Adoption of volunteered geographic information into the formal land administration system in Kenya

Individualization of tenure through title registration programmes introduced in many African countries after independence with the promise of security of tenure and increased agricultural productivity has, instead, had the opposite effect. Informal land arrangements continue to emerge as a result of the slow pace of land adjudication (formalization) and updating of land information systems. The trend towards computerization of land information systems has only put focus on already existing formal land tenure arrangements, leaving out the informal social tenure arrangements. As a result, there are now many efforts worldwide motivated by the introduction of the Social Tenure Domain Model (STDM), and freely-available and easy-to-use technology tools to identify, document and map land in support of informal land administration arrangements. Actions are made towards the use of community-generated information to support land administration. Using theories from the interplay between formal and informal institutions, this paper discusses the potential outcomes in adopting Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) in land administration in Kenya. Two case studies are presented that demonstrate the complementary-accommodating, versus the substitutive-competing approaches. These are then compared with the formal land adjudication process in Kenya. It is established that because of the direct involvement of the national mapping agency in land adjudication where VGI is utilized, the outcome is a case of formal adoption of VGI, while in the other case, where there is little or no involvement by the national mapping agency, the outcome is more of competition and substitution. The latter is an example in which the VGI is used just like any other information to inform policy making, rather than taking it as the authoritative source. We argue that since informality is – and will always be – part and parcel of land administration in many African countries as a result of ingrained social relations and power structures, adopting crowdsourced land information into existing formal land administration systems should consider the particular land administration process, satisfying innate demands and requirements, thus re-engineered to accommodate VGI.     

Does bureaucracy kill individual initiative? The impact of structure on organizational citizenship behavior in the hospitality industry

In their quest for improved service quality, hospitality organizations face a paradox. Standardization and centralization are generally perceived as essential to maintaining high service standards. These bureaucratic mechanisms, however, are suspected to have a negative impact on spontaneous “organizational citizenship” behaviors, which are equally essential for flawless service delivery. Empirical results from the Swiss hotel industry suggest that “helping” behavior is more widespread than “voice” behavior among hotel employees. The results also provide support for the hypothesis that “helping” and “voice” behaviors are negatively affected by a centralized organization structure. Theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.     

Formalization,Role Stress,Commitment, and Work Outcomes: An Empirical Analysis of South Korean Workers

ABSTRACT

Using 3005 Korean blue-collar workers and 1159 white-collar workers, this study empirically examined the linkage among formalization, role stress, organizational commitment, and work outcomes. Results suggest that organizational formalization perceived by Korean workers, both white-collar and blue-collar, positively affects role ambiguity and role conflict which, in turn, negatively influence Korean workers' organizational commitment. The results also suggest a direct linkage between commitment and effort for Korean workers. The Confucian cultural influence on Korean workers and unique corporate culture that can help explain the linkages are discussed in depth.     

Formalization of reverse logistics programs: A strategy for managing liberalized returns

The ability to manage returns has become a critical success factor for many firms. Liberal returns policies are encouraging large volumes of returns, and reverse logistics programs are being used to recover returned assets that would otherwise be lost. However, lack of formal policy may inhibit reverse logistics effectiveness. This research examines the relationships between formalization, liberal policies, and related capabilities and overall effectiveness of reverse logistics programs for a sample of firms in the automobile aftermarket parts industry.     

Developing effective reverse logistics programs

A recent survey in the automobile aftermarket industry examines reverse logistics practices. The research focuses on two key issues: 1) the influence of program design characteristics, i.e., formalization, returns policy restrictiveness, and innovation, on program performance and 2) the differential influence of making versus buying reverse logistics program software. The results provide guidelines for managerial decisions relating to reverse logistics.     

Improvisation for innovation: The contingent role of resource and structural factors in explaining innovation capability

This paper focuses on resource and structural factors to explore the relationship between organizational improvisation and innovation capability. Although the role of improvisation has attracted increasing academic attention in fast-changing environments, little is known about the conditions under which firms benefit from improvisation. This paper addresses this gap using an organizational learning perspective that explains the role of a firm's organizational structure and organizational resources for improvisation and innovation. A large-scale survey in China finds that firms vary in their levels of (I) centralization and formalization of decision making and (II) resource slack and investment irreversibility and that these factors moderate the relationship between improvisation and innovation capability in distinct ways. Consistent with our theorizing, improvisation enhances innovation capability when firms have a decentralized but formalized structure or pursue the dual goals of maximizing resource slack and minimizing investment irreversibility.     

Organizational flexibility in Australia

This paper presents a typology that distinguishes two types of flexible organizations based on the clarity of purpose and the extensiveness of formal rules. The analysis shows that these forms of flexibility are related to whether organizations engage with their environments reactively or strategically. One form (strategic flexibility) is evident in a 'goal-directed' type of organization (having clear goals but low levels of formal rules), and the other can be observed in an informally-organized type (lacking clear goals, and with limited formal rules). These are compared with two other types: formally-organized (clear goals and extensive formal rules); and rule-governed (lacking clear goals, extensive formal rules). An analysis of a sample of fifty organizations shows clear differences between the four types with respect to contextual factors; environmental conditions; strategy and structure; and integrative mechanisms.     

Performance implications of the direct and moderating effects of centralization and formalization on customer orientation

Drawing on the control literature in marketing and management, this paper addresses the direct and moderating effects of control mechanisms on the formation and implementation of customer orientation. The key focus of this paper is to examine how two of the most widely studied control mechanisms — centralization and formalization — affect customer orientation formation and implementation differently. We hypothesize that centralization will reduce the effect of the formation and implementation of customer orientation. In contrast, we expect formalization to negatively influence the formation of customer orientation but bolster the impact of customer orientation on firm performance. Furthermore, we hypothesize a three-way interaction among customer orientation, centralization, and formalization on firm performance. Using top management team (e.g. CEO) data from leading firms in the industrial production sector, our results support the universal negative role of centralization on customer orientation formation and implementation. For formalization, our results did not support a negative effect on the development of customer orientation, but supported a positive effect on the implementation of customer orientation. Finally, customer orientation was found to have a positive effect on firm performance when a decentralized organization was coupled with formalization.     

Reverse logistics program design: A company study

A series of visits to a Fortune 500 wholesale distribution company of technology products revealed a changing perspective regarding building and implementing reverse logistics programs. Five major initiatives define the reverse logistics program design process at this company: (1) Gain senior management support and turn reverse logistics into a company-wide initiative; (2) Involve your customers in the reverse logistics design process; (3) Give distinct recognition to the employees involved in handling returns within the firm; (4) Implement carefully developed written rules and procedures that reflect both internal and external concerns; and (5) Assign strict responsibility for the execution of the reverse logistics program. The study follows these five major considerations in more detail. The interviews and observations at this particular firm provide guidelines for managerial decisions relating to reverse logistics.     

团队制度正式化对团队创造力的影响：团队整合的中介作用与横向监督的调节作用

基于理性行为理论,构建团队制度正式化通过团队认知整合以及团队情感整合作用于团队创造力的理论模型,并分析横向监督对上述中介机制的调节效应。综合运用多元回归分析以及被调节的中介效应分析方法,利用79份项目团队样本展开实证分析。结果表明：团队制度正式化通过团队认知整合正向作用于团队情感整合;团队情感整合正向促进团队创造力;横向监督调节团队情感整合与团队创造力间关系;低横向监督情境下,团队情感整合正向促进团队创造力,而高横向监督情境下,团队情感整合与团队创造力关系不显著;低横向监督情境下,制度正式化通过团队认知整合、团队情感整合正向促进团队创造力,而高横向监督情境对该中介效应的调节作用不显著。