RESEARCH OF AMBIDEXTROUS ORIENTATION IN CROATIAN SMEs

Organizational balance between continuity of operative business activities and changes aimed at future success is often emphasized as a precondition for long-term organizational success. In this context, ambidexterity in firms is studied. It should enable the simultaneous focus on operational processes and active exploration of new opportunities in the process of ensuring long-term success. Due to limited resources of SMEs the question is whether these companies have to decide between operational efficiency and building new business opportunities. Crucial for the implementation of ambidexterity in SMEs is the entrepreneur’s ambidextrous orientation which should indicate the flexibility of entrepreneur in reconciling different approaches in business. The assumption is that entrepreneurs who demonstrate ambidextrous orientation induce, encourage, reward and promote activities beyond existing operational processes in order to seek possibilities for exploration and exploitation of new business opportunities in the future. The purpose of this paper is to examine specificities of ambidextrous orientation in Croatian SMEs. Ambidextrous orientation, the level of strategic ambidexterity and the relationship between them will be examined on a sample of 190 Croatian SMEs. Furthermore, the relationship between ambidextrous orientation and performance of the SMEs will be studied assuming that successful companies have a higher level of ambidextrous orientation. The aim is to further clarify the features of ambidextrous orientation in SMEs and how it affects their current success and future potential

SUVREMENI TRENDOVI U PODUZETNIŠTVU

Iako možda ne postoji suglasnost istraživača oko definicije i sadržaja poduzetništva, svi jednako ističu njegovu ulogu u stvaranju radnih mjesta i bogatstva, odnosno gospodarskog rasta i razvoja. Trendovi koji danas obilježavaju sudjelova-nje u poduzetničkoj areni su mnogobrojni, a odnose se na različite oblike poduzetništva, načine i izvore financiranja, odabir (informacijsko-komunikacijske) tehnologije, pristupe tržištu, poslovne modele itd. Zbog mnogobrojnosti trendo-va i opsežnosti u njihovom prikazu, tema rada je usmjerena samo na nove oblike poduzetništva. Svrha rada je je pojas-niti ulogu žena i imigranata u poduzetništvu te koncept socijalnog poduzetništva. Ciljevi rada su: utvrditi položaj žena u poduzetništvu, njihove motive i poteškoće s kojima se suočavaju; konceptualizirati socijalno poduzetništvo i odrediti pretpostavke za njegov daljnji razvoj; identificirati ulogu i značaj imigranata u poduzetništvu posebice u svjetlu zna-čajnih migracijskih kretanja i globalizacije

SUVREMENI TRENDOVI U PODUZETNIŠTVU

Iako možda ne postoji suglasnost istraživača oko definicije i sadržaja poduzetništva, svi jednako ističu njegovu ulogu u stvaranju radnih mjesta i bogatstva, odnosno gospodarskog rasta i razvoja. Trendovi koji danas obilježavaju sudjelova-nje u poduzetničkoj areni su mnogobrojni, a odnose se na različite oblike poduzetništva, načine i izvore financiranja, odabir (informacijsko-komunikacijske) tehnologije, pristupe tržištu, poslovne modele itd. Zbog mnogobrojnosti trendo-va i opsežnosti u njihovom prikazu, tema rada je usmjerena samo na nove oblike poduzetništva. Svrha rada je je pojas-niti ulogu žena i imigranata u poduzetništvu te koncept socijalnog poduzetništva. Ciljevi rada su: utvrditi položaj žena u poduzetništvu, njihove motive i poteškoće s kojima se suočavaju; konceptualizirati socijalno poduzetništvo i odrediti pretpostavke za njegov daljnji razvoj; identificirati ulogu i značaj imigranata u poduzetništvu posebice u svjetlu zna-čajnih migracijskih kretanja i globalizacije

VIEW OF MANAGING CHANGES AND STRESS IN CROATIAN ENTERPRISES

Every organization faces organizational changes during its existence. Changes in customer needs, emergence of new competitors, new technologies, availability of limited resources, economic and social trends are just some of the reasons why organizations have to adapt their strategies, structure, culture, technology and people (their skills, knowledge, habits…). Human resources are most valuable asset and therefore require to be carefully managed through the process of change implementation. This is a prerequisite for an organization to be successful in the contemporary environment. Changes generate stress for all members of the organization which in return affects the quality of work, behaviour and engagement. The purpose of this paper is to examine characteristics of managing changes and stress in Croatian enterprises from the perspective of the employees and managers. The results of the study conducted on a sample of 102 respondents show that organizations mostly operate in dynamic environment which reflects the necessity for continuous implementations of changes whether they are adaptive or innovative. More than 60% of the respondents perceive change as a positive process even though almost half of them regard resistance to change in their organizations to be moderate. Results from the simple linear regression also confirmed that change and stress management strategies have an effect on the level of resistance to change

A STUDY INTO MOTIVATION AND SATISFACTION OF CROATIAN EMPOLYEES

Motivirani zaposlenici postižu višu radnu uspješnost, a time raste i ukupna uspješnost organizacije te njena konkurentnost na tržištu. Pritom motivacijski sustav organizacije mora biti oblikovan tako da zadovolji potrebe i želje većeg broja zaposlenika te usmjeren na podizanje individualne radne uspješnosti stvarajući i nagrađujući poželjne oblike ponašanja. Primjeren i djelotvoran motivacijski sustav uključuje i više različitih oblika nagrađivanja, kao i pravednost pri raspodjeli nagrada zaposlenicima. Motiviranost i zadovoljstvo zaposlenih važni su parametri ocjene primjerenosti sustava motivacije u organizacijama. Svrha ovog rada je utvrditi razinu motivacije i zadovoljstva zaposlenika te prema tome odrediti jesu li u organizacijama potrebne promjene u sustavu motivacije. Ciljevi istraživanja su: utvrditi razinu motiviranosti i zadovoljstva zaposlenika pojedinim faktorima, prikupiti saznanja o zainteresiranosti nadređenih, ali i same organizacije o motiviranosti i zadovoljstvu zaposlenika, istražiti namjere zaposlenih u pogledu promjene radnog mjesta te saznati koliko je motivacijski sustav koji organizacije koriste usklađen sa željama zaposlenika. Istraživanje je provedeno od 18. travnja do 18. svibnja 2015. godine na uzorku od 165 ispitanika korištenjem online anketnog upitnika. Nakon provedene deskriptivne statističke analize moguće je utvrditi srednju razinu motiviranosti i zadovoljstva zaposlenika. Najveći broj ispitanika izdvojio je „sigurnost posla“ kao faktor najviše razine motivacije te „redovitost isplate plaće“ kao element kojim su u najvećoj mjeri zadovoljni u organizacijama u kojima su zaposleni, što odražava dugotrajno nepovoljno gospodarsko okruženje i rast broja nezaposlenih. „Mogućnost za napredovanje“ faktor je čijim su izostankom ispitanici u najvećoj mjeri nezadovoljni.Motivated employees achieve better work performance, thereby increasing the overall performance of an organisation and its competitiveness in the market. The motivational system of an organization must be designed to meet the needs and wishes of a large number of employees and to aim at improving individual work performance by creating and rewarding desirable behaviour. An adequate and effective motivational system includes several different forms of rewards, as well as fairness in the distribution of rewards to employees. Employees’ motivation and satisfaction are important parameters in evaluating the appropriateness of the motivation system in organizations. The purpose of this study is to determine the level of employees’ motivation and satisfaction and, therefore, determine whether organizations require changes in the motivation system. The research objectives are: to determine the employees’ level of motivation and satisfaction concerning specific factors, to collect information about the interest superiors, but also the organization itself, demonstrate concerning employees’ motivation and satisfaction, to explore the intentions of employees about changing their position, to ascertain to what extent the motivational system that organizations use is in compliance with the wishes of employees. The survey was conducted from 18 April to 18 May, 2015 on a sample of 165 respondents using an online questionnaire. After the descriptive statistical analysis was conducted, it is possible to determine the medium level of motivation and satisfaction of employees. The largest number of the respondents selected "job security" as the most motivating factor and "regularity of salary payments" as an element they are mostly satisfied with in the organization where they work. This reflects a long-term unfavourable economic environment and a rise in the number of the unemployed. "Opportunity for advancement" is a factor, which was due to its absence in organizations, rated poorly by the respondents to a great extent

BUSINESS AND ENGINEERING ETHICS – SIMILARITIES, DIFFERENCES AND CHALLENGES

Issues of applied ethics and its influence on the behaviour of people in the wider social context have been investigated from many different aspects. The aim of this paper is to clarify the fundamental differences and similarities between business and engineering ethics, determine the areas which represent potential source of conflict and explore specific ethical dilemmas that occur with individuals who are engaged in the engineering profession in the business surroundings. Previous research lacks agreement. Practice has proved that the ethical dilemmas are integral part of engineering work due to various challenges such as: relationship between quality and safety, quality and costs, safety and costs; intellectual property issues, etc. Considering that in most cases engineers are employed by business subjects who adopt economic principles, engineering and business aspects of engineering decisions are inseparable. The empirical part of the paper will consist of research of the engineer’s attitudes referring to: different domains of engineering in which ethical issues arise, conditions at work associated with ethical issues; common difficulties encountered and the level of support ensured by firm in dealing with ethical dilemmas, and the attitude toward engineering ethics as professional ethics. Theoretical and empirical research are expected to give an evaluation of key areas that determine the ethical challenges faced by engineers and open questions about guidelines that will assist in solving specific engineering ethical dilemmas

Rad ne sadrži naslov na drugom jeziku.

Svrha disertacije je teorijski i empirijski istražiti stil vodstva strateških menadžera i organizacijsko poduzetništvo (kroz dimenzije: inoviranje, pokretanje novog poslovnog poduhvata i samoobnovu organizacije) u velikim poduzećima s obzirom na organizacijske performanse. Glavni ciljevi istraživanja su: istražiti različite pristupe vodstvu s posebnim naglaskom na koncepte transformacijskog i transakcijskog vodstva te laissez-faire vodstva, istražiti dosadašnje pristupe organizacijskom poduzetništvu, ispitati uzročno-posljedične veze između stilova vodstva i dimenzija organizacijskog poduzetništva, ispitati uzročno-posljedične veze između stilova vodstva i organizacijskih performansi, ispitati uzročno-posljedične veze između dimenzija organizacijskog poduzetništva i organizacijskih performansi, ispitati postoji li razlika u razini organizacijskog poduzetništva s obzirom na vlasnički udio strateških menadžera. Na osnovi provedenog teorijskog istraživanja oblikovan je konceptualni model. Rezultati istraživanja ukazuju na sljedeće: 1) stilovi vodstva značajno i pozitivno utječu na organizacijsko poduzetništvo, pri čemu je taj utjecaj statistički značajan i pozitivan za transformacijsko vodstvo te pozitivan za transakcijsko vodstvo i negativan za laissez-faire vodstvo, ali nije statistički značajan; 2) stilovi vodstva značajno i pozitivno utječu na organizacijske performanse, pri čemu je taj utjecaj statistički značajan i pozitivan za transformacijsko vodstvo te pozitivan za transakcijsko vodstvo i negativan za laissez-faire vodstvo, ali nije statistički značajan; 3) organizacijsko poduzetništvo značajno i pozitivno utječe na organizacijske performanse, pri čemu je taj utjecaj statistički značajan i pozitivan za inoviranje i samoobnovu postojećeg poduzeća te negativan za pokretanje novog poslovnog pothvata, ali nije statistički značajan; 4) nije utvrđena statistički značajna razlika u razini organizacijskog poduzetništva s obzirom na vlasnički udio strateških menadžera. Analiza i zaključci provedenog istraživanja omogućuju identificiranje prikladnog stila vodstva za razvoj poduzetničke organizacije koji pruža podršku poduzetničkim aktivnostima u organizaciji s ciljem ostvarivanja željenih organizacijskih performansi. Navedene rezultate treba tumačiti u kontekstu određenih ograničenja: veličina istraživačkog uzorka, samoprocjena stila vodstva od strane menadžera, premali broj ispitanika s vlasničkim udjelom u poduzeću.The purpose of this dissertation is to theoretically and empirically investigate the leadership style of strategic managers and organizational entrepreneurship (using dimensions: innovation, corporate venturing, and self-renewal) in large enterprises with respect to organizational performance. The main research objectives are: to explore different leadership theories with special emphasis on the concepts of transformational, transactional leadership and laissez-faire leadership; to explore different approaches to organizational entrepreneurship; to examine the cause-and-effect relationships between leadership styles and dimensions of organizational entrepreneurship; between leadership styles and organizational performance; between dimensions of organizational entrepreneurship and organizational performance; to investigate whether there is a difference in the level of organizational entrepreneurship with respect to the ownership share of strategic managers. Based on the theoretical research, a conceptual model was formed. The research results indicate that: 1) leadership styles have a significant and positive impact on organizational entrepreneurship, with this impact being statistically significant and positive for transformational leadership, and positive for transactional leadership and negative for laissez-faire leadership, but not statistically significant; 2) leadership styles significantly and positively influence organizational performance, with this impact being statistically significant and positive for transformational leadership and positive for transactional leadership and negative for laissez-faire leadership, but not statistically significant; 3) organizational entrepreneurship has a significant and positive impact on organizational performance, with this impact being statistically significant and positive for innovation and self-renewal and negative for new business venture, but not statistically significant; 4) no statistically significant difference was found in the level of organizational entrepreneurship concerning the ownership share of strategic managers. The research results and conclusions enables us to identify the appropriate leadership style for the development of an entrepreneurial organization, which provides support for entrepreneurial activities in the organization with the aim of ensuring organizational success. There are some limitations to this study: the size of the research sample, the manager's self-reported leadership style, and a small number of respondents with ownership in the enterprise

Rad ne sadrži naslov na drugom jeziku.

Svrha disertacije je teorijski i empirijski istražiti stil vodstva strateških menadžera i organizacijsko poduzetništvo (kroz dimenzije: inoviranje, pokretanje novog poslovnog poduhvata i samoobnovu organizacije) u velikim poduzećima s obzirom na organizacijske performanse. Glavni ciljevi istraživanja su: istražiti različite pristupe vodstvu s posebnim naglaskom na koncepte transformacijskog i transakcijskog vodstva te laissez-faire vodstva, istražiti dosadašnje pristupe organizacijskom poduzetništvu, ispitati uzročno-posljedične veze između stilova vodstva i dimenzija organizacijskog poduzetništva, ispitati uzročno-posljedične veze između stilova vodstva i organizacijskih performansi, ispitati uzročno-posljedične veze između dimenzija organizacijskog poduzetništva i organizacijskih performansi, ispitati postoji li razlika u razini organizacijskog poduzetništva s obzirom na vlasnički udio strateških menadžera. Na osnovi provedenog teorijskog istraživanja oblikovan je konceptualni model. Rezultati istraživanja ukazuju na sljedeće: 1) stilovi vodstva značajno i pozitivno utječu na organizacijsko poduzetništvo, pri čemu je taj utjecaj statistički značajan i pozitivan za transformacijsko vodstvo te pozitivan za transakcijsko vodstvo i negativan za laissez-faire vodstvo, ali nije statistički značajan; 2) stilovi vodstva značajno i pozitivno utječu na organizacijske performanse, pri čemu je taj utjecaj statistički značajan i pozitivan za transformacijsko vodstvo te pozitivan za transakcijsko vodstvo i negativan za laissez-faire vodstvo, ali nije statistički značajan; 3) organizacijsko poduzetništvo značajno i pozitivno utječe na organizacijske performanse, pri čemu je taj utjecaj statistički značajan i pozitivan za inoviranje i samoobnovu postojećeg poduzeća te negativan za pokretanje novog poslovnog pothvata, ali nije statistički značajan; 4) nije utvrđena statistički značajna razlika u razini organizacijskog poduzetništva s obzirom na vlasnički udio strateških menadžera. Analiza i zaključci provedenog istraživanja omogućuju identificiranje prikladnog stila vodstva za razvoj poduzetničke organizacije koji pruža podršku poduzetničkim aktivnostima u organizaciji s ciljem ostvarivanja željenih organizacijskih performansi. Navedene rezultate treba tumačiti u kontekstu određenih ograničenja: veličina istraživačkog uzorka, samoprocjena stila vodstva od strane menadžera, premali broj ispitanika s vlasničkim udjelom u poduzeću.The purpose of this dissertation is to theoretically and empirically investigate the leadership style of strategic managers and organizational entrepreneurship (using dimensions: innovation, corporate venturing, and self-renewal) in large enterprises with respect to organizational performance. The main research objectives are: to explore different leadership theories with special emphasis on the concepts of transformational, transactional leadership and laissez-faire leadership; to explore different approaches to organizational entrepreneurship; to examine the cause-and-effect relationships between leadership styles and dimensions of organizational entrepreneurship; between leadership styles and organizational performance; between dimensions of organizational entrepreneurship and organizational performance; to investigate whether there is a difference in the level of organizational entrepreneurship with respect to the ownership share of strategic managers. Based on the theoretical research, a conceptual model was formed. The research results indicate that: 1) leadership styles have a significant and positive impact on organizational entrepreneurship, with this impact being statistically significant and positive for transformational leadership, and positive for transactional leadership and negative for laissez-faire leadership, but not statistically significant; 2) leadership styles significantly and positively influence organizational performance, with this impact being statistically significant and positive for transformational leadership and positive for transactional leadership and negative for laissez-faire leadership, but not statistically significant; 3) organizational entrepreneurship has a significant and positive impact on organizational performance, with this impact being statistically significant and positive for innovation and self-renewal and negative for new business venture, but not statistically significant; 4) no statistically significant difference was found in the level of organizational entrepreneurship concerning the ownership share of strategic managers. The research results and conclusions enables us to identify the appropriate leadership style for the development of an entrepreneurial organization, which provides support for entrepreneurial activities in the organization with the aim of ensuring organizational success. There are some limitations to this study: the size of the research sample, the manager's self-reported leadership style, and a small number of respondents with ownership in the enterprise