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The purpose of this paper is to critique the existing decision-making models of organizational theory and the ability of strategic managers to address unconventional problems using these models. Strategic management models presume reasonable stability in the task environment and the organizational design features. However, complex problems, or wicked problems, are prolific in a global world. They change profoundly the nature of strategic management, where management faces a deep paradox – an environment of unprecedented interdependence, yet unpredictable forces of chaos and volatility, a landscape of wicked problems. In this paper, the authors address wicked problems within the context of strategic management.

The authors review and critique the organizational theory literature, namely, microeconomics, bounded rationality, organizational failure and the theory of creative destruction within the context of wicked problems.

The authors find that the contemporary models of strategic management are incapable of assisting managers in addressing the reality of wicked problems. They argue that organizational pathologies rest in executive action: pursuit of goals and objectives with a false sense of causation, feedback filters that exaggerate good news and restrict bad news and actions that give only token measures to correct faulty design decisions and faulty decision processes, including more emphasis on vertical channels than horizontal task interdependencies.

The authors conclude that wicked problem-solving is by temperament and time horizon, a multilayered, multitasked, organizational challenge, and requires fundamentally different mindsets for design and performance systems for senior executives. The study of wicked problems requires a new corporate mindset, new collaborative models to address them and new corporate processes and executive training tools who increasingly have to address them. This research is a first step toward extending our understanding of how to address the world of wicked problems.

This paper aims to investigate the mediating role of moral justification in the relationship between stretch goals and counterproductive work behavior (CWB).

A sample of 149 US-based middle-level managers drawn from an online survey relying on Qualtrics was used for this study.

The results show that the level of stretch goals is positively related to CWB. Furthermore, the results show that moral justification partially mediates this relationship. The results suggest that when a goal is set at low or medium levels, stretch goals are not related to CWB.

The result has managerial implications suggesting that the senior management should avoid setting the level of stretch goals that employees would perceive as high because a high level of stretch goals could suggest extremely challenging but unattainable goals, resulting in employees engaging in CWB.

The “bright side” of stretch goals can enhance organizational performance however the “dark side” of stretch goals can backfire and undermine organizational performance. This paper examines the “dark side” of stretch goals that show that when employees perceive goals set are extremely challenging but unattainable, such perception of high-performance goals would induce employees’ desire to engage in CWB, especially when they could morally justify (rationalize) such behavior.

The purpose of this paper is to address the core concept of docility in Simon’s learning theories and elaborate docility as a missing link in organizational performance structures. In his book, Administrative Behavior, first published in 1947 with three subsequent editions, Herbert A. Simon introduced a new concept to the emerging field of organizational theory, docility.

In Administrative Behavior, Herbert A. Simon introduced to management and organization theorists the concept of docility. Simon adopted the concept and meaning from E.C. Tolman’s (1932) classic work, Purposive Behavior in Animals and Men, and his novel views on learning processes and key concepts like purpose (goals), thought processes (cognitive psychology) and cognitive maps. This paper elaborates on docility mechanisms and the implications for social learning in organizations.

This paper addresses this lacuna in the organizational literature, and the implications for current theories of organizations and organizational learning.

Docility is a tool to link individual learning with organizational learning in complex environments and changing technologies.

The paper traces origins of Simon’s docility and learning theories.

This study examined the dual roles of supervisor-directed surface acting (SDSA) and unfairness talk emerging from low overall justice judgments and the impact of these variables on subordinates' job satisfaction and emotional exhaustion.

Working professionals (n = 203) were sampled from online panel services in a time-separated data collection design.

SDSA was found to mediate the relationships of overall justice with emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction. Additionally, unfairness talk reduced the debilitating effect of SDSA on emotional exhaustion, not job satisfaction.

The paper highlights the importance of supervisors understanding the problematic nature of ongoing interactions with subordinates after unjust events occur.

This study helps to better explain why overall justice assessments influence subordinates' job satisfaction and emotional exhaustion. Additionally, the findings show that unfairness talk may not be as detrimental as suggested in recent studies, and it acts as a coping mechanism when contending with high SDSA, especially when emotional exhaustion is considered.

Behavioral threat assessment and intervention is a violence prevention strategy that has become widely used in US schools. Instead of relying on a zero tolerance disciplinary approach that often leads to school exclusion of students with disabilities, schools can use a multidisciplinary threat assessment team to assess the seriousness and context of a student's behavior and identify appropriate interventions and supports. This process is especially valuable for students with disabilities who are identified as threatening violence. This chapter describes an evidence-based model of threat assessment, the Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG),¹ reviews some common misunderstandings of threat assessment, and presents a case example illustrating the value of threat assessment in preventing school exclusion, and provides services for a student with a disability.

This research examines the extent overall supervisor injustice reduces self-control resources while simultaneously enhancing anticipatory injustice beliefs. Minimized self-control resources, in turn, are expected to alter the anticipatory supervisor injustice beliefs’ impact on subsequent unjust encounters. Self-control resources therefore act as boundary conditions in the continued receipt of unjust treatment, potentially highlighting Pygmalion effects (self-fulfilling prophecies) connected with subordinates’ overall injustice judgments.

Using a two-survey, time-separated design, we test our hypothesized model in structural equation modeling (SEM) in MPlus with a sample of 163 US-employed adults recruited through online panel services. Main, interactive, and conditional indirect effects were used to examine our proposed relationships.

Empirical results showed that lower self-control resources and higher ASI beliefs resulted from subordinates holding high overall supervisor injustice judgments. Further, ASI beliefs were found to only explain the relationships of overall supervisor injustice with interpersonal injustice encounters, not informational justice encounters. This effect emerged when the subordinate’s self-control resources were low, not high.

This paper integrates fairness heuristics and ego depletion theories to highlight a previously understudied phenomenon–Pygmalion effects (e.g. expectations or anticipations becoming reality) pertaining to subordinates who hold high overall supervisor injustice judgments. The theoretical contribution and results offer a tantalizing lens regarding how anticipation may adversely affect future supervisor-subordinate interactions.

The purpose of this study is to examine the significance of incorporating diverse lived experiences and identities through culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) in promoting sustainability, cultural diversity and the integration of various perspectives and worldviews rooted in identity and lived experience in sustainability education at Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC).

A case study approach using Geneva Gay’s (2002) CRP framework was used to investigate the role of CRP in sustainability education at CCAC. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data collected from eight interviews and 67 survey respondents, who participated in a larger exploratory study focusing on education-related sustainable development goals objectives in technical and vocational education and trainings.

The findings indicate that implementing CRP in sustainability education fosters a culturally diverse learning environment, leading to enhanced cultural competence, critical thinking, global citizenship and academic achievement. Best practices and potential benefits of integrating diverse lived experiences and identities using CRP are also identified.

The small sample size may limit the generalizability of the findings. To address this limitation, future studies could use larger and more diverse samples to confirm the findings of this study. Additionally, the study was conducted at a single institution, which may limit the transferability of the findings to other institutions. Future studies could replicate this study at different institutions to determine the generalizability of the findings. Another limitation is the reliance on self-reported data, which may be subject to social desirability bias. To address this limitation, future studies could use a mixed-methods approach that includes both qualitative and quantitative data sources.

This study highlights the need for community colleges to prioritize diverse faculty and staff recruitment, provide CRP and diversity training and establish partnerships with community organizations. By implementing these recommendations, institutions can enhance sustainability education, promote cultural competence and foster critical thinking among students, ultimately contributing to a more inclusive and equitable learning environment.

The integration of diverse lived experiences and identities using CRP in sustainability education can lead to a more culturally diverse and socially inclusive society. By fostering cultural competence, global citizenship and critical thinking in students, community colleges can empower them to address global challenges and contribute to achieving a sustainable and equitable future for all.

This paper contributes to the understanding of the role of CRP in promoting sustainability and cultural diversity in CCAC and education. It highlights the significance of including diverse perspectives and worldviews rooted in identity and lived experience in sustainability education, offering practical recommendations for integrating CRP in educational institutions.

This paper aims to examine the self-efficacy beliefs of first-year accounting students and investigate the sources of self-efficacy beliefs for both female and male students. The goal is to provide insights to help lecturers support the academic success of accounting students.

The study involves analysing data from 184 accounting students who reported on four sources of self-efficacy beliefs: enactive mastery experience, verbal persuasion, vicarious experience and physiological and affective states.

The study reveals that male students are primarily influenced by prior experience and physiological and affective states, while female students are mostly influenced by prior experience and verbal persuasion.

Educators can use these findings to design more effective interventions and support systems that enhance students’ self-efficacy and, consequently, their academic performance and overall learning outcomes.

This paper contributes to the development of theory in the underexplored area of self-efficacy beliefs among accounting students. It provides insights on the differences in sources of self-efficacy beliefs between genders and provides valuable evidence for educators to support student success in learning accounting.