Understanding Organizational Creativity: Relationships among Cross-level Variables and Creativity in Research and Development Organizations

We examined the association of creativity with creative personality, domain expertise, non-controlling supervision, and organizational learning culture, as well as cross-level interactions in R&D organizations. Using HLM, domain expertise and non-controlling supervision were found to be positively associated with creativity. Practical implications and recommendations for further research are provide

Integrative Literature Review on the Antecedents of Informal Learning in the Workplace: A Conceptual Framework for Future Research

Despite the explosion of interest in informal learning in the workplace, few attempts have been made to synthesize the current literature. This article provides an integrative and analytical review of prior empirical studies, particularly focusing on what factors have been identified as antecedents of informal learning in organizations and how informal learning has been conceptualized and measured. It then suggests future avenues for theory building, research, and practice. The authors propose a conceptual framework for understanding informal learning activities using three dimensions: learning competence, intentionality, and developmental relatedness. Implications for human resource development research and practice are also discussed

Knowledge Sharing and Human Resource Development in Innovative Organizations

Global competition and rapid changes in technology demand more innovation in organizations. Such an increase in innovation depends on developing the capabilities of employees and providing them with knowledge management support that accelerates learning and discovery. Leading companies have been creating work environments that emphasize learning and knowledge management since the turn of the century. This chapter presents profiles of practices in five such companies and draws conclusions that result in a model that ties human resource development (HRD) practices to knowledge management practices as a guide for other organizations

Perceived managerial and leadership effectiveness in a Korean context: An indigenous qualitative study

Multinational corporations (MNCs) across the world have sent an increasing number of managers abroad to leverage unprecedented opportunities in the era of globalization. However, their failure rate has been above 33% for decades, resulting in substantial costs (Puck, Kittler, & Wright, 2008). One of the primary reasons for this failure is a lack of understanding of the national and organizational cultures within the host countries (Festing & Maletzky, 2011). For example, while a number of MNCs have entered the Korean market, several such as Yahoo, Motorola, and Walmart have failed and withdrawn due to the companies’ lack of adjustment to the Korean cultural context (Choe, 2006; Woo, 2013). In spite of the significance of culturally embedded practices, most researchers who have explored management and leadership in Asian countries, whether they were Western or indigenous researchers, have implemented studies using extant Western management and leadership theories derived within the Western cultural context (Leung, 2007; Tsui, 2006). Numerous scholars have claimed that this could be problematic because the findings of such studies may not be applicable to non-Western countries (Li, 2012; Liden & Antonakis, 2009), and may fail to provide insights and understanding of novel contexts or to reveal indigenous aspects of management and leadership (Tsui, 2007). Consequently, there have been increasing calls for indigenous management and leadership research within Asian countries (see Li et al., 2014; Lyles, 2009; Tsui, 2004; Wolfgramm, Spiller, & Voyageur, 2014). Over the past 30 years, managerial effectiveness and leadership effectiveness have been substantially neglected areas of management research (Noordegraaf & Stewart, 2000; Yukl, Gordon, & Taber, 2002). In addition, there has been little agreement on what specific behaviors distinguish effective managers from ineffective ones. Furthermore, more research is needed to examine the managerial and leadership behaviors that are critical for shaping the performance of individuals, groups and organizations (see Borman & Brush, 1993; Cammock, Nilakant & Dakin, 1995; Mumford, 2011; Noordegraaf & Stewart, 2000; Yukl et al., 2002). While most of the research related to managerial and leadership effectiveness has been conducted in the U.S., the few notable non-U.S. studies include that of Cammock et al. (1995) in New Zealand who developed a behavioral lay model of managerial effectiveness using the repertory grid technique. Another notable exception is the cumulative series of perceived managerial and leadership effectiveness studies conducted by Hamlin with various indigenous co-researchers in Western and non-Western countries (see Hamlin & Patel, 2012; Ruiz, Wang, & Hamlin, 2013) using Flanagan’s (1954) critical incident technique (CIT)

A Multilevel Analysis of the Influences of Employee Expertise and Quality of Interpersonal Relationships on Organizational Knowledge Creation: The Moderating Role of Transformational Leadership

In the era of information and technology, organizations’ competitive advantage and sustainability increasingly depend on how they effectively create new knowledge. Drawing on relevant theories, this study examined the associations of organizational knowledge creation (OKC) with employee expertise and the quality of interpersonal relationships. It also investigated the moderating role of transformational leadership in explaining these relationships. Along with multiple preliminary data analyses, hierarchical liner modeling was performed to analyze multilevel data collected from 218 white-collar employees from 44 teams in diverse U.S. organizations. The study results indicated that employee expertise and the quality of interpersonal relationships are positively associated with OKC. A positive relationship of OKC with transformational leadership was also supported. Unexpectedly, a negative moderating role of transformational leadership was found in explaining the relationship between OKC and the quality of interpersonal relationships. In other words, when transformational leadership is high, the positive association between OKC and the quality of interpersonal relationships is attenuated. However, there was no significant moderating effect of transformational leadership in explaining the relationship between OKC and employee expertise. That is, the impact of employee expertise on OKC is generally positive regardless of the degree to which transformational leadership is exercised. This study contributes to both the organizational knowledge creation and leadership literature. For the organizational knowledge creation literature, it expands our understanding of how the three essential elements (i.e., ba, knowledge assets, and the SECI process) of organizational knowledge creation influence and interact with each other. The current study has value in providing first empirical evidence of unique combinations of variables influencing organizational knowledge creation process. For the leadership literature, this study sheds light on a contingent or even negative side of transformational leadership. From a practical standpoint, this study contributes to white-collar organizations wanting to increase their capabilities for organizational knowledge creation by informing individual and contextual enablers and understanding the interplay among them. HR practitioners and management should provide their employees with HR interventions that help increase employee expertise and cultivate positive interpersonal relationships in the workplace. As for leadership development, transformational leadership training is recommended, but with some caveats. Research agendas for future scholars are also suggested along with the study limitations