The Effect of Team Affective Tone on Team Performance: The Roles of Team Identification and Team Cooperation

Affective tones abound in work teams. Drawing on the affect infusion model and social identity theory, this study proposes that team affective tone is related to team performance indirectly through team identification and team cooperation. Data from 141 hybrid‐virtual teams drawn from high‐tech companies in Taiwan generally supported our model. Specifically, positive affective tone is positively associated—while negative affective tone is negatively associated—with both team identification and team cooperation; team identification is positively associated with team cooperation; and team cooperation is positively associated with team performance. Managerial implications and limitations are discussed. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The impact of entrepreneurial orientation on firm performance: the role of CEO position tenure and industry tenure

The relationship between Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO) and firm performance, despite generating significant scholarly interest, has remained mixed. These results may be attributed, at least in part, to the failure to sufficiently examine the potential impact of top management characteristics. The present study investigates how CEO characteristics (i.e. CEO industry and position tenure), impact the relationship between EO and firm performance within a sample of 579 US banks. As predicted, some support for a positive EO to performance relationship was found. In addition, the results strongly support, as posited, that CEO industry tenure positively moderates, and CEO position tenure negatively moderates, the EO to performance relationship. We also report evidence supporting the effect of EO, configured with CEO position tenure and industry tenure on firm performance. Our study suggests the EO–performance relationship is more complex than previous studies indicate. Implications for future research and practice are provided.     

Reducing the effects of work–family conflict on job satisfaction: the kind of commitment matters

The way in which organisational commitment influences the relationship between work–family conflict and job satisfaction is a question that has produced contradictory results. We address this issue by developing and testing a model that integrates role conflict theory and major research on organisational commitment, to elucidate the consequences that time‐, strain‐ and behaviour‐based conflict have on job satisfaction. The research is based on data collected among Italian nurses, and the results show that time‐ and strain‐based conflict are negatively related to job satisfaction. In addition, affective commitment moderates the relationship between strain‐based conflict and job satisfaction, whereas normative commitment moderates the relationship between time‐based conflict and job satisfaction. We discuss the implications of these results for theory and practice.     

What a Diverse Top Management Team Means: Testing an Integrated Model

Prior research has produced inconsistent results on the relationship between top management team (TMT) diversity and firm performance. Drawing on the information–social categorization framework, this study is designed to investigate both the mechanism and the contextual factors underlying the relationship between TMT cognitive diversity and firm performance by examining them in a unified model so as to better understand how a diverse TMT works. Based on a multi‐sourced survey of top managers from 118 Chinese firms, this study finds that team interdependence and team cohesion moderate in the linkage between TMT cognitive diversity and elaboration of task‐related information. In addition, TMT's elaboration of task‐related information mediates the interactive effects of TMT cognitive diversity and team interdependence on firm performance as well as the interactive effects of TMT cognitive diversity and team cohesion on firm performance.     

Exercise as a Means of Reducing Perceptions of Work‐Family Conflict: A Test of the Roles of Self‐Efficacy and Psychological Strain

Prior research suggests that exercise has positive benefits for individuals and the organizations they work for. Using the literature related to social cognitive theory and exercise, the present study hypothesizes and tests the effects of exercise on two directions of work‐family conflict: work interference with family (WIF) and family interference with work (FIW). Using a sample of 476 working adults, we found that exercise was both positively related to self‐efficacy for managing work‐family conflict and negatively related to reported psychological strain, which in turn were related to reductions in work‐family conflict. Model fit for the data support our contention that exercise indirectly influences work‐family conflict via its direct impact on increased self‐efficacy and reduced psychological strain. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Linking top management team age heterogeneity to firm performance: juxtaposing two mid-range theories

Previous research on top management team heterogeneity and firm performance has focused almost exclusively on the non-visible attributes (e.g. functional background, tenure) of cultural diversity as opposed to the visible attributes (e.g. age, race and gender). The few studies there are show inconsistent results. For example, most field work - consistent with social identity theory notions - shows that cultural diversity, in isolation has negative organizational consequences. Only a few laboratory studies, however - consistent with information and decision-making theories - show that diversity in groups relates to favourable organizational outcomes. As social identity theory suggests, we find that top management team (TMT) age heterogeneity, in isolation, relates negatively to return on assets. On sales growth (i.e. organizational growth), the relationship is positive, lending support for information and decision-making theories. However, we find a curvilinear relationship between TMT age heterogeneity and sales growth, supporting both the mid-range theories. More specifically, TMT age heterogeneity is positively related to sales growth at low and medium levels and negatively related to sales growth at high levels. In addition, results reveal that context moderates linear and non-linear relationships. The results provide evidence of the importance of cultural diversity in TMTs for competitive advantage but also suggest the complexities of increasing it to observe these benefits.     

The role of institutional pressures and organizational culture in the firm's intention to adopt internet-enabled supply chain management systems

Drawing upon organizational culture and institutional theory, this study investigates how institutional pressures motivate the firm to adopt Internet-enabled Supply Chain Management systems (eSCM) and how such effects are moderated by organizational culture. The results of a survey of 131 firms suggest that the dimensions of institutional pressures (i.e., normative, mimetic, and coercive pressures) have differential effects on eSCM adoption intention. While mimetic pressures are not related to eSCM adoption intention, normative and coercive pressures are positively associated with eSCM adoption intention. In addition, organizational culture (i.e., flexibility orientation and control orientation) plays different roles in the relationships between these three dimensions of institutional pressures and eSCM adoption intention. While flexibility orientation negatively moderates the effects of coercive pressures and positively moderates the effects of mimetic pressures, control orientation positively moderates the effects of coercive and normative pressures and negatively moderates the effects of mimetic pressures. Implications and suggestions for future research are provided.     

Taking charge and employee outcomes: the moderating effect of emotional competence

This study examined how taking charge was related to job satisfaction, affective organizational commitment, and job performance among Hong Kong Chinese newcomers, and how emotional competence moderates the latter relationships. The results of a two-wave survey involving 137 newcomers supported the proposition that taking charge would be positively associated with job satisfaction and affective organizational commitment, but not with job performance. In addition, emotional competence significantly moderated the relationship between taking charge and job performance, such that taking charge was positively related to job performance only when newcomers’ emotional competence was high.     

Health Among Leaders: Positive and Negative Affect, Engagement and Burnout, Forgiveness and Revenge

abstract    The health of an organization's leader has profound implications not only for the leader, but also for the organization itself and for its members. This study focused on three indicators (positive affect, engagement, forgiveness behaviours) of eustress, the positive stress response, and three indicators (negative affect, burnout, revenge behaviour) of distress, the negative stress response, in relation to the health of pastors, whose jobs closely parallel those of leaders in all types of organizations. Results indicated that both positive affect and revenge behaviour were significantly related to health. A post-hoc analysis indicated that work–family conflict was negatively related to revenge behaviour, while family–work conflict was positively related to revenge behaviour, and that engagement was negatively related to revenge behaviour. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for future studies of leader health, and their practical applications for promoting leader health while preventing distress.     

COMPUTER USE AND STRUCTURAL CONTROL: A STUDY OF AUSTRALIAN ENTERPRISES

This article investigates underlying relationships between the extent of use of computers and dimensions of organization structure. Empirical tests on a sample of 149 Australian work-units show strong associations between computer use and structural characteristics. Specifically, greater computer use is found to be related to less centralization and greater formalization and departmentalization. Further tests show that these associations are to some extent moderated by size. However, this moderating effect is most apparent in small organizations for formalization and departmentalization while the relationships involving centralization are more prominent in larger work-units. Factor analysis led to the diagnosis of two major types of computer use (i.e., informational and operational use). Tests on these categorized effects and the factor-analysed structural dimensions revealed that: (1) the effects on centralization are more strongly explained by the impact of operational use on the ‘centralization of operational decisions’ sub-measure and that of informational use on ‘financial decisions’; (2) formalization and departmentalization are found to be most strongly influenced by greater informational use. Here again, significant relationships were found between sub-measures, the most important of which is the relationship involving the informational factor of formalization with the informational use of computers and the relationship between departmentalization of core functions and the operational use of computing technology.     

Work experiences,work adjustment and psychological well-being of expatriate employees in Hong Kong

This study replicated and extended research on expatriate work adjustment by examining the antecedents of work adjustment and its outcomes in terms of psychological well-being. Data were obtained from a nationally heterogeneous sample (N = 184) of expatriate employees in Hong Kong using a structured questionnaire. Results of regression analysis revealed role conflict to be significantly negatively related to work adjustment, while role discretion, co-worker support and work-method ambiguity (clarity) were significantly positively related to work adjustment. Of the three hypothesized outcomes, work adjustment was significantly positively related only to job satisfaction but not to quality of life and marital adjustment. Though not the focus of this study, interaction adjustment was found to be significantly positively related to quality of life. Limitations of the study and implications of the findings are discussed.     

Uniting partners to cope with environmental uncertainty: Disentangling the role of social capital in developing supply chain agility

Based on social capital theory, in this study, we investigate how a firm utilized social capital to coordinate partners in the achievement of supply chain agility under different levels of environmental uncertainty. We test the proposed hypotheses via a hierarchical regression analysis using questionnaire survey data collected from 190 firms in China. The empirical results show that cognitive, relational, and structural capital positively influence supply chain agility. Furthermore, environmental uncertainty positively moderates the positive relationship between relational capital and supply chain agility, whereas environmental uncertainty negatively moderates the positive roles of cognitive and structural capital. The findings suggest managers should adopt different strategies when leveraging social capital according to the business environment. In unpredictable and volatile business environments, managers should motivate their firms to embrace relational capital to obtain sufficient resources for achieving supply chain agility.     

The impact of racial and gender diversity in management on financial performance: how participative strategy making features can unleash a diversity advantage

How does racial and gender diversity in the management ranks affect the bottom line? Our findings indicate that participative strategy making (PSM) positively moderates the relationship between both racial and gender diversity in management and firm performance measured as return on assets. Specifically, PSM strengthens the positive relationship that exists between racial diversity in management and firm performance. Although no main effect is observed for gender diversity in management, our results reveal that gender diversity in management is positively related to performance when PSM is high. However, we find that gender diversity in management is negatively related to performance when PSM is low, while gender homogeneous management experience superior performance. We offer implications for diversity research to embrace and consider the role of PSM and ‘inclusiveness’.     

The Influence of Top Management Team International Exposure on International Alliance Formation

abstract    This study examines the effect of top management team (TMT) international exposure on the formation of international alliances. We develop our arguments based on relational capital theory to suggest that top executives with international exposure are critical to firms' international alliance formation. Supporting this view, we find that TMT international exposure is positively associated with the formation of international alliances. Moreover, we find evidence to suggest that the effect of TMT international exposure on international alliance formation is more positive as the level of environmental uncertainty increases. We discuss implications and directions for future research.     

Refining the linkage between perceived capability and entrepreneurial intention: roles of perceived opportunity,fear of failure,and gender

This study refines the relationship between perceived capability and entrepreneurial intention by considering the mediating roles of perceived opportunity and fear of failure and the moderating role of gender. A moderated mediation framework is developed on the basis of perspectives of the cognitive phenomenon of categorization and the social role theory. Two samples of Taiwan and China obtained from the database released by Global Entrepreneurship Monitor were used to test the hypotheses. A logistic regression analysis followed by a bootstrap approach reveals several interesting results. First, perceived capability positively affects entrepreneurial intention through perceived opportunity; this indirect linkage is stronger in China than in Taiwan. Second, compared with the fear of failure, perceived opportunity has a stronger mediating effect in linking perceived capability and entrepreneurial intention. This difference is more remarkable in China than in Taiwan. Third, gender partially moderates the mediating effect of perceived opportunity. Specifically, perceived capability has a stronger indirect effect on entrepreneurial intention through perceived opportunity among men than among women in Taiwan; however, the difference is not significant between men and women in China. In addition, age negatively affects perceived opportunity and entrepreneurial intention.     

Exploring the linkages of green transformational leadership,organizational green learning,and radical green innovation

Radical green innovation is the necessary way for countries and firms to achieve sustainable development. Although the influencing factors of green innovation have attracted extensive attention, there is little research on the antecedents of radical green innovation. Drawing on organizational learning theory and attention-based view, this study proposes R-I ratio to measure the configuration of exploratory green learning and exploitative green learning, then analyzes the relationships among green transformational leadership, R-I ratio and radical green innovation, and examines the moderating effects of green R&D investment and environmental regulatory pressure. Based on a sample of 243 manufacturing firms in China's strategic emerging industries, the empirical results reveal that green transformational leadership promotes R-I ratio, and R-I ratio has inverted U-shaped relationship with radical green innovation. The results also find that green R&D investment plays U-shaped moderating role in the relationship between green transformational leadership and R-I ratio, and environmental regulatory pressure positively moderates the relationship between green transformational leadership and R-I ratio. The study not only reveals the relationships of green transformational leadership, organizational green learning and radical green innovation, but also provides theoretical guidance and management practice for manufacturing firms and government to promote radical green innovation.     

A study of employee affective organizational commitment and retention in Pakistan: the roles of psychological contract breach and norms of reciprocity

Abstract

Social exchange theory and notions of reciprocity have long been assumed to explain the relationship between psychological contract breach and important employee outcomes. To date, however, there has been no explicit testing of these assumptions. This research, therefore, explores the mediating role of negative, generalized, and balanced reciprocity, in the relationships between psychological contract breach and employees’ affective organizational commitment and turnover intentions. A survey of 247 Pakistani employees of a large public university was analyzed using structural equation modeling and bootstrapping techniques, and provided excellent support for our model. As predicted, psychological contract breach was positively related to negative reciprocity norms and negatively related to generalized and balanced reciprocity norms. Negative and generalized (but not balanced) reciprocity were negatively and positively (respectively) related to employees’ affective organizational commitment and fully mediated the relationship between psychological contract breach and affective organizational commitment. Moreover, affective organizational commitment fully mediated the relationship between generalized and negative reciprocity and employees’ turnover intentions. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.     

Chinese hotel employees in the smiling masks: roles of job satisfaction,burnout, and supervisory support in relationships between emotional labor and performance

Using survey data obtained from 206 frontline hotel employees (Study 1) and 111 employee–supervisor dyads (Study 2), we examined how the emotional labor of hotel employees was associated with affective and behavioral outcomes. We found that surface acting was negatively related to job satisfaction but positively related to burnout. Meanwhile, deep acting was positively related to job satisfaction but negatively related to burnout. Additionally, job satisfaction and burnout were found to mediate the relationship between emotional labor and work performance. We further found that supervisory support moderated the relationships between emotional labor and job satisfaction and burnout.     

The cross‐cultural study of LMX and individual employee voice: The moderating role of conflict avoidance

This article examines the role of national culture, measured by conflict avoidance, on the relationship between leader–member exchange (LMX) and individual employee voice. Using data collected from automotive industry employees in the United States and Korea, the findings show that conflict avoidance is negatively related to employee voice and also moderates the relationship between LMX and employee voice in the Korean sample. In particular, the relationship between LMX and voice becomes less positive when conflict avoidance is high. On the other hand, conflict avoidance does not have a direct effect on employee voice as well as an interactive effect with LMX on employee voice in the U.S. sample. This study, therefore, highlights the importance of the national culture in the comparative study of employee voice.