14,613 research outputs found
Human Resources Strategy: The Era of Our Ways
The purpose of this chapter is to discuss some of the main features and trends in human resources (HR) strategy. Inasmuch as people are among the most important resources available to firms, one could argue that HR strategy should be central to any debate about how firms achieve competitive advantage. But this “people are our most important asset” argument is actually fairly hollow in light of the evidence. Far too many articles on HR start with this premise, but the reality is that organizations have historically not rested their fortunes on human resources. The HR function remains among the least influential in most organizations, and competitive strategies have not typically been based on the skills, capabilities, and behaviors of employees. In fact, as Snell, Youndt and Wright (1996:62) noted, in the past executives have typically tried to “take human resources out of the strategy equation--i.e., by substituting capital for labor where possible, and by designing hierarchical organizations that separate those who think from those who actually do the work.
From Measurement to Ownership: The Evolution and Organizational Implications of Modern Performance Management
[Excerpt] At the core of performance management and human resources more generally is the idea that people make the difference in organizations. Research has shown time and time again that effective deployment of human capital is a key differentiator in business. People, and more specifically their distinct knowledge and skills, function as the most reliable source of competitive advantage for companies in today’s economy. Realizing the need for continual development of the workforce, American companies spent an estimated total of 1,196 per employee, on workforce training and development in 2012. Effective performance management has the ability to significantly enhance such development efforts; employees could increase their productivity by as much as 26% under effective performance management systems. As companies strive to do more with less, properly designed and executed performance management functions as an essential mechanism for increasing employee productivity and continually improving business results
Revealing the Vicious Circle of Disengaged User Acceptance: A SaaS Provider's Perspective
User acceptance tests (UAT) are an integral part of many different software engineering methodologies. In this paper, we examine the influence of UATs on the relationship between users and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications, which are continuously delivered rather than rolled out during a one-off signoff process. Based on an exploratory qualitative field study at a multinational SaaS provider in Denmark, we show that UATs often address the wrong problem in that positive user acceptance may actually indicate a negative user experience. Hence, SaaS providers should be careful not to rest on what we term disengaged user acceptance. Instead, we outline an approach that purposefully queries users for ambivalent emotions that evoke constructive criticism, in order to facilitate a discourse that favors the continuous innovation of a SaaS system. We discuss theoretical and practical implications of our approach for the study of user engagement in testing SaaS applications
Carving out new business models in a small company through contextual ambidexterity: the case of a sustainable company
Business model innovation (BMI) and organizational ambidexterity have been pointed out as mechanisms for companies achieving sustainability. However, especially considering small and medium enterprises (SMEs), there is a lack of studies demonstrating how to combine these mechanisms. Tackling such a gap, this study seeks to understand how SMEs can ambidextrously manage BMI. Our aim is to provide a practical artifact, accessible to SMEs, to operationalize BMI through organizational ambidexterity. To this end, we conducted our study under the design science research to, first, build an artifact for operationalizing contextual ambidexterity for business model innovation. Then, we used an in-depth case study with a vegan fashion small e-commerce to evaluate the practical outcomes of the artifact. Our findings show that the company improves its business model while, at the same time, designs a new business model and monetizes it. Thus, our approach was able to take the first steps in the direction of operationalizing contextual ambidexterity for business model innovation in small and medium enterprises, democratizing the concept. We contribute to theory by connecting different literature strands and to practice by creating an artifact to assist managemen
Defining Agile Organizational Infrastructure in Traditional Project Management Context : Organizational Culture Perspective on Utilizing Agile Ways of Working
In today’s rapidly changing VUCA environment organizations are increasingly challenged by the
need for adaptability. This has evoked an interest in agile ways of working, originated in the IT
industry, and now spreading as a broad movement across various sectors. This research
examines the agile paradigm from the organizational viewpoint, focusing on organizational
agility and governance to determine how agile ways of working could be utilized within different
organizational contexts.
The research began with a literature review to establish the theoretical framework. After that
followed an empirical study that utilized the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument
(OCAI), based on the Competing Values Framework. This study was conducted within a Case
Organization, and the employees involved evaluated their current and preferred organizational
cultures, providing an understanding and insights in regard to applying agile ways of working.
The findings suggest that there is now one correct way for organizations to be agile, and
therefore each organization needs to assess and find its own ways of applying agile ways of
working. The empirical results suggest that the Case Organization needs an urgent shift from the
currently over-dominant Market-oriented culture towards a more balanced culture, however
with an emphasis on Clan and Adhocracy values. Furthermore, especially in areas of
Management of Employees, Organizational Glue, and Strategic Emphasis, there was a strong
emphasis on agile ways of working in the sense of focusing more on people-centered
approaches and prioritizing employees’ well-being. It is also to be addressed that, Hierarchy –
offering stability and structure – was notably present across all areas which emphasizes the Case
Organization’s need and desire as well for the traditional ways of working.
To conclude, this research emphasizes the importance of aligning agile ways of working with
organizational culture to enhance adaptability and responsiveness, suggesting that for an
organization to be agile it needs to effectively integrate both – stable and dynamic – elements
within the organizational infrastructure.Nykyisessä jatkuvasti muuttuvassa toimintaympäristössä organisaatioiden muutoskyvykkyyden
tarve on kasvanut. Tämä on lisännyt kiinnostusta niin sanottuja ketteriä – agile-menetelmiä –
kohtaan, jotka alun perin kehittyivät IT-alalla ja ovat sittemmin levinneet laajalti yli
toimialarajojen. Tässä tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan agile-menetelmien hyödyntämistä
organisaatiotason näkökulmasta, keskittyen erityisesti organisaatiorakenteiden ja kulttuurin
näkökulmaan.
Tutkimus alkaa kirjallisuuskatsauksella, jonka tavoitteena on luoda tutkimuksen teoreettinen
viitekehys. Tämän jälkeen seuraa empiirinen tutkimus, joka hyödyntää kilpailevien arvojen
viitekehykseen perustuvaa OCAI-työkalua (Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument).
Tutkimus on toteutettu Case Organisaatiossa, jonka työntekijät arvioivat OCAI-työkalua
hyödyntäen organisaation nykyistä ja ihanteellista organisaatiokulttuuria, tarjoten näkemyksiä
ja pohjan agile-menetelmien soveltamiselle.
Tutkimustulokset osoittavat, että ei ole olemassa vain yhtä oikeaa tapaa toteuttaa organisaation
ketteryyttä, vaan jokaisen organisaation on löydettävä omaan kontekstiinsa ja kulttuuriin
sopivat toimintatavat. Empiiriset tulokset paljastavat, että Case Organisaatiolla on tarve siirtyä
kiirreellisesti markkinadominoivasta kulttuurista kohti klaani- ja adhokratia-vetoista
kokonaisuudessaan tasapainoista kulttuurirakennetta. Lisäksi etenkin Työntekijöiden hallinnan,
Organisaatiota sisäisesti yhdistävän voiman ja Strategisten painotusten osa-alueilla korostetaan
ihmiskeskeisen johtamisen ja työntekijöiden hyvinvoinnin priorisoinnin merkitystä, jotka ovat
suorasti liitettävissä agile-menetelmien ominaispiirteisiin. Samalla tutkimus tuo esille, että
hierarkia, joka tarjoaa organisaatioiden toimintaan vakautta ja rakenteita, on merkittävästi läsnä
kaikilla osa-alueilla. Tämä osoittaa Case Organisaation tarpeen ja halun säilyttää myös
perinteiseksi miellettyjä toimintatapoja.
Tutkimuksen yhteenvetona voidaan todeta agile-menetelmien ja organisaatiokulttuurin
yhteensovittamisen tärkeyttä, jotta organisaatio voi aidosti parantaa muutoskyvykkyyttään ja
reagointivalmiuttaan. Organisaatiorakenteiden osalta tämä edellyttää vakaiden ja dynaamisten
elementtien oikeasuhdanteista hyödyntämistä
The co-evolutionary relationship between digitalization and organizational agility: Ongoing debates, theoretical developments and future research perspectives
This study is the first to provide a systematic review of the literature
focused on the relationship between digitalization and organizational agility
(OA). It applies the bibliographic coupling method to 171 peer-reviewed
contributions published by 30 June 2021. It uses the digitalization perspective
to investigate the enablers, barriers and benefits of processes aimed at
providing firms with the agility required to effectively face increasingly
turbulent environments. Three different, though interconnected, thematic
clusters are discovered and analysed, respectively focusing on big-data
analytic capabilities as crucial drivers of OA, the relationship between
digitalization and agility at a supply chain level, and the role of information
technology capabilities in improving OA. By adopting a dynamic capabilities
perspective, this study overcomes the traditional view, which mainly considers
digital capabilities enablers of OA, rather than as possible outcomes. Our
findings reveal that, in addition to being complex, the relationship between
digitalization and OA has a bidirectional character. This study also identifies
extant research gaps and develops 13 original research propositions on possible
future research pathways and new managerial solutions
German and Israeli Innovation: The Best of Two Worlds
This study reviews – through desk research and expert interviews with Mittelstand companies, startups and ecosystem experts – the current status of the Israeli startup ecosystem and the Mittelstand region of North Rhine- Westphalia (NRW), Germany. As a case study, it highlights potential opportunities for collaboration and analyzes different engagement modes that might serve to connect the two regions.
The potential synergies between the two economies are based on a high degree of complementarity. A comparison of NRW’s key verticals and Israel’s primary areas of innovation indicates that there is significant overlap in verticals, such as artificial intelligence (AI), the internet of things (IoT), sensors and cybersecurity. Israeli startups can offer speed, agility and new ideas, while German Mittelstand companies can contribute expertise in production and scaling, access to markets, capital and support. The differences between Mittelstand companies and startups are less pronounced than those between startups and big corporations. However, three current barriers to fruitful collaboration have been identified: 1) a lack of access, 2) a lack of transparency regarding relevant players in the market, and 3) a lack of the internal resources needed to select the right partners, often due to time constraints or a lack of internal expertise on this issue.
To ensure that positive business opportunities ensue, Mittelstand companies and startups alike have to be proactive in their search for cooperation partners and
draw on a range of existing engagement modes (e.g., events, communities, accelerators). The interviews and the research conducted for this study made clear that no single mode of engagement can address all the needs and challenges associated with German-Israeli collaboration
Helping Personal Service Firms to Cope with Digital Transformation: Evaluation of a Digitalization Maturity Model
Background: Maturity models are strategic and systematic instruments that help firms in the process of digital transformation. They are widely used as tools to display trajectories to guide the progression from an analog to a digital stage. To date, maturity models for industries such as manufacturing, software development, public services, telecommunication, and startup companies have been developed, and also being applicable in real-life practice. However, for the sector of personal services (e.g., education, retail, hospitality, healthcare, arts and entertainment, and craftmanship), maturity models are missing. To address this gap, this research aims to present a digitalization maturity model for the specific needs of personal service firms, and evaluate its applicability, usefulness, and impact in practice.
Method: The research is embedded in a comprehensive Design Science Research cycle. Based on descriptive and prescriptive knowledge, a maturity model has been developed. This paper evaluates the applicability, usefulness, and impact of the maturity model by conducting a mixed-method approach, including a survey with 30 experts from personal service firms and eight semi-structured in-depth expert interviews.
Results: Our results indicate that the maturity model serves as a strategic and systematic tool for short-, mid-, or long-term digital transformation projects by guiding personal service firms through consecutive development maturity stages until reaching a so-called stage of “digital maturity”. The model has been determined to be applicable, useful, and to potentially impact personal service firms towards the development of a digital business ecosystem.
Conclusion: The presented maturity model offers guidance for personal service firms to achieve the transition from analog to digital and serves as a basis for future research in developing effective instruments and strategic tools to cope with challenges from digital transformation
Business process management tools as a measure of customer-centric maturity
In application of business process management (BPM) tools in European commercial sectors, this paper examines current maturity of customer centricity construct (CC) as an emerging dimension of competition and as a potential strategic management direction for the future of business. Processes are one of the key components of transformation in the CC roadmap. Particular departments are more customer orientated than others, and processes, customer-centric expertise, and approach can be built and utilized starting from them. Positive items within a current business process that only involve minor modification could be the basis for that. The evidence of movement on the customer-centric roadmap is found. BPM in European telecommunications, banking, utility and retail sector supports roadmap towards customer-centricity in process view, process alignment and process optimization. However, the movement is partial and not flawless, as BPM hasn’t been inquired for supporting many of customer-centric dimensions
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