrasting arguments regarding the positive effect of a proactive personality on well-being, this paper aims to investigate the negative consequences of a proactive personality on employee well-being. The paper tests the relationships between a proactive personality, trait competitiveness and well-being. It also examines the mediating effect of job burnout on these relationships.
Design/methodology/approach
The data were collected from 213 employees working in the retail sector across Malaysia. AMOS’s structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses of the study.
Findings
Overall, the findings showed that a proactive personality negatively affected employee well-being. Job burnout had a partially mediating effect on this relationship. However, the effect of trait competitiveness on employee well-being was insignificant and the mediating effect of job burnout on this relationship also found no support.
Originality/value
The main contributions of this study are twofold. First, this study shows that a proactive personality can have negative repercussions for employee well-being. In contrast to many previous findings on the proactive personality, this study tests and verifies the possibility of an adverse impact of being proactive. Second, this study reveals that job burnout can play a vital role in mediating the adverse effect of a proactive personality on well-being. This suggests that depending on the context, being proactive will not always result in desirable outcomes, especially if job burnout is present. Therefore, organizations need to prepare contingency plans to offset the negative effects of such burnout.
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Vindhya Weeratunga, Deborah Blackman, Fiona Buick and Anthony Cotton
The purpose of this paper is to improve the understanding of the applicability of employee engagement theories in a South Asian country, Sri Lanka, and determine whether…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to improve the understanding of the applicability of employee engagement theories in a South Asian country, Sri Lanka, and determine whether engagement theories are universally applicable beyond the Western countries in which they have been developed and tested.
Design/methodology/approach
A heterogeneous sample of 451 private-sector employees in Sri Lanka was used. A mixed-method design was adopted; quantitative findings were compared with previous studies conducted in Western countries, and qualitative findings enabled a more nuanced understanding of employee engagement in the Sri Lankan context.
Findings
Despite cultural differences between Sri Lanka and Western countries, the antecedents of engagement did not manifest differently in a consistent way. Combined results suggest that the different manifestations of engagement in Sri Lanka cannot be attributed solely to cultural variance.
Research limitations/implications
The authors used cross-sectional data and tested only four antecedents of engagement.
Practical implications
This study highlights the importance of multinational organisations' awareness of how employee engagement manifests across different contexts and going beyond cultural adaptation when developing context-specific engagement strategies.
Originality/value
This is among the first studies on an Asian country to examine whether cultural differences impact the antecedents of engagement to empirically test Kahn's (1990) theory of engagement and the motivational process of the job demands-resources theory in a single study and to use a heterogeneous sample and mixed-methods design. The authors challenge the centrality of national culture as a determinant of employee engagement and highlight the importance of considering other contextual factors when examining employee engagement in different countries.
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Md Abu Saleh, M. Yunus Ali, Ali Quazi and Deborah Blackman
The purpose of this paper is to explore international buyer–supplier relationships in an emerging developing country context. The study examines a number of factors derived from…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore international buyer–supplier relationships in an emerging developing country context. The study examines a number of factors derived from internationalization process (IP) theory and their impacts in a novel research setting. The relational variables of trust and commitment, and their drivers, are integrated into a model examining importers’ perspectives of their supplier relationships.
Design/methodology/approach
This study applied a sequential methodological approach. Initially, a conceptual framework was developed from qualitative research and then quantitatively validated using structural equation modeling (SEM). The data for this study were collected conducting in-depth interviews and survey questionnaires. For empirical validation, the SEM technique was applied to assess the proposed model.
Findings
Importing firm managers perceived that the commitment of their suppliers bolstered their trust in the relationship, this contrasts with the conventional contention of a reverse relationship. The findings confirm cultural similarity facilitates communication, leading to increased knowledge and experience of importers, thereby contributing to an enhanced commitment to build trust in the relationship.
Practical implications
The conceptual framework developed in this study provides a direction to manage and enhance understanding of IP and relationship outcome. The findings have strategic implications for practicing managers in developing and supporting their importer–foreign supplier relationships.
Originality/value
This study is unique in assessing as well as validating key constructs of IP theory in an international exchange (importer–supplier) relationship. The study offers completely a new insight in relation to applying IP theory’s relational perspectives.
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Rahman El Junusi, Heru Sulistyo, Fadjar Setiyo Anggraeni and Ferry Khusnul Mubarok
This study aims to examine the relationship between Achievement Motivation (AM), Smart Work (SW), and human resources (HR) performance. It questions how moral global leadership…
Abstract
This study aims to examine the relationship between Achievement Motivation (AM), Smart Work (SW), and human resources (HR) performance. It questions how moral global leadership (MGL) could moderate the relationship between AM, SW, and HR performance. A theoretical model was developed and tested on sample data representing 219 employees, educators, and educational staff of Islamic Higher education (IHE). The data were collected through surveys and applied to structural equation modeling using SEM-PLS. This study found that AM and SW significantly affect HR performance. While MGL substantially moderates the relationship between AM, SW, and HR performance. This study contributes to the literature on MGL, AM, and SW in creating HR performance that has yet to be studied so far. This study offers the concept of MGL, which plays a central role in moderating the relationship between AM, SW, and HR performance.
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Ian D. Blackman, Christopher P. Holland and Timothy Westcott
The purpose of this paper is to define and explore the concept of financial supply chain strategy in a global business environment. The paper aims to illustrate the concepts with…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to define and explore the concept of financial supply chain strategy in a global business environment. The paper aims to illustrate the concepts with a detailed case study of Motorola's global financial supply chain.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a detailed, longitudinal case study analysis of a focal organisation and its economic partners in a financial supply chain. The case study combines qualitative analysis of the strategy evolution with extensive time‐series data and quantitative analyses of the performance of the financial supply chain.
Findings
The financial supply chain is an integral component of Motorola's overall supply chain management strategy. Physical product, information systems and financial flows are closely aligned with each other throughout the supply chain incorporating Motorola, its customers, suppliers and banks. The overall trend is towards the development of an integrated global financial supply chain in which cash flows mirror product flows. Motorola shares financial data with its suppliers as part of a cooperative strategy that generates cost savings for Motorola and its suppliers in areas such as foreign exchange and cash balances. The cooperative strategy also improves the quality of the payments process measured by six sigma techniques and produces strategic benefits such as risk reduction for the supply chain as a whole in areas such as foreign exchange and payments. A strategy of this type is only possible by taking a global perspective of the financial supply chain.
Research limitations/implications
The development of financial supply chains has not been fully addressed in the supply chain management literature. This paper defines this relatively new topic area and explains its significance in its own right, and also in terms of the inter‐relationships between finance and manufacturing supply chains. A research agenda for financial supply chains is proposed that describes a range of new research opportunities in this area.
Practical implications
The development of integrated financial supply chains will lead to significant savings in terms of funding, banking and administrative costs associated with treasury and payment activities. The implementation and nature of the strategic change also highlight important strategic planning and implementation issues associated with financial supply chains.
Originality/value
The strategic importance of financial supply chains for business and academic researchers is demonstrated through the definition of this topic and the application of a research framework to a detailed study of Motorola's global financial supply chain using time‐series data of strategy evolution and financial supply chain performance. The research findings and comparison with theory support the assertion that this is a relatively new and unexplored problem area that is of direct relevance and interest to researchers in supply chain management.
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Rory Shand, Steven Parker and Catherine Elliott
Public service ethos (PSE) is traditionally associated with public administration, bureaucracy and frontline response. Thinkers such as Aristotle and Weber embedded ideas of…
Abstract
Public service ethos (PSE) is traditionally associated with public administration, bureaucracy and frontline response. Thinkers such as Aristotle and Weber embedded ideas of public virtue and vocation, yet new managerialism, as well as changes to public services management challenge traditional notions of PSE. Recent events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, counter terrorism and government austerity agendas have put PSE back into the public eye. In this chapter we examine the context for a renewed PSE as a crucial aspect of resilience for workers in public services and public management. We focus on three areas that we feel are important for PSE: policy, purpose and pedagogy, and how a renewed PSE can inform pedagogy in the discipline, renewing ideas of vocation in public administration training.
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David Allen, Edwin Jones, Dee Davies, Kathy Lowe and Gloria Jarman
Improving the competence of frontline services to support people who challenge has long been recognised as a key service objective. Exactly how this objective should be achieved…
Abstract
Improving the competence of frontline services to support people who challenge has long been recognised as a key service objective. Exactly how this objective should be achieved has been unclear, however. This article describes how web‐based e‐learning technology is being used to achieve widespread dissemination of knowledge and skill about positive behavioural support. The drivers for this development are described, together with an account of the historical development of the programme. The advantages of using this medium are outlined, and the benefits of a whole‐organisation approach to learning are identified.