Kerstin Fink and Christian Ploder
The specific challenges which small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) face lead to a special knowledge management system with harmonised methods and supporting software tools…
Abstract
Purpose
The specific challenges which small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) face lead to a special knowledge management system with harmonised methods and supporting software tools. This paper seeks to address this issue.
Design/methodology/approach
A theoretical framework is proposed as a layer concept to describe the special situation of knowledge management in SMEs. Based on this framework empirical studies were conducted in German‐speaking countries to find out the relevant methods and tools supporting knowledge management in SMEs.
Findings
The outcome of the empirical study describes methods of knowledge management supporting the four key knowledge processes in SMEs, i.e. knowledge identification, knowledge acquisition, knowledge distribution and knowledge preservation. The results are explained in the developed “TechnicalSocialSocialTechnical Model” (TSST Model), which is a balanced system for technical and social knowledge applications.
Research limitations/implications
The empirical study presented provides a model for knowledge management support in SMEs in German‐speaking countries. Further research will expand the empirical data on an international focus.
Originality/value
The developed TSST Model is currently used for the implementation of knowledge management systems in Austrian SMEs. The developed TSST Model functions as a decision support framework for SMEs to select technical and social knowledge methods according to the corresponding knowledge processes.
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Swati Shastri, Shruti Shastri, Abhishek Pareek and Riddhi Sudhan Sharma
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the motivational drives of women entrepreneurs and highlight the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs operating micro, small and medium…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the motivational drives of women entrepreneurs and highlight the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs operating micro, small and medium enterprises from an institutional perspective in Rajasthan – a patriarchal state in India.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is based on data collected from a questionnaire survey conducted from July 2018 to January 2019 on 347 women entrepreneurs operating in seven districts of Rajasthan. Descriptive and factor analysis were used to find the major motivations and challenges of the entrepreneurs.
Findings
The findings indicate that intrinsic factors, namely, growth, creativity, autonomy and rejecting stereotypical gender identity are primary motivations driving women entrepreneurship in Rajasthan. Further, institutions pose challenges rather than offering a motivational drive to female entrepreneurs. The two most critical challenges, which the women entrepreneurs face are gender stereotypes and the lack of social capital. In patriarchal societies, entrepreneurial roles are considered masculine than feminine. Furthermore, cultural norms reflected in gender-specific role distribution result in the problem of work-life balance. The lack of both bonding and bridging social capital in terms of family support and networks, respectively, also reflects an unfavorable informal institutional environment.
Originality/value
The study adds to the sparse empirical literature on the motivations and challenges of women entrepreneurs in the Indian context. This study explores the motivations and challenges of female entrepreneurs from an institutional perspective for India in general and Rajasthan, in particular, using a large, heterogeneous sample using factor analysis.
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Swati Shastri, Shruti Shastri and Abhishek Pareek
The purpose of this paper is to explore the motivations and key challenges women entrepreneurs experience in running small businesses in the Jaipur city of Rajasthan.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the motivations and key challenges women entrepreneurs experience in running small businesses in the Jaipur city of Rajasthan.
Design/methodology/approach
A purposive sample of 13 women entrepreneurs from a cross-section of enterprises is selected. A qualitative methodology based upon semi-structured, in-depth, exploratory interviews with female entrepreneurs is used which enables the respondents to give voice to their individual experiences.
Findings
The study reveals that pull factors including the urge for creativity, innovation, self-identity and independence, and to serve the society are the main motivations for female entrepreneurs to start their venture. From the institutional theory perspective, the challenges of female entrepreneurs originate mainly from informal institutions. A significant challenge is that their ability as a professional entrepreneur is not recognized and acknowledged by the society. Furthermore, the cultural norms reflected in the gender-specific role distribution result in the problem of work–life balance. The challenges emerging from the formal institutions do not appear to be pervasive and gender specific.
Originality/value
The unique contribution of the study is to provide evidences on the motivations and challenges of women entrepreneurs in Rajasthan based on qualitative data derived from in-depth interviews. Furthermore, the study is the first attempt to view the motivations and challenges of female entrepreneurs from an institutional perspective for India in general and Rajasthan in particular.
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Torbjörn Ljungkvist and Börje Boers
The purpose of this paper is to understand the change of the founder’s psychological ownership when s/he sells the business and its implications for the organization’s strategy.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to understand the change of the founder’s psychological ownership when s/he sells the business and its implications for the organization’s strategy.
Design/methodology/approach
The study contributes with a longitudinal study of psychological ownership, accounting for its development over time in a Swedish e-commerce company. By applying a case study methodology, conclusions are drawn from a vast amount of archival data and interviews. The empirical material covers the transition from a founder-run, family-owned to a first foreign-owned, and currently private-equity owned company.
Findings
Theoretically, it extends understandings of psychological ownership and its strategic implications by including former legal owners; that is, how psychological ownership changes after legal ownership ceases. Thereby, it develops the individual dimension (founder and former owner) of psychological ownership as well as its collective dimension (employees toward founder). The paper contributes to the psychological ownership founder and exit-literatures by highlighting continuity after the formal sale of legal ownership and its consequences for the organization.
Practical implications
It finds that new legal owners can use this heritage to signal continuity and launch strategic changes by transforming it into artifacts.
Originality/value
This study extends the understanding of development of psychological ownership of founders from foundation to exit and its consequences for the organization’s strategy. This extension sheds new light on founders as artifacts of organizations and thereby their role for the organizational heritage.
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Gaatha Gulyani and Tanuja Sharma
The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of total rewards components (monetary, material and non-monetary) on happiness of employees working in Indian…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of total rewards components (monetary, material and non-monetary) on happiness of employees working in Indian technology-based new ventures. Further, with the theoretical lens of social exchange theory, the mediating role of work engagement between total rewards perceptions and work happiness relationship has also been evaluated.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey of 201 employees working in Indian technology-based new ventures was conducted. Structural equation modeling was utilized to measure the proposed theoretical model. Regression analysis was conducted to test the direct effects of the hypothesized relationships. Sobel test and bootstrapping analysis were utilized to test the indirect effects of the proposed hypothesized relationship.
Findings
The findings supported the hypotheses that employees’ perceptions of total rewards have a significant impact on employee work engagement and happiness at work. However, individual component of total rewards, i.e. monetary rewards, demonstrated an insignificant impact on the employee work happiness. Work engagement was positively related to work happiness and fully mediated the relationship between total rewards perceptions and work happiness.
Practical implications
Special attention should be given to enhance the material and non-monetary rewards, specifically strengthening the feeling of appreciation, learning and growth opportunities and improving feedback functions. Given the challenges of new ventures (productivity and efficiency of talent), management of total rewards mix should be considered as the main concern of human resource (HR) managers and management (founders). The paper also provides important implications for designing a reward system that enhances employee productivity and efficiency in the unstructured and ambiguous work environment of new ventures.
Originality/value
The present study has significant contributions to the HR, entrepreneurship and positive psychology literature. It is an attempt to understand the association between total rewards components and work happiness via mediating mechanism, i.e. work engagement in new ventures. It also extends research in the entrepreneurial context. The emergence and growth of new ventures in India has meant a growing importance for understanding employees’ needs and expectations and guaranteeing their happiness. The findings of the study contribute to social exchange theory, Vroom’s expectancy and self-determination theory. This research is also a rare investigation of employees’ perspectives in an entrepreneurial context.