Anjali Tiwari, Tanuja Sharma and Radha R. Sharma
Understanding managers’ experiences of workplace dignity (WPD) is critical to working with others in an organization. However, there is limited research available on this subject…
Abstract
Purpose
Understanding managers’ experiences of workplace dignity (WPD) is critical to working with others in an organization. However, there is limited research available on this subject. This study aims to expand the knowledge of WPD by exploring managers’ understanding of WPD and their experiences of both affirmation and denial of dignity at work.
Design/methodology/approach
Critical incident technique (CIT) has been used to explore the themes related to managers’ perceptions of WPD through their lived experiences. Affective event theory supports the use of CIT in the current study context.
Findings
Findings unfolded many new aspects of WPD, which have not been explored in the past. An exploration and analysis of the three research questions related to managers’ understanding, affirmation and denial experiences of WPD have added new insights to the existing literature. These have been further segregated under the following four main factors: internal, external, process and feelings. Finally, the authors conclude that external factors that arrive during exchange relationships play an important role in managers’ understanding and experiences of WPD in India.
Originality/value
To the best of the knowledge, this is a seminal study to have explored managers’ understanding of WPD in India. It aims to add to the literature by enriching the construct of WPD. Practical implications include a deeper managerial understanding of the affirmational practices and factors which will positively impact WPD.
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Relying on Social Identity Theory (SIT), Relative Deprivation Theory (RDT) and System Justification Theory (SJT), this study aims at examining identity enhancement strategies of…
Abstract
Relying on Social Identity Theory (SIT), Relative Deprivation Theory (RDT) and System Justification Theory (SJT), this study aims at examining identity enhancement strategies of blue-collar workers who might be described as members of low-status groups having negative social identity. In the scope of this study, individual and collective strategies for identity enhancement of blue-collar workers have been proposed with the support of above mentioned theories. First of all, factors determining identity enhancement strategies have been described. Then, individual mobility conditions were explained and informal workplace learning was suggested as an individual mobility strategy for blue-collar workers to enhance social identity. In addition, it was argued that high self-monitoring blue collars are more likely than low self-monitoring blue collars to use individual mobility strategy. It was also emphasized that through union membership, high identifier blue collars will adopt a collective identity enhancement strategy. Finally, acceptance of low-status strategy was proposed for blue-collar workers in case they perceive their group’s low status as stable and legitimate.
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Barrie O. Pettman and Richard Dobbins
This issue is a selected bibliography covering the subject of leadership.
Abstract
This issue is a selected bibliography covering the subject of leadership.
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K. Gregson, K.N. Boorman and P.A. Frost
Aims to provide an expert system to offer dietary advice to thoseon a vegetarian diet or responsible for catering for vegetarians. ChoseProlog as language for the construction of…
Abstract
Aims to provide an expert system to offer dietary advice to those on a vegetarian diet or responsible for catering for vegetarians. Chose Prolog as language for the construction of the expert system (a language initially developed for use on mainframe computers but which more recently has become generally available for PCs). In its present form the system assesses the intake of protein, calcium, iron, zinc and vitamin C and offers relevant dietary advice. It works on a 24‐hour recall system, prompting the user to enter the type and quantity of food eaten at each meal. The system also provides a facility to enter different drinks and snacks taken throughout the day. The extension of the database (in terms both of nutrients and of foods) and the provision of a cursor‐key or mouse‐driven input system (to highlight the chosen option in each menu) would produce a package suitable for use in a commercial environment.
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Enrique Claver, Juan Llopis and José L. Gascó
In this article, after laying the conceptual foundations of communication and corporate culture, we revise the disagreement on whether their role in their mutual relationship is a…
Abstract
In this article, after laying the conceptual foundations of communication and corporate culture, we revise the disagreement on whether their role in their mutual relationship is a minor or a fundamental one. Then, we define “communication in corporate culture”, as the foundation of the communication‐culture system. Building on this idea, we suggest a model for organizational reinforcement. Finally, we define the basic patterns in order to strengthen and reinforce the proposed cycle.
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Tanya Bondarouk and Christina-Maria Friebe
The purpose of this study is to offer an integrated literature review of shared services’ organizational structures by specifically focusing on centralization, specialization…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to offer an integrated literature review of shared services’ organizational structures by specifically focusing on centralization, specialization, control, and formalization mechanisms.
Methodology/approach
A sample consisting of 103 empirical and conceptual articles, identified in a structured literature search in Science Direct and Scopus, was analyzed. The focus was on exploring the structural dimensions of shared services in various fields: Supply Chains, Finance, Human Resource Management, and Information Technologies. Findings from the selected articles were codified alongside the structural dimensions drawn from contingency theory.
Findings
Most of the papers identified were concerned with the Human Resource function or with Accounting and Finance in the private sector. Purchasing was only mentioned in a few general articles and Marketing not represented at all, even though the literature suggests that shared services do exist in this field. This uneven distribution across fields, as well as the reality that many articles fail to make clear divisions between disciplines, is hardly conducive to identifying trends for individual disciplines, and only general trends for each dimension could be identified. Although centralization was one of the most discussed dimensions, there was no consensus as to whether shared services should be centralized or decentralized. Standardization and formalization were both found to be highly important, although a need for customization was also emphasized.
Implications
Future research should be oriented toward the structural dimensions of shared services in a broader range of fields as current findings are dominated by the Human Resource function. Another implication of our findings is that scholars could usefully test empirically the dimensions, especially those where opinions differed the most: centralization and specialization.
Originality/value
Earlier conceptualizations noted that the mixed shared service outcomes stem from the diversity in governance and several contingency factors. This work continues the exploration of the contingency factors and mechanisms that, through integration, allow shared services to respond to the environmental uncertainty. The value of this chapter is in examining the structures of different functional types of shared services that are reported as successful in the literature, thus offering an overview of best practices in organizing shared services.
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The establishment of new plants in greenfield sites is a strategic organisational initiative providing the opportunity to develop alternative systems of staff values and beliefs…
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The establishment of new plants in greenfield sites is a strategic organisational initiative providing the opportunity to develop alternative systems of staff values and beliefs which may be more appropriate for capitalising on external product market opportunities. Explores whether an alternative organisational culture can be established at a greenfield site within a New Zealand food processing plant. This case organisation utilised the provisions of the Employment Contracts Act 1991 to establish alternative employment conditions in the greenfield site to those of its brownfield site. A comparative analysis was made utilising quantitative organisational culture data from Human Synergistic’s Organisation Culture Inventory. The data reveal the similarities and differences between the greenfield and brownfield sites and provide the basis for discussion of whether culture can be managed through the mechanism of a greenfield site. Critical elements in creating a desired culture are identified.
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Organizations, especially youth organizations, often use media and communication tools to engage participants and achieve their goals. While these tools have the potential to…
Abstract
Organizations, especially youth organizations, often use media and communication tools to engage participants and achieve their goals. While these tools have the potential to benefit organizations, it is unclear whether using media tools influences effectiveness and how their use compares to traditional engagement practices. In this chapter, I examine the impact of both media tools and participant inclusion on organizational efficacy, controlling for various organizational characteristics. I use originally collected survey data from paid staff youth nonprofit civic organizations in the Raleigh, North Carolina area. I find that using Twitter increases organizational efficacy, but the effect is ameliorated by the inclusion of organizational characteristics. I also find that media tools tend to be used by organizations in a one-directional manner, which may help explain their limited impact. Using media tools is not sufficient to increase efficacy since the way they are used also matters. Including youth in daily decision-making processes, however, increases organizational efficacy and the relationship is robust to including organizational characteristics.
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Semi‐structured, in‐depth interviews were used to explore the influence of personality, discipline and organisational structure on the information behaviour of biochemists…
Abstract
Semi‐structured, in‐depth interviews were used to explore the influence of personality, discipline and organisational structure on the information behaviour of biochemists, entomologists and statisticians working at an agricultural research station (n = 67). Cluster analysis was used to reveal groupings in the data. Library and document‐based activities did not differentiate individuals. Computer use, both for scientific work and information handling, and the degree of enthusiasm displayed for actively seeking information divided the population. Discipline, work role and time spent in the subject field and organisation were the most important determinants of information behaviour. There were some indications of male/female differences in information behaviour. A comparison of the groups obtained from the cluster analysis with a subjective classification showed the former to be more robust in later analysis.
Since the first Volume of this Bibliography there has been an explosion of literature in all the main areas of business. The researcher and librarian have to be able to uncover…
Abstract
Since the first Volume of this Bibliography there has been an explosion of literature in all the main areas of business. The researcher and librarian have to be able to uncover specific articles devoted to certain topics. This Bibliography is designed to help. Volume III, in addition to the annotated list of articles as the two previous volumes, contains further features to help the reader. Each entry within has been indexed according to the Fifth Edition of the SCIMP/SCAMP Thesaurus and thus provides a full subject index to facilitate rapid information retrieval. Each article has its own unique number and this is used in both the subject and author index. The first Volume of the Bibliography covered seven journals published by MCB University Press. This Volume now indexes 25 journals, indicating the greater depth, coverage and expansion of the subject areas concerned.