Jeffrey D. Ford, Laurie W. Ford and Randall T. McNamara
Resistance to change has generally been understood as a result of personal experiences and assessments about the reliability of others. Accordingly, attempts are made to alter…
Abstract
Resistance to change has generally been understood as a result of personal experiences and assessments about the reliability of others. Accordingly, attempts are made to alter these factors in order to win support and overcome resistance. But this understanding ignores resistance as a socially constructed reality in which people are responding more to the background conversations in which the change is being initiated than to the change itself. This paper proposes that resistance to change is a function of the ongoing background conversations that are being spoken and which create the context for both the change initiative and the responses to it. In this context, resistance is not a personal phenomenon, but a social systemic one in which resistance is maintained by the background conversations of the organization. Successfully dealing with this source of resistance requires distinguishing the background conversations and completing the past.
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So how might you describe you and your firm’s attitudes? Complacent? How about resigned or cynical? If you are lucky enough to be part of an organization that has enjoyed…
Abstract
So how might you describe you and your firm’s attitudes? Complacent? How about resigned or cynical? If you are lucky enough to be part of an organization that has enjoyed continued success, you would not be blamed for believing things will always continue to work well as they are. On the other hand, if you have had to get through a few failures, you might well be resigned to thinking you will never get it right so why bother. Or, if you have been let down in the past, you are probably a bit pessimistic in your outlook, whether you have noticed it or not. Whichever most applies to you or your firm, chances are you are not keen on the idea of change.
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Russell Cropanzano, Marion Fortin and Jessica F. Kirk
Justice rules are standards that serve as criteria for formulating fairness judgments. Though justice rules play a role in the organizational justice literature, they have seldom…
Abstract
Justice rules are standards that serve as criteria for formulating fairness judgments. Though justice rules play a role in the organizational justice literature, they have seldom been the subject of analysis in their own right. To address this limitation, we first consider three meta-theoretical dualities that are highlighted by justice rules – the distinction between justice versus fairness, indirect versus direct measurement, and normative versus descriptive paradigms. Second, we review existing justice rules and organize them into four types of justice: distributive (e.g., equity, equality), procedural (e.g., voice, consistent treatment), interpersonal (e.g., politeness, respectfulness), and informational (e.g., candor, timeliness). We also emphasize emergent rules that have not received sufficient research attention. Third, we consider various computation models purporting to explain how justice rules are assessed and aggregated to form fairness judgments. Fourth and last, we conclude by reviewing research that enriches our understanding of justice rules by showing how they are cognitively processed. We observe that there are a number of influences on fairness judgments, and situations exist in which individuals do not systematically consider justice rules.
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This paper aims to investigate small-scale, qualitative observations of interviewer–respondent interaction in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate small-scale, qualitative observations of interviewer–respondent interaction in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC).
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses video-ethnographic methods to document talk and gesture in assessment in Slovenian household settings. It presents an in-depth case study of interaction in a single testing situation.
Findings
Observing interaction in assessment captures data on assessment performance that is not available in quantitative analysis of assessment response processes. The character of interviewer–respondent interaction and rapport is shaped by the cognitive demands of assessment and the distinctive ecological setting of the household.
Research limitations/implications
Observational data on assessment response processes and interaction in real-life assessments can be integrated into and synthesized with other sources of “process data”.
Practical implications
Assessment programs such as PIAAC should consider the significance of the household setting on assessment quality and observations of interaction in assessment as a valid source of paradata.
Social implications
There is a place for small-scale observational studies of assessment to inform public understanding of assessment quality and validity.
Originality/value
The paper provides qualitative insights into the significance of interaction and “interviewer effects” in household assessment settings.
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To access new markets and improve sourcing practices small to medium sized manufacturing companies (SMEs) increasingly seek suppliers and customers in distant countries. Yet these…
Abstract
Purpose
To access new markets and improve sourcing practices small to medium sized manufacturing companies (SMEs) increasingly seek suppliers and customers in distant countries. Yet these new relationships with global partners often pose problems of an agency nature. The purpose of this paper is to directly address these challenges through the proposal of an information and communication technology (ICT)-based framework.
Design/methodology/approach
There has been very little research into how lead SMEs manage their global supply chains and the challenges they face. This paper uses a case study investigation to analyze how four French SMEs – final assemblers of machinery in the farming and agri-business sector – manage their international supply chains.
Findings
It was observed that the relationships and interactions between the SMEs and their immediate upstream and downstream partners were dominated by the agency problem and fell into six distinct categories (termed “barriers” to effective supply integration), namely; asymmetries, contractual design, supplier dependence, product specifications, supply chain complexity and performance monitoring.
Originality/value
The contribution of this paper is that a conceptual frame work was developed in which ICT solutions are offered to help address the barriers to supply chain integration, thus reducing the overall risk exposure due to externalities and problems of agency.
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Tehmina Khan and Peterson K. Ozili
Purpose: Ethical investing is considered to be the pinnacle of embedding environmental considerations in investing. Environmental considerations form a major part of corporate…
Abstract
Purpose: Ethical investing is considered to be the pinnacle of embedding environmental considerations in investing. Environmental considerations form a major part of corporate social responsibility (CSR), and CSR is considered to have a positive effect on investment returns. The purpose of this chapter is to assess the degree of environmental considerations embedded in faith-based funds investment criteria. The comparative analysis between principles and practice through faith-based investing is undertaken.
Design/Methodology: Prospectuses of selected faith-based mutual funds and other information around investment strategies provided on the Funds’ websites have been analyzed in detail. Content analysis has been undertaken in order to evaluate the existence and types of environmental related criteria demonstrated by the Funds. The criteria are compared to the faith principles on environmental responsibility.
Findings: It is generally assumed that CSR requirements form the premise of socially responsible investing. The authors find that faith-based investing criteria are narrowly defined and that they represent biases which do not promote environmentally responsible investing.
Implications: The major implication is that inspite of the availability of faith-based environmental responsibility principles, faith-based funds represent a case of economic returns prioritization over environmental considerations. Environment accountability principles that exist need to be promoted regularly so that they become an essential element of every day decision-making including faith-based economic decision-making.
Originality: This study contributes to the debate on ethical investing from the perspective of faith-based mutual funds.
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This article argues that successful leadership needed for the Creative Economy requires different ways of managing, leading, following, thinking, speaking and acting in the…
Abstract
Purpose
This article argues that successful leadership needed for the Creative Economy requires different ways of managing, leading, following, thinking, speaking and acting in the workplace.
Design/methodology/approach
The article outlines both the principles and implementation steps and conditions for success.
Findings
Five principles are core to the new way of managing: 1. Organizational goal: a shift from an inward-looking goal maximizing shareholder returns to an outward-looking goal of delighting customers profitably. Innovation and transformation are now imperatives. 2. Organizational structure: a shift from managerial command and control to enabling collaboration among diverse self-organizing teams, networks and ecosystems. 3. Coordination of work: a shift from coordinating work by hierarchical bureaucracy with rules, roles, plans and reports to dynamic linking, with iterative approaches to development and direct customer feedback from, and interaction with, teams, networks and ecosystems. 4. Values: a shift from a single-minded preoccupation with profit and efficiency to an embrace of values that will grow the firm and the accompanying ecosystems. 5. Communications: a shift from top-down directives to multi-directional conversations across organizational boundaries about working together on common goals.
Practical implications
Offers leaders a roadmap for managing during market phase changes, a complex transformation in human behavior produced by a new way to satisfy consumption needs.
Originality/value
It alerts top management of the need both to recognize and anticipate many coming phase changes and explains how to revolutionize the process of managing the response to them in the creative economy.