Building leadership: how pride in your work leads to better attendance and quality

Human performance technology (HPT) stresses a rigorous analysis of present and desired levels of performance, identifies the causes of performance gaps, offers a wide range of interventions with which to improve performance, guides the change management process, and evaluates the results. The project described in this article follows this structure, providing evidence supporting the belief that HPT practice leads to superior performance in solving people-related problems. At times, human resource-related problems, such as a lack of trust in management, can lead to all sorts of other maladies. Attendance, quality, and on-time delivery can all be affected, as was the situation in the case illustrated in this article

Interacting with technology in an ever more complex World: Designing for an all-inclusive society

In a recent study we undertook we analyzed a relatively simple day-to-day technology namely the use of automatic teller machines (ATMs) by older adults. Our results alert to the fact that for an aging population Worldwide, even seemingly simple technological products (such as ATMs) have to be in future more carefully designed to be all-inclusive (e.g. intuitively usable by all) so that individuals do not feel marginalized by financially-oriented [as well as other] technology. This will enable obvious immediate benefits for people, including increased productivity, quality of life and independence. Recent studies have proven that belonging to social groups and networks – in sum, feeling included through one’s relationships in society – can be just as important for one’s health as diet and exercise – social isolation can be a health hazard comparable to that of smoking, high blood pressure and obesity (Jetten et al. 2009). Computers and technology, on the other hand, are to become ever more present in society (Challenger 2009). We thus believe that steps have to be taken to prevent the elderly and other groups with limitations from feeling disconnected in an increasingly technological World. Otherwise we will incur hidden costs at a growing rate (U.S. Census Bureau)

Teaching innovation – a comparison between courses in Europe and in the USA

What role does the formal teaching of innovation management play? Courses in Europe and the USA are reviewed, especially two courses, MIETE, taught at the University of Porto, in Portugal, and the Stanford University and Michigan University model from the USA. As these flagship courses have resulted in real innovations being introduced into the market formal teaching may well play a decisive role in the larger scenario of real innovation management. A literature review was performed and these two aforementioned cases studied in depth – MIETE via repeated contact with its Director and through the analysis of other publicly available information; while the Stanford University and Michigan University model was analysed by way of a comprehensive publication. A model for innovation and entrepreneurship is put forward whereby personal characteristics, the environment, and career experience and formal teaching will all play a part in the output of innovation and entrepreneurship in society

Business Model Generation: A handbook for visionaries, game changers and challengers

The book entitled “Business Model Generation: A Handbook for visionaries, game changers and challengers” though written by Osterwalder and Pigneur (2010) was also co-created by 470 practitioners from 45 countries. The book is thus a good example of how a global creative collaboration effort can contribute positively to the business and management literature and subsequently to the advancement of society. The book "Business Model Generation" has both narrative and visual detail. Before proceeding to do an in-depth review of “Business Model Generation” we first looked at other publications by the authors which led up to the book

Producing innovation: Comments on Lee and Yu (2010)

The purpose of the article being reviewed (Lee and Yu, 2010), a survey by questionnaire with 182 valid responses, is to analyze “how different relationship styles of employees in the hi-tech industry influence innovation performance” and indeed its conclusions are that “the relationship style of an organization has a significant positive effect on innovation performance”. We see Lee and Yu (2010) as being similar to another highly cited article by Morgan and Hunt in so far as both articles are about relationships, cooperation and trust

Facilitating qualitative research in business studies - Using the business narrative to model value creation

This is a conceptual paper supported by empirical research giving details of a new Business Narrative Modelling Language (BNML). The need for BNML arose given a growing dissatisfaction with qualitative research approaches and also due to the need to bring entrepreneurs, especially those with little training in management theory, closer to the academic (as well as practitioner) discussion of innovation and strategy for value creation. We aim primarily for an improved communication process of events which can be described using the narrative, in the discussion of the value creation process. Our findings, illustrated through a case study, should be of interest to both researchers and practitioners alike

Visionando um futuro melhor: ideias de responsabilidade social para melhorar a comunidade

Ficamos muito contentes com esta publicação, sobre responsabilidade social, pois é um tópico que nos agrada muito, aqui no Departamento de Economia, Gestão, Engenharia Industrial e Turismo (DEGEIT), da Universidade de Aveiro. Temos trabalhado de perto com alunos, muitos, ao longo de vários anos, não só com a nossa marca “Sê Humano – A Solidariedade está no teu ADN” – como também em submissões ao Concurso da Academia GRACE, entre outras iniciativas. A responsabilidade social corporativa significa querer ir mais longe do que aquilo que é exigido por lei e poderá representar uma viragem significativa na sociedade, se adotada ainda em maior escala do que atualmente. É também importante que os jovens debatam e discutam estes temas – procurando soluções. Este livro é uma pequena amostra de trabalhos visionados e projetados por alunos – que os fizeram orientados e incentivados por um Professor Coordenador – submetidos a concurso na V Edição do Concurso Anual da Academia GRACE (exceto o último capítulo, que foi feito noutro âmbito). Inclusive um dos trabalhos – do João Baixinha – arrecadou o Prémio Ideia no Concurso Academia GRACE 2018-2019.publishe

Innovating regarding culture, leadership, and consumption in Peru - an autoethnographic journey on historical entrepreneurship

We recently went on a trip to Peru. Lima, the capital, and Cusco, the former capital of the Inca empire. We loved Peru and the Peruvian people albeit have mixed feelings about the country and those who live there. Do they really see the [Entrepreneurial] Spanish Conquistador Francisco Pizarro as their saviour and founder of the capital of Lima? Of course, not their saviour… but undeniably an entrepreneur who took considerable risks and followed a specific strategy to reach a specific objective: to take over an empire with all of its wealth. However, the tour guides we had (total of whom = 7) were very polite and politically correct about this historic character. “He is part of our history and I see him as a part of our past” one tour guide said. Yet another said he did what he did because he had to… So, forgiveness, again. To understand is to forgive, I once read. The extent of the power of the Catholic Church is immense... a legacy of the Spanish. What did Francisco Pizarro do? He conquered an empire with around 200 men. How did he do that? By gathering support from different sectors who were discontent with their leadership and empire. I am referring to the Inca empire, which was spread across an immense territory, was rich and had solved the problem of food (or the lack of it). There was food for everyone under their rule. A rule which had learned from numerous other cultures. Why were the Incas hated? Perhaps as they were very elitist and violent, when they needed to be, our tour guide in Cusco shared with us. They had a lot of deeply held enemies. Who united with the Spanish “conquistadors”. And yes, the rest is history. Albeit as one digs a little deeper, we see that perhaps the resentment is still there. One tour guide stated that on the commemoration of the 500 years of the colonization that, due to popular protests, the commemoration was seen as inappropriate, should not go ahead and that the monument of Francisco Pizarro should be taken down. It was. The wound still hurts as if it was opened yesterday. In some cases. This is our story, from the Inca trail right up to Machu Picchu and beyond. An autoethnographic account.publishe

A liderança transformacional e as organizações positivas - alimentando o debate com a autoetnografia

Este artigo pretende ser uma discussão sobre a liderança transformacional e que deverá existir em organizações positivas (onde há uma meritocracia reinante; versus as organizações negativas mais regidas pela relação e pelos contactos do que pela competência e em prol dos objetivos estratégicos da organização). O discurso é relativamente informal e baseia-se na experiência do autor de mais de 35 anos em empresas e organizações de diversa espécie (com e sem fins lucrativos; de fabrico; de serviços; de consultoria; PMEs mas também multinacionais). O artigo é assim um ensaio autoetnográfico – “auto” pois se parece com uma autobiografia; “etnográfico” pois tem em vista perspetivas culturais. Alguns exemplos dados sobre como funcionam diferentes culturas na prática, indiciam a dificuldade de se ser um(a) líder transformacional – onde os colaboradores se sentirão motivados, satisfeitos, empoderados, psicologicamente seguros e aproveitados, levando a um desempenho superior da organização. Aborda-se a questão de a cultura ser um elemento estável das pessoas e refere-se a questão da cegueira cultural, que pressupõe que se desconhece ou que não se tem competência face a uma cultura específica. Não se pretendem dar fórmulas, mas sim sugerir que ser transparente, dar objetivos claros (com datas a cumprir), fazer saber o que é mau e o que é bom, que conduzirão como consequência à construção de uma cultura eficaz e empreendedora – onde haverá lugar para a liderança transformacional. A liderança transformacional dependerá ainda de quatro fatores-chave: a meritocracia, a proficiência cultural, os objetivos estratégicos da organização, e o ser uma organização positiva.publishe

Inspiring disruptive change: A novel approach to modelling the value creation process

This methodology paper puts forth a novel process with which to portray the value network and enterprise asset creation. Real cases which involved field research by the authors are used to present and better illustrate certain concepts. Organizations involve intense human interaction and require novel ways which make evident variations in performance, a central aspect of management today and in the near future. Our contribution is in combining the use of the narrative / storylines, game design patterns, value network analysis and the dynamic capabilities paradigm to reduce the complexity of the strategy debate. Our modelling tool is also pictorial and so simple to grasp. The primary value of graphical notations lies in their communication and understanding possibilities (Fowler, 2004). The importance of the dynamic capabilities paradigm (Teece et al., 1997) is emphasized in which ICT plays a central and strategic role (Pavlou, 2004) in the creation of value and consequently enterprise assets. Geertz (2000) brought attention to the fact that research is performed in order to clarify or usefully revise our own or someone else’s ideas and we see this clarification and revision as being necessary given a heightened need to motivate and inspire people to carry out actions of disruptive change (Denning, 2004)