Joyce Thompson Heames and Jacob W. Breland
The purpose of this paper is twofold: to report the number of articles in the business academic literature that have been written about the pioneers depicted in a 1977 Daniel Wren…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is twofold: to report the number of articles in the business academic literature that have been written about the pioneers depicted in a 1977 Daniel Wren and Robert Hay study; and to report the findings from a replication and extension of that study.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper employed a systematic literature review combined with an empirical replication and extension of the 1977 study.
Findings
The literature review revealed that 101 articles referenced only a few of the 1977 identified pioneers. In fact 47 of the articles were about three of the pioneers – keeping them firmly in the academic institutional memory, while others have fallen into insignificance. The results of the new study identified seven new names for the list of top ten, while three remained steadfast. Frederick Taylor was number one on both lists. Interestingly, no woman made the top ten.
Research limitations/implications
The replication and extension is a strength and limitation in which the authors were able to meticulously follow Wren and Hays' methodology, yet prevented the inclusion of possible viable new sources.
Practical implications
This piece calls for the continuation to rediscover history as a backdrop for research.
Originality/value
The paper reminds us of the value of preserving business academic institutional memory.
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Matteo Cristofaro, Mario Hayek, Wallace A. Williams, Jr, Christopher Michael Hartt and Joyce T. Heames
Susan B. Malcolm and Nell Tabor Hartley
The purpose of the paper is to position Chester I. Barnard as a “management pioneer,” someone who offers an example of management theory through moral persuasion, authenticity…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the paper is to position Chester I. Barnard as a “management pioneer,” someone who offers an example of management theory through moral persuasion, authenticity, and trust in his “acceptance view of authority” and “zone of indifference.” The work of Barnard is supported by philosophical foundations that provide prophetic lessons for present day leaders.
Design/methodology/approach
The approach used to research the topic was inductive reasoning and constructive hermeneutics. Primary resources relied upon Barnard's foundational work in The Functions of the Executive as well as books and journal publications by scholars such as Isocrates, Aristotle, Smith, Kant, Weber, Follett, Gadamer, Bennis, Drucker, Cartwright, Heames, Harvey, Lamond, Wolfe, and Wren.
Findings
The research demonstrates the significance of Chester I. Barnard as a “management pioneer.” Barnard provides wisdom for effectively navigating the twenty‐first century organization under the auspices of the “acceptance view of authority” and “zone of indifference.” These concepts are predicated on Barnard's moral persuasion, authenticity, and trust as foundations for leadership. His work is a testament for bridging the gap between theory and practice and provides a model from which business schools can educate present and future leaders.
Practical implications
The paper examines the underpinnings of Barnard's “acceptance view of authority” and his “zone of indifference” as predicated on morality, authenticity, and trust in creating effective organizational leadership for the twenty‐first century. The work has practical applications in the education of present and future business leaders by academic institutions.
Originality/value
In support of Chester I. Barnard as a “management pioneer,” this paper explores some of the less commonly discussed implicit qualities and philosophical foundations for Barnard's moral persuasion, authenticity, and trust that promote the success of his “acceptance view of authority” and “zone of indifference” in the twenty‐first century. The timeless quality, application, and potential for leadership education, ensure Barnard's position as a “management pioneer.”
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The purpose of this paper is to highlight Barnard's groundbreaking ideas, and to interpret his contributions to the philosophy and practice of business as they apply to the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to highlight Barnard's groundbreaking ideas, and to interpret his contributions to the philosophy and practice of business as they apply to the twenty‐first century executive.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper makes use of primary data by focusing on Barnard's The Functions of the Executive, as well as other material written by, and about, him. Barnard's insights on executive management are then reinterpreted in light of Ramey's Leadership Quality Commitments, whose balance is deemed an essential marker of success for twenty‐first century leaders.
Findings
The paper presents Barnard as a pioneer philosopher in the field of management, whose rich contributions have permeated management theory and practice since he first published his seminal work 71 years ago. Barnard's concept of cooperation is re‐discovered as the basis of a leadership framework that places the executive at the center of a system responsible for balancing an unstable equilibrium among life, work, and society.
Practical implications
The paper suggests that Barnard's contributions are as relevant now as they were 71 years ago. Exploring the competencies that make executives effective and efficient, for example, provides insights regarding the combined roles of the executive as leader and manager.
Originality/value
The bulk of Barnard's contributions is found in the field of management, yet his views on cooperation, moral responsibility, motivation, positive interdependence, decision making, authentic self‐hood, strategy and legacy seem incredibly in line with leadership theory. Re‐discovering him as a leadership thinker may help to bridge the conceptual gap that is perceived to exist between management and leadership literature.
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The purpose of this paper is to examine and develop a cross‐level model of the phenomenon of bullying at three levels (e.g. individual, group, and organizational).
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine and develop a cross‐level model of the phenomenon of bullying at three levels (e.g. individual, group, and organizational).
Design/methodology/approach
This is a theory‐based paper operationalizing transactional coping theory across three levels of an organization relative to bullying activities.
Findings
There can be spillover from bullying from the dyadic level to other levels in the organization. While bullying is frequently discussed as an individual‐to‐individual phenomenon, the conflict can reverberate up to the group and organizational level. The interaction between the three levels needs to be taken into consideration when developing effective managerial plans to address the negative consequences of bullying.
Research limitations/implications
Additional research is needed to address the interaction effect between all three levels that can be impacted by bullying acts. Without addressing the spillover from one level to another, remediation programs will be less than effective.
Practical implications
Bullying appears to be increasing in organizations today and affecting financial as well as human resources. Owing to the increased complexity of conducting business in a hyper‐competitive global marketplace, bullying behavior needs to be addressed by management to prevent the proliferation of bullying acts in organizations.
Originality/value
The unique contribution of this paper is twofold: the first to identify the externality effect of bullying behavior, and the application of a single coping theory across multiple levels of an organization.
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Rebecca M. Guidice, Joyce Thompson Heames and Sheng Wang
The purpose of this paper is to conceptually demonstrate that the relationship between turnover and innovation is not direct as some research suggests, but rather indirect, with…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to conceptually demonstrate that the relationship between turnover and innovation is not direct as some research suggests, but rather indirect, with organizational learning as the prerequisite social mechanism that ties the two phenomena together.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper integrates research across a number of related areas to develop a model of the immediate and indirect organizational consequences of different rates of knowledge worker turnover.
Findings
The paper finds that certain conditions and mechanisms must first be in place to pave the way to innovation. Grounded in social capital theory, this paper describes how turnover rates and organizational learning can be curvilinearly related with respect to ambidextrous learning; how betweenness centrality and learning culture can moderate this relationship; and why organizational learning should mediate the turnover‐innovation relationship.
Research limitations/implications
Faulty decisions based on simplified beliefs place organizational performance in a precarious position. Studies must consider how changes in personnel affect activities where interpersonal relationships are critical. Turnover that beneficially breathes diversity, critical evaluation, and creativity should result in benefits that more than offset its costs.
Originality/value
By taking an in‐depth look at previously disconnected research, the paper offers a unified model that more accurately depicts the processes and outcomes that intercede and explain how knowledge worker turnover rates come to influence innovation.
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Jack Smothers, Mario Hayek, Leigh Ann Bynum, Milorad M. Novicevic, M. Ronald Buckley and Shawn Carraher
The purpose of this paper is to summarize the life and works of Alfred Chandler and highlight the impact of his thoughts on organizational theory, strategy and history.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to summarize the life and works of Alfred Chandler and highlight the impact of his thoughts on organizational theory, strategy and history.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper analyzes Alfred Chandler's life and the lasting contributions his works have provided to many disciplines as well as the work of his revisionists. Furthermore, the paper analyzes his contributions to the understanding of US business history and global business history.
Findings
Chandler's conceptualization of the growth of large business and management practices have shaped business history by transitioning from an American exceptionalist view to a more global comparative perspective.
Practical implications
The paper provides Chandler's insights as well as those of his revisionists regarding USA and comparative global business history.
Originality/value
The paper highlights Chandler's cross‐disciplinary impact and analyzes Chandlerian and revisionist perspectives in both the American exceptionalist as well as the global comparative eras of Chandler's life.
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The purpose of this brief commentary is to provide a brief overview of Max Weber's life, work, and contributions to management thought before addressing the question of whether…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this brief commentary is to provide a brief overview of Max Weber's life, work, and contributions to management thought before addressing the question of whether his notion of authority still holds in the twenty‐first century.
Design/methodology/approach
The commentary begins with a brief biographical sketch followed by an examination of Weber's conceptualization of authority, its influence on the field of management and its relevancy in the twenty‐first century.
Findings
Weber's writings on charismatic authority have been and continue to be instrumental in shaping modern leadership theory, that the charismatic form of authority may be particularly applicable and effective in today's chaotic and rapidly changing environments, and that the empowered and self‐managing organizational forms of the twenty‐first century may represent merely a different incarnation of Weber's iron cage of legal/rational authority.
Originality/value
This commentary makes an important contribution to the management history literature by examining an important aspect of Weber's influence on management thought, theory, and practice.