The realities of empowering teams: a case study

This case describes the transition of a manufacturing unit from operating under a rigid hierarchical environment to being run by empowered process management teams. This article traces the evolution of the transformation from the early days of skepticism and nonparticipation to the present, where most of the teams function with a large degree of autonomy and have made significant improvements in quality, lead time, and cost. Elements that help the team process are described, and potential hazards are outlined.     

Six Sigma: The role of goals in improvement teams

The tenets of goal theory have been well established as a motivation mechanism in the management literature. However, some quality-management advocates, such as W. Edwards Deming, often criticize the use of goals. This research investigates the tension between goals and quality management in the Six Sigma context. We find empirical support that goals can be effective in Six Sigma improvement teams when teams adhere to the Six Sigma tools and method. However, challenging goals are counterproductive when Six Sigma teams do not use the tools and methods rigorously. This research reconciles the differences between quality management and goal theory by showing that the Six Sigma tools and method interact with goals.     

Deep-level diversity in entrepreneurial teams and the mediating role of conflicts on team efficacy and satisfaction

International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal - Team start-ups have substantial advantages over solo start-ups, but teams often do not live up to their potential due to conflicts creating...     

An interdisciplinary research approach to manpower planning and development-an Israeli case study

The purpose of this paper is to describe a model for interdisciplinary research and to analyze the problems inherent in the application of this methodology. The discussion is illustrated by an analysis of a case study of the seafaring occupations in Israel.     

The formation of teams: a British and German comparison

The aim of this paper is to examine the introduction of teamwork in a British and in a German car plant owned by the same American corporation. It contributes to the current discussions about teamwork (Kochan et al., 1997; Delbridge and Lowe, 1996). Using the German concept of a 'constitutional factory' vs 'adversarial' framework, a cross-country comparison is made. The research includes interviews and surveys. Conclusions have been drawn on the actual Gestalt (form, shape) of teamwork with special attention given to the relationship between team members and team leaders. Teams in a more 'adversarial management appoints team leaders' model seem to see team leaders as a new form of supervison and split team members and team leaders into 'us and them'.     

The co-ordination of strategic initiatives within global organizations: the role of global teams

Given the growth in the globalization of organizations, the ability to co-ordinate initiatives of the headquarters and subsidiaries is rapidly becoming a major concern of management. The use of global task teams is explored in this paper to address co-ordination in global networks. A theoretical framework is developed to derive a model for the use of global teams as co-ordinating mechanisms of strategic initiatives in a global organization. The use of teams as a means to intervene between headquarters and subsidiaries is explored, illustrating the unique social capital of global teams. In addition, the potential issues in managing task teams in global organizations are discussed.     

Ethno-cultural diversity and organizational effectiveness: a field study

This paper examines the relationship between ethno-cultural diversity and attitudinal and non-attitudinal measures of organizational performance in a field setting. Data were collected from ninety-eight respondents in seven branches of a leading Canadian bank. As compared to culturally homogeneous branches, the culturally heterogeneous branches experienced lower levels of absenteeism and achieved higher productivity and financial profitability despite their lower scores on job satisfaction, organizational commitment and workplace coherence, and higher rates of turnover. These relationships were moderated by age, job tenure, organizational position, children's age, location of education and previous employment, birthplace and education level.     

Reinforcing collectiveness in entrepreneurial interactions within start-up teams: a multiple-case study

ABSTRACT

Using a qualitative multiple-case study approach and data from four high-technology team startups, we elaborate a theory on organizing entrepreneurial actions as team efforts and the kinds of interactions that reinforce collectiveness amongst entrepreneurial teams. Through systematic thematic analysis, we find that entrepreneurial action reinforces collectiveness through and during (a) the joint analysis and planning of entrepreneurial opportunities and strategies, (b) the joint decision-making and realization of opportunities and (c) the evaluation, feedback and sanction of entrepreneurial action. We analyse the dimensions through Giddens’s ideas on the duality of structures and agencies. We identify interactions that reflect a joint elaboration of opportunities, open and continuous sharing of knowledge and feelings, equality and democracy, joint effort and credit, informality and lack of bureaucracy, and feedback and helping. Our insights could be applied to create collectively entrepreneurial teams and to design education and training activities at a macro level to enable regional development.     

Tensions between assessment,grading and development in development centres: a case study

Development centres capitalize upon tried and tested assessment centre methods and are quite widely used in career management. However, a number of issues arise in their operation. Some of these reflect the balance between, on the one hand, assessing and grading people and, on the other hand, facilitating and guiding their future development. An investigation is reported of how these issues are experienced and made sense of in a UK-based international company. Data were gathered on two occasions one year apart (Ns = 95 and 113) from participants and other stakeholders in a development centre for potential senior managers. Findings indicate that participants who were awarded a high grade at the centre did not necessarily have more positive perceptions of the development centre process. However, grading, with its consequences for development, motivation and social networks, was salient in respondents' comments about the centres. Themes in these responses are identified and described. Participants were more likely than others (e.g. assessors, line managers) to value the development centre for reasons related to their development, whereas others were more likely to mention assessment/grading. Few respondents mentioned both. Overall, the findings support, to some extent, concerns about the incompatibility of grading and development, but also suggest that the use of grading does not entirely negate the developmental value of the centres. Much depends on perceptions of how the grading information is used.     

The role of certification in the buyer/planner position: a case study at Harley-Davidson Motor Company.

The use of buyer/planners may becoming more popular. If they are, the reason is probably that many companies are integrating materiel management skill sets as a way of increasing the effectiveness of their supply chains. Harley-Davidson recently created a supply management function composed of buyer/planners. This article describes the method it used to achieve the transition, the training plan it implemented to support the process, and the role management played in achieving success.     

新区产业功能定位和城市发展战略的耦合关系——以北京市海淀新区为例

以北京市海淀新区产业功能定位为实例,分析了城市空间发展战略和城市新区产业功能定位之间耦合关系的客观性、存在方式和利用途径.认为在新区的发展过程中,二者既互为基础,又相互支撑.在新区产业功能定位和城市空间发展战略制定过程中,应当注意把握这种耦合关系,改进规划方法.     

Structure and characteristics of top management teams as antecedents of outside executive appointments: a three-country study

We examine top management team (TMT) structure and characteristics as potential endogenous antecedents of outside appointments of non-CEO senior executives, an executive category that has not yet received significant research attention despite its importance for corporate outcomes. In doing so, we draw on human capital and similarity-attraction theories, thus combining two complementary managerial decision rationales. Additionally addressing the pressing need for cross-country TMT research, this study empirically analyzes a unique sample of 880 non-CEO TMT appointments at large non-financial corporations in France, Germany and the UK between 2006 and 2010. Overall, the results show that TMT endogenous factors such as structure, new executive characteristics and incumbent TMT characteristics may hold significant explanatory power for new executives' origin. Beyond the individual explanatory factors, the comparative nature of the study reveals three distinct country profiles of the degree by which the two theoretical rationales appear to influence appointment decisions.     

The influence of cultural context on the relationship between gender diversity and team performance: a meta-analysis

The impact of gender diversity on team performance has become a central topic in the field of human resource management for researchers and practitioners alike. Extant research provides conflicting evidence on the relationship between gender diversity and team performance. To resolve these contradictory findings, we meta-analyze the relationship between gender diversity and two performance outcomes, namely task performance and contextual performance. Grounded in categorization-elaboration model, we simultaneously consider the positive and negative aspects of gender diversity. We further examine the effect of cultural context as a moderator on the relationship between gender diversity and team performance. Based on 71 independent samples from 68 studies published between 1996 and 2013, we find a significant negative relationship ( ? 0.10) between gender diversity and contextual performance. Additionally, we find that the cultural dimensions gender egalitarianism and collectivism have significant moderating influences on the relationship between gender diversity and task performance.