“Our five year mission— to boldly go where no man has been before… .”

The paper presents research conducted in New Zealand on the content, creation, use and impact of mission statements. Following a review of the literature the paper goes on to report an empirical study comparing the reality of mission statements with the theory. The paper concludes that practice rarely coincides with theory and that there are a wide variety of types of mission statement in current use. Recommendations are made for creating more actionable mission statements.     

Managerial Aspirations and Suspect Leaders: The Effect of Relative Performance and Leader Succession on Organizational Misconduct

Journal of Business Ethics - Explanations of organizational misconduct frequently point to declining firm performance and/or the actions of unethical or suspect leaders. Evidence that...     

On the Analysis of Large Numbers of p‐values

Methods for the analysis of large numbers of p‐values, observed levels of significance, are reviewed with some emphasis placed on the Rényi decomposition hinging on the relation with independent exponentially distributed random variables. Some extensions are described. An empirical example is used in illustration, and simulation results examining potential complications are outlined.     

The outcomes of variable pay systems: tales of multiple costs and unforeseen consequences

Two veins of research predominate in evaluations of variable pay systems. The first seeks to associate superior financial performance with the use of incentive schemes and the second assesses the success of variable pay systems in effecting behavioural and attitudinal change. This paper argues that both of these approaches suffer from limitations and presents a framework for examining a neglected aspect of the implementation of variable pay systems by considering their operational outcomes and impact on organizations. It contemplates why little evaluation of this kind is conducted and presents a detailed qualitative analysis of the findings from six multiple case studies conducted among medium-sized organizations in the engineering sector. The article contributes to the literature in the area by revealing significant unanticipated costs in management time, administration and staff recruitment and training as a result of pay system change through applying the framework developed, identifying the relative effectiveness of the pay systems and illustrating the scope for organizational context to influence pay system outcomes. It concludes by arguing that the scope for error in managing pay systems raises questions about how far pay systems are effective sources of competitive advantage.     

The moderating effect of individual differences on the relationship between the framing of training and interest in training

The moderating effect of individual differences on the relationship between framing training as ‘basic’ or ‘advanced’ and interest in training was examined for technical and nontechnical content areas. Participants were 109 working‐age adults (mean age = 38.14 years, SD = 12.20 years). Self‐efficacy and goal orientation were examined as moderators. Results showed a three‐way interaction between performance orientation (a dimension of goal orientation reflecting the desire to demonstrate competence in an achievement setting), age, and frame for technical training and a three‐way interaction between performance orientation, self‐efficacy, and frame for nontechnical training. Implications for future research as well as framing training to enhance interest are discussed.     

Rejoinder

We thank discussants Christine O’Keefe, Natalie Shlomo, Josep Domingo‐Ferrer, and George Duncan for their thoughtful commentary. Their insightful points are precisely the kind of “serious conversation” that we called for in the paper.