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Article
Publication date: 1 January 2025

Thomas Butsch and Robin Bell

Organizations need to achieve some level of self-management and delegation to run effectively without constant management oversight, which has led to numerous organizational…

Abstract

Purpose

Organizations need to achieve some level of self-management and delegation to run effectively without constant management oversight, which has led to numerous organizational frameworks and models being developed, including TEAL, Holacracy, the Spaghetti Organization and the Liberated Firm. As a result, we should consider whether employees desire this, and whether it is a “new future” or just a passing fad or trend. Another question arising from employee encounters is, do we leave some employees behind as they are not confident, or feel inadequate for the new organizational structures, as they require more direction? This paper reviews the literature to explore and answer these questions.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper reviews the literature on self-management frameworks and models in respect to their potential application and in light of the implication for employees.

Findings

Being self-managed throughout all organisations, as most champions of self-managed frameworks may argue, cannot be the solution if it is only appropriate for a subset of workers. We propose a gradual approach: we should implement self-management where it is acceptable, and employees are interested and capable of engaging in the transition to new management frameworks. However, we recommend against attempting self-management in situations where it is inappropriate.

Research limitations/implications

The paper is based on a review of existing literature with findings derived from general trends and workforce characteristics, but do not account for specific industries, organizational types or roles. As a result, the conclusions may not be applicable to all organizational contexts or to certain specialized employee groups. Given the restricted breadth of research into SMOs, future research could explore the applicability and success of SMOs in specific contexts.

Practical implications

Organizations are encouraged to take an incremental approach to implementing self-management frameworks. Instead of enforcing self-management universally, it should only be introduced in areas where employees are willing, capable and equipped to handle the transition. Further employers must recognize that self-management is not suitable for all employees. Organizations should assess employee readiness and provide adequate support or alternative structures where needed.

Originality/value

While the transition to self-managed organisations is widely discussed in the literature, as evidenced by the proliferation of organisational models and frameworks, there has been little discussion of the potential for different organisations to apply such frameworks and models in practice, as well as the implications for employees. Given that the business world is not homogeneous, it is reasonable to assume that not all people are suitable for working without a boss, and this must be considered.

Details

Development and Learning in Organizations: An International Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7282

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 31 January 2024

Annika Baumgart, Robin Bell and Ria Wiid

Family businesses require internal communication (IC) to guide and provide direction, and the unique nature of involving both family and nonfamily employees add complexity…

173

Abstract

Purpose

Family businesses require internal communication (IC) to guide and provide direction, and the unique nature of involving both family and nonfamily employees add complexity. Navigating this complexity helps to ensure effective direction and management of family businesses. This paper explores the existing research concerning IC within family businesses and discusses the lenses and contexts through which it is commonly studied.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper provides a concise literature review to identify the most common lenses through which IC in family business has been researched.

Findings

IC in family enterprises is mostly studied through the lenses of IC between family generations, IC and the influence on family identity, and IC in times of crises. Existing research is largely focused on the role of family in IC, and limited consideration is given to the role of nonfamily members and family members outside of the business.

Originality/value

The paper synthesizes the direction and findings of existing research into IC within family business and provides avenues for future research. Managerial implications are also presented based on the synthesis of existing literature.

Details

Journal of Family Business Management, vol. 14 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2043-6238

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 October 2020

Robin Bell and Heather Bell

Experiential approaches have become increasingly common in entrepreneurship education in response to calls for different approaches to the traditional didactic process-driven…

3580

Abstract

Purpose

Experiential approaches have become increasingly common in entrepreneurship education in response to calls for different approaches to the traditional didactic process-driven approach. Experiential approaches offer the potential to develop the skills and mindset that are required in entrepreneurship. Research has highlighted the critical importance of educator pedagogical competence in the delivery and quality of teaching and learning in further and higher education. Nevertheless, educator narratives and practices are often based on foundations that suggest a lack in the depth of knowledge and understanding of the underlying pedagogic learning theories and practice. This paper brings educational theory and pedagogic practice together in a three-stage framework of the experiential entrepreneurship learning process to support entrepreneurship educators within further and higher education.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper reviews and brings together the seminal educational theories and philosophies of constructivism, objectivism, Kolb's (1984) theory of experiential learning, Schön's (1983) reflection-in-action and Mezirow's (1997) theory of transformative learning, to develop a framework which underpins the experiential entrepreneurship learning process.

Findings

This paper develops a three-stage framework which informs the roles of an educator and a learner in experiential entrepreneurship education within further and higher education, based on educational theories and philosophies that inform the learning process.

Practical implications

The developed framework supports the pedagogic competence of educators in the delivery of experiential entrepreneurship education through a deeper understanding of the supporting theory that informs the pedagogic practice. This will provide consolidation to enable educators to maximise the effectiveness of their educational practice (Kaynardağ, 2019) and can increase the legitimacy of entrepreneurship education (Foliard et al., 2018).

Originality/value

This paper meets calls in the literature to provide a closer engagement between educational theory and pedagogic practice to afford guidance as to how educators can navigate some of the different educational theories and philosophies to consolidate the effective delivery of quality experiential entrepreneurship education. Applying seminal educational theories and philosophies to ensure the quality of experiential education can support the legitimacy of experiential entrepreneurship education.

Details

Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, vol. 27 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1462-6004

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 April 2024

Amirreza Alizadeh Majd, Robin Bell, Sa’ad Ali, Arefeh Davoodi and Azadeh Nasirifar

This study aims to investigate the impact of job rotation on employee performance and explores the mediating role of human resources (HR) strategy and training effectiveness on…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the impact of job rotation on employee performance and explores the mediating role of human resources (HR) strategy and training effectiveness on this relationship, within the petrochemical industry, which represents a highly specialist and hazardous industrial context.

Design/methodology/approach

Data was collected through a questionnaire which was distributed among the experts working in an Iranian petrochemical organization. Previously validated scales were used to measure job rotation, employee performance, HR strategy and training effectiveness, and partial least squares structural equation modeling was used for hypothesis testing.

Findings

The research findings indicated that job rotation had a negative effect on employee performance, while training effectiveness and HR strategy positively mediated the relationship between job rotation and employee performance. This highlights the importance of ensuring effective training and a HR strategy to support job rotation of skilled and specialist employees.

Practical implications

Managers of employees in specialist and hazardous industries, such as petrochemical workers, interested in job rotation to support employee career development, should be mindful of potential negative implications on employee performance. To support and improve employee performance, job rotation should be considered alongside HR strategy and training.

Originality/value

Previous research has largely focused on the value of job rotation to develop managers’ organizational understanding and to reduce injury within blue-collar work, which has led to a paucity of research into job rotation within highly skilled and specialist industrial roles. It is highlighted within the literature that it remains unclear what supports effective job rotation. This study addresses this lacuna by investigating how job rotation affects employee performance in a highly skilled and specialized industry and how strategy and training effectiveness mediate this effect.

Details

Industrial and Commercial Training, vol. 56 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0019-7858

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 December 2024

Heather R. Bell and Robin Bell

This work makes a case for legitimacy as a framework with which to examine how educators made decisions about implementing entrepreneurship education (EE) in higher education…

Abstract

Purpose

This work makes a case for legitimacy as a framework with which to examine how educators made decisions about implementing entrepreneurship education (EE) in higher education institutions (HEIs) to better understand the educator within the educational ecosystem. It then uses a new legitimacy framework that includes self-legitimacy to examine the issues a group of educators in China encountered when implementing new constructivist entrepreneurship modules in their non-entrepreneurship curricula.

Design/methodology/approach

The researchers utilized focus groups to collect data from 24 groups of educators at HEIs in 4 regions of China. The researchers used a bottom-up thematic analysis process to identify themes and used legitimacy as a lens to analyze the data.

Findings

The results are presented in three main categories: theorization, or how the practice aligns with existing practice; diffusion, or how the practice is perceived by stakeholders; and self-legitimacy, or how the practice impacts the educator’s image of the self. The data show that legitimization of their constructivist EE practice has not occurred at each of these stages, leaving educators struggling to rationalize how the new practice fits into their existing ecosystem.

Originality/value

Using legitimacy as an approach, the research adds to an understanding of how and why entrepreneurship educators adopt practice and how they are empowered to change practice within their existing institutional structures. It brings different legitimacy theories into one framework to examine changes to EE practice and it applies self-legitimacy to education, an area previously only examined in high power distance situations like law enforcement, but which is appropriate for high power distance educational cultures like China.

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 October 2021

Soroush Saadat, Aliasghar Aliakbari, Amirreza Alizadeh Majd and Robin Bell

This study investigates the effect of entrepreneurship education in terms of the development of entrepreneurial knowledge and skills, on graduate students' entrepreneurial…

1447

Abstract

Purpose

This study investigates the effect of entrepreneurship education in terms of the development of entrepreneurial knowledge and skills, on graduate students' entrepreneurial alertness and the mediating role of the entrepreneurial mindset.

Design/methodology/approach

The study collected data using questionnaires from graduate students at an Iranian university who had engaged with entrepreneurship education. The questionnaires collected data on the respondent's demographics and adopted previously validated measures to measure entrepreneurship education, entrepreneurial alertness and entrepreneurial mindset. Statistical techniques were applied to test validity and structural equation modeling was undertaken to test the hypotheses.

Findings

The findings demonstrated that entrepreneurship education has a positive and significant effect on entrepreneurial alertness and entrepreneurial mindset. In addition, entrepreneurial mindset was found to have a positive and significant role in mediating the relationship between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial alertness. This finding highlights the importance of educators seeking to build an entrepreneurial mindset within entrepreneurship education, in addition to developing students' entrepreneurial alertness by focusing on opportunity identification and recognition.

Originality/value

The study addresses a gap in the literature as to the relationship between entrepreneurship education, entrepreneurial alertness, and the entrepreneurial mindset, and furthers the understanding of the impact of entrepreneurship education. The results inform educational practice, as ensuring students recognize entrepreneurial opportunities is an important element of venture creation.

Details

Education + Training, vol. 64 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0040-0912

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 June 2018

Lemun Yatu, Robin Bell and Mark Loon

Entrepreneurship education plays a crucial role in the development of entrepreneurs and the enhancement of entrepreneurial activities in every economy. This paper presents the…

Abstract

Purpose

Entrepreneurship education plays a crucial role in the development of entrepreneurs and the enhancement of entrepreneurial activities in every economy. This paper presents the findings of a review of Nigerian entrepreneurship education literature published in 20 journals over a 16-year period. The purpose of this paper is to examine research contributions in the field of entrepreneurship education within the Nigerian context, with the aim of understanding the focus and the different research areas covered by researchers in this area, and to make suggestions that can guide scholars in their future research contributions.

Design/methodology/approach

Systematic literature reviews are recognized methods for conducting evidence-based research. The study adopted a systematic literature review approach, drawing from a computerized search of five selected databases, using predetermined key words by the researchers.

Findings

The main finding of this paper is that related concepts like skills, intention, drive and attitude have been used in expounding discussions on the outcome of entrepreneurship education, but very little has been written on entrepreneurial mindset, which other studies have suggested is a crucial point in the journey of an entrepreneur (Reed and Stoltz, 2011; Neneh, 2012). Furthermore, learning and teaching of entrepreneurship in the Nigerian higher education institutions seem to be more focused on creating awareness about entrepreneurship, as against the experiential approach that scholars have argued to be a prerequisite for developing the next generation of entrepreneurs (Bell, 2015). The study also found that over 80 percent of the reviewed articles are published in journals not ranked or indexed in the ABS journal rankings or the Scopus database.

Research limitations/implications

The paper is limited since it is based on a review of literature from a selected range of databases, covering a specific time span. This potentially excludes other studies outside this time span. Scholarship in this area and context will benefit greatly when researchers target, choose and engage the higher ranked and more impactful journals as the outlet for their research outputs.

Practical implications

At a time when efforts are being made to address socioeconomic issues like poverty and unemployment through mainstream training in entrepreneurship education, this paper provides a better understanding of the state of research in this context, by highlighting the potential gaps as to where research investigation is needed for better policy formulation and guiding future research.

Originality/value

There are limited studies that focus on the issue of entrepreneurial mindset in entrepreneurship education in Nigeria. Overall, this paper identifies an important gap in the literature that warrants future research.

Details

African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, vol. 9 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-0705

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 August 2024

Chandrani Samaradivakara, Robin Bell and Antonius Raghubansie

Employability is an established research theme in Western literature; however, in developing economies, the concept remains unclear and underresearched. This study addresses this…

Abstract

Purpose

Employability is an established research theme in Western literature; however, in developing economies, the concept remains unclear and underresearched. This study addresses this lacuna by exploring how Sri Lankan higher education (HE) administrators conceptualise employability and which capitals they perceive as needing development to achieve employability.

Design/methodology/approach

The research utilised semi-structured interviews with an expert panel responsible for leading the development of the employment agenda within Sri Lankan HE. The purposive sample included four Sri Lankan vice chancellors (VCs), representing leadership at 27% of the country’s publicly funded universities and the HE funding commission. The qualitative data collected were thematically analysed to identify how employability was conceptualised and the perceived employability skills and capitals required.

Findings

The findings demonstrated that employability was conceptualised as requiring transferable skills and job-specific occupational skills. This view of employability represents a narrow definition with an emphasis on skill development rather than longer-term capability building. The results show the applicability of Bourdieu’s (1986) capitals in the Sri Lankan HE context, with cultural and social capital and proficiency in the English language critical to meeting employability objectives.

Originality/value

This research addresses the shortage of research about the concept and requirements of employability in developing countries. Most employability studies have drawn on samples from students, lecturers and employers, whilst this study considers the phenomenon from the perspectives of strategic administrators in HE who guide the employability agenda in practice. These insights are important in informing policymakers to calibrate a more balanced approach by incorporating employability into the Sri Lankan HE curriculum and sector strategy.

Details

Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-3896

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 November 2023

Reuel Johnmark Dakung, Robin Bell, Laura Aseru Orobia, Kasmwakat Reuel Dakung and Lemun Nuhu Yatu

This study examines the relationship between entrepreneurial passion, entrepreneurial support programs and entrepreneurial intention, and the moderating role of entrepreneurial…

Abstract

Purpose

This study examines the relationship between entrepreneurial passion, entrepreneurial support programs and entrepreneurial intention, and the moderating role of entrepreneurial support programs in the relationship between entrepreneurial passion and entrepreneurial intention, among students with physical disabilities in Nigerian tertiary institutions.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a closed-ended questionnaire survey, composed of previously validated scales, to sample 209 students with physical disabilities at tertiary institutions in Nigeria. Hierarchal regression was performed to assess the relationships between the variables and test the hypotheses.

Findings

Both entrepreneurial passion and entrepreneurial support programs were found to be significantly positively related to entrepreneurial intention, and entrepreneurial support programs also moderated the relationship between entrepreneurial passion and entrepreneurial intention.

Research limitations/implications

This research paper identifies that developing entrepreneurial passion and providing accessible and inclusive entrepreneurial support programs are valuable in supporting and facilitating a passage into entrepreneurship for those with disabilities.

Originality/value

This research paper addresses calls for further understanding of how those with disabilities can be supported into entrepreneurship, by identifying supporting factors. The research paper provides further understanding of the entrepreneurial passion and intention nexus by exploring the relationship within those with a physical disability, where significant barriers exist and within a developing country context where entrepreneurship might be a necessity rather than driven by passion.

Details

Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, vol. 30 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1462-6004

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 January 2019

Robin Bell

The purpose of this paper is to quantify the relative importance of four key entrepreneurial characteristics identified in the literature (proactiveness, attitude to risk…

1175

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to quantify the relative importance of four key entrepreneurial characteristics identified in the literature (proactiveness, attitude to risk, innovativeness and self-efficacy) in predicting students’ entrepreneurial intention (EI) across a range of faculties offering different subjects at a UK higher education institution (HEI). This approach will help to identify whether there are variations across the faculties in the predictors of EI. This enables recommendations to be made with regard to the development of educational delivery and support to encourage and develop the specific predictors of EI within the different subject areas.

Design/methodology/approach

This research uses a 40-item questionnaire to obtain information on students’ demographics, entrepreneurial characteristics and EI, based on a five-point Likert-type scale. Principle component analysis, correlation analysis and multiple hierarchical regression analysis are used to analyse the data from 1,185 students to develop models which predict EI for each of the six faculties.

Findings

Individual models which predict EI are developed for each of the six faculties showing variations in the makeup of the predictors across faculties in the HEI. Attitude to risk was the strongest predictor in five of the six faculties and the second strongest predictor in the sixth. The differences, together with the implications, for educational approaches and pedagogy are considered.

Originality/value

This research breaks down the level of analysis of EI to the individual faculty level in order to investigate whether different entrepreneurial characteristics predict EI in different academic disciplines across a UK HEI. This enables entrepreneurship educational approaches to be considered at a faculty level rather than a one size fits all approach.

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