Colette M. Taylor, Casey J. Cornelius and Kate Colvin
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between visionary leadership and the perception of organizational effectiveness in nonprofit organizations. Leaders…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between visionary leadership and the perception of organizational effectiveness in nonprofit organizations. Leaders with high levels of transformational leadership were predicted to be reported as having more effective organizations.
Design/methodology/approach
Data from 135 executive organizational leaders and 221 of their subordinates were collected from 52 various nonprofit organizations across USA. Leaders completed measures of leadership behavior and perceived organizational effectiveness, while followers provided ratings of their perspective leaders’ leadership style, organizational effectiveness, and organizational change magnitude.
Findings
Significant relationships were found between visionary leadership and perceived organizational effectiveness. Regression analysis also showed some significant correlations between high leadership behaviors and perceived organizational effectiveness. Visionary leaders with high leadership skills facilitated the greatest perceived organizational effectiveness in their respective organizations.
Practical implications
Leaders wishing to improve their organization's effectiveness may wish to adopt a visionary leadership style. Visionary leaders develop practices through executive training and development that would hone their skills to significantly impact organizational effectiveness.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to the existing literature focussed on the relationship between leadership styles and organizational effectiveness. Different aspects of these variables were tested in order to provide a wider and more comprehensive understanding of the factors affecting nonprofit organizations and their employees.
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Frieder Lempp, Kate Blackwood and Megan Gordon
The purpose of this paper is to explore the extent to which mediation constitutes an appropriate and effective intervention in cases of alleged workplace bullying.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the extent to which mediation constitutes an appropriate and effective intervention in cases of alleged workplace bullying.
Design/methodology/approach
Data was collected from 25 practising mediators in New Zealand by way of semi-structured interviews. The transcribed data was analysed by way of thematic analysis using the software NVivo11. The features of bullying cases identified as potential concerns for mediation in the literature acted as a coding framework, alongside the analytical framework for assessing dispute resolution processes developed by John Budd and Alexander Colvin.
Findings
A thematic analysis of the data revealed four key features of bullying experiences that mediators believed influenced the efficacy of the mediation process: emotional stability of the parties; power imbalance between the parties; insight and differing interpretations; and the impact of organisational context. Further, the analysis revealed two strategies to overcome barriers to the efficacy of mediation: considering mediation as part of a broader range of dispute resolution processes; and encouraging early low-level mediation intervention.
Research limitations/implications
This study only elicited the views of workplace mediators, many of whom were self-employed. Thus, the participants in the sample were likely to speak positively about the use of mediation. In part, this was helpful because the mediators spoke largely about how they made the process work allowing identification of techniques to improve the efficacy of mediation. However, future research is needed to explore the views of other parties, including parties to a bullying mediation, managers and/or human resources (HR) personnel.
Practical implications
Five recommendations for workplace mediators dealing with bullying cases are suggested: mediators should screen the emotional stability of the parties during the initial stages of the mediation; mediators should discuss with the parties the possibility and potential benefits of bringing along a support person; mediators should view their role more widely to influence the wider organisational contexts in which bullying occurs; informal mediation should take place before the escalation of a bullying experience; and mediators should consider completing an investigation prior to the start of the mediation.
Originality/value
Prior empirical studies on the efficacy of workplace mediation have not specifically investigated the use of mediation for bullying cases. This study addresses this gap in that it provides empirical support for the proposition that mediation in cases of bullying may only be appropriate under certain circumstances and that a flexible approach to mediation is required.
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ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON would have delighted in the deep irony of his own idle words, penned in a letter to William Archer in October 1887. His early death in Samoa, itself a…
Abstract
ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON would have delighted in the deep irony of his own idle words, penned in a letter to William Archer in October 1887. His early death in Samoa, itself a symbolic reflection of an incredibly romantic life, short but full of incident and perfectly constructed for journalistic highlighting, inspired a spate of fulsomely admiring biographical studies which at one time threatened to obscure his true talent. Essay upon essay, book after book, some merely appreciative, some approaching adulation, poured from the presses until literary criticism proper was engulfed in a myth of quite extraordinary dimensions.
John H. Bickford III and Cynthia W. Rich
Common Core State Standards Initiative mandates increased readings of informational texts within English Language Arts starting in elementary school. Accurate, age-appropriate…
Abstract
Common Core State Standards Initiative mandates increased readings of informational texts within English Language Arts starting in elementary school. Accurate, age-appropriate, and engaging content is at the center of effective social studies teaching. Textbooks and children’s literature—both literary and informational—are prominent in elementary classrooms because of the esoteric nature of primary source material. Many research projects have investigated historical accuracy and representation within textbooks, but few have done so with children’s trade books. We examined children’s trade books centered on three historical figures frequently incorporated within elementary school curricula: Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks, and Helen Keller. Findings revealed various forms of historical misrepresentation and differing levels of historicity. Reporting such lacunae is important for those involved in curricular decisions. We believe children’s books, even those with historical omissions and misrepresentations, provide an unique opportunity for students to incorporate and scrutinize diverse perspectives as they actively assemble historical understandings. All secondary narratives, even historically representative children’s books, can benefit from primary source supplementation. We guide teachers interested in employing relevant and rich primary source material.
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Peggy E. Chaudhry, Jonathan R. Peters and Alan Zimmerman
The major findings of this exploratory research are that a firm’s level of market commitment through future investments will increase in strategically important markets…
Abstract
The major findings of this exploratory research are that a firm’s level of market commitment through future investments will increase in strategically important markets, regardless of high consumer complicity to purchase fake goods; that companies will employ additional anti‐counterfeiting tactics in markets with a high level of pirates and a high degree of enforcement of its intellectual property rights; and that companies employ a standardized approach of anti‐counterfeiting tactics targeted at consumers.
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The area of behavioural phenotype research and related clinical practice is now recognised as one of high relevance to all practitioners who help people with learning…
Abstract
The area of behavioural phenotype research and related clinical practice is now recognised as one of high relevance to all practitioners who help people with learning disabilities, whatever their age. Knowledge continues to accumulate rapidly regarding aspects pertaining to aetiology, likely developmental, emotional and behavioural challenges, useful multidisciplinary interventions and supports and long‐term prognosis. This paper reviews the concept, its history and recent developments, focusing on those aspects which are of particular importance to clinical and other care and support professionals and their clients. There is a continuing need for widespread dissemination of the large body of relevant information, and its application to practice in order to maximise benefits for people with learning disabilities and their families.
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It has been close to two years since the last survey of art reference materials in Reference Services Review. Consequently this column will cover as much as possible of the…
Abstract
It has been close to two years since the last survey of art reference materials in Reference Services Review. Consequently this column will cover as much as possible of the intervening period, roughly from the winter of 1979–1980 until early fall of 1981. It has been a relatively lean period in volume of material produced, but the art reference sources which have appeared are all of high quality and cover aspects of the field which are in need of coverage or of updating.
The characteristics of the so‐called Kailyard school of Scottish novelists are similar to what may be found in Catherine Sinclair, Norman Macleod and the short stories of Mrs…
Abstract
The characteristics of the so‐called Kailyard school of Scottish novelists are similar to what may be found in Catherine Sinclair, Norman Macleod and the short stories of Mrs Cupples: close observation of persons and traditions in a well‐known, confined locality, a good deal of humour and a good deal of pathos, sometimes deteriorating into sentimentality. None of the most typical Kailyard books was meant for children, but the three principal authors—S. R. Crockett, Ian Maclaren and J. M. Barrie—all wrote at least one juvenile book of some merit.
Learning outcomes are as follows: to appreciate the people challenges imbedded in an acquisition; to assess and analyse the impact of an acquisition process; to propose…
Abstract
Learning outcomes
Learning outcomes are as follows: to appreciate the people challenges imbedded in an acquisition; to assess and analyse the impact of an acquisition process; to propose appropriate strategies for managing an acquisition; to explore the advantages and disadvantages of mergers and acquisitions; to describe the main reasons for the failure of M&As.
Case overview/synopsis
Often mergers and acquisitions fail because of the inability to either manage or consider organisational and people management issues. It has also been acknowledged that during a process of extreme change or transition, such as a merger and acquisition (M&A), employees view the past as a time of safety and security with the future appearing as uncertain and confused. This teaching case study highlights these challenges and the change processes imbedded in an acquisition. The acquiring firm is Marshall Foods, a well-established branded continental distribution company with a strong emphasis on nutritional whole food products based in South Africa, and the target firm is Tru-Foods For You, a small Cape Town online company that sold natural and organic foods. The case study explores the challenges faced by the Tru-Foods For You owner and staff as a result of the acquisition process. The case describes the background to the acquisition, the processes during this phase and the resultant outcomes.
Complexity academic level
Business students who are studying at postgraduate or MBA level and executive short courses in strategy and change management.
Supplementary materials
Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.
Subject code
CSS 11: Strategy.