Richard A. Headley and Dennis P. Slevin
Discusses the new approach to management development taken by GKN,a leading manufacturer of automotive transmission products world‐wide.Reports on GKN′s selection of the…
Abstract
Discusses the new approach to management development taken by GKN, a leading manufacturer of automotive transmission products world‐wide. Reports on GKN′s selection of the University of Pittsburgh as the site for the expansion of the Young Executive Programme (YEP). Describes the careful selection of candidates to the programme and the programme′s objectives/content. Finally looks at the dynamic learning process associated with the programme.
Details
Keywords
This paper focuses on the concept of fit as a topic of research. The concept of fit has been viewed as an internal consistency among key strategic decisions or the alignment…
Abstract
This paper focuses on the concept of fit as a topic of research. The concept of fit has been viewed as an internal consistency among key strategic decisions or the alignment between strategic choices and critical contingencies with the environment (external), organization (internal), or both (external and internal). A number of research perspectives or approaches related to fit are presented.Research design problems are discussed: definition of terms, theoretical issues, and empirical issues. Emphasis is on how key variables or dimensions of fit are defined and measured in research.
A six-celled matrix is proposed as a conceptual scheme to distinguish different perspectives of fit and to portray congruence relationships more accurately. The matrix includes three common dimensions: strategy, organization, and environment. The matrix also suggests two levels of strategy—corporate or business—and three domains of fit—external, internal, or integrated. These suggest different research perspectives for the study of fit. Examples from the literature are provided to illustrate and support this conceptual scheme. Finally, implications for management and furtherstudy are outlined.
Michael S. Lehman, Jerry R. Hudson, George W. Appley, Edward J. Sheehan and Dennis P. Slevin
As companies grow and evolve, they inevitably face an influx of new personnel and changing responsibilities of existing staff members, often resulting in an increasingly complex…
Abstract
Purpose
As companies grow and evolve, they inevitably face an influx of new personnel and changing responsibilities of existing staff members, often resulting in an increasingly complex organizational design. During periods of rapid organic growth, new layers of management and labor may be created as a reactionary, rather than a planned activity. This often results in redundancy of responsibility and confusing communication channels within the company, ultimately impacting financial performance. The purpose of this paper is to describe a case study of significant organizational change that was accomplished using assessment center philosophy, combined with web‐based technology.
Design/methodology/approach
Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC), a research and development professional services organization that rapidly grew its workforce to over 1,400 was faced with these challenges, resulting in direct labor billings losses. Upon strategically designing a new organizational structure, CTC was faced with making critically important staffing changes. A modified assessment center approach using web‐based technology was employed to rapidly select the best candidates for these new positions.
Findings
It is the authors' contention in this paper and practice in the implementation of this organizational realignment that practicing managers who have extensive experience with middle managers can effectively evaluate them on assessment center dimensions without observing them in assessment center simulations. These enlightened assessments leveraged web‐based technology, while avoiding the costly and time‐intensive simulation and exercise phases of the traditional assessment center.
Originality/value
Based on the authors' experience with CTC, combining this modified assessment center approach (evaluating managers on competencies without using simulations and exercises) with web‐based technology can provide organizations with a powerful tool for implementing fast and effective organizational change. This new and original approach can support executives in evaluating managerial talent and realigning organizational structure.
Details
Keywords
Robert C. Moussetis, Ali Abu Rahma and George Nakos
This paper examined the relationships between national culture and strategic behavior in the banking industry in Jordan and U.S. The study first developed a strategic posture and…
Abstract
This paper examined the relationships between national culture and strategic behavior in the banking industry in Jordan and U.S. The study first developed a strategic posture and secondly a cultural profile for the top management of the research domain. The strategic posture suggested the readiness for strategic response from managers. The degree of readiness was correlated with the constructed cultural profile of the managers and financial performance of the banks. The study found significant relationships between certain national cultural strategic characteristics, (risk propensity, time orientation, and openness to change, uncertainty avoidance and managerial perception of control over the environment) strategic behavior and financial performance.
Details
Keywords
Reviews various methods for handling competition in dynamic market models. Proposes a research strategy which considers the method in relation to quantitative considerations of…
Abstract
Reviews various methods for handling competition in dynamic market models. Proposes a research strategy which considers the method in relation to quantitative considerations of market validity and behavioural factors of implementation. Gives a case study where this research strategy is applied.
Details
Keywords
Shaker A. Zahra and Bruce A. Kirchhoff
New ventures contribute to the competitiveness of the United States in global markets, creating jobs and wealth. Understandably, public policy makers and researchers alike have…
Abstract
New ventures contribute to the competitiveness of the United States in global markets, creating jobs and wealth. Understandably, public policy makers and researchers alike have shown an interest in understanding the factors that spur these ventures’ growth, which is also an important research issue in the field of entrepreneurship. Researchers have highlighted the role of owners’ needs and aspirations and industry conditions as determinants of new ventures’ growth. This study proposes that new ventures’ resource endowments influence their growth in domestic and international markets. Using the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm, the study examines the effect of select technological resources on the domestic and international sales growth of 419 new ventures. Start-ups (5 years or younger) benefit from using a different set of technological resources in achieving growth than those of adolescent firms (6–8 years old). These differences persist in low vs. high technology industries, reflecting the maturation of these ventures.
Minakshi Paliwal, Binod Kumar Rajak, Vimal Kumar and Sumanjeet Singh
The study aims to investigate the association between Entrepreneurial Education (EE) and Entrepreneurial Intention (EI) and the multiple mediation model of Creativity and…
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to investigate the association between Entrepreneurial Education (EE) and Entrepreneurial Intention (EI) and the multiple mediation model of Creativity and Entrepreneurial Motivation (EM).
Design/methodology/approach
The study employed a sample of 300 students who have studied entrepreneurial development courses (short-term and vocational courses) from higher educational institutes located in four States of Northern India. The data were analyzed by employing the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique.
Findings
The investigation revealed that EE has a significant association with EM and EI but not with creativity. It is also seen that EM facilitates the affiliation between EE and EI, but creativity does not.
Practical implications
The investigation results help the Institution, Policymakers, Government, to include entrepreneurial activities in their programs.
Originality/value
EE primary objective is to develop skills and knowledge that can propel them into a journey of EI and entrepreneurship. Although EE and EI have studied at large, there is hardly any study that talks about motivation, creativity and practicality in their program.
Details
Keywords
Dieudonné Sawadogo, Seydou Sané and Somnoma Edouard Kaboré
The objectives of this study are twofold: first, to identify the effect of sustainability management on the success of international development projects, and second, to…
Abstract
Purpose
The objectives of this study are twofold: first, to identify the effect of sustainability management on the success of international development projects, and second, to investigate the moderating role of political and social skills on this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopted a quantitative research methodology based on questionnaire data collected from 43 international development project managers from various fields in Burkina Faso (West Africa). Descriptive statistics and exploratory and confirmatory analyses using principal component analysis were used to assess the quality of the measurement model. A multiple regression analysis based on the partial least squares approach was used to test the hypotheses.
Findings
The results show that sustainability management positively contributes to the success of international development projects. However, given the specificities of these projects and their perception of success, the project coordinator's political and social skills do not predict a greater impact of sustainability management on the success of international development projects. The study also found that project coordinators prioritize their technical skills over behavioral ones.
Originality/value
This study fills a gap in the literature, given that little is known about the moderating role of political and social skills in the effect of sustainability management on the success of specific projects such as international development projects.
Details
Keywords
Daniel R. Clark and Jeffrey G. Covin
The literature on international entrepreneurship offers two competing views on why new ventures internationalize: (a) the nature of the opportunity pulls them international or (b…
Abstract
The literature on international entrepreneurship offers two competing views on why new ventures internationalize: (a) the nature of the opportunity pulls them international or (b) the founder pushes the firm international. While these two internationalization drivers are not independent, they do represent unique causal mechanisms. Previously, the tools available to understand the entrepreneur’s disposition toward internationalization were limited. The present study uses the theoretical foundation of the international entrepreneurial orientation construct and from it develops and tests an attitudinally-based individual-level measure of disposition toward internationalization. To ensure the validity and reliability of the new measure, termed International Entrepreneurial Orientation Disposition, studies were conducted to: develop new scale items, examine their psychometric properties and construct validity, and demonstrate criterion validity. A strong measurement model is developed using structural equation modeling (CFI = 0.93, RMSEA = 0.07), and the measure is shown to be useful as a predictor of perceived international venture attractiveness.
Details
Keywords
Martie-Louise Verreynne and Denny Meyer
Intrapreneurs are those employees who identify and pursue opportunities in a firm. By pursuing these opportunities with new products, services or processes, intrapreneurial…
Abstract
Intrapreneurs are those employees who identify and pursue opportunities in a firm. By pursuing these opportunities with new products, services or processes, intrapreneurial employees may influence the strategic direction of the firm, a process called intrapreneurial strategy-making. Little consideration has been given to how small firms may use this process to improve performance. To this end this paper describes the results of an empirical study conducted with 454 small firms. Analysis of the data indicates that intrapreneurial strategy-making has a significant positive relationship with firm performance, depending on the size of the firm, its organizational structure and the dynamism of the environment. It further shows that differentiation strategies may mediate this relationship.