Manager identity prominence and managerial performance

Although prior research has provided rich descriptions of what managers do, it is inconclusive on why some managers are more likely than others to engage in behaviors required for managerial effectiveness, such as making decisions for their teams and engaging with external stakeholders on behalf of their teams. Drawing from identity theory and social identity theory, I propose that manager identity prominence—i.e., the importance attached to the manager identity relative to their other affiliations (e.g. team, department, and profession)—motivates managers to engage more in these managerial behaviors. Since managers have to balance several identities at work, such as that of an organizational member, or an individual contributor on some projects, there is variation in manager identity prominence among managers. Furthermore, given the complex nature of the managerial role, managers often have a choice in the manner in which they engage in managerial behaviors. In this dissertation, I argue that the manager identity prominence relates to managers’ inclusive or restrictive engagement in managerial behaviors depending on their general orientations towards working to for the benefit of others (prosocial motivation), their beliefs about their legitimacy to dominate over others (social dominance orientation), and the breadth of strategic choices available to them at work (managerial discretion). To demonstrate these relationships, I introduce the construct of manager identity prominence and develop and validate an item-based measure for the construct. Using two studies—a quasi-field study on a panel of managers employed in the United States, and a field study at a large organization in Southern United States—I examine how individual and contextual factors modify the relationships between manager identity prominence and managerial behaviors. Results from two studies support the hypothesis that manager identity prominence relates positively to restriction of subordinates’ input on team processes when managers are high on social dominance orientation. Results from the multi-source field study also indicates that in contexts of higher managerial discretion, manager identity prominence relates negatively to decision delegation and positively to restriction of input from subordinates.Managemen

Social stewardship can help managers identify novel solutions amidst the COVID-19 crisis

While agency theory suggests that monetary rewards are a primary source of motivation for managers, stewardship theory suggests that in addition to monetary rewards, managers are motivated by higher order needs such as achievement, recognition from peers, and efforts towards enhancing the organisation as a collective. Niranjan Janardhanan writes that a stewardship-based culture encourages managers to understand the needs of stakeholders and enables them to identify novel solutions to thrive in turbulent times

Cross-understanding will help complex and diverse teams achieve mutually agreeable solutions

Teams whose members have diverse backgrounds can experience differences in task knowledge, sensitivities to various aspects of the task system, as well as beliefs and preferences about how to best approach or solve a problem. How might managers deal with this? Niranjan Janardhanan, Kyle Lewis, Rhonda R. Reger, and Cynthia K. Stevens write that, rather than focusing on common ground, team leaders should emphasise cross-understanding. Understanding the bases of someone’s views will help get to the real reasons behind differences in opinion, and therefore help to achieve mutually agreeable solutions

Skewed task conflicts in teams: what happens when a few members see more conflict than the rest?

Task conflict has been the subject of a long-standing debate in the literature—when does task conflict help or hurt team performance? We propose that this debate can be resolved by taking a more precise view of how task conflicts are perceived in teams. Specifically, we propose that in teams, when a few team members perceive a high level of task disagreement while a majority of others perceive low levels of task disagreement—that is, there is positively skewed task conflict, task conflict is most likely to live up to its purported benefits for team performance. In our first study of student teams engaged in a business decision game, we find support for the positive relationship between skewed task conflict and team performance. In our second field study of teams in a financial corporation, we find that the relationship between positively skewed task conflict and supervisor ratings of team performance is mediated by reflective communication within the team

Getting to know you: motivating cross-understanding for improved team and individual performance

Many contemporary organizations depend on team-based organizing to achieve high performance, innovate services and products, and adapt to environmental turbulence. Significant research focuses on understanding how teams develop, assimilate, and apply diverse information; yet, organizational practices have evolved in new ways that are not fully explored in the teams literature. Individuals with diverse motivations, knowledge, and perspectives are often assigned to teams, creating burdens for members to develop effective ways to work together, learn from each other, and achieve goals amid the complexity of today's organizational contexts. In this paper, we examine a multilevel model of how team goal orientation affects cross-understanding-the extent to which team members understand the other members' mental models-which in turn, affects team and individual performance. We examine these effects using 160 teams of 859 participants who completed a semester-long business simulation. Findings show that the more team members are motivated by learning goals, the greater a team's cross-understanding and subsequent team and individual performance. These effects are dampened when members are motivated by performance goals-to avoid mistakes or prove competence. This study expands the cross-understanding literature, revealing motivational antecedents that explain why some teams develop higher cross-understanding than others. We also contribute to the goal orientation literature by demonstrating that team goal orientation influences members' learning about other members and in so doing, also affects team and individual performance. Because team motivation can be influenced by organizational practices, our findings also contribute practical insights for organizational leaders

Student heterogeneity and leadership training: designing project management pedagogy for maximum learning impact

In today’s organisations, project managers’ responsibilities go far beyond managing projects within the triple constraints of cost, time and quality (Crawford 2005). They are increasingly being looked upon as drivers of strategic development of their organisations. This transformation in the role of a project manager calls for developing additional competencies such as business analysis and strategic leadership. The Project Management Institute emphasises a focus on these skills for project managers worldwide. Owing to the country’s fast pace of growth and the challenges that arise thereof, Indian companies and educational institutions are also fast realising the importance of holistic development of project managers. Recent research underscores the induction of soft skills and leadership capabilities in project management education. This has led to several studies in the international context that examine student experiences while attending courses in project management. A prominent characteristic that the literature has not dealt with in sufficient detail is the potential impact of prior work experience on students’ learning capabilities during the course. Since most Indian schools do not specify prior work experience as an admission requirement, cohorts usually comprise a mix of students with and without prior work experience. Hence, to analyse if pedagogy is effective, we must consider overall student experience and, in addition, whether and how the students’ heterogeneity in the form of their past work experience impacts their experience during the course. The objective of this study is to answer two questions: (1) is there a significant difference in perceptions of leadership aspects of project management between experienced and inexperienced students? (2) How can we design project management pedagogy to cater to this heterogeneity and yet provide superior student experience

Voice Assistants and Expectations of Instant Help

People use voice assistant technology (which has a salient male or female gender), no technology, or an ungendered technology, and rate expectations of instant help from a male or female subordinate in a workplace scenario

Should I do this? Incongruence in the face of conflicting moral and role expectations

Moral incongruence—a misalignment between professional role expectations and personal moral values—is an important phenomenon in modern organizations. Though scholarly work has provided us with insights into broad forms of role incongruence, much less is known about the distinct characteristics of moral incongruence. Moreover, we lack understanding of how moral incongruence may shape employee attitudes and behaviors. Drawing on deonance theory and socio-cognitive theory, we develop a model explaining the role of moral incongruence in promoting employee prohibitive voice, withdrawal, and unethical role behavior through the mechanisms of moral outrage and moral disengagement. Examining potential boundary conditions, we also consider the roles of moral identity, self-interest, moral intensity, unethical climate, ethical leadership, and organizational identification. Given the ethical implications of moral incongruence and the significance of the phenomenon for organizations, this work has implications for both theory and practice