Integrating Pragmatism and Ethics in Entrepreneurial Leadership for Sustainable Value Creation

The relationship between entrepreneurship and ethics has largely been characterized as antithetical. In this article we develop a conceptual model integrating pragmatism, a philosophical approach that emphasizes experimentation and action characteristic of entrepreneurial leadership, with ethics to suggest that the two are not incompatible and that sustaining entrepreneurial leadership for value creation necessitates ethical action to build legitimacy. Case studies from the United States and India highlight the necessity of infusing pragmatism with ethics for sustainable entrepreneurial leadership.     

Managerial Behavior, Entrepreneurial Style, and Small Firm Performance

Considerable effort has been devoted to identifying the general characteristics of entrepreneur; however, much of this has been conducted from a trait–based rather than from a behavioral perspective. In this study of small firms in the United Kingdom, we explored the relationships among managerial behaviors (based upon a competence model), entrepreneurial style (based on Covin and Slevin's theory), and firm type (in terms of sales growth performance). Principal components analysis of a management competence inventory identified six broad categories of managerial behavior. Regressing a measure of entrepreneurial style on these six behaviors suggested that managing culture and managing vision are related to an entrepreneurial style, while managing performance is related to a nonentrepreneurial style. Entrepreneurial style—but not managerial behavior—was associated positively with the probability that a firm would be a high–growth type. The results are discussed from the perspective of a model of small firm management that posits separate entrepreneurial, nonentrepreneurial, and generic management behaviors derived from a global competence space.     

Advancing Entrepreneurial Leadership as a Practice in MSME Management and Development

Consistent with recent studies, we emphasize that entrepreneurial leadership benefits from mutual cross‐fertilization between entrepreneurship and leadership, making it an effective mechanism for studying micro small and medium enterprise (MSME) management and development. Since it is an emerging concept and existing knowledge on MSME management and development so scattered, our comprehensive entrepreneurship and leadership literature review provided us in‐depth insights and new perspectives. From our analysis, a framework emerged mapping a new path for MSMEs. The model presents a nuanced leadership paradigm for small businesses. Thus, by presenting a mechanism that offers new methods aimed at managing and developing MSMEs, we extend existing leadership theories.     

Impact of Leadership Style on Channel Partner Motivation

Abstract

While channel decision makers can expend considerable effort in designing efficient and effective distribution channel systems to serve their target markets, success in achieving the firm's distribution objectives may not be realized without implementing a systematic program for motivating distribution channel partners. This places a premium on the identification and use of effective channel strategies for motivating channel partners as well as the capacity of the channel captain to provide leadership as a means of attaining a differential advantage. Thus, channel leadership style has become a critical issue in the administration of distribution channels. Despite the importance of motivating channel partners, there is a paucity of research on this construct. To augment the existing knowledge on channel partner motivation-a fundamental area of interorganizational management-this study empirically examined the influence of participative, supportive, and directive leadership styles on channel partner motivation. Moreover, the relationship between channel partner motivation and channel partner performance is also investigated.

The linkages among the constructs were empirically tested on data drawn from a sample of distributive institutions for new automobiles. The findings from this investigation indicate that participative, supportive and directive leadership styles are statistically significant predictors of channel partner motivation, which, in turn, is a determinant of channel partner performance. Distribution channel management implications are discussed, the limitations of the study are identified, and directions for future research are proffered.     

Impact of Personality on Sales Manager Leadership Style

ABSTRACT

Much research in sales management has examined the impact sales manager leadership styles have on salesperson work outcomes. What has not been investigated is what factors may lead an individual to adopt one leadership approach over an alternate. Theorists in organizational behavior posit that personality characteristics may be predictive of the leadership style an individual employs. This paper reports the results of a study that explored whether two key personality variables-extraversion and neuroticism-are related to three prominent leadership styles-laissez-faire, transaction-al, and charismatic. The findings support the overriding hypothesis that the two personality variables are strongly related to and account for a substantial portion of the variance in the three leadership styles. Implications for sales management practice and research are provided.     

Leadership Style as Driver of Salespeoples' Customer Orientation

The topic of customer orientation has increasingly attracted interest in both academic marketing research and practice. One factor which has been increasingly discussed as an important driver of a sales person's customer orientation is that of leadership style. If a sales person's supervisor expresses a strong customer orientation this should have a strong impact on the behavior of his or her subordinates. However, this aspect has not received much research attention. In this study, we propose a theoretical framework of leadership style which identifies three key dimensions: initiation of structure, consideration, and initiation of customer orientation. Hypotheses which relate these dimensions to customer oriented attitudes and behaviors are then developed and empirically examined. Results support the presence of three dimensions of customer oriented leadership style. Findings also indicate differential effects of the three dimensions on customer oriented attitudes. The academic and managerial implications of these findings are then discussed.     

Understanding Responsible Leadership: Role Identity and Motivational Drivers

This article contributes to the emerging discussion on responsible leadership by providing an analysis of the inner theatre of a responsible leader. I use a narrative approach for analyzing the biography of Anita Roddick as a widely acknowledged prototype of a responsible leader. With clinical and normative lenses I explore the relationship between responsible leadership behavior and the underlying motivational systems. I begin the article with an introduction outlining the current state of responsible leadership research and explaining the kind of magnifying glasses used to examine the case. I continue with a brief summary of Anita Roddick’s development from childhood to adulthood, which provides the biographical background for exploring her motivational systems as a leader. Against this backdrop, I analyze the relationship between motivational drivers and a responsible leadership identity as revealed by Roddick in different behavioral leadership roles. I conclude the article by providing a number of lessons learned for responsible leadership and the development of future global leaders. Dr. Nicola M. Pless is a former Vice President of leadership development at a large financial services institution. Currently she is Reader in Responsible Leadership at the University of St. Gallen and Research Director of the HSG-INSEAD Initiative on Responsible Leadership. She holds a Ph.D. in organizational theory and social issues from the University of St. Gallen and a diploma in clinical organizational psychology from INSEAD where she is a Visiting Senior Research Fellow. She is editor of “Responsible Leadership”, published by Routledge in 2006.     

CEO Entrepreneurial Leadership and Performance Outcomes of Top Management Teams in Entrepreneurial Ventures: The Mediating Effects of Psychological Safety

This study examines whether the exhibition of entrepreneurial leadership by CEOs within entrepreneurial ventures fosters higher levels of top management team performance and job performance of team members, and whether psychological safety explains such effects. Utilizing four waves of multisource, multilevel data from 262 team members across 56 top management teams, we find that the exercise of entrepreneurial leadership by the CEO leads to higher levels of performance at the team and individual levels, and that psychological safety mediates such relationships.     

The Relationship of Downward Mobbing with Leadership Style and Organizational Attitudes

The present study investigates (1) the relationship of different leadership styles (transactional, transformational, authoritarian, paternalistic) with mobbing behaviors of superiors (i.e., downward mobbing) and (2) organizational attitudes (job satisfaction, organizational commitment, turnover intention) of mobbing victims. Data were collected from 251 white-collar employees. Path analysis findings showed that transformational and transactional leadership decreased the likelihood of mobbing, whereas authoritarian leadership increased it. Paternalistic leadership was mildly and negatively associated with mobbing. Regarding the consequences of mobbing for employees’ organizational attitudes, the same analyses suggested that higher perceptions of downward mobbing was significantly associated with lower job satisfaction, lower affective commitment, higher continuous commitment, and higher turnover intention.     

Development of a Scale Measuring Discursive Responsible Leadership

This article extends our understanding of the firm–nongovernmental organization (NGO) relationship by emphasizing the role of language in shaping organizational behavior. It focuses on discursive and rhetorical activity through which firms and NGOs jointly – and not always consciously – define boundaries for socially acceptable corporate behavior. It explores the discursive legitimation struggles of a leading Finnish forest industry company StoraEnso and Greenpeace during 1985–2001 and examines how these struggles participated in the (re)definition and institutionalization of corporate social responsibility. I find a mixture of rational and moral struggles as a key feature of this legitimation work and show how different manifestations of these struggles act as a central mechanism that redefines what the boundaries of corporate responsibility are in a specific setting at a given point of time. The study illustrates how the actors’ ability to sense the public’s views contribute to rhetorical difficulties of the industry and unintended societal consequences for the activists, and how the rational and moral struggles build up in time to trigger changes in the actors’ sensemaking and actions.     

The Relationship of Leadership Style and CEO Values to Ethical Practices in Organizations

This study analyzes the relationship between CEO values, leadership style and ethical practices in organizations. The ethical practices of formal statement of ethics and diversity training are included in the study, as well as four categories of values based on Rokeach's (1973) typology including personal, social, competency-based and morality-based. Results indicate that all four types of values are positively and significantly related to transformational leadership, with transactional leadership positively related to morality-based and personal values, and laissez-faire leadership negatively related to competency-based values. When size of company and values are controlled, transformational leadership explains a significant amount of change in formal statement of ethics, and transactional leadership explains a significant amount of change in diversity training.     

The Gordian Knot of Ethics: Understanding Leadership Effectiveness and Ethical Behavior

Recent ethical misconduct in American business has resulted in volumes of written commentary, various legislative responses, as well as litigation by those identified as victims. While legislators, judges, juries, and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) pursue an increasing number of cases, there is little attention devoted to understanding what drives executives and other leaders to behave in ways that violate the ethical and legal standards of business in the United States. This understanding is a prerequisite to selecting leaders and designing interventions that prevent future misconduct. Understanding leadership’s nature and functioning is one key to understanding the ethical behavior of an organization as a system and of the people who lead the organization. Two models or frameworks provide the foundation for this paper. The first is a model of leadership competencies. This model identifies five key areas of competence related to overall, long-term leadership success. The second model targets leadership effectiveness. This model has three components – motivational patterns, decision criteria, and competencies. Using the Leadership Effectiveness Model to frame the discussion, the authors describe the nature and importance of the models, with particular focus on motivational patterns. Research suggests these patterns often account for 40–60% of overall leadership effectiveness. This article defines motivational patterns and describes key patterns that may impact ethical behavior of leaders. The article concludes with a discussion of how to use data on motivational patterns in leadership selection, development, and evaluation processes. Carl L. Harshman, Ph.D. is president of Harshman & Associates, Inc., an organizational and leadership development firm and founder of the Institute for Work Attitude and Motivation, an organization performance and research institute. He researches and writes in the areas of individual and organization performance, team development, and leadership and ethics. He can be contacted at carl@harshman.com. Ellen Harshman, Ph.D., J.D. is dean of the John Cook School of Business at Saint Louis University and associate professor in management. Her research interests include leadership, individual and organizational ethics, and issues in employment law. She can be reached at harshman@slu.edu.     

Understanding the Strength of Gentleness: Soft-Skilled Leadership on the Rise

This paper focuses on the topic of “soft skills” as an intrinsic part of successful leadership. The first part of the paper presents a literature review about the shift in perspective in recent years on what matters in leadership, and the significant changes this prompted in some areas of education and corporate recruitment. In the second part, the findings of a year round study conducted among Los Angeles based workforce members in an MBA program are presented. By utilizing a multi-method approach, consisting of a survey model with three open ended, interview style questions, and data analysis in phenomenological trend, a number of interesting findings emerged, supporting the literature reviewed, that soft leadership skills, such as self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills, are steadily on the rise, and that greater attention should be apportioned to strengthen these skills in future leaders.     

Entrepreneurial Leadership,Patriarchy, Gender,and Identity in the Arab World: Lebanon in Focus

In this paper, we apply insights from poststructuralist feminist theory to contribute to entrepreneurial leadership. By drawing on 21 individual narratives with Lebanese women entrepreneurs, we explore how they determine their status as entrepreneurial leaders and establish their entrepreneurial identities. Although the factors of gender, sociocultural values, and agency can be counteractive, it is agency that creates space for entrepreneurship for women and provides them a means to navigate structural inequalities. The entrepreneurs in this study engage in compliance, disregard, and defiance strategies to expand the boundaries of what is socially permissible for women and to strengthen their identities. This research contributes to studies on entrepreneurial leadership and aids in the development of theory by demonstrating how Arab women construct entrepreneurial leadership, agency, and identity at the juncture of patriarchy, sociocultural values, and gender ideologies.     

Bridging the Gap Between Strategy and Performance: Using Leadership Style to Enable Structural Elements

Successful leaders create structural elements in order to achieve the performance objectives set forth by organizational strategy. Supply chain oriented structural elements are reflected in an organization's relationships, both within the firm and with supply chain partners. In this research effort, we examine how such structural elements can be created as a means through which to enhance performance. Our hypothesized model is rooted in strategy‐structure‐performance theory and integrates elements of servant leadership theory and social exchange theory to explain how building organizational commitment via servant leadership behaviors can ultimately impact performance. We use a survey method to collect data from 158 motor carriers. The results of our structural equation model support our hypotheses and serve to extend the discussion of supply chain structural elements and the role of leadership style in achieving organizational performance.     

领导风格、沟通能力与管理知识资源跨企业转移

基于知识转移视角,本文采用ERP模拟的实验方法,研究了高管跨企业流动情景下新任CEO的领导风格、沟通能力和管理知识资源转移效果间的关系,发现高管流动是促进管理知识资源跨企业边界转移的重要机制,领导风格显著影响新任CEO的管理知识资源转移效果;相对于任务取向型的领导,关系取向型的领导风格更有利于CEO的知识转移;新任CEO的沟通能力对于知识转移效果作用显著,且高超的沟通能力能够弱化领导风格的影响效应,并成为管理知识资源跨企业边界转移的关键。     

企业营销创新中真实型领导与创新绩效的关系研究

本文在相关文献研究与实际调研的基础上,建立了企业营销创新中包含真实型领导、组织氛围、隐性知识共享以及创新绩效之间相互关系的结构方程模型,并以246家企业为样本对其进行了实证检验。研究发现,企业营销创新中真实型领导对组织氛围和隐性知识共享有正向的显著影响,组织氛围对隐性知识共享有正向的显著影响,组织氛围和隐性知识共享对创新绩效有正向的显著影响,组织氛围及隐性知识共享在真实型领导和创新绩效之间发挥了完全的中介作用。这一结论进一步丰富了真实型领导理论,为企业真实型领导的实施提供了一种新思路。