Evidencia empírica de la adquisición de la competencia de resolución de problemas

La formación en la competencia de resolución de problemas es ampliamente demandada por el ámbito laboral. Este hecho hace necesario un examen preciso de la contribución de los estudios universitarios en la adquisición de dicha competencia. En el presente trabajo se mide y analiza el nivel de adquisición de la competencia de resolución de problemas de 742 alumnos del Grado en Administración y Dirección de Empresas (GADE), en dos universidades españolas, a lo largo de los cuatro cursos que conforman la carrera, empleando como instrumento de medida el Social Problem-Solving Inventory-Revised (SPSI-R). Los resultados muestran que los estudiantes tienen un nivel medio de destreza en todos los cursos. Se advierte, además, un aumento de su adquisición a lo largo de la carrera, aunque sin diferencias significativas entre los cursos. Tomados en conjunto, los resultados revelan que la formación proporcionada no contribuye lo necesario al proceso de formación de los futuros profesionales en esta habilidad.Training in problem solving is in high demand in the job market. This in turn necessitates a close examination of the contribution of university studies in the acquisition of such skills. In this article we assess and analyze the level of acquisition of problem-solving skills in 742 students in the Degree Program in Business Administration and Management (Spanish acronym GADE), through the four courses in the curriculum, using the Social Problem-Solving Inventory-Revised (SPSI-R) as measuring instrument. The results show that students have a medium skill level in all the courses. Also, we observe an increase in acquisition as they progress through the program, although without significant differences between courses. Taken together, the results show that the training provided fails to make the necessary contribution to the process of preparing future professionals in this area

The effect of locus of control in the relationship between budgetary participation and performance: An experimental study

Cada vez más organizaciones involucran a su personal en los procesos presupuestarios bajo la premisa de que una mayor participación mejorará la consecución de las metas presupuestarias. Sin embargo, la participación no siempre conduce a mejoras en el rendimiento, ya que las características de personalidad hacen que los individuos reaccionen de forma diferente ante situaciones presupuestarias similares. En este trabajo se estudia el papel de la característica de personalidad locus de control en la relación participación presupuestaria-rendimiento mediante un experimento de laboratorio con 115 estudiantes de grado. Los resultados confirman que el locus de control influye en los efectos de la participación presupuestaria sobre la eficiencia de los individuos. Nuestros resultados revelan, también, que individuos con locus de control externo alcanzan menores rendimientos que los sujetos con locus de control interno en entornos participativos, pero no obtienen rendimientos diferentes en función del entorno. Además, nuestros resultados muestran que solo para niveles bajos del locus de control (internos) una mayor participación se traduce en mayores rendimientos.More and more organizations involve their staff in budget processes under the premise that more participation will enhance the achievement of budgetary goals. However, budgetary participation does not always lead to improvements of an individual’s performance, since the personality characteristics make individuals react differently to similar budgetary positions. In this study, the role of the locus of control in the relationship between participation and performance is analyzed, by means of an experiment involving 115 undergraduates. The results confirm that the locus of control is a personality trait that influences the effects of budgetary participation on the efficiency of individuals. Our results also show that an individual with external locus of control is less productive than an individual with internal locus of control in participatory environments, but they do not reach different results depending on the environment. In addition, our results show that only for low levels of locus of control (internal) increased participation results in higher performance

Do Narcissistic Managers Prefer Incentive Systems Based on Financial Instruments? An Analysis Based on Choice Experiments

The purpose of this work is to analyse the preferences of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) in relation to the different components of incentive systems: financial vs. non-financial. The incentive systems could be an instrument for the sustainable development of Firms. Upper Echelons Theory establishes that the traits of executives affect the decision-making processes, and among these traits, narcissism is a potentially influential factor in these processes. Therefore, the extent to which the level of narcissism influences the choice of one instrument or another is also analysed. For this purpose, a choice experiment has been carried out to analyse the preferences of CEOs. The questionnaire developed incorporates both the choices about different systems and the NPI-16 test that allows individuals to be classified according to their narcissistic nature. The main results show that, in general, there is a stronger preference for non-financial instruments than for financial instruments in the design of incentive systems. However, narcissistic CEOs show a clear inclination towards financial incentives that bring them benefits rather than provide incentives

Do Narcissistic Managers Prefer Incentive Systems Based on Financial Instruments? An Analysis Based on Choice Experiments

The purpose of this work is to analyse the preferences of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) in relation to the different components of incentive systems: financial vs. non-financial. The incentive systems could be an instrument for the sustainable development of Firms. Upper Echelons Theory establishes that the traits of executives affect the decision-making processes, and among these traits, narcissism is a potentially influential factor in these processes. Therefore, the extent to which the level of narcissism influences the choice of one instrument or another is also analysed. For this purpose, a choice experiment has been carried out to analyse the preferences of CEOs. The questionnaire developed incorporates both the choices about different systems and the NPI-16 test that allows individuals to be classified according to their narcissistic nature. The main results show that, in general, there is a stronger preference for non-financial instruments than for financial instruments in the design of incentive systems. However, narcissistic CEOs show a clear inclination towards financial incentives that bring them benefits rather than provide incentives