Recipes for Successful Sustainability: Empirical Organizational Configurations for Strong Corporate Environmental Performance

We examine 45 existing case studies of firms with strong corporate environmental performance (CEP) to empirically identify four organizational configurations for successful sustainability. These four configurations represent different combinations of variables describing a firm’s external environment, organizational structure, and its strategy-related activities. More specifically, these configurations vary in having a benign or challenging external environment, a mechanistic or organic structure, a low-cost or differentiation strategy, hands-on or hands-off participation by the top-management-team, high or low consideration given to stakeholders, and a short or long-term time orientation. Taken together the four organizational configurations introduce an understanding of equifinality for achieving CEP. In other words, given an adequate variety of ingredients, there are multiple recipes for successful sustainability. Implications for scholars, practitioners, and policy-makers and other stakeholders are discussed

Empirical Archetypes for Strong Corporate Environmental Performance

We examine 45 existing case studies of firms with strong corporate environmental performance (CEP) to empirically identify four organizational configurations for successful sustainability. These four configurations represent different combinations of variables describing a firm’s external environment, organizational structure, and its strategy-related activities. More specifically, these configurations vary in having a benign or challenging external environment, a mechanistic or organic structure, a low-cost or differentiation strategy, hands-on or hands-off participation by the top-management-team, high or low consideration given to stakeholders, and a short or long-term time orientation. Taken together the four organizational configurations introduce an understanding of equifinality for achieving CEP. In other words, given an adequate variety of ingredients, there are multiple recipes for successful sustainability. Implications for scholars, practitioners, and policy-makers and other stakeholders are discussed

Are strategies created differently based upon TMT gender diversity? : Examining the role of TMT gender diversity in strategy work

This thesis explores the role of top management team (TMT) gender diversity in firm’s strategy creation and strategy work. The aim is to explore whether differences exist between different managerial groups in this context. The study is conducted by using a multiple-case research design. The theoretical framework starts with introducing strategy process research stream continuing to strategy-as-practice perspective (SAP), which was applied in this study. Second, existing literature of top management team research is provided to create a basis for studying top management teams. Next, existing literature of TMT diversity is provided continuing to TMT gender diversity related literature. The empirical part of the study was conducted by using a multiple-case research design. The study consisted of three different cases. One, representing TMTs consisting mostly of women, second representing TMTs consisting mostly of men and third diverse group representing TMT consisting half of women and half of men. The data was collected by using a semi-structured interview technique and analyzed by using qualitative content analysis methods. As a result, although cases had many similarities, few differences existed. First, each case described themselves differently from each other by using different adjectives. Slightly more subtle adjectives were used by women compared to men’s more decisive word choices. Second, the differences existed in the participation of personnel in the strategy creation. The findings show that the participation was emphasized the most in the case representing gender diverse TMT in which personnel was strongly engaged with the strategy creation. Findings also indicate that decision-making in homogeneous TMTs, which consists of either men or women stood out more agile compared to diverse case. All cases stood out with their collective way of making decisions. Last, findings also pointed out that all cases utilized many different sources of data for strategic decision-making, emphasizing financial means. In addition, TMTs consisting mostly of women pointed out also the support of feelings and personal beliefs in decision-making

Personality and strategy : cognitive styles and strategic decisions of managers and top management teams

fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

The Role of Human Resource and Organizational Factors in Ambidexterity

Ambidexterity is a growing field of management research. However, the role of human resources (HR) and organizational factors needs further exploration because of the fragmented nature of prior work and the subsequent lack of a unifying framework. Our review of 41 empirical studies identifies distinct research streams that relate to the effects of employee characteristics, leader characteristics, organizational structure, culture, social relationships, and organizational environment on ambidexterity. We discuss the most important findings within each stream, which contributes to the HR and ambidexterity literature by addressing the current state of our knowledge. To move forward research in this area, we identify important, yet underexplored areas in each stream. This contributes to the literature by highlighting specific gaps in our current knowledge that represent new avenues for future research. We also identify important interrelationships between different streams that need further clarification. We summarize our findings into an integrative model that elucidates the role of HR and organizational factors in ambidexterity. This contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of ambidexterity from the HR and organizational perspectives

Innovation determinants in manufacturing firms

In this paper the findings of an empirical study concerning the innovation determinants in manufacturing firms is presented. The empirical study covers 184 manufacturing firms located in the Northern Marmara region of Turkey. The types of innovation considered here are product, process, marketing and organizational innovations. An extensive literature survey on innovation determinants is provided. A model is proposed to explore the probable effects and the amount of contribution of the innovation determinants to firm’s innovativeness level. Among all possible determinants considered, intellectual capital has the highest impact on innovativeness followed by organization culture

Harnessing demographic differences in organizations:what moderates the effects of workplace diversity?

To account for the double-edged nature of demographic workplace diversity (i.e,. relational demography, work group diversity, and organizational diversity) effects on social integration, performance, and well-being related variables, research has moved away from simple main effect approaches and started examining variables that moderate these effects. While there is no shortage of primary studies of the conditions under which diversity leads to positive or negative outcomes, it remains unclear which contingency factors make it work. Using the Categorization-Elaboration Model as our theoretical lens, we review variables moderating the effects of workplace diversity on social integration, performance, and well-being outcomes, focusing on factors that organizations and managers have control over (i.e., strategy, unit design, human resource, leadership, climate/culture, and individual differences). We point out avenues for future research and conclude with practical implications

The relationship between management styles and trainers’ job motivation in the public institutions

The study aimed to determine the relationship between perceptions of management styles and trainers' motivation in the public sports institutions, and to examine the effect of management styles on job motivation. The sample of the research consists of 190 trainers, 18 of whom are women and 172 of whom are men working in the public sports institutions. In the study, descriptive scanning method was used, and the data obtained were analyzed by making statistical procedures such as frequency, correlation, regression analysis. It was found that democratic management style and paternalist management style had a positive effect on trainers’ job motivation. However, the liberal management style and authoritarian management style were found to have a negative effect on trainers’ job motivation

Harnessing Demographic Differences in Organizations: What Moderates the Effects of Workplace Diversity?

To account for the double-edged nature of demographic workplace diversity (i.e. relational demography, work group diversity, and organizational diversity) effects on social integration, performance and well-being related variables, research has moved away from simple main effect approaches and started examining variables that moderate these effects. While there is no shortage of primary studies of the conditions under which diversity leads to positive or negative outcomes, it remains unclear which contingency factors make it work. Using the Categorization-Elaboration Model (van Knippenberg, DeDreu, & Homan 2004) as our theoretical lens we review variables moderating the effects of workplace diversity on social integration, performance and well-being outcomes, focusing on factors that organizations and managers have control over (i.e. strategy, unit design, HR, leadership, climate/culture, and individual differences). We point out avenues for future research and conclude with practical implications

The Impact of an Executive High Performance Work System on Business Model Innovation

Business model innovation is a phenomenon that has been gaining traction since the 1990s. Recently, a global survey of more than 4,000 senior managers by the Economic Intelligence Unit found that business model innovation was overwhelmingly preferred versus new products and new services (Amit & Zott, 2012). Both executives as well as practitioners suggest that business model innovation is ideal for future competitive advantage (Amit & Zott, 2012; Foss & Saebi, 2017). Increasing competition, globalization, and rapid changes in technology have all provided the impetus for organizations to reconsider the approaches they use to manage their numerous resources and capabilities, in order to achieve and maintain their competitive advantage (Cuskelly et al., 2006). Organizations have to implement strategies to differentiate themselves from competitors so as to create value for their various stakeholders (Ridder et al., 2012). For instance, organizations, such as non-profit organizations (NPOs), are faced with increasing pressure to make efficient use of their resources (Ridder et al., 2012). The top management team in an organization is responsible for creating value in their organizations through their management of organization capabilities and resource allocation. Many scholars (Akinlade & Shalack, 2017; Brown & Yoshioka, 2003; Barkema & Shvyrkov, 2007) have suggested the importance of human resources, such as top management team knowledge, skills, and abilities for achieving organizational goals. Although the research has received little attention (Chen et al., 2016), the implementation of an executive high-performance work system is suggested to create an ideal TMT behavior and composition. Compared to high-performance work system at the employee level, high performance work system at the executive level aims to “improve team collaboration and effectiveness among strategic decision makers and thus produce widespread effects on firm strategic and financial results” (Chen et al., 2016: 920). I show how the executive high-performance work system (Lin & Shih, 2008; Chen et al., 2016) creates a top management team that will pursue business model innovation. My dissertation is intended to contribute to the business model innovation literature (Foss & Saebi, 2017) and the high-performance work system literature (Huselid, 1995; Posthuma et al., 2013). First, I conceptualize executive high-performance work system as an HR system to enhance the effectiveness of TMT to pursue business model innovation. Second, I investigate entrepreneurial orientation, creative climate, and strategic agility as mediators of the executive high-performance work system and business model innovation relationship. I used established scales of entrepreneurial orientation, creative climate and complemented Hock and colleagues’ (2016) strategic agility scale by including the 5 subcomponents for each component of strategic agility: strategic sensitivity, collective commitment, and resource fluidity. To analyze the model, I collected data from a sample of dean’s office team business schools in USA listed in the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) website to understand how top management teams operate within an independent business unit. I sent questionnaires to the dean’s office team using a Qualtrics survey link via email. Further details are provided in Chapter 4. In addition to contributing to research, the dissertation contributes to managerial practice. The executive high-performance work system developed in this dissertation should create a top management team who will more likely become strategically agile in order to keep the organization at a competitive advantage. Additionally, the executive high-performance work system should develop and further enhance the skills, knowledge, and abilities of the top management team members as well as influence their decision-making and interaction-processes. Development of skills, knowledge, and abilities of top management team members is crucial in the given context with myriad of uncertainties such as receiving resource support from the Board of Trustees, balancing institutional pressures from the Board of Trustees and the local community