Susana Fernández-Pérez de la Lastra, Fernando Martín-Alcázar and Gonzalo Sánchez-Gardey
This paper aims to conceptualize organizational ambidexterity and intellectual capital in the haute cuisine sector, describing their interrelation. Specifically, the study draws…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to conceptualize organizational ambidexterity and intellectual capital in the haute cuisine sector, describing their interrelation. Specifically, the study draws on the dimensions of intellectual capital as a lens to understand ambidextrous capabilities.
Design/methodology/approach
Three research questions were addressed using a qualitative methodology. The researchers conducted ten interviews with sector experts from haute cuisine restaurants.
Findings
The paper identifies the constituents of organizational ambidexterity and intellectual capital in the haute cuisine sector. It also frames how these elements interrelate each other to allow the generation of ambidextrous capabilities.
Research limitations/implications
The investigation was conducted in only one country and a single sector.
Practical implications
The study provides guidance for haute cuisine restaurant managers to simultaneously develop innovation and efficiency in everyday activities, without having to choose between these two strategic objectives. Results show they must focus on human capital, which is one of the most important strategic resources in haute cuisine restaurants. This paper can help managers to design the organizational structures, processes and routines that allow haute cuisine restaurants to be ambidextrous.
Originality/value
The understanding of organizational ambidexterity and intellectual capital, and their integration, is critical for successful hospitality operations; however, research in this area is still limited. This integration can help haute cuisine restaurants to develop ambidextrous capabilities through their intellectual capital, establishing mechanisms to integrate individuals and group capabilities within the organizations.
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Susana Fernández-Pérez de la Lastra, Natalia García-Carbonell, Fernando Martín-Alcázar and Gonzalo Sánchez-Gardey
Considering the inconclusive results in the literature on the way organizations create ambidextrous organizational capabilities, the purpose of this paper is to present an…
Abstract
Purpose
Considering the inconclusive results in the literature on the way organizations create ambidextrous organizational capabilities, the purpose of this paper is to present an alternative theoretical model of three different paths through which ambidexterity is built. From a multilevel perspective, the model describes how specific combinations of the facets of intellectual capital – human, social and organizational capital – can synergistically work to reach ambidexterity.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is based on main arguments from multilevel and intellectual capital literature. The multilevel approach allows the authors to consider a broader perspective to define three specific modes to create ambidextrous capabilities. Additionally, the intellectual capital literature completes the model, with the input (human capital), mechanisms (social capital) and the infrastructure (organizational capital) needed to develop ambidexterity. With the integration of both frameworks, the model explains how different types of ambidexterity are generated at diverse firm levels – individual, group and organizational, following different and complementary paths.
Findings
This research goes beyond the traditional arguments on how organizations develop simultaneously exploration and exploitation activities, proposing an integrative model of three complementary modes: path 1 (ambidexterity based on individual human capital); path 2 (ambidexterity through social capital) and path 3 (ambidexterity through organizational capital). These paths link organizational levels in organizations, showing the accumulative process of ambidexterity from a multilevel perspective.
Originality/value
The paper offers an alternative view expanding the ongoing discussion in the ambidexterity field. There is a lack of configurational models in the literature that describe, from a synergistic point of view, these complementary paths to achieving organizational ambidexterity. This approach contributes to explaining that not only individual ambidextrous human capital is needed to generate organizational ambidexterity, but also that specialist human capital could be a source of ambidexterity.
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The purpose of this paper is to refract March’s views on leadership to re-frame them within an authentic model that understands optimistic failure and mindful resilience as likely…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to refract March’s views on leadership to re-frame them within an authentic model that understands optimistic failure and mindful resilience as likely byproducts of enabling ambiguous innovation. An analysis of March’s theories of slack, and the concepts of exploration and exploitation, as well as that of foolishness, are used to support the adoption of authentic and ethical leadership as an intelligent practice and, more concretely, to portray the leader as a resilient “juggling fool.”
Design/methodology/approach
This paper makes use of primary data by focusing on March’s published works, as well as on interviews and other materials written about him, or those discussing his contributions. A post-hoc practice of “appreciation” facilitated a fresh refraction of the “evidence” to identify or recognize new perspectives and/or challenges to March’s conceptualization of leadership, while relying on literature and metaphor to engage in “polymorphic research.”
Findings
This paper presents March as a complex thinker, whose thoughts on leadership have received, perhaps, less attention for being thought to be more refractive and less empirical. Nonetheless, his reflections on leadership re-discover him as a solid leadership philosopher. His use of literature, his theories of slack and the concepts of exploration and exploitation, as well as that of foolishness, may help leadership scholars to understand the essence of authentic and ethical leadership as an intelligent practice.
Practical implications
This paper proposes to extrapolate March’s vast insights about organizational theory to further develop the framework of authentic leadership. This re-framing of the leader as a “juggling fool” constitutes an empowered view of leadership that comes closer to balancing the complementary purposes of leadership and management; an effort that rests at the core of the future of leadership.
Originality/value
Despite the ostensible popularity of leadership over management as a desired organizational outcome, March’s phenomenal insights remind current and developing leaders of just how much the two fields must overlap in constant tension. It is, perhaps, the conceptualization of a leader as an authentic and resilient “juggling fool” what adds depth of meaning to March’s contributions to the field of leadership beyond that of management.
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José M. Díaz-Puente, Susana Martín-Fernández, Diego Suárez, Verónica De Castro-Muñoz and Maddalena Bettoni
European rural development programmes are driving multi-actor interactive innovation initiatives and alliances to create an environment in which innovation acts as a tool for…
Abstract
Purpose
European rural development programmes are driving multi-actor interactive innovation initiatives and alliances to create an environment in which innovation acts as a tool for accelerating rural development processes. In Europe, where rural areas are facing many challenges, identifying which challenges, difficulties, obstacles or risk factors that interactive innovation projects have had to face in rural areas while being planned and set up would be interesting. The objective of this research work was to, therefore, identify and analyse the risk factors of 200 rural projects and initiatives that were selected as case studies from the whole of Europe.
Design/methodology/approach
The employed methodology consisted in conducting interviews to subsequently perform statistical independence analyses of the qualitative variables characterising the found projects and risk factors.
Findings
The findings indicated that most of the risks that rural projects and initiatives faced were related to the social domain which was, in turn, the fundamental pillar of interactive innovation. Dependence was found between social risk factors appearing and the innovation type carried out; the risk factors corresponding to the political–legal risks category and the project or initiative coordinating country; and the economic–technical risks category and the initiatives' geographic magnitude.
Originality/value
This paper exposes the main risks identified within various rural innovation initiatives and projects around Europe. For this purpose, a statistical analysis of independence was performed, allowing us to generate reliable and accurate results of the main risks associated with certain descriptive characteristics (coordinating region, domain, innovation type, gender balance and geographic magnitude) of the initiatives studied.
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The purpose of this paper is to highlight Barnard's groundbreaking ideas, and to interpret his contributions to the philosophy and practice of business as they apply to the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to highlight Barnard's groundbreaking ideas, and to interpret his contributions to the philosophy and practice of business as they apply to the twenty‐first century executive.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper makes use of primary data by focusing on Barnard's The Functions of the Executive, as well as other material written by, and about, him. Barnard's insights on executive management are then reinterpreted in light of Ramey's Leadership Quality Commitments, whose balance is deemed an essential marker of success for twenty‐first century leaders.
Findings
The paper presents Barnard as a pioneer philosopher in the field of management, whose rich contributions have permeated management theory and practice since he first published his seminal work 71 years ago. Barnard's concept of cooperation is re‐discovered as the basis of a leadership framework that places the executive at the center of a system responsible for balancing an unstable equilibrium among life, work, and society.
Practical implications
The paper suggests that Barnard's contributions are as relevant now as they were 71 years ago. Exploring the competencies that make executives effective and efficient, for example, provides insights regarding the combined roles of the executive as leader and manager.
Originality/value
The bulk of Barnard's contributions is found in the field of management, yet his views on cooperation, moral responsibility, motivation, positive interdependence, decision making, authentic self‐hood, strategy and legacy seem incredibly in line with leadership theory. Re‐discovering him as a leadership thinker may help to bridge the conceptual gap that is perceived to exist between management and leadership literature.
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The purpose of this paper is to identify and interpret the spiritual foundation that permeates all Drucker's contributions, and to show that his convictions served as his internal…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify and interpret the spiritual foundation that permeates all Drucker's contributions, and to show that his convictions served as his internal compass, thus helping him to develop and articulate a coherent and unequivocally ecological view of the nature of management.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper makes use of primary data by focusing on Drucker's published works, as well as private correspondence found at the online Drucker Archives of the Drucker Institute in Claremont Graduate University. It also makes use of materials written about Drucker and his views by former students and colleagues.
Findings
The paper presents Drucker as a lifelong learner, as the excellent student who used his personal lens to observe, synthesize, and purposefully distil his experiences into what would become the practice of management. The paper examines his contributions to the field of management from a personal perspective by presenting Drucker as the spiritual philosopher, the social ecologist, the learning teacher, and the refracting bystander.
Practical implications
The paper suggests that Drucker's views achieve greater clarity, poignancy, and relevance when contextualized within his personal philosophy. This foundation humanizes his phenomenal contributions, and increases respect for a man who exemplified what he preached.
Originality/value
Presenting Drucker as a pragmatist alone devalues his overall contributions to management and society. In an era of reported spiritual decline and commodization of the individual, Drucker's spiritually‐aligned contributions remind readers that doing the “right thing” is both simple and complicated, but always a timelessly human right and responsibility.
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The purpose of this paper is to examine expectations of Generation Y (born between 1980 and 2000) entrants to Indian industry, in respect of their perspective, job experiences…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine expectations of Generation Y (born between 1980 and 2000) entrants to Indian industry, in respect of their perspective, job experiences, considerations and initial employment expectations. Keeping in mind that organizations are required to prepare for the expectations of Generation Y. Human resources (HR) practitioners should consider the next generation as strategic business partners in the twenty-first-century workplaces, questions ignite about Generation Y’s values and aspirations and how we can engage them in our workplaces. This study was an attempt to look at Indian Gen Y employees who comprise almost half of the Indian working population and are growing at a rapid pace. Effective understanding of Gen Y will lead to the designing of effective HR policies and environment.
Design/methodology/approach
Utilizing quantitative research methods, an exploratory study was undertaken with 520 employees (all of whom fell into the category of Generation Y) from various industries.
Findings
The study found that many of the propositions contained within the Generation Y literature were reflected among participants in relation to their future career and lifestyle aspirations. This hints to the need for industry to carefully benchmark employee expectations and experiences to ensure commitment to the sector.
Research limitations/implications
Being an exploratory study, the results are not generalizable to the wider population. The findings frame a future longitudinal study on the careers of Generation Y graduates as they move from the anticipation to the encounter stage of their career development. This will seek to further explore the implications of Generation Y values, including those relating to diversity and equality which were not raised as an issue in this preliminary study.
Practical implications
The findings of this research contribute to our knowledge of the career aspirations of Generation Y. The paper indicates to employers some of the future benchmarkings in recruitment and HR practices that they might adopt to meet the needs of this generation of employees. It is anticipated that this paper will interest new and experienced HR practitioners. Interest might spark ongoing inquiry into effective approaches for employee engagements, specifically to Gen Y employees who will be ruling the workplace in the coming decade. The Gen Y has also led to attrition problems. Therefore, this paper will help in the effective understanding of Gen Y and designing strategies for internal benchmarking in various policies.
Originality/value
This work is a unique effort to look at the common expectations of the Gen Y employees, from the workplace. The findings highlighted the general expectations which are normally neglected in high strategical environment of today’s tech-savvy industry.
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Heather L. Rogers, Susana Pablo Hernando, Silvia Núñez - Fernández, Alvaro Sanchez, Carlos Martos, Maribel Moreno and Gonzalo Grandes
This study aims to elucidate the health care organization, management and policy barriers and facilitators associated with implementation of an evidence-based health promotion…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to elucidate the health care organization, management and policy barriers and facilitators associated with implementation of an evidence-based health promotion intervention in primary care centers in the Basque Country, Spain.
Design/methodology/approach
Seven focus groups were conducted with 49 health professionals from six primary care centers participating in the Prescribing Healthy Life program. Text was analyzed using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) focusing on those constructs related to health care organization, management and policy.
Findings
The health promotion intervention was found to be compatible with the values of primary care professionals. However, professionals at all centers reported barriers to implementation related to: (1) external policy and incentives, (2) compatibility with existing workflow and (3) available resources to carry out the program. Specific barriers in these areas related to lack of financial and political support, consultation time constraints and difficulty managing competing day-to-day demands. Other barriers and facilitators were related to the constructs networks and communication, culture, relative priority and leadership engagement. A set of six specific barrier-facilitator pairs emerged.
Originality/value
Implementation science and, specifically, the CFIR constructs were used as a guide. Barriers and facilitators related to the implementation of a health promotion program in primary care were identified. Healthcare managers and policy makers can modify these factors to foster a more propitious implementation environment. These factors should be appropriately monitored, both in pre-implementation phases and during the implementation process, in order to ensure effective integration of health promotion into the primary care setting.
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Macarena López-Fernández and Susana Pasamar
The purpose of this paper is to examine why companies are placing increasing importance on implementing occupational health and safety (OHS) practices, and to analyse their…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine why companies are placing increasing importance on implementing occupational health and safety (OHS) practices, and to analyse their reasons for adopting these practices. Specifically, it is asked whether OHS practices are introduced as a result of coercive pressures. The different ways companies respond to these pressures is also explored.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative data analysis technique was used to analyse the relationship between the reasons for implementing OHS in a sample of 3,005 Spanish firms, using the responses to a survey from the Institute for the Prevention of Risk at Work.
Findings
The results revealed three different groups of companies in terms of their reasons for implementing OHS practices; it was also found that employer involvement in OHS is higher when the main reason for implementing OHS practices is a real concern to improve working conditions, not simply coercive pressures.
Practical implications
The results of the study demonstrate the importance of moving from reactive to proactive management. Practitioners should consider employees’ health and safety not only in terms of an institutional pressure, but as a part of their social responsibility and integral to their business practice. Public administration should work to reward positive behaviours and not only punish noncompliance.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to a better understanding of the reasons to implement OHS in an early stage of institutionalisation of these practices, providing an empirical analysis of the reasons behind employer involvement. This paper is highly relevant for researchers, governments and practitioners.