Exploring the role of knowledge management practices on exports: A dynamic capabilities view

Drawing on dynamic capabilities view, this work provides empirical evidence on the role of knowledge management practices on export intensity in SMEs in a mature and global, non-high-tech industry. A quantitative study with structural equation modeling was carried out on a sample of 157 Spanish and Italian manufacturing companies in the ceramic tile industry. Our results suggest the existence of a mediating effect of dynamic capabilities on exports, hence the implementation of knowledge management practices is a necessary but not sufficient condition to improve exporting, requiring the existence of dynamic capabilities to reconfigure these capabilities. Findings highlight the relevance of knowledge practices to foster exports, providing new insights for managers dealing with dynamic capabilities in SMEs.     

Crafting Internal Hybrids: Complementarities,Common Change Initiatives,and the Team-Based Organization

Hybrid governance forms that seek to meld the virtues of both market control and traditional hierarchical control are alluring. Comparatively little research, outside of the M-form literature, has examined internal hybrids - hierarchical forms infused with elements of market control. This paper contends that common change initiatives, such as TQM, re-engineering, autonomous work teams, and group-based rewards, are appropriately viewed as attempts to craft internal hybrids by selectively infusing elements of market control within hierarchy. However, these change initiatives are often implemented in isolation and, as a consequence, violate patterns of complementarity that sustain traditional hierarchy or support the stable infusion of market control.The paper argues that these violations of complementarity often spiral hierarchies toward fundamental transformation. The clear trajectory of these transformations is to quite radically disaggregated organizations structured around teams. The paper presents both theory and evidence supporting the existence of complementarities among these common change initiatives.     

The sources of management innovation: When firms introduce new management practices

Management innovation is the introduction of management practices new to the firm and intended to enhance firm performance. Building on the organizational reference group literature, this article shows that management innovation is a consequence of a firm's internal context and of the external search for new knowledge. Furthermore the article demonstrates a trade-off between context and search, in that there is a negative effect on management innovation associated with their joint occurrence. Finally the article shows that management innovation is positively associated with firm performance in the form of subsequent productivity growth.     

Linking organizational culture, structure, strategy, and organizational effectiveness: Mediating role of knowledge management

Practices of knowledge management are context-specific and they can influence organizational effectiveness. This study examines the possible mediating role of knowledge management in the relationship between organizational culture, structure, strategy, and organizational effectiveness. A survey was conducted of 301 organizations. The results suggest that knowledge management fully mediates the impact of organizational culture on organizational effectiveness, and partially mediates the impact of organizational structure and strategy on organizational effectiveness. The findings carry theoretical implications for knowledge management literature as they extend the scope of research on knowledge management from examining a set of independent management practices to examining a system-wide mechanism that connects internal resources and competitive advantage.     

Strategic human resource practices and innovation performance — The mediating role of knowledge management capacity

This study examines the role of knowledge management capacity in the relationship between strategic human resource practices and innovation performance from the knowledge-based view. This study uses regression analysis to test the hypotheses in a sample of 146 firms. The results indicate that strategic human resource practices are positively related to knowledge management capacity which, in turn, has a positive effect on innovation performance. The findings provide evidence that knowledge management capacity plays a mediating role between strategic human resource practices and innovation performance. Finally, this study discusses managerial implications and highlights future research directions.     

Diversity challenge: An integrated process to bridge the ‘implementation gap’

At this time of crisis, companies rediscover the key role people play in achieving a sustainable competitive advantage. Taking into account the heterogeneity of their workforces, boards of directors and managers alike face the challenge of understanding how to manage diversities such that the benefits outweigh the costs. This article argues that companies can deal with this challenge by adopting an integrated process of change across strategic, tactical, and operational levels. Indeed, people's differences and diversity management need to be introduced and integrated within company values and vision (strategic level). This vision has to be translated into strategies, a specific policy, and its associated practices to promote the development of synergic cultural and organizational changes that affect the whole company (tactical level). Finally, this policy and its associated practices need to be turned into real actions (operational level). Herein, we propose and discuss an integrated process to implement diversity management in a detailed and sufficiently flexible way such that it can be personalized and adapted to a specific organization. From a managerial standpoint, the proposed model could be a guide for bridging the ‘implementation gap’ of diversity management.     

Change in Asia: a review of management theory and research related to human resources

Many competing hypotheses have been advanced to account for human resource management (HRM) change. The present review examines the theoretical development and empirical study in HRM change in Asia in the early twenty-first century (2000–2006). Three research themes common to HRM change are discussed: (1) change context is about the issues of forces facilitating or hindering HRM change; (2) change process includes pace, sequence and magnitude of HRM change progress; and (3) change direction is about resultant change outcome. Comparisons of HRM change are made within Asian economies as well as between Asia and other regions. It is concluded that the interplay among different perspectives can produce a wide variety of more complex understanding of change context while a longitudinal approach can add value to explain dynamic process and resultant direction.     

Adoption rationales of new management practices

This study considers that multiple and diverse rationales, including rational, emotional and socially conditioned responses can influence the adoption of management practices. The study includes four case studies in order to subject the adoption rationales that Sturdy (2004) posits to empirical inquiry and to explore the impacts of these differing rationales on characteristics of the subsequent adoption. The findings show that five of the six rationales Sturdy proposes are empirically identifiable. The findings also suggest that, subject to the exploratory nature of the study, earlier adoption of management practices is associated with political and psychodynamic rationales, consistent with notions of being seen to adopt new ways of working. The findings also suggest that the political and dramaturgical rationales are associated with more rapid adoption due to influential individuals or groups acting as champions. Whilst Sturdy proposes his rationales as a simple list, the findings of this study suggest a more complex relationship between the rationales. The study contributes to the growing body of literature that addresses the important topic of management practices, particularly those that provide an expository consideration.     

Oliver Williamson and His Impact on the Field of Strategic Management

In honor of Oliver Williamson's receipt of the 2009 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, this paper provides a set of perspectives on Williamson's impact on the field of strategic management. In addition to a few personal vignettes, the paper compiles citation statistics from the Strategic Management Journal over its entire history to report on the most frequently cited authors, most frequently cited papers, and dynamics of annual citations with respect to the most frequently cited authors. The paper also considers the breadth of topics to which Williamson's research contributes. The evidence suggests that Williamson's impact on strategic management research is not only profound but also continues to grow. Shifting to a prospective assessment, the paper explores the extent to which Williamson's research may impact future research in strategic management. To conclude the assessment, the paper turns to Williamson's PhD students who self-identify as strategic management scholars to understand his direct impact on a more personal dimension.     

Emerging Economies' March Toward Globalization: From China to Muscatine

ABSTRACT

In this paper, a university business faculty-based workload model (WLM) is described. The WLM incorporates all the activities associated with university academic life and serves as a base for the management and/or change management of any of these. The WLM also provides an objective, transparent and equitable mechanism for the allocation of workload for all academics in the faculty, recognizing that there are certain activities which have strategic importance and need to be encouraged. In this paper, the strategic academic activity selected for illustration is research activity and output (within an Australian context). The WLM can be adapted to suit most other country's higher education systems. The WLM per se explicitly incorporates an element of research management which is supplemented, due to the research context adopted in this paper, by a sub-model, the Research Quantum management Model (RQMM), whose specific intent is the (change) management of research activity and its subsequent output (research quantum).     

Fraud risk management: A small business perspective

Small businesses face big challenges when it comes to managing fraud risks. Financial strain, rapid growth, and a lack of resources and expertise create ample opportunity for motivated fraudsters to take advantage of small businesses. In this article, we draw upon insights from our years as fraud investigators to offer seven practical recommendations to help small business leaders prevent and detect fraud in this unique environment. These strategies can help even the smallest company make a big difference when it comes to fraud risk management.     

The value of human resource management for organizational performance

All executives would like to see their organizations perform better, and most search for tools that can help make this happen. For decades, human resource managers have believed that their function enhances performance. This contention has been met with skepticism on the part of executives, who wonder whether funds allocated to the human resource function are good investments. Dozens of studies have examined this issue, but their inconsistent results have provided no conclusions. To resolve a long-standing and controversial question – does human resource management matter for organizational performance? – we take stock of the available evidence. Based on data from over 19,000 organizations, we conclude that human resource management adds significant value for organizations. In addition, the value added is strongest when human resource systems are emphasized rather than individual practices, when human resource management decisions are tied to strategy, and among manufacturing firms.     

Detours and frolics on the Internet: Employer liability and management control of cybertorts

Most employers are aware of their legal right to monitor employees' computer activities, and they are increasingly doing so. Yet, few of those who do monitor are aware that exercising this right may impose a legal duty to monitor prudently in order to protect third parties and to report criminal activity to the appropriate authorities. This paper briefly examines employers' legal right to monitor their employees' computer activities. Our subsequent analysis of the ruling in Doe v. XYC Corp. [Doe v XYC Corp., 382 N.J. Super. 122, 887 A.2d 1156 (2005)]. illustrates that those businesses that do assert their rights to monitor may assume a duty to report child pornography to the authorities, as well as a duty of reasonable care when reacting to their employees engaging in so-called cybertorts. We discuss how this ruling may extend the doctrines of ‘detours’ and ‘frolics’ into cyberspace. We also discuss the potential for employers' liability for other cybercrimes and cybertorts committed by their employees. We conclude by examining the contours of computer monitoring policies that effectively serve employers' risk management objectives without unduly invading employees' privacy, and the likely consequences of failing to achieve such a balance.     

Examining cross-cultural compatibility of high performance work practices

This paper examines the relationship between high performance work practices (HPWPs) and cross-cultural dimensions to debate the effectiveness of HPWPs in cross-cultural settings. Using systematic review, 140 articles were identified on HPWPs and cross-cultural human resource management. Synthesizing the two literature areas results in four key findings. Many HR practices labelled as HPWPs are affected by national cultural dimensions. Also, several practices labelled as HPWPs have not been a part of the cross-cultural HR literature, and that limited studies in both area focus on the impact of cultural compatibility on outcomes. Finally, a few selected cultural dimensions have dominated the cross-cultural HR literature. Thus, more work is needed to: understand the role of national culture on effectiveness of HPWPs; increase coverage of HPWPs in the cross-cultural HR literature; understand the impact of cultural compatibility of HR practices and HPWPs on outcomes; and, incorporate additional cultural dimensions in future work.     

How knowledge management mediates the relationship between environment and organizational structure

Literature examining how knowledge management (KM) capability helps organizational structures cope with uncertainty is limited. Thus, this study builds and tests an integrated model to investigate the relationship among environmental uncertainty, KM capability, and organizational structure. Data from 161 firms were collected and analyzed. The results from structural equation model analysis support a mediating KM capability between environmental uncertainty and structural attributes. Environmental uncertainty tends to require firms to increase their KM capability, which in turn manifests itself in structural changes.     

Holding up the mirror: The impact of strategic procurement practices on account management

Procurement has grown up. It is now a strategic business function that increasingly recognizes the importance of strategic supplier relationships, a reflection of key account management. It is time to assess the impact of this shift on the profession and practice of account management. This paper examines customer adoption of strategic procurement and then discusses the implications this has for account managers at the suppliers serving these customers. New techniques are emerging in these special relationships, including the use of psychological contracts and co-measurement and monitoring. Perceived fairness will also have a major impact on the customer's view of their suppliers. Account managers must recognize these changes or fall victim to supplier delusion: the belief that they are performing better than they really are.     

The effect of organizational justice, perceived organizational support, and perceived supervisor support on marketing employees' level of trust

For more than four decades, research has investigated the relationship between perceptions of organizational justice and employees' work attitudes. This study used two data sets to examine how perceptions of organizational justice influence marketing employees' perceived support and trust. Specifically, this study examines the role of perceived support as a mediator between organizational justice and trust. The results indicate that in Study 1 perceived organizational support (POS) serves as a mediator between procedural justice and organizational trust. Interactional justice is both a direct and indirect predictor of supervisory trust through perceived supervisor support (PSS). Distributive justice is related indirectly to organizational trust through PSS and directly to organizational trust. In contrast to the results in Study 1, distributive justice is an antecedent to both POS and PSS while procedural justice is related directly to organizational trust.     

Top management team turnover, CEO succession type, and strategic change

While previous research suggests that CEO turnover correlates with strategic changes in firm's operations such as discontinuation of operations, we demonstrate that such findings apply only to specific types of CEO turnover, and only if non-CEO members of the top management team also exit the firm. Our analysis examines cases of contender, follower, and outsider succession and reinforces the key role of non-CEO departures in strategic change at a firm. The results support an integration of the upper echelons perspective and the power circulation theory view of top management team turnover.