A Collective Effort to Understand Formalized Program Review

In response to the growing field of Leadership Studies, the International Leadership Association appointed a task force to explore questions concerning formalized program review systems, such as a peer review process, accreditation, and/or certification. The inquiry involved questions regarding the value of a formalized program review process to advance the field of leadership studies and discover important patterns emerging in areas such as content, teaching, outcomes, and assessment. This article provides a summary of the work completed by the International Leadership Association's Formalized Program Review task force from 2011–2012 to explore and recommend options related to formalized program review for curricular based leadership studies programs.     

The natural environment as a primary stakeholder: the case of climate change

In this paper, we review the debate surrounding whether or not the natural environment should be considered an organizational stakeholder. We argue for a broad definition of stakeholders, and present a case for the natural environment being an easily identifiable primary stakeholder when climate change is brought into the debate. We develop a conceptual stakeholder identification framework by combining and extending the work of Mitchell, Agle and Wood, and Driscoll and Starik. We approach the stakeholder issue from a strategic rather than moral or ethical perspective. In particular, we contend that power, legitimacy, urgency and proximity are combined when climatic changes, such as increasingly frequent anomalous extreme weather, can damage business infrastructure, resources, products and market, overshadowing moral and ethical aspects of the debate. We also identify key implications for business and policymakers, and highlight opportunities for future research. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.     

The State of Leadership Studies

This article begins a symposium in the Journal of Leadership Studies on the subject of a formal review process for academic programs in leadership studies. The authors argue that such a process would be a way for the field to achieve more legitimacy in higher education, establish itself as a discipline, and delineate parameters of its intellectual distinctiveness. In so doing, the authors present a brief history of the development of leadership studies literature, a central question to theory building and program development, and common goals pursued by academic programs in leadership studies. Finally, the authors call for the development of standards that can help leadership programs expand their curricular and cocurricular initiatives to reflect the intellectual maturity of the field.     

Greenwashing Revisited: In Search of a Typology and Accusation‐Based Definition Incorporating Legitimacy Strategies

Is greenwashing a concept describing companies using misleading communication or is it co‐constructed in the eye of the beholder? By discussing the literature, we find that existing definitions of greenwashing overemphasize the strategic intention to mislead and do not incorporate unjust allegations. Then, by combining signaling theory with legitimacy theory, we frame the communication process of the greenwashing accusation and the emergence of a negative narrative caused by the accusation and its effect on legitimacy. Hence, in this paper we argue that greenwashing epistemologically is constituted in the eye of the beholder , depending on an external accusation. Following this view, the greenwashing accusation is understood as a distortion factor altering the signal reliability of green messages. Based on our conceptual analysis, we provide a conceptual framework introducing a new typology of case‐based greenwashing (greenwashing , false greenwashing , potential greenwashing and no greenwashing ) and the effects of these types on corporate legitimacy. Finally, we propose a revised definition of greenwashing as co‐creation of an external accusation toward an organization with regard to presenting a misleading green message. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment     

HRM and the legitimacy market

This article develops and proposes the concept of the legitimacy market as a counterpoint to the product market in strategic FIRM analysis and practice. It is driven by three major concerns. First, in much of the contemporary literature, internal efficiency pursuits and product market equirements appear to be the dominant reference points in HRM analysis and practice. Criteria of environmental legitimacy are scarcely recognized.

Second, despite the many claims that HRM is novel and distinctive, there appears to have been little social science development in the field of HRM. Third, the dominance of the strategic management paradigm in HRM has obscured the distinctiveness of HRM in organizations, especially its role in reflecting the external social and cultural environment. These concerns are addressed through the concept of the legitimacy market. The concept, it is argued, should help to conceptualize and analyse more effectively the environmental determinants of HRM, in particular culture and ideology, as well as suggesting alternatives for practitioners to follow. The core proposition upon which the article is predicated is that legitimacy and efficiency are the two central concerns of management.     

关于企业内部规章制度的法律思考

涉及劳动者切身利益的企业内部规章制度(劳动制度)是劳动关系的基本要素之一,直接关系到劳动关系乃至整个社会的和谐稳定,《劳动法》、《劳动合同法》都已对其内容、程序合法性做出了原则规定。其相关各方,包括用人单位、劳动者、行政主管部门及国家立法机关均应从法律的角度对其作认真的思考和审视。用人单位应切实按照三个合法性标准策划企业规章制度;劳动者在以规章制度作为行为规范的同时应懂得用其合法性标准维护自身权益;行政主管部门应切实履行职责,加强对企业规章制度合法性的专项监查;国家应实行劳动关系法治化,立法机关应进一步就企业劳动制度做出专项立法。     

Ethics in the Production and Dissemination of Management Research: Institutional Failure or Individual Fallibility?

Over the past 50 years, we have witnessed considerable growth in business education, increased competition among business schools, and higher expectations for faculty scholarship. Increasing competition among scholars for limited publication opportunities in top‐tier journals and the proliferation of bottom‐tier journals has given rise to a variety of systemic ethical issues and dilemmas, for scholars and their institutions. In this article, we critically examine the current state of normative publishing activities and expectations, including doctoral education, promotion and tenure processes and research expectations, editorial and peer review processes, academic freedom, acceptable breadth, depth, and accuracy or legitimacy of research designs and methodologies, academic integrity, replication, and data availability concerning the trends and implications of contemporary and future management scholarship. We also provide recommendations for additional research and discussion on these issues.     

首钢发展文化创意产业的思考

本文分析了国内外文化创意的产业发展状况,首钢搬迁调整为其发展文化创意产业提供的机遇和优势及其发展文化创意产业的外部环境,从功能定位、发展重点以及主要措施等方面,提出了首钢发展文化创意产业的基本思路。     

Can We Still be Friends? The Role of Exit Conversations in Facilitating Post‐Exit Relationships

Organizations might benefit from maintaining relationships with former employees, who could be rehired later or encouraged to refer job applicants and customers. We integrate the management literature on voluntary resignations and the communication literature on relationship dissolution to explore how conversations between an exiting employee and his or her manager facilitate (or constrain) post‐exit relationships. Employees who had recently resigned from full‐time jobs described their exit experiences in semistructured interviews with the research team. The results suggest two dominant patterns. When employees exited for external reasons (e.g., to pursue a program of study), they engaged in very direct communication strategies, elicited positive responses from their managers, and left with high interest in a post‐exit relationship. But when employees exited for internal reasons (problems within the employment relationship), they engaged in multiple exit cycles and moved from indirect communication strategies toward increasingly direct ones. Managerial responses to these strategies failed to capitalize on opportunities to nurture post‐exit relationships and sometimes generated a “vendetta effect” among exiting employees. The results suggest that managers might benefit from training in how to conduct effective exit conversations, particularly with employees who are leaving for internal reasons. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Corporate Responsibility and Identity: from a Stakeholder to an Awareness Approach

Firms are encouraged to manage their corporate responsibility and identity in accordance with the popular stakeholder theory. Managers are, however, confronted with the complexity of the praxis and related ethical dilemmas, as the expectations of their external stakeholders may be myriad, ambiguous and self‐contradictory, or even non‐existent in the global and dynamic business contexts. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to (a) review and critically discuss the stakeholder approach in striving for a responsible identity and (b) introduce an alternative approach that can address its inadequacies and shortcomings. The study outlines an alternative theorem, the awareness approach to responsible identity. In the conclusions, the article proposes how firms can adopt a responsible identity that leads to a desired image and reputation, and maps out further research opportunities. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment     

Integrating Leadership Constructs Into the Schwartz Value Scale: Methodological Implications for Research

The aim of the current paper was to address central conceptual and methodological complications in leadership studies, particularly as these have been detected in the Multifactor Leadership Theory and its principle instrument, the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire. To this end, a methodological tool is presented that integrates three central leadership constructs into the Schwartz Value Scale (SVS). The tool offered here, which is grounded on the recent differentiation between transformational and transformative leadership, awards conceptual and methodological clarity and addresses incongruities that are insufficiently explained by current models. Integrating the Multifactor Leadership Theory with the SVS offers a more complex and conceptually sound methodological basis that can be used for leadership research in general and the connection between leaders’ motivational values and behavior in particular.     

Ethical implications of Human Resource Information Systems

As a result of the proliferation of Human Resource Information Systems among organizations, employee data are being used in nontraditional ways. Although these uses increase efficiency, they can conflict with the rights and interests of employees, external stakeholders, and society at large. Yet the ethical concerns associated with automated data bases larely have been ignored. This paper examines these issues within the context of three ethical theories. Implications and suggestions for managers are discussed.     

Leader creativity expectations motivate employee creativity: a moderated mediation examination

This study presents a moderated mediation model of leader creativity expectations to investigate the effects of leader creativity expectations on employee creativity. Using matched data from 255 employees and their supervisors in the R&D center of an automotive company in China, we found that creative self-efficacy mediated the positive relationship between leader creativity expectations and employee creativity. By integrating social cognitive theory and the interactionist perspective, we further identified job involvement and job autonomy as personal and situational moderators in the relationship between leader creativity expectations and employee creative self-efficacy. As the level of job involvement and job autonomy rose, the relationship between leader creativity expectations and employee creative self-efficacy was stronger. Furthermore, we also found job involvement served as a moderator in the mediational chain for the path from leader creativity expectations to employee creativity via creative self-efficacy. We discuss the theoretical contributions and practical implications for human resource management.     

THE BROKEN WHEEL: THE INSEPARABILITY OF AUTONOMY AND CONTROL IN INNOVATION WITHIN ORGANIZATIONS

There is an ambiguity at the centre of our understanding of innovation in large, specialized organizations. The literature is split as to whether individual autonomy or hierarchical control leads to an increase in innovative activity. In this article, I argue that this uncertainty is the result of an inappropriate conceptualization. In my view, autonomy and control are inseparable aspects of managerial action, not independent empirical phenomena. Innovation in an organization requires the simultaneous regulation of autonomy and control in order to promote creativity and experimentation but still produce results that can be manufactured and marketed or institutionalized. I develop an interpretive concept of culture to analyse the relationship between autonomy and control, and I apply this conceptual framework to managers and engineers in an electronics company as they attempt to innovate. Four general conclusions emerge. First, autonomy and innovation can never be ends in themselves but always depend on a context of control for their relevance to the organization. Second, under conditions in which innovation is required and autonomous behaviour is important, general management control is needed as a sort of switching station to regulate interaction and set and enforce priorities. Third, when control and autonomy are not in balance a vicious circle can develop which undermines commitment to an organization's goals. Fourth, innovation in organizations requires participants to have a highly developed sense of the legitimate possibilities of autonomy in organization.     

Finding Inner Harmony in the Paradoxical Coexistence of Leadership Innovation and Ethics

Leadership is complex and multifaceted. The expectation of leaders to exhibit characteristics of both ethical and innovative behaviors can be at odds. The current article explores the paradox of these behaviors and where on the leadership continuum they live in harmony.     

Rhetorical Styles in University Accreditation: Judgmental Rules or Collaborative Creation?

The university accreditation process is at a crossroads. After more than a century of allowing universities to function as self‐governing institutions, legislatures are now demanding more accountability. That puts pressure on the accreditation process to impose more external rules, which are diametrically opposed to the high value placed on heterogeneity and the spirit of free and independent inquiry. However, accreditation, and the assessment practices that accompany it, need to resist this restrictive methodology. Assessment is a rhetorical social practice, and as such, the kind of rhetoric we use when we engage this practice influences how we think and feel about the work and contributes to the effectiveness of our practice. Aristotle's distinction between forensic and deliberative rhetoric provides a heuristic framework for us to think about regional accreditation and internal assessment of universities. A close look at recent accreditation guidelines reveals that the context of much regional and local assessment calls for a deliberative rhetoric (thinking together about how to create a common future) rather than forensic rhetoric (gathering evidence to judge a past event). However, habituated responses to existing assessment genres can cause those involved in accreditation and assessment to fail to move beyond a mentality of mere compliance and miss the opportunities of progressive, aspirational assessment practice, a practice that requires a deliberative rhetoric in order to set us on the open pathway of building educational community.     

A conceptual review of the love-hate relationship between technology and successful aging at work: Identifying fits and misfits through job design

Previous research suggests that technology can both enhance and undermine successful aging. However, few studies have combined insights on aging and technology in the work context. This paper aims to contribute to the literature on successful aging at work and STAARA technology by integrating these two literature streams through a job design perspective in a conceptual review. Based on insights from the literature on successful aging at work and technology we propose that STAARA technology can facilitate successful aging at work by reducing physical and emotional demands and increasing skill variety, autonomy, and support. Whereas STAARA technology can also harm successful aging at work by reducing autonomy, skill variety, and social support. Self-regulatory behaviors, an open workgroup climate, and HRM practices can help to minimize the potential misfit between technology and aging at work, whereas age discrimination is an important constraint. The propositions of this paper should be tested in future research.     

MNC practice transfer: institutional theory,strategic opportunities and subsidiary HR configuration

Human resource (HR) practice transfer is an important topic in the domain of strategic international human resource management (SIHRM). Previous research in practice transfer has emphasized the challenges arising from the institutional distance between the home and host countries. However, potential opportunities due to this distance have been largely overlooked. Shifting the focus away from looking at institutional distance as a constraint, we examine the possibilities of strategic opportunities that exist because of institutional distance. We argue multinational corporation (MNC) subsidiaries can exploit these opportunities to gain competitive advantage. Building upon SIHRM literature, institutional theory and the resource-based views, we propose a conceptual framework explaining how institutional environments present strategic opportunities. We argue that these strategic opportunities are most abundant in the case of moderate institutional distance between the two countries. Building upon the conceptualization of strategic opportunities, we propose a model of subsidiary HR configuration, and then we explain how an HR configuration could be a source of competitive advantage. Further, we examine the role of MNCs' overall SIHRM orientation in relation to the identification and exploitation of strategic opportunities.     

Branding without Unique Brands: Managing similarity and difference in a public sector context

Abstract

Corporate branding requires organizations to focus on uniqueness and differentiation. At the same time, public institutions must provide equal services in order to gain legitimacy. Hence, corporate branding in the public sector organizations has to handle two concerns simultaneously – securing legitimacy and building reputation. We examine this tension through interviews with communication managers in Norwegian hospitals. Despite large investments in techniques borrowed from corporate branding, the informants were reluctant to talk about branding. Instead, they were more oriented towards the universal character of their hospitals. Four explanations are put forward for why branding has an ambiguous position in Norwegian hospitals.     

Knowledge Stocks and Information Flows in New Product Development*

Although firms increasingly invest in systems (e.g. ISO, knowledge centres, IT systems) for utilizing stored knowledge and acquiring market information during new product development, few manage to benefit from these investments. To explore this issue, we suggest that firms rely on two distinct types of knowledge stocks– procedural and declarative memory – that affect new product short‐term financial performance and creativity in distinct ways. Additionally, we suggest that internal or external information flows can have distinct moderating impact on the memory types–product outcomes relationship. Our empirical study of product development activities indicates that there is an inverted U‐shaped relationship between procedural memory and product outcomes as well as a positive relationship between declarative memory and financial performance. Also procedural and declarative memory may work in a complementary fashion enhancing both outcomes. Finally, procedural memory is found to reduce the value of internal or external information flows for product creativity. These findings have important implications for the organizational knowledge, capabilities, and product development literatures as well as for practice and they open ways for future research.