Corporate Knows Best (Maybe): The Impact of Global versus Local IT Capabilities on Business Unit Agility

The relationship between the corporate unit and its strategic business units (SBUs) has been variously described in the IS literature as either antagonistic or affable. At a time when corporate units are considering how to share platform-based capabilities (dubbed global IT) with SBUs, some SBUs may feel a loss of control while others see it as a chance to focus local IT on solving problems that are best handled by SBUs. Using data from an international survey of CIOs in the U.S., Germany, and Australia, we find that platform or global IT capabilities are associated with higher SBU agility notably when SBUs operate in a relatively stable environment. We also find that local IT influences SBU agility, particularly if SBUs have high levels of IT autonomy. Thus, the search for SBU agility may prompt corporate units to balance use of local and global IT resources and capabilities

Information Technology and the Search for Organizational Agility: A Systematic Review with Future Research Possibilities

Organizations are increasingly turning to information technology (IT) to help them respond to unanticipated environmental threats and opportunities. In this paper, we introduce a systematic review of the literature on IT-enabled agility, helping to establish the boundary between what we know and what we don’t know. We base our review on a wide body of literature drawn from the AIS Basket of Eight IT journals, a cross-section of non-Basket journals, IT practitioner outlets, and premier international IS conferences. We review the use of different theoretical lenses used to investigate the relationship between IT and organizational agility and how the literature has conceptualized agility, its antecedents, and consequences. We also map the evolution of the literature through a series of stages that highlight how researchers have built on previous work. Lastly, we discuss opportunities for future research in an effort to close important gaps in our understanding

PERAN TEKNOLOGI INFORMASI DALAM MEMBANGUN AGILITAS LEMBAGA PERPUSTAKAAN

Organisasi semakin banyak menginvestasikan uang dalam teknologi informasi (TI) untuk meningkatkan ketangkasan/agilitas. Secara umum diyakini bahwa organisasi dengan investasi TI yang lebih besar cenderung lebih gesit dalam menanggapi perubahan lingkungan. Namun, masalah apakah TI merupakan pendukung atau penghambat ketangkasan organisasi masih belum terselesaikan. Berdasarkan teori pandangan berbasis sumber daya dan literatur kapabilitas teknologi informasi dan agilitas organisasi, penulis mengembangkan dan menguji model teoretis yang mengintegrasikan kemampuan TI, dan ketangkasan lembaga. Artikel ini menyoroti peran proses pengembangan agilitas lembaga perpustakaan yang didukung kapabilitas TI. Kami mendasarkan ulasan kami pada banyak literatur yang diambil dari beberapa jurnal dan konferensi internasional. Kami meninjau penggunaan berbagai lensa teoretis yang digunakan menyelidiki hubungan antara kapabilitas TI dan kelincahan organisasi perpustakaan. Kami juga memetakan literatur  melalui serangkaian tahapan yang menyoroti bagaimana para peneliti telah membangun pada penelitian sebelumnya. Terakhir, kami membahas peluang untuk penelitian di masa depan dalam upaya untuk menutup kesenjangan dari berbagai temuan hasil penelitian

Learning strategies

105 p.Libro ElectrónicoChanging technology, changing business models, changing workforce demographics and the rise of online, on-demand knowledge are challenging corporations’ approaches to workplace learning and training. Learning Strategies is a non-commercial, vendor-neutral collection of case studies from senior learning executives in global corporations and government agencies.Table of Contents Learning Strategies Elliott Masie 4 What Makes a Successful Learning Strategy? Nigel Paine, MASIE Learning Fellow 5 CIA’s Learning Strategy: Focusing Out on the Organization We Serve Bob Baker, Central Intelligence Agency 20 The Strategy of Managing Change Lisa Pedrogo, CNN 29 Building the Case for a Learning Strategy Ruben Bonales, Waste Management, Inc 42 Learning Strategy at Shell: 2 Parts, 3 Pathways & 3 Horizons Willem Manders, Shell 48 Putting the Strategy Back into a Learning Strategy Keith Dunbar, Defense Intelligence Agency 60 Making a Strategic Learning Portfolio the Heart of any Learning Strategy Terry M Farmer and Evan Ishida, Eaton Corporation 68 Setting Learning Strategy: Technology is Key When You Use it Well Mike Cuffe, Farmers Insurance Group 83 The Dynamic Strategy Relies on Insight -­‐ Not Planning Peter Hallard, Lloyds Banking Group 91 On Learning Strategies An Interview with Elliott Masi

Global Talent Management The Identification Process of Pivotal Talent in Multinational Hotel Corporations

Global talent management (GTM) has become a critical factor of organisational practice in multinational corporations. The key assumption is that GTM is a source of competitive advantage for organisations. The aim of this research is to explore and understand the talent identification process in multinational hotel corporations (MNHCs). Drawing from multiple theoretical perspectives – human and social capital as well as agency and social network theories – the study takes an interpretivist stance to examine critically the talent identification process. By means of a qualitative collective case study design, three MNHCs were selected and 73 semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with key stakeholders from these organisations. The interviews were held with human resources and operations leaders at business unit and corporate levels. Findings show that the organisations developed a competency-based GTM strategy and applied various tools to differentiate the workforce. Firms conceptualise pivotal talent as high performers and high potentials. In addition, pivotal positions such as the general manager of a hotel, were identified. The MNHCs established a core talent identification construct with minor variations across regions at a corporate level, but with sometimes considerable differences in the implementation across business units. The developed talent identification model shows that individual human and social capital attributes remain the dominant factors of the formal identification process. The two-level model further illustrates the discrepancies between the corporate GTM strategies and the actual global implementation at a business unit level. Relationships and social networks play a critical role during the talent identification. The current study contributes to the GTM knowledge with an extensive empirical research in the often disregarded context of MNHCs and the exploration of elected talent management theories. It provides greater clarity of the concept of pivotal talent and its identification

A framework for the integration of management systems in organisations

During the last decade, the integration of management systems (this includes any management system that is used to achieve the goals of an organisation example PASCAL, ISO standards and enterprise resource planning), has become an increasingly important strategy adopted by organisations, as it represents an alternative to operating with multiple management systems in parallel (Abad, Cabrera & Medina, 2014:860). Despite the established need for the integration of management systems, research on how to carry out integration has yet to be developed fully and an elaborated methodology of integration needs full realisation (Bernardo, Casadesús, Karapetrovic & Heras, 2012; Rocha, Searcy, Karapetrovic, 2007; Wilkinson & Dale, 1999a; Zeng, Shi & Lou, 2007). The aim of the current study was to develop a framework for organisations that could be used for the integration of management systems in a structured manner. This study was undertaken by exploring the views and opinions of senior management through fourteen face-to-face semi-structured interviews. Thereafter, an online survey collected 220 responses from four South African multinational organisations involved with management system development and implementation. The research instrument used a seven-point Likert-type scale for the respondents to rate each question. The data was analysed statistically primarily using factor analysis to confirm the significant factors and then structural equation modelling to test the relationships between the factors, which ultimately confirmed the developed framework. The beneficiaries of this research are primarily organisations that have three or more management systems in an organisation. The framework will also be valuable to management in industry and policymakers since it addresses key integration issues, such as employee performance, organisational culture, employee motivation and policy as factors when considering integration of management systems.Kule minyaka ilishumi idluleyo amaqumrhu aye aphuhlisa ngamandla icebo lobulumko lokuhlanganiswa kweenkqubo zolawulo (kuquka nayiphi na inkqubo yolawulo esetyenziselwa ukufezekisa iinjongo zequmrhu, iinkqubo ezifana nePASCAL, ISO, ne standards and enterprise resource planning). Oku kumele indlela eyenye yokusebenzisa ngaxeshanye iinkqubo zolawulo ezininzi (Abad, Cabrera & Medina, 2014:860). Ngaphandle kokuba siqondakala kakuhle isidingo sokuhlanganisa iinkqubo zolawulo, alukaphuhliswa kakuhle uphando lokuqhuba oko kuhlanganisa (Bernardo, Casadesús, Karapetrovic & Heras, 2012; Rocha, Searcy & Karapetrovic, 2007; Wilkinson & Dale, 1999a; Zeng, Shi & Lou, 2007). Injongo yolu phando kukuphuhlisa isakhelo esinokusetyenziswa ngamaqumrhu ekuhlanganiseni iinkqubo zolawulo ngendlela efanelekileyo. Esi sifundo saqhutywa ngokuphengulula izimvo neengcinga zabaphathi abakwizinga elingentla ngokuqhuba udliwano ndlebe nabaphathi abali-14 nganye nganye. Emva koko kwenziwa intlolomvo kubantu abangama-220 abasebenza kumaqumrhu amane aseMzantsi Afrika, maqumrhu lawo asebenza ngophuhliso nokusetyenziswa kweenkqubo zolawulo. Isixhobo sophando esisetyenzisiweyo sisikali esineencam esisixhenxe esiludidi lweLikert, apho abathathi nxaxheba bebeka esikalini umbuzo ngamnye abawunikiweyo. Iinkcukacha zolwazi zahlalutywa ngobuchule bezobalo, kuqukaniswa iimpendulo ezenza udidi olunye, emva koko kwasetyenziswa indlela yokuhlalutya apho kuphononongwa ukwalamana ngoonobangela neziphumo zemiba ethile, okuthe ekugqibeleni kwaveliswa isakhelo. Abancedakeleyo lolu phando ngamaqumrhu asebenzisa iinkqubo zolawulo ezintathu nangaphezulu. Isakhelo esiphuhlisiweyo siya kuba luncedo kakhulu kubalawuli nabaqulunqi bomgaqo nkqubo, kuba sijolise kwimibandela yokuhlanganisa, efana nendlela abasebenza ngayo abaqeshwa, inkcubeko yequmrhu, ukukhuthazwa kwabasebenzi nemiba emalunga nomgaqo nkqubo oqwalaselwa xa kuhlanganiswa iinkqubo zolawuloKule minyaka eyishumi edlule, ukuhlanganiswa kwezinhlelo zokuphatha (kufaka kukho noma yiluphi uhlelo lokuphatha olusetshenziselwa ukufeza izinhloso zenhlangano, njengePASCAL, amaqophelo e-ISO kanye nokuhlelwa kwezinsiza zebhizinisi), sekuyicebo elibaluleke kakhulu elamukelwa yizinhlangano, njengoba kumele enye indlela yokusebenza nezinhlelo eziningi zokuphatha ngokuhambisanayo (Abad, Cabrera & Medina, 2014: 860). Yize sekubonakale isidingo sokuhlanganiswa kwezinhlelo zokuphatha, ucwaningo lokuthi kuzohlanganiswa kanjani kusamele luthuthukiswe ngokuphelele kanti nendlela ecacile yokuhlanganiswa kumele ifezeke ngokugcwele (Bernardo, Casadesús, Karapetrovic & Heras, 2012; Rocha, Searcy & Karapetrovic, 2007; Wilkinson & Dale, 1999a; Zeng, Shi & Lou, 2007). Inhloso yocwaningo lwamanje bekungukuthuthukisa uhlaka lwezinhlangano olungasetshenziselwa ukuhlanganiswa kwezinhlelo zokuphatha ngendlela ehlelekile. Lolu cwaningo lwenziwe ngokuhlola imibono nemicabango yabaphathi abaphezulu ngokuba nezingxoxo eziyi-14 ezingahlelekile ngokuphelele ezibe khona kuxoxwa ubuso nobuso. Ngemuva kwalokho, ucwaningo olwenziwa ngokuqoqa imininingwane ngobuchwepheshe bekhompuyutha lwaqoqa izimpendulo ezingama-220 ezinhlanganweni ezine zaseNingizimu Afrika ezihlanganise amazwe ahlukene nezibandakanyeka ekusungulweni nasekuqaliseni ukusebenza kohlelo lokuphatha. Kusetshenziswe indlela yokucwaninga yesikali sohlobo lwe-Likert samaphoyinti ayisikhombisa abaphendulayo abakala ngaso umbuzo ngamunye. Imininingwane ihlaziyiwe ngokwezibalo kusetshenziswa ukuhlaziywa kwezinto ngokuqavile ukuqinisekisa izici ezibalulekile bese kulandelwa indlela yokulinganisa ukwakheka ukuhlola ubudlelwano phakathi kwezici, okugcina kuqinisekisa uhlaka olusunguliwe. Abahlomuli balolu cwaningo ngokuqavile yizinhlangano ezinezinhlelo ezintathu noma ngaphezulu zokuphatha enhlanganweni. Uhlaka luzoba wusizo nakubaphathi embonini nakubenzi bezinqubomgomo, njengoba lubheka izingqinamba ezibalulekile zokuhlanganiswa, njengokusebenza kahle kwabasebenzi, isiko lenhlangano, ukukhuthazwa kwabasebenzi kanye nenqubomgomo njengezinto ezibhekwayo uma kucatshangwa ngokuhlanganiswa kwezinhlelo zokuphatha.SBLD.B.L

Role of leaders and team processes in top management team resilience

The organisations are experiencing volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity changes in the environment of business. Leaders and top management teams (TMT) need to develop resilience to adapt and bounce back from these changes. There is a growing need for research in TMT processes and resilience. This study examines qualities that leaders should possess to be resilient in adversity. The study evaluates changes in team behaviours during adversity. The study examines factors that impact team processes and resilience and decision-making. The study investigated the external factors that build leader and team resilience. Based on 16 executives, this study found the most importance qualities of a leaders was emotional intelligence. The study affirmed the advantage of a leaders having hardness as a quality towards situations and not people. Dysfunctional and maladaptive behaviours were reported during adversity. Team processes of connectivity, engagement, collaboration and cohesiveness are integral influencers that positively impact resilience. These processes also contribute to openness, comprehensiveness and consensual decision making. The study found that soft skills training, mentorship and executive coaching built leader resilience. Organisational culture, rewards and remuneration, inter-departmental collaboration, organisational foresight, flattened organisational structures and diversity of TMT also built resilience.Mini Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2019.ms2020Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)MB

Study of the competitive dynamics between national brands and private labels within the soft drinks industry

Purpose: Our dissertation aims at understanding how competitive dynamics influence the performance of Private Labels (PL) and National Brands (NB) within the French soft drinks industry. We seek to understand how PL brands and NB build their competitive advantage in the market and how they compete against one another. Lastly, our objective is to make managerial recommendations designed to guide the future development of NB and PL in the soft drinks industry. Methodology: Our dissertation is a qualitative study. We gathered the inputs of 10 experts working for both retailers and manufacturer goods companies evolving in the French soft drinks industry. Our interviews were analysed through the content analysis method. Findings: Most PL brands follow a cost-leadership strategy and have an aggressive competition style. They merely imitate NB products and position their products at a lower price to attract the consumers. In contrast, NB differentiate their offer through innovation, quality improvements and, most importantly, advertising in order to create an emotional link with their consumers. Nevertheless, market trends and new consumers’ needs are encouraging PL brands to premiumize, forcing them to innovate and improve the quality of their products. Despite those efforts, PL brands are not considered as a threat by market leaders. We argue that PL brands need to invest more in advertising in order to build an identity, trust and create a link with their consumers.Objetivo: A nossa dissertação visa compreender como a dinâmica competitiva influencia o desempenho das Marcas Próprias (“Private Labels”) e Marcas Nacionais (“National Brands”) na indústria francesa de refrigerantes. Procuramos entender como as Marcas Próprias e as Marcas Nacionais constroem a sua vantagem competitiva no mercado e como eles competem entre si. Por fim, o nosso objetivo é fazer recomendações para a gestão destinadas a orientar o desenvolvimento futuro das Marcas Nacionais e Marcas Próprias na indústria de refrigerantes. Metodologia: A nossa dissertação consiste num estudo qualitativo. Reunimos os contributos de 10 especialistas que trabalham tanto para retalhistas quanto para fabricantes de bens de consumo que estão a evoluir na indústria francesa de refrigerantes. As nossas entrevistas foram analisadas através do método de análise de conteúdo. Resultados: A maioria das Marcas Próprias segue uma estratégia de liderança pelos custos e tem um estilo de competição agressivo. Simplesmente imitam produtos das Marcas Nacionais e posicionam os seus produtos a um preço menor para atrair os consumidores. Em contraste, as Marcas Nacionais diferenciam a sua oferta por meio de inovação, melhorias de qualidade e, o mais importante, publicidade, com vista a criar um vínculo emocional com os seus consumidores. No entanto, as tendências do mercado e as novas necessidades dos consumidores estão a incentivar as Marcas Próprias a tornarem-se “premium”, forçando-as a inovar e melhorar a qualidade dos seus produtos. Apesar desses esforços, as Marcas Próprias não são consideradas uma ameaça pelos líderes de mercado. Argumentamos que as Marcas Próprias precisam de investir mais em publicidade para construir uma identidade, confiança e criar uma ligação com os seus consumidores

Approaching VUCA Environment with Enterprise Agility in Government Organization : Case Business Finland and COVID-19

As we live in a VUCA world, many have experienced what crises can cause in business life. To be resilient and thrive in this increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world, top companies are gaining sustainable competitive advantages by embracing agility at scale. Those that fail to keep up with the rapid pace of change risk falling behind the competition. However, with crises come opportunities for change. Businesses of all sizes have never sensed so much pressure to make their business models fit changing requirements. This study aims to discover how a government organization embraced enterprise agility when the global pandemic (COVID-19) added another dimension to the already VUCA environment. Of particular interest is how the role of a public organization has affected a company’s agility in such a dynamic environment and what kind of capabilities are essential for agility. The study constructs a tentative theoretical framework based on existing research on a dynamic environment and enterprise agility considering the public context. The framework outlines the foundation for the exploratory qualitative case study on a single case from Business Finland, a Finnish government organization for innovation funding and trade, travel, and investment promotion. The primary data for the empirical study was collected by conducting semi-structured interviews with 12 knowledge representatives who were actively involved in Business Finland’s operations during the COVID-19 outbreak but who worked in different units and regions, thus providing various lookouts on the same phenomenon. The novelty of this study lies in the combination of dynamic environment and agility, and it contributes to both research fields. The findings show that Business Finland has embraced enterprise agile practices to respond to the volatility and uncertainty that followed the COVID-19 pandemic. Altogether six agility providers with several embedded practices emerged from the findings. A burning platform for change replaced the cultural aversion to risk-taking and highlighted empowered teams that worked within and across agencies to achieve rapid results. The findings indicate that these providers and practices did not only help Business Finland to navigate through the COVID-19 crisis but also pointed to more agile operating practices to be more resilient and agile in the future. It became evident that the driver behind various operating rules and practices that might have hindered government organizations’ agility is more often a habit, not law. Given the high environmental velocity, the findings suggest that Business Finland should incorporate the Lean Startup mindset and practices that emerged during the crisis into its daily operations to prepare for future changes and potential shock waves. Moreover, the study confirmed the primary capabilities of agility, of which flexibility and responsiveness, in particular, became essential during the COVID-19 pandemic