Andres Salas-Vallina, Joaquín Alegre and Rafael Fernandez
The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between happiness at work (HAW), organisational learning capability (OLC) and organisational citizenship behaviour.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between happiness at work (HAW), organisational learning capability (OLC) and organisational citizenship behaviour.
Design/methodology/approach
Through structural equation models, a sample of 167 allergists of public health services was analysed.
Findings
Results suggest that the relationship between HAW and organisational citizenship behaviour is fully mediated by OLC. Hence, OLC has a critical role to describe how HAW improves organisational citizenship behaviour. Basically, HAW promotes motivation for learning, and a better quality of the interactions between employees, which results in pro-social behaviours.
Research limitations/implications
The sample is focussed in a knowledge-intensive context. Future research might consider other service sectors, such as a private business sector. In addition it would be interesting to examine a longitudinal perspective of the model.
Practical implications
The results confirm the direct and positive effect of HAW on organisational citizenship behaviour. Nevertheless, showing positive attitudes as HAW does not assure to achieve perceived service quality. It is needed to take into account certain conditions that promote learning.
Originality/value
Current attitudinal theories do not contemplate environments that promote learning to explain pro-social attitudes. The research offers a theoretical model and provides evidence that the attitudes-behaviours relationship needs to be explained bearing in mind OLC.
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Andres Salas-Vallina, Manoli Pozo and Rafael Fernandez-Guerrero
The purpose of this paper is to measure and conceptualize the concept of well-being-oriented management (WOM), and to investigate the relationship between well-being oriented…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to measure and conceptualize the concept of well-being-oriented management (WOM), and to investigate the relationship between well-being oriented management (WOM), harmonious work passion, and innovative work behavior (IWB).
Design/methodology/approach
In a sample of 362 senior managers, the authors used a two-wave structural equation model to verify whether the relationship between WOM and IWB was mediated by harmonious work passion.
Findings
This study reveals that human resource practices (HRM) oriented toward well-being, namely WOM, can be measured and conceptualized. In addition, WOM implemented over a period of one year, subsequently fostered IWB. Further, the role of harmonious passion as a catalyst in the relationship between these HRM practices and IWB was also examined.
Originality/value
Drawing upon the social exchange theory and the Job Demands-Resources model, our contributions are threefold: to conceptualize and empirically measure WOM; to discover the effect of WOM on IWB, and to assess the mediating role of harmonious work passion in the relationship between WOM and IWB.
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Andres Salas-Vallina and Rafael Fernandez
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between inspirational leadership, participative decision making (PDM) and happiness at work (HAW).
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between inspirational leadership, participative decision making (PDM) and happiness at work (HAW).
Design/methodology/approach
The sampling frame consists of medical specialists in allergy of Spanish public hospitals (n=167). The authors used structural equation modelling to verify if the relationship between inspirational leadership and HAW is mediated by PDM.
Findings
Results suggest that PDM fully mediates the relationship between inspirational leadership and HAW. Thus, PDM plays an essential role in explaining how inspirational leader behaviours.
Research limitations/implications
The authors put forward a cross-sectional research, which does not guarantee similar results in the future. Future longitudinal studies may reveal further effects of inspirational motivation and PDM beyond HAW. Also the authors focussed on a specific population of medical specialists working in public allergy units. Future research might consider longitudinal analysis and other populations.
Practical implications
This research provides evidence of the direct and positive effect of inspirational leadership on HAW. However, fostering inspirational leadership is not sufficient on its own to foment HAW, and should be complemented by applying other organisational factors such as PDM.
Originality/value
In recent years, some studies have put forward different conceptual models to explain the gap in the relationship between human resource management and performance, considering the effect of mediating variables. This study proposes a theoretical model that attempts to develop this human resource “black box” by empirically validating a conceptual proposal that links inspirational leadership, PDM and HAW.
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Mohamed Mousa, Percy Marquina and Rafael Alejandro Fernández-Concha
This study aims to identify the main motives for senior individuals in the Peruvian context to actively engage in entrepreneurial activities. The second purpose of this study is…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to identify the main motives for senior individuals in the Peruvian context to actively engage in entrepreneurial activities. The second purpose of this study is to identify the main challenges those senior entrepreneurs face.
Design/methodology/approach
The empirical data is collected through an ethnographic study followed by semi-structured interviews with a sample of 32 senior entrepreneurs working in Peru. The team members used the Gioia mechanism to analyze their data.
Findings
The authors identified the following factors as the main motives for seniors to actively engage in entrepreneurial activities in Peru: socio-economic factors (finding a source of income, creating jobs for their children and continuing to financially support their families), personal factors (considerable level of wisdom, leaving a good legacy and having the entrepreneurial requirements) and retirement-related factors (available time, the longevity of Peruvians and guaranteed familial support). Moreover, the authors perceived the uncertainty of the work environment and technological illiteracy as the two main challenges senior entrepreneurs face in Peru.
Originality/value
This paper comes to be the first, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, in addressing self-employment of seniors in the context of Latin America. Hence, it yields further research opportunities for interested scholars.
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Andrés Salas-Vallina, Álvaro López-Cabrales, Joaquin Alegre and Rafael Fernández
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between transformational leadership (TFL), organizational learning capability (OLC) and happiness at work (HAW), and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between transformational leadership (TFL), organizational learning capability (OLC) and happiness at work (HAW), and offers a new measure for HAW.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors used confirmatory factor analysis to test the theoretical model in order to check the psychometric properties of HAW. They examined a sample of 167 medical staff working in allergy units, which represents a response rate of 25 per cent.
Findings
The research showed that HAW can be measured using the proposed new measurement scale, and that TFL predicts HAW through the mediating role of OLC.
Practical implications
The results suggest that hospital managers and heads of allergy services should consider the effects of TFL, under certain learning conditions, to enhance HAW.
Originality/value
This research is the first that examines the effects of TFL and OLC on HAW, a higher order construct that has been implemented closely following previous research.
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Jorge Iván Pérez Rave, Rafael Fernández Guerrero and Andres Salas Vallina
A methodological approach is required that complements studies based on surveys, providing a perspective with greater truthfulness and coverage. The study aims to develop a…
Abstract
Purpose
A methodological approach is required that complements studies based on surveys, providing a perspective with greater truthfulness and coverage. The study aims to develop a methodology to validate psychological/managerial constructs using data from Google Trends, taking as a case study a critical thinking (CT) scale in organizational domains previously supported by survey data.
Design/methodology/approach
The developed methodology consists of eight stages, in which the following is integrated: (1) Internet search interest data (19 Spanish-speaking countries); (2) deductive research processes (e.g. theoretical model, linguistic manifestations, fieldwork, data matrix, analysis statistical, reporting); (3) psychometric properties (e.g. construct validity, criterion validity, reliability) and (4) objective data to examine criterion validity (e.g. unemployment rate).
Findings
The application of the methodology produces evidence that supports the reliability (Cronbach’s alpha, Guttman’s λ4), construct validity (intra-correlations and correlations with reference variables: “entrepreneurship,” “critical thinking,” “soccer,” “beer,” “pornography”) and criterion validity (prediction of unemployment rate) of the CT scale.
Research limitations/implications
The methodology makes it possible to support or invalidate the quality of construct measurement scales by planning, capturing and processing data available on the internet.
Practical implications
This manuscript is useful for research in business management (and related areas), which is intensive in the use of psychological/managerial constructs.
Originality/value
The methodology uses a new type of evidence; it is noninvasive, usually more truthful than responses to surveys, and has greater coverage of people participating indirectly in the study.
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Luis Cárdenas del Rey and Rafael Fernandez-Sanchez
This paper studies one of the most paradoxical facts of the Spanish economic growth during the period 1982–2007: high growth of investment and aggregate demand accompanied by the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper studies one of the most paradoxical facts of the Spanish economic growth during the period 1982–2007: high growth of investment and aggregate demand accompanied by the stagnation of labor productivity, especially from 1994.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors propose two hypotheses: first, that the productive structure neutralized the mechanisms that link investment with productivity, essentially due to the low capital efficiency of the job-creating sectors (JCs); and consequently, investment drove production almost exclusively through employment, generating a trade-off between employment and productivity.
Findings
The econometric results find evidence in favor of both hypotheses applying a time-series methodology (ARIMA) to EU KLEMS data for a period of 25 years and 25 industries of the Spanish economy.
Originality/value
The first contribution of this paper is to offer an interpretation of the phenomenon from a perspective that combines elements of productive supply and aggregate demand, representing a novel contribution to the specialized literature. In addition, the authors show how the Kaldor-Verdoorn law could be neutralized due to employment creation (Okun's law) and the presence of a productivity-employment trade-off.
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Maria Teresa Canet‐Giner, Rafael Fernández‐Guerrero and Marta Peris‐Ortiz
The purpose of this paper is to concern the strategic changes a firm needs to incorporate in order to deliver a complex service such as providing assistance to the socially…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to concern the strategic changes a firm needs to incorporate in order to deliver a complex service such as providing assistance to the socially disadvantaged. The paper seeks to analyze the development of such a process considering the ability of managers to exploit resources and foster new opportunities for the firm.
Design/methodology/approach
The qualitative methodology applied is that of a case study. The organization analyzed was a service cooperative. A semi‐structured questionnaire was used to gather the information along with documents and additional information thereafter, thus facilitating the triangulation process.
Findings
Non‐profit service organizations that provide assistance services for the disadvantaged population have to compete in a complex and turbulent environment. The strategic process adopted by those organizations requires more participation and involvement from organizational members; but, simultaneously, this process should be more rational and planned. The strategic content involves the adoption of a hybrid strategy. The function of managers that act as intrapreneurs exploiting existing resources and capabilities (through human resource practices, such as training or reward systems) and promoting change plays an essential role. Decentralization and socialization are necessary for the successful development of those strategic changes.
Originality/value
The paper draws implications for service organizations suggesting, as the main strategic changes for improving competitiveness, the establishment of incentive regulation systems relevant to job characteristics and the establishment of a larger number of cooperation agreements and cooperation networks.
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Sang M. Lee, Marta Peris‐Ortiz and Rafael Fernández‐Guerrero
This article aims to review varying concepts of entrepreneurship and different contributions to human resource practices, establishing a theoretical framework that allows for the…
Abstract
Purpose
This article aims to review varying concepts of entrepreneurship and different contributions to human resource practices, establishing a theoretical framework that allows for the analysis of the firm Montalt‐Valencia (Spain), a Ford‐Spain car dealer, and leader in its sector.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper, according to the literature, establishes a theoretical framework on entrepreneurship and human resource management through which one can observe and research the Montalt‐Valencia case study. The case study is confirmatory, from the theoretical background, and at the same time inductive from the observation of its non‐expected details and deeds.
Findings
The firm Montalt‐Valencia (Spain), which on the surface appears unlikely to be innovative as technology and product characteristics are entirely controlled by the main firm (Ford‐España), bases its innovative capacity on a continual process of organizational renewal and gradual improvement in techniques. The sum of these small improvements may lead to a transformation of the levels of organizational efficiency and commitment to the firm, and can substantially alter technical performance, showing a hidden dimension of corporate entrepreneurship.
Research limitations/implications
The limitations are those normally found in case studies. The confirmation of the theory, or the inductive results, can only be extrapolated by the enterprises with the same characteristics and, even then, with caution and care.
Originality/value
A firm such as Montalt‐Valencia, which is a leader in its sector and has received five Chairman's Awards between 2002‐2007, is likely to be full of entrepreneurial activity of organizational renewal and innovation, although the gradual sequence of these aspects and their marginal nature make them hard to detect. The main value of this study is to incorporate a firm such as this into the world of corporate entrepreneurship.