Measuring change in work behavior by means of multisource feedback

Evaluating the effects of interventions is among the most critical issues faced by the field of human resource development today. This study addresses the potential of multisource feedback for training evaluation. The central research question is whether or not it is possible to measure change in work behavior, as a result of training, with multisource feedback in a reliable and valid way. A procedure for training evaluation was developed and three quasi‐experimental studies were carried out. The psychometric properties of the multisource feedback instruments used are discussed as well as the training effects that were found. Our conclusion is that in most cases coworkers do not perceive positive changes in the work behavior of training participants. Whenever a training effect is observed, this is observed by the ratee’s peers, rather than by the ratee’s superiors or subordinates. Overall, the results do not support multisource feedback as an efficient method for training evaluation. However, this does not mean that multisource feedback cannot be used in a training context at all. Two alternative applications are presented.     

A Law and Economics Perspective on the EU Directive on Representative Actions

Journal of Consumer Policy - This article provides an analysis of the Directive on representative actions for the protection of the collective interests of consumers of 25 November 2020. The...     

The Impact of Team Cognitive Styles on Performance of Radical and Incremental NPD Projects

Although prior studies increased our understanding of the performance implications of new product development (NPD) team members' functional backgrounds and demographic variables, they remained relatively silent on the impact of underlying psychological characteristics such as the team members' cognitive styles on project performance. The goal of this study is to explore the effects of NPD teams' cognitive styles on project performance in different kinds of NPD projects. Based on survey data from members of 95 NPD teams gathered in four Dutch manufacturing companies, hypotheses about the relationships between teams' cognitive styles and project performance of radical and incremental NPD projects are tested. Results of linear regression analyses show that the level of teams' analytical information processing positively affects project performance in both incremental and radical NPD projects, whereas the relationship between the level of teams' intuitive information processing and project performance depends on the radicalness of the project. These findings contribute to the academic discussion on team innovation, suggesting that, next to demographic and functional characteristics, cognitive styles in teams also significantly influence project performance.     

Structural ambidexterity in NPD processes: A firm-level assessment of the impact of differentiated structures on innovation performance

Based on a survey study of 155 U.S. firms, we conducted a firm-level assessment of the impact of different kinds of structures (i.e., functional versus cross-functional) in different kinds of new product development (NPD) processes (i.e., incremental versus radical) on different kinds of firm innovation performance (i.e., derivative versus breakthrough). We observe that most firms opt for similar structures for their incremental and radical NPD processes. At the same time, though, we find strong evidence that (1) firms that apply a cross-functional structure for the radical NPD process perform significantly better in terms of breakthrough innovation performance than firms that apply a functional structure for the radical NPD process and (2) firms that apply a functional structure for the incremental NPD process perform significantly better in terms of derivative innovation performance than firms that apply a cross-functional structure for the incremental NPD process. These latter findings point to the relevance of adopting structural ambidexterity, where firms make an explicit distinction between incremental and radical NPD processes and organize them in a different way.