59 research outputs found
Leadership Practices, Competitive Priorities, and Manufacturing Group Performance
Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of manufacturing leadership in enhancing manufacturing performance for different manufacturing configurations.
Design/methodology/approach
– Survey data collected from three levels of respondents in excess of 480, from 98 manufacturing units in the USA are used to test the study hypothesis using the cluster analysis and regression models.
Findings
– Effective leadership is positively associated with overall manufacturing performance beyond the fixed effects of organizational variables, such as competitive orientation and industry membership. The manufacturing leadership, however, does not seem to affect customer satisfaction.
Research limitations/implications
– The paper illustrates the use of behavioral theory of leadership in the context of managing operations with varying competitive orientations in different industries. Future research should, however, attempt to match different leadership practices/styles to different competitive orientations, and include employee characteristics, such as subordinates\u27 prior experience, training, or skills that may influence the need for demonstrating the leadership practices differently for different competitive orientations.
Practical implications
– As manufacturers pursue a combination of priorities, their manufacturing managers need to use a gamut of effective leadership practices, such as planning, delegating, inspiring, etc. Manufacturers may also note that effective manufacturing leadership enhances performance on a host of measures, such as quality, timeliness, efficiency, etc. which are directly influenced by the manufacturing group. For measures, such as customer satisfaction, manufacturing leadership needs to be augmented by managing customer expectations and by being more flexible in accommodating customers\u27 requirements.
Originality/value
– This is the first study to deploy multiple respondents to simultaneously examine the effects of competitive orientation and leadership practices on manufacturing performance
Job search and voluntary turnover in a boundaryless world: a control theory perspective
We propose a cybernetic model of job search and voluntary turnover that is based on
the need to remain employable in a volatile economy. The model depicts the process
by which individuals engage in ongoing cycles of job search activities that can
increase the likelihood of voluntary turnover, which, in turn, provides opportunities to
develop additional career competencies. We then examine the implications of the
model for future research on the turnover process
Job level, demands, and resources as antecedents of work-family conflict
The article of record as published may be located at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2010.10.002Although substantial research has examined the conflict that employees experience between
their work and family roles, the literature has not investigated the prevalence and antecedents
of work–family conflict for individuals who work at different levels of an organization. This
study examines differences in work–family conflict (work interference with family and family
interference with work) for lower-level and higher-level employees, the factors that might
explain these differences, and the differential effect of resources on conflict across job levels.
Results indicate that higher-level workers experience greater conflict in both directions than
lower-level workers, and that work- and home-based resources are differentially related to the
conflict experienced by employees who hold lower-level and higher-level jobs
Relationship between protean career orientation and work-life balance: A resource perspective
The article of record as published may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/job.1996Despite the commonly held belief that a protean career orientation (PCO) enables employees to
achieve more balance in their lives, little is known about the relationship between PCO and
work-life balance. Using two waves of data collection separated by 2.5 years, this study
examined the relationship between PCO and work-life balance among a sample of 367 college-educated
employees in the United States. Analysis was conducted to empirically distinguish
PCO from conceptually related constructs and structural equation modeling was used to examine
the process that explains the linkage between PCO and balance. We found that PCO was
positively related to work-life balance. We also found support for the role of several resources
(social capital, psychological capital, and perceived employability) that explain the relationship
between PCO and balance. In particular, PCO was associated with extensive career planning
activities that were related to the accumulation of three forms of career capital—human capital,
social capital, and psychological capital. In turn, social capital and psychological capital were
associated with high employability, which was related to greater work-life balance for
individuals who take a whole-life perspective on their careers. We discuss the theoretical and
practical implications of the findings and provide suggestions for future research
The family-relatedness of work decisions:a framework and agenda for theory and research
Due to global trends such as the increased labor force participation of women, the growing presence of dual-earner couples and single parents in the labor force, and changing values regarding the importance of life balance, individuals' work decisions are being increasingly influenced by family considerations. However, the “family-relatedness” of work decisions, or the extent to which family situations are considered in these decisions, has not been systematically examined. We propose a framework to examine the family-relatedness of work decisions and a broad agenda for future theory and research to test and extend the framework
College Student Career Development
College student career development refers to the processes involved in making career decisions and the outcomes of those decisions for individuals in college. According to developmental theories of career decision making, traditional-age college students are often attempting to refine their understanding of themselves, learn about the world of work, and discover how they might make work a part of their lives. Nontraditional-age college students report similar challenges, although they generally have less need to select career goals than do younger students. Not all individuals who pursue a college education do so solely for the purpose of preparing for a career, although for many, career preparation is a significant factor contributing to their decisions to enroll in a college or university. Thus, the primary vocational challenge faced by college students is choosing a major and deciding on career goals. Other important challenges include performing effectively in academic pursuits and learning skills that will enable students to succeed in a desired career
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