The Dynamic Production Axioms and System Dynamics Behaviors: The Foundation for Future Integration

Realistically, organizational and/or system performance is dynamic and non-linear. However, in the efficiency literature, system performance is frequently evaluated considering linear combinations of the input/output variables and without explicitly taking into account the causes of efficiency behavior nor the dynamic behavior of systems. Policy decisions based on these results may be sub-optimized because the non-linear relationships among variables, causal relationships, and feedback mechanisms are ignored.This research takes the initial step of evaluating system performance in a dynamic environment, by relating the factors that effect system performance to the policies that govern it. To accomplish this, this paper extends the concepts of the static production axioms into a dynamic realm, where inputs are not instantaneously converted into outputs. The relationships of these new dynamic production axioms to the basic behaviors associated with system dynamics structures are explored.     

Effects of strategic human resource management on strategic vision

It is pertinent for organizations that operate in a highly competitive environment to pursue a strategic vision. This study explores the effects of strategic human resource management (SHRM) on the implementation of a strategic vision. Other constructs of importance in the model include leadership, commitment and organizational structure. A total of 400 questionnaires were sent by mail to organizations of various industries and the total number of respondents was 104. Leadership was found to be significant in eight out of ten of the hypotheses, thereby indicating that the leadership of an organization plays an extremely important role in the achievement of a vision. Also, SHRM functions such that HR planning, recruitment and selection, rewards and compensation as well as training and development have significant effects in the achievement of different visions. For the vision of regional growth, leadership and organizational structure was found to be significant. Where market growth is pursued, leadership, reward system, commitment, training and staffing are significant. In the case of a strategic vision of mergers and ventures, only leadership was found to be significant. The only significant factor in the vision of low cost and productivity is planning. For a vision of customer focus and innovation, leadership and selection are the significant factors. Where innovation and product development are pursued, only planning is significant. For organizations that pursue cluster visions, the factors that are significant include leadership, commitment and selection.     

Accountability and Extra-Role Behavior

Accountability is a foundational element of every organization, and it exists at multiple of levels. Every organization, regardless of size, has accountability mechanisms. However, the formal accountability mechanisms adopted by an organization are subject to the interpretations of individual organizational actors. As such, individuals facing ostensibly similar formal organizational accountability systems may feel or experience different levels of accountability. This distinction is critical because it is the perception of reality (i.e., as opposed to reality itself) that drives individual behavior. In this paper, we examined the relationship between accountability and a key organizational outcome—extra-role behaviors. Our results partially support the notion that some level of accountability is essential, but that the relationship between accountability and extra-role behaviors is non linear in nature, assuming a U-shaped form. Implications of these results are discussed.     

Exploring the link between organizational values and human resource certification

We contribute to the discussion of human resource (HR) certification by identifying organizational values as a key antecedent to (1) an organization's use of HR certification and (2) whether organizational members choose to pursue HR certification. Building on research which has looked at the influence of organizational values on the behavior and attitudes of the organization and its employees, we propose that key organizational values will influence the extent to which an organization and its members value HR certification. Specifically, we explore the relationship between the organizational values of innovation, people orientation, and stability and the extent to which an organization uses HR certification for selection purposes. In addition, we propose that these key organizational values will also influence whether the organization's members pursue HR certification. Exploring the link between key organizational values and HR certification is critical to our understanding of an organization's HR practices and the behavior of its employees. By taking a more organization focused perspective, we highlight the top-down effects of organizational values on the value of HR certification and call for additional research on the antecedents of the value of HR certification.     

DETERMINANTS OF STRATEGIC PLANNING SYSTEMS IN LARGE ORGANIZATIONS: A CONTINGENCY APPROACH*

This study investigates the relationship among four design parameters of planning systems and five different firm and environmental characteristics. The impact of this multivariate relationship on organizational effectiveness is then examined using a sample of 115 large manufacturing firms. The findings show general support for the proposition that, in order to be effective, a strategic planning system should be designed in such a way that the specific situational setting of the firm is reflected in the design. The analysis also indicates that firms adopt a more flexible planning system - captured here by two key variables, planning horizon, and frequency of plan reviews - as the level of environmental complexity increases. Implications for future research are discussed.     

STRATEGY-MAKING IN CONTEXT: TEN EMPIRICAL ARCHETYPES

A more encompassing form of contingency theory is proposed to study organizations and their decision-making behaviour. Instead of looking at bivariate relationships between environmental, organizational, and decision- making style variables, it is suggested that researchers attempt to find a number of causal models which represent archetypal, or frequently occurring relationships amongst a broad host of such variables. In this manner, relationships are qualified by their context and a more complete picture of organizational functioning emerges. A methodology for isolating archetypes is presented and we discuss some findings which portray strategy making behaviour under different environmental and organizational states.     

ASSESSING THE SAMPLES OF PRIOR ORGANIZATIONAL RESEARCH

The sampling designs used in organizational research have been less than consistent across different reported studies. In this analysis we examine the reported relationships among several key organizational variables in ten separate previously published studies to determine the degree to which major differences in sample designs have influenced findings. We isolate that portion of reported associations due to unique characteristics of the samples and report the association these ‘sample design effects’ have with particular sample designs. Results indicate homogeneous samples of organizations inflate reported relationships yet leave significant sources of variation uncontrolled in sample selection. an alternative to sampling of homogeneous organizations is suggested by the fact that larger and probabilitistically selected samples are also associated with larger reported relationships among organizational variables.     

Organizational passages—Diagnosing and treating lifecycle problems of organizations

In this article a model for identifying organizational styles is presented. Such a typology has been found to be repetitive as a pattern in a significant number or organizations and it has been verified by hundreds of executives as reflecting their experience.The model enables an organization to foresee the problems it will face as it grows over time. Furthermore, it provides tools for prescribing effective organizational treatments-organizational therapy and surgery. It is a contingency model in that it presents a framework for prescribing the treatments most likely to be effective depending on the lifecycle stage of the organization.     

Environmental regulation and the industrial sector in China: the role of informal relationships in policy implementation

This paper focuses on the relationship between environmental regulators and industrial enterprises in China. There are widely recognized ‘implementation gaps’ in the Chinese environmental protection system. Previous studies have attributed such gaps to a combination of factors including legislative shortcomings, poorly designed policy instruments, an unsupportive work environment for environmental regulators, and a pro-growth political and social environment. The present paper seeks to extend the analysis by examining the role of informal relationships between individuals and organizations, and their mediating influence on the implementation of environmental policy measures. We argue that such relationships, which reflect a cultural predisposition to harmony and consensus-building among key actors, play an important role in determining how environmental policies are implemented, and how stringently regulations are enforced at the local level. Given the importance of decentralized implementation responsibilities in China, weaknesses in the system at the local level can constrain the achievement of national environmental policy objectives. A model of the implementation process is presented, and case studies from the industrial city of Foshan in Guangdong Province are used to illustrate the role played by personal and organizational relationships (guanxi) among environmental regulators and industrial polluters. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.     

Complexities and Controversies in Linking HRM with Organizational Outcomes

Our understanding of the way in which human resource management (HRM) is linked to organizational performance is still limited, despite recent advances that use a quantitative approach to argue for a strong positive relationship between 'High Performance Work Practices' and firm financial performance. These studies are limited by their reliance on a single informant in each organization, and their emphasis on financial performance at the expense of a broader range of outcome variables. This paper contributes to the debate by analysing in detail the human resource policies and practices of one case-study organization over a two-year time period, using a variety of methodologies and drawing on a broad range of informants across the organization. Instead of devising a list of 'best practice' HRM from the literature and testing its impact on performance, we instead invert the question and take a firm that is financially successful and ask what HR policies and practices it uses. We also examine the way in which these policies are enacted. This methodology enables us to show that even successful organizations do not always implement 'best practice' HRM, and that there is frequently a discrepancy between intention and practice. Outcomes at the individual and organizational levels are complex and often contradictory; we question the extent to which is it possible or meaningful to attempt to measure the interrelationship between HRM, at the level of the formal system, and organizational performance, without taking into consideration the role played by the informal organization in the process and implementation of HR policies.     

HOW ORGANIC IS YOUR ORGANIZATION?– DETERMINANTS OF ORGANIC/MECHANISTIC TENDENCIES IN A PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

This study compares two units within a major public accounting firm in order to determine their organic/mechanistic tendencies and establish the variables most closely related to these organizational characteristics. Results from a sample of 67 professionals balanced by unit and hierarchical level indicate that the process-oriented elements of an organization are the more relevant indicators of organizational development and provide a system for evaluating an organization on an organic/mechanistic continuum.     

Explaining Vertical Integration Strategies: Market Power, Transactional Attributes and Capabilities

abstract    We analyse vertical boundaries of firms by identifying and comparing industrial, transactional and firm-specific factors in such a way that industrial organization, new institutional economics and the capability-based view are all taken into account. After testing the model in 155 firms in the Spanish meat industry, we observe that only factors associated with both transaction costs and capabilities have a statistical and economic relevance for explaining vertical integration. Firms vertically integrate to create specific investment between stages of the value chain, to internally exploit their pool of knowledge and capacities, and to guarantee quality of inputs and services employed. On the other hand, firms avoid high levels of vertical integration in the presence of high demand changes in order to stay flexible. Finally, providers or clients with market power do not seem to affect vertical boundaries in any consistent way.     

A framework for designing an MIS for health delivery system in rural India.

A framework for designing an information system for planning and monitoring of rural health services is proposed in the Indian context. For effective monitoring the framework emphasises selection of a set of programmed and non-programme indicators on inputs, activities, efficiency and impact and their integration at the district level. For planning, a village level data base is proposed which will integrate environmental data with health programme data. Illustrative examples are provided for key features of the MIS and finally those elements of the information system which are either too complex or too voluminous to be handled manually are identified and the possibility of using computers for such analysis is explored.     

Under pressure: community water systems in the United States—a production model with water quality and organization type effects

This paper examines the interaction of productive efficiency, water quality and organizational type. A water quality index is constructed employing various contaminants which are then treated together with variables including organizational type as endogenous in an input distance function model. The cost of drinking water quality and inefficiency are derived and hypothesis tests estimated concerning their variation by location, organization type and water quality. The key findings are that more technically efficient water utilities deliver higher quality drinking water and that private firms distribute higher quality water at a higher price and at a higher implicit cost than public utilities despite no overall inefficiency differences between the two organizational types.     

Aggregate nursing requirement planning in a public health care delivery system.

In this paper, we present an aggregate nursing requirement planning model for inpatient services to provide inputs for preparing yearly budgets in a public health care delivery system. A forecasting system using autoregressive integrated moving average time-series models forms the basis of project demands for nursing hours by medical specialities. These projections along with the institutional constraints and patient care requirements are all incorporated in a linear programming model for assessing needs for permanent staff, overtime pay and contracting temporary help—by medical service, nursing skill level and time period (month). We also expand the model to evaluate the sizing of a pool of float nurses. The model is developed within the framework of routine managerial planning process of the system under study (vis-à vis, the data base and the organizational structure). Historical data are used to estimate input parameters for the model. The staffing needs generated from the model for 1978 are compared with the actual system performance.     

Residual affective commitment to organizations: Concept,causes and consequences

Research on affective organizational commitment has largely been conceptually restricted by the temporal boundaries of organizational membership, while only few authors have addressed how individuals may commit to an organization before becoming members. Given that individual careers increasingly span across a greater number of organizations, this restriction limits our ability to capture how employees experience their workplaces throughout their careers. Addressing this gap, this article contributes to the literature on affective commitment by arguing that individuals may remain affectively committed to an organization after having left it. We extend the temporal structure of affective commitment beyond separation by introducing the concept of residual affective commitment, and present a model of how such commitment is formed. We elucidate the interplay between residual and current affective commitment, complementing research on organizational newcomers. Finally, we open up new avenues for research by discussing theoretical consequences of the introduction of residual commitment.     

Stories from the Front‐line: How they Construct the Organization*

abstract Drawing on social constructionist theory this paper applies discourse analysis to ten narratives told by service delivery staff in one distribution network. The analysis looks at how the narratives construct the organization through their constructions of self (the narrator), customer and manufacturer and their constructions of the relationships linking these three sets of actors. The paper argues that the narrators construct the self either as an organizational customer or an organizational partner. The two constructions locate conflict either within the organization or at the customer–organizational boundary respectively. The implications of this are suggested. Contrasts between the manner in which organizational members construct the self as customer or partner and the construction of the organizational member in the internal customer literature are highlighted and briefly discussed.     

Organizational Goals,Outcomes, and the Assessment of Performance: Reconceptualizing Success in Management Studies

We revisit the study of organizational goals, outcomes, and assessment of performance that together define the process leading to ‘success’. We begin by conducting a systematic review of existing research which allows us to develop an integrative framework discussing this large body of work. We then describe contemporary research examples in light of our proposed framework. We close by proposing four new areas to continue to advance the field: reconceptualizing performance (and success) as achievement of goals; diversity of goal systems in research designs, and their relationship with the purpose of an organization; multilevel and temporal dynamics; and governance of goal setting. Overall, our efforts inform future research on organizational success in the context of our new societal challenges and accomplish the intriguing task of re-defining success in management studies.     

TOWARD A NEW CONTINGENCY APPROACH: THE SEARCH FOR ORGANIZATIONAL GESTALTS

Approaches that suffer from specification error and unwarranted generalizations are predominant among students of organizational adaptation and have resulted in fragmented and conflicting findings. The simplistic assumptions about organizations implicit in these approaches constrain the predictive power of findings and often prevent insights. It is argued that there exist complex Gestalts among environmental, organizational, and strategy-making variables, and that these Gestalts are relatively few and very different from one another both in terms of the scores of, and relationships among, variables. The Gestalts are expected to allow a richer, more complex, and multifaceted characterization of the process by which organizations adapt and change. They may also constitute enough structure in the data to yield more predictive findings. Some methodological approaches for identifying Gestalts are discussed [1].