Nidheesh Joseph and Abhishek Totawar
The purpose of this paper is to highlight the role of informal learning behaviors in increasing the social capital of organizations. The paper provides a brief overview of social…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to highlight the role of informal learning behaviors in increasing the social capital of organizations. The paper provides a brief overview of social capital and informal learning and proposes to interlink them for increasing knowledge capability of organizations.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on a review of social capital theory and informal learning behaviors, this article presents a conceptual approach for practitioners to deploy informal learning behaviors to increase social capital and subsequently, the knowledge capability of their organizations.
Findings
With the fast-changing global business scenario and limited availability of capital to invest in formal training behaviors, organizations continue to face difficulties in increasing their knowledge capability. This article suggests a simple, cost-effective and easy-to-deploy method of employing informal learning behaviors to build and sustain social capital and through it the knowledge capabilities of organizations.
Originality/value
There is currently limited research into the applicability of using informal learning behaviors in the field of social capital and knowledge capability building.
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Nidheesh Joseph and E. Sownthara Rajan
The purpose of this paper is to study engagement of employees in informal learning behaviors (ILBs) and to understand the role of workplace support (organizational support…
Abstract
Purpose (mandatory)
The purpose of this paper is to study engagement of employees in informal learning behaviors (ILBs) and to understand the role of workplace support (organizational support, supervisor support and job support) in facilitating such behaviors.
Design/methodology/approach (mandatory)
The study uses descriptive design with data collected through voluntary non-probability sampling method of 58 employees from India and the USA through Amazon Mechanical Turk.
Findings (mandatory)
Preliminary findings suggest that 81% of the employees are likely to engage in ILBs and 65.5% agreed to have received workplace support. Employees from India rate their workplace support as higher and are more likely to engage in ILBs than those from the USA.
Originality/value (mandatory)
This study contributes to workplace informal learning literature and highlights the need for more studies on workforce ILBs across multiple countries and job role variations.
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Nidheesh Joseph, Abhishek K. Totawar and Oliver Sam
Organisational researchers have always highlighted the role of leadership during crisis. However, anecdotal evidence shows that leadership often fails when the culture does not…
Abstract
Purpose
Organisational researchers have always highlighted the role of leadership during crisis. However, anecdotal evidence shows that leadership often fails when the culture does not back them during a crisis. Hence, actively initiating and developing a culture of excellence (CoE) become all the more relevant during a crisis. This paper aims to understand the role of CoE in building a resilient organisation. Furthermore, it aims to contribute to the understanding of building CoE practices in small businesses.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper reviews relevant literature and gathers evidence from VDart Inc, a digital talent management and services firm based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. A case study design based on retrospective and real-time data collection is performed to investigate CoE practices before and during the Covid-19 crisis.
Findings
The findings argue that, most often, the culture and not just the leadership determines the fate of an organisation undergoing crisis. From the case evidence, the authors identify reinforce the culture, invest in cultural custodians, seek order, keep them close and industry thought-leadership (“RISK-It”) CoE practices for fostering resilience in small- and medium-sized enterprises/businesses (SMEs) for managing crises.
Originality/value
The authors contribute to knowledge in fostering proactive resilience in small businesses, showing how SMEs should invest in building a CoE when their organisations are stable instead of searching for strong leaders and unique strategies during a crisis. Later, during the crisis, just by reinforcing their CoE using RISK-It CoE practices, leaders and managers would be able to leverage any turbulence to the advantage of their organisations.
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Nidheesh Joseph and Upam Pushpak Makhecha
The case would help students to learn the concept of high involvement innovation activity and how to apply it in large service organizations to increase innovation involvement…
Abstract
Learning outcomes
The case would help students to learn the concept of high involvement innovation activity and how to apply it in large service organizations to increase innovation involvement. The case will help the students to reflect on the significance of organizing structure and culture of an organization for enabling innovation and innovation process models. The case would further help the students to develop the skill to plan and implement simple, innovative innovation process models which will increase the ideation capabilities of the organization. The students will also be able to understand the role of informal learning in innovation and how to facilitate it.
Case overview/synopsis
Cyient – a global services firm – had always focused on innovation as a key strategic capability winning various annual client awards for over a decade. However, in 2012, Cyient missed the innovation awards which led to the introduction of Idea Tree initiative in Aerospace & Defense (AED) business unit of Cyient. Cyient was able to co-create patents and offer cost savings to its clients through the Idea Tree initiative. This cost-effective and unique initiative resulted in re-organizing the structure (from formal to a quasi-formal), culture (open to new ideas, mistakes and failures) and process (stage-gate) inside Cyient AED business unit. However, Idea Tree also suffers from challenges such as lack of a digital format, lack of corporate presence across Cyient and its highly informal nature. In this context, the CEO wants to review the Idea Tree initiative to decide on its future in Cyient.
Complexity academic level
The case is suitable for teaching multiple facets of innovation for MBA and Executive MBA classes in core Strategy, Managing Organizations and Entrepreneurship and for elective courses such as Innovation Management, Organizing for Innovation or HRM for Innovation. The case is suitable for both fresher and experienced participants.
Supplementary materials
Teaching Notes are available for educators only.
Subject code
CSS 6: Human Resource Management.
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Ashish Varma and Tejul Bhawalpuria
The study views accounting, control and governance dimensions in academia through the Foucauldian lens in the digital era. The study demystifies the dichotomy of controls and…
Abstract
Purpose
The study views accounting, control and governance dimensions in academia through the Foucauldian lens in the digital era. The study demystifies the dichotomy of controls and creative academic initiatives for enhanced learning outcomes by utilizing the works of Michel Foucault (1977, 1980, 1991a, b, 1979) in the context of digitally native actors.
Design/methodology/approach
The archival documents were studied to gain a clear insight into the academic processes. Next, the primary data was collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews of academic administrators (AA) and professors.
Findings
First, the study establishes that academia extensively models its systems and processes on the Foucauldian tenets of disciplinary control, self-surveillance, trust, empowerment and visibility, utilizing a blend of digital and non-digital technologies. Second, the study unpacks the shortcomings and offers a nuanced critique of digital governance in academic institutions. Such institutions extensively situate their systems, processes and routines on Foucauldian tenets. Third, digital platforms do reinforce injustice and exclusion. Such digital exclusion exists among the faculty, the students and the administrative staff. There are student groups which are marginalized in emerging economy settings. Furthermore, in a predominantly technology-driven ecosystem such marginalized students’ academic experience is significantly different from their privileged peers.
Originality/value
This study is one of the few studies that utilize the Foucauldian lens to understand the tension among accounting, controls and governance outcomes, at a granular level in an emerging market academic setting which is characterized by inequitable resource distribution. Second, by collecting rich primary data from knowledge agents, it supports the dominance of Foucauldian thought with respect to disciplinary control, self-surveillance, visibility, trust and power by embracing digital technologies.
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Shishir Goyal and Srikanta Routroy
The purpose of this paper is to establish the structural relationships between the environmental sustainability enablers (ESEs) for the steel supply chain in India and also to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to establish the structural relationships between the environmental sustainability enablers (ESEs) for the steel supply chain in India and also to classify them on the basis of driving and dependence power with an objective of achieving enhanced environmental sustainability performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The ESEs were identified through extensive literature review and discussion held with experts from the Indian steel industry. The interpretative structural modeling (ISM) approach was applied to an Indian steel supply chain to arrange these 12 ESEs in different hierarchies of the structural framework on the basis of their driver dependence power and also diagraph was developed to classify them.
Findings
The water pollution control system, air pollution control system and soil pollution control system were found to be in the bottom hierarchy of the ISM framework and these enablers were also observed in the driving quadrant of the diagraph. These driving enablers should be given priority for its full-scale development, management and monitoring to sustain and enhance the environmental sustainability in the Indian steel supply chain, whereas top management commitment, environment compliance certification and government regulation and incentives are the antecedents for carrying out the sustainability program.
Research limitations/implications
The outcomes of the current study are limited to the Indian steel manufacturing company in specific but the results will not change significantly for the steel sectors in India. However, an empirical analysis can be used to explore and validate the structural framework for its acceptability.
Practical implications
The outcomes from the methodology provide the basis for an Indian steel manufacturing industry to develop the right strategy in their quest for environmental sustainability.
Originality/value
Although the study on ESEs of various industries was reported in the literature, the comprehensive study to identify the significant ESEs related to the Indian steel supply chain for environmental sustainability in specific have been hardly carried out. The current study will definitely be a valuable addition to environmental sustainability literature in general and steel supply chain environmental sustainability in specific.
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This paper aims to analyse the effect of mandatory corporate social responsibility expenditure (CSRE) on the performance of food and agribusiness firms in India.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to analyse the effect of mandatory corporate social responsibility expenditure (CSRE) on the performance of food and agribusiness firms in India.
Design/methodology/approach
This study is based on the firm-level data collected from the Prowess database of the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy in the year 2019. The data on key characteristics, business performance and CSRE has been compiled from 362 food and agribusiness firms. The descriptive statistics, t-test for equality of means and Spearman correlation analysis have been undertaken to understand the relationship between mandatory CSRE and firm performance across food and agribusiness sectors.
Findings
Out of 362 food and agribusiness firms, 52.2% have reported expenditure in the implementation of social initiatives under their corporate social responsibility. The results show a significant difference in the firm’s characteristics vis-à-vis with and without CSRE. Further, the findings highlight a positive and significant correlation and causal impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on return on sales, return on assets and profit after tax.
Practical implications
The study provides insights for implementing strategic CSR in food and agribusiness firms and gives an adequate justification for incurring CSRE.
Originality/value
This paper increases the understanding of CSR in the food and agribusiness sector. Besides, provisioning mandatory CSR seems to be a beneficial proposition for enhancing a firm’s performance.