bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Strategy, Beliefs about the Environment, and Performance in a Banking Simulation
Authors: Waddock Sandra A. , Isabella Lynn A.
Published: March 2006

This study examined the relationship of strategy and beliefs about the environment to performance outcomes. By means of an assetlliability simulation game, the performance of 64 "banks" was monitored and data were collected on strategic decisions and environmental assessments. Results indicate that systematic differences in performance emerged most sharply when beliefs about the environment differed rather than as a result of differences in strategies.
How Can OD Consultants and Researchers Assess Gamma Change? A Comparison of Two Analytical Procedures
Authors: Randolph W. Alan , Elloy David F.
Published: March 2006

Evaluation of organizational development (OD) interventions, especially with regard to gamma change, is criticalfor both OD practitioners and researchers. Yet how to assess gamma change has not been adequately resolved. An 18-month field study of an OD intervention was used to explore empirically two alternative procedures for assessing gamma change-namely the methods of Golembiewski, Billingsley and Yeager (1976b) as compared to a modification of the methods of Terborg, Howard, and Maxwell (1980). Results suggest important differences between the methods and these differences are explored in detail.
Performance Variations Among Strategic Group Members: An Examination of Individual Firm Capability
Authors: Lawless Michael W. , Bergh Donald D. , Wilsted William D.
Published: March 2006

Because of inconsistent empirical evidence, the membership-performance model pervasive in strategic group analysis is re-examined. We propose that individualfirm capabilities, which reflect capacity to implement or change strategy, moderate the effect of members' shared strategy characteristics on performance. Controlling for market structure, we defined two strategic groups based on common strategy characteristics among 55 manufacturing firms. We found significant differences in performance and capabilities within each group. There was also evidence of a significant correlation between capabilities and performance within each group. We conclude that effects offirms' capabilities should be accountedfor to increase the explanatory power of strategic groups in competitive performance.
Relationships Between Type of Acquisition, The Autonomy Given to the Acquired Firm, and Acquisition Success: An Empirical Analysis
Authors: Datta Deepak K. , Grant John H.
Published: March 2006

This study examines the degree of autonomy provided by acquiring companies to the management of acquired firms in the managing of post-acquisition operations as well as the relationships between such autonomy and the perceived success of the acquisition. Results show that in unrelated acquisitions the extent of autonomy is significantly greater than in related acquisition. Also, autonomy is positively associated with superior performance in unrelated acquisitions, but the relationship is not significant in related acquisitions. Implications for future research and management practice are discussed.
Diversification and Business Economic Performance Revisited: Issues of Measurement and Causality
Authors: Keats Barbara W.
Published: March 2006

Past research on the relationship between diversification and firm performance has been plagued by a number of problems. The present study addressed three such problems. Relationships between diversification and multiple performance dimensions were reframed in the context of a time-ordered causal model. The results suggest that both diversification and performance are multidimensional constructs and that identification of appropriate criteria for performance assessment depends on the strategy pursued. The results also raise some intriguing questions regarding the conceptual definitions of diversification and performance constructs.
Selecting Top Corporate Leaders: An Example of Biographical Information
Authors: Russell Craig J.
Published: March 2006

A system of structured interviews, superior-peer-subordinate ratings, and consensus discussion is describedfor the selection of top level managers in a multi-national Fortune 50 firm. The interviews and superior-peer-subordinate ratings were used to gather biographical information on 66 candidates. The biographical information was used to generate consensus ratings on nine performance dimensions for the job of division general manager. Concurrent validity evidence provides preliminary support for the selection system. Implications for the personnel selection and leadership literatures are discussed.
Salesperson Performance and Managerially Controllable Factors: An Investigation of Individual and Work Group Effects
Authors: Yammarino Francis J. , Dubinsky Alan J.
Published: March 2006

Although prior studies in psychology, management, and marketing have explored the association between salesperson performance and managerially controllable factors, an assumption of these investigations is that the relationship between performance and such antecedents is applicable to salespersons viewed only as individuals without regard for their work group. In the present study, relationships between variables from three categories of managerially controllable factors (reported by salespersons) and salesperson performance (assessed by supervisors) were investigated in terms of individuals and work groups using Within and Between Analysis procedures. Results from two samples suggest that though several relationships between managerially controllable factors and salesperson performance are individually based, some relationships are relevantfor the work group as a whole. Implications of the results for management practice are discussed.
Improving the Accuracy of Stereotypes Within the Workplace
Authors: Falkenberg Loren
Published: March 2006

Organizations experience high levels of inefficiency when decisions are based on inaccurate stereotypes. As humans are dependent upon stereotypes in their daily information processing, a critical issue is the identification of conditions that produce more accurate stereotypes. This article delineates a social cognition model of stereotyping and identifies thefactors involved in developing more accurate stereotypes. The model is applied to gender stereotypes to indicate how these stereotypes may be modified. Managerial implications and future research issues are identified with the anticipation that these ideas will provide guidelines as to how to stimulate more accurate stereotypes in organizations.
Strategy and Structure: Reconceiving the Relationship
Authors: Boschken Herman L.
Published: March 2006

Discussions have drawn attention to the relationship between strategy and structure for much of the last quarter century. Yet, no firm basis has emerged to settle the issue of causal direction or to affirm the relationship's effects on organizational performance. By adding a new dimension to the strategy-structure model, this article attempts to conceptually link long-term performance with (a) the presence of subunits having distinctive competence in strategic planning and (b) the coordination of these differentiated subunits into a discernable microstructure embedded within the overall organization. This new dimension is explored and developed by use of a case of the Pacific Coast seaport industry.
Fighting for a Better Navy: An Attempt at Scientific Management (1905-1912)
Authors: Petersen Peter B.
Published: March 2006

In the decade before World War I, two American naval officers tried to reform naval manufacturing with the help of Frederick W. Taylor, the foremost management consultant of his time. They failed. Admiral Caspar F. Goodrich was forced to retire in 1909, and Commander Holden A. Evans resigned in 1911 after his career was ruinedfor trying to change a Navy organizational policy by implementing Taylor's management ideas. Yet, the lengthy deliberations about how to manage helped the Navy find its own "best way" prior to World War I. This article, using new evidence, studies their actions as an example in American management history of the eventual success of a consulting effort that initially failed.
Perceptions of Firm Quality: A Cause or Result of Firm Performance
Authors: McGuire Jean B. , Schneeweis Thomas , Branch Ben
Published: March 2006

This article examines two issues regarding the formation and effects of qualitative perceptions offirm performance: First, do firm quantitative measures of performance influence perceptions offirm management quality? Second, do perceived firm qualities affect measures of firm financial performance? We examined data from Fortune magazine's survey of corporate reputations as a source for measures of perceivedfirm quality. The results suggest thatfinancial measures of both risk and return influenced perceptions offirm quality. Moreover, perceptions offirm quality, though correlated with the subsequent performance of specific financial performance measures, were generally more closely related to priorfinancial performance than to subsequent financial performance.
Humor and Work: Applications of Joking Behavior to Management
Authors: Duncan W. Jack , Smeltzer Larry R. , Leap Terry L.
Published: March 2006

This review focuses on three fundamental aspects of humor and work. First, we review accepted theories of humor and their implications for the field of management. Second, we review and summarize the research on humor in management and related areas of behavioral science. Third, we provide a specific application of the importance of humor and work with an examination of the legal and arbitral aspects of humor as it relates to employee relations. This review concludes that even though the interest in humor by management has been sporadic, joking behavior remains a pervasive and important topic and has the potential of providing significant insights into management and organizational behavior.
Doctoral Education in the Field of Business Policy and Strategy
Authors: Summer Charles E. , Bettis Richard A. , Duhaime Irene H. , Grant John H. , Hambrick Donald C. , Snow Charles C. , Zeithaml Carl P.
Published: March 2006

This report was originally commissioned in 1988 by the Executive Committee of the Business Policy and Planning Division of the Academy of Management. At that time, the Executive Committee, concerned about a number of issues connected with doctoral education, appointed The Committee on the Future of Doctoral Education to study these issues. There had been, in the last 15 years, a veritable explosion of literature in the field of Business Policy and Strategy. This trend was accompanied by a growth in the number of doctoral programs being established in American universities.

As with any evolving field, questions were being raised not only by "outsiders" (faculty in other departments of a business school, curriculum and administrative officers in business schools) but also by "insiders" (professors, students, prospective students in the field itself). What is the nature of the field? What are its boundaries? What are the major streams of literature in the field? What kind of research is most promising?
Antecedents and Performance Outcomes of Diversification: A Review and Critique of Theoretical Perspectives
Authors: Hoskisson Robert E. , Hitt Michael A.
Published: March 2006

Three theoretical perspectives summarize diversification antecedents and performance outcomes. The first perspective examines diversification under the assumption of relative market perfection where, within industries, firms and products are homogeneous. The second perspective discusses diversification where both market and firm imperfections are assumed to exist. The thirdperspective also assumes market andfirm imperfections, butfurther assumes imperfect governance structures such that managerial motivesfor diversification are influential. These perspectives provide different explanations of antecedent resources and incentives that encourage (or discourage) diversification. This article reviews evidence associated with each perspective concerning the relationship between diversification and firm performance and offers suggestions forfuture research based on comparisons among these alternative perspectives.
Determinants of Top Management Compensation: Explaining the Impact of Economic, Behavioral, and Strategic Constructs and the Moderating Effects of Industry
Authors: Rajagopalan Nandini , Prescott John E.
Published: March 2006

This study examined the main effects of economic, behavioral, and strategic constructs and their interactions in explaining variations in levels of top management cash compensation. Based on a sample of 226 top-level executives in 90 firms, the study also examined interactions between these constructs and industry structure across three diverse industry groups. Multiple regression analyses revealed several significant main effects for constructs drawn from each of the categories, but offered little support for interaction effects between categories. Moderated regression analysis indicated that industry structure has significant effects on the relationships between antecedent variables and compensation, but these effects are not pervasive. Finally, the study found that "high" diversifiers compensated significantly more than "low" diversifiers in the total sample and in two out of the three industry groups.
The Behavioral Sciences and Management: An Evaluation of Relevant Journals
Authors: Extejt Marian M. , Smith Jonathan E.
Published: March 2006

One hundred eighty-nine academics rated 54 journals concerned with the behavioral aspects of management. Journals were evaluated in regard to the quality of research they published. Results of respondents' ratings are compared to the Social Science Citation Index and earlier studies evaluating managerial journals. In addition, biases hypothesized to affect these ratings are analyzed. Although findings are generally consistent with earlier research, this survey is unique in its focus on the behavioral aspects of management, the large number of rated journals, and its analysis of differences in ratings.
Temporal and Contextual Change in the Measurement Structure of Financial Performance: Implications for Strategy Research
Authors: Fryxell Gerald E. , Barton Sidney L.
Published: March 2006

This study empirically examines the extent to which the measurement structure of accountingand market-based indicators converge on a financial performance construct by time period and by diversification strategy. In a longitudinal, single-factor model offinancial performance, it wasfound that the relationship of these two types offinancial performance measures changed in periods of stability versus instability andfor related diversifiers versus unrelated diversifiers. It is suggested that meta-analytic studies in strategy research may be able to incorporate situational factors in order to obtain more valid findings. In addition, implications for researchers selecting performance measures for current studies are discussed.
The Vulnerable System: An Analysis of the Tenerife Air Disaster
Authors: Weick Karl E.
Published: March 2006

The Tenerife air disaster, in which a KLM 747 and a Pan Am 747 collided with a loss of 583 lives, is examined as a prototype of system vulnerability to crisis. It is concluded that the combination of interruption of important routines among interdependent systems, interdependencies that become tighter, a loss of cognitive efficiency due to autonomic arousal, and a loss of communication accuracy due to increased hierarchical distortion, created a configuration that encouraged the occurrence and rapid diffusion of multiple small errors. Implications of this prototype for future research and practice are explored.
Using Constructive Developmental Theory and Biodata to Bridge the Gap Between Personnel Selection and Leadership
Authors: Kuhnert Karl W. , Russell Craig J.
Published: March 2006

This article proposes a strategy for integrating the research on a powerful selection tool (biographical data) with a promising approach to leader development (constructiveldevelopmental theory) in an attempt to bridge the gap between personnel selection and leadership theory. Building on previous calls for integrative approaches to the study of leader effectiveness, the strategy suggests that biodata be gathered in a manner that allows us to (a) understand the meaning that leaders derive from their life experiences and (b) assess leaders' developmental stages. It is expected that this strategy will help to explain the predictive validity consistently exhibited by biodata instruments and will help to better predict leadership effectiveness. The implications of this strategy for both managerial selection and leadership development are discussed.
Multiple Outcomes from Product R&D: Profitability Under Different Strategic Orientations
Authors: Fryxell Gerald E.
Published: March 2006

This study examines the outcomes of business-level product research and development intensity and their impact on return on investment under two business strategies: differentiation and cost leadership. Three different types of outcomes from product R&D spending are proposed: accounting, disruptive, and investment outcomes. These are described and are found to differ by strategy. In a cost leadership strategy, stronger disruptive and investment outcomes were found than in a differentiation strategy. The differentiation strategy, by comparison, had longer investment outcomes and greater stability of product R&D. Nevertheless, the investment outcomes were ephemeral for both strategies.
Positive-Findings Bias in QWL Studies: Rigor and Outcomes in a Large Sample
Authors: Golembiewski Robert T. , Sun Ben-Chu
Published: March 2006

This report seeks to determine whether the high success rates observed in a large survey of QWL evaluative studies (N = 231) can be substantially explained in terms of the lack of rigor of research methodology and design, as the literature critical of QWL often proposes. This studyfinds statistically significant support for a positive-findings bias hypothesis, but rigor explains less than 7% of the variance in outcomes. This implies only modest supportfor the position that attractive QWL results can be substantially accountedfor by a positive-findings bias.
Transformational Leadership: Beyond Initiation and Consideration
Authors: Seltzer Joseph , Bass Bernard M.
Published: March 2006

Hierarchical regressions using the responses of 138 subordinates about 55 managers show that, as predicted, Bass' (1985b) transformational leader model adds to initiation and consideration in explaining the variance of subordinates' satisfaction and ratings of leader effectiveness. Further analysis, using leader ratings by one subordinate and outcome ratings by a second subordinate, largely confirms this augmentation effect. There was disconfirmation for the effect on reported extra effort, suggesting that the relation of transformational leadership to subordinate's extra effort is a dyadic rather than a group effect.
Accounting for Organizational Citizenship Behavior: Leader Fairness and Task Scope versus Satisfaction
Authors: Farh Jiing-Lih , Podsakoff Philip M. , Organ Dennis W.
Published: March 2006

Research has documented a consistent empirical relationship between satisfaction and Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB). Here we argue the case for why leader behavior (contingent leader reward, supportiveness, and participativeness) and task characteristics might accountfor such a correlation. Hierarchical regression analysis of data from a survey of 195 Taiwanese Ministry of Communications workers indicates that task scope accounts for more unique variance in both the Altruism and Compliance dimensions of OCB than does satisfaction, whereas leader fairness composed of the three leader behavior variables-accounts for unique variance only with respect to Altruism.
Research Evidence On The Miles-Snow Typology
Authors: Zahra Shaker A. , Pearce John A.
Published: March 2006

The Miles-Snow (1978) typology is one of the most popular classifications of business-level strategies. Consequently, a great deal of attention has centered on examining the validity of the research used in its defense. In this paper previous research on the typology is reviewedfocusing on four issues: (a) identification and nature of strategic types, (b) testing the typology's predictions concerning dimensions of the "adaptive cycle," (c) the link between strategy and environment, and (d) performance differences among the strategic types. Limitations of prior research are identified and questions about validity of pastfindings are presented. Methodological and conceptual refinements are offered to help guide future research efforts.
The Market Share-Profitability Relationship: Testing Temporal Stability Across Business Cycles
Authors: Venkatraman N. , Prescott John E.
Published: March 2006

Several studies have demonstrated a generally positive association between market share (MS) and business profitability (BP) and that this relationship is dependent on environmental and strategic contexts, but the stability of such results across distinct time periods representing differing business cycles has not yet been demonstrated. This article, employing a comparative static methodology, assesses the stability of the nature of the relationships among strategic resource deployments, market share position, and profitability across two different time periods representing significantly different macroeconomic conditions. The results indicate that the general level of association (i.e., correlation) between MS and BP is stable, but the set of significant strategic factors contributing to both MS and BP is different, indicating variations in strategies for the two different cycles. Some explanations for the observed differences as well as limited generalizations on the market share-profitability relationships are developed.
Corporate Acquisitions and Shareholder Wealth: A Review and Exploratory Analysis
Authors: Carper William B.
Published: March 2006

This exploratory study examined the effect of corporate acquisitions on shareholder wealth by reviewing the current literature and then analyzing a selected group of recent takeovers. In order to determine whether or not any effect did in fact exist, six "acquiring " corporations were compared with similar "non-acquirors"from the same industries on a number offinancial indicators readily available to the average investor Analyses of these data indicated that, contrary to what would be expectedfrom classical economic theory, the acquisitions studied had essentially negative impacts on shareholder wealth. These results lead to discussion of alternative rationales for initiating merger activities and possible long term effects of the recent merger trend.
Organizational Design and Management Norms: A Comparative Study of Managers' Perceptions in the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong, and Canada
Authors: Vertinsky Ilan , Tse David K. , Wehrung Donald A. , Lee Kam-hon
Published: March 2006

This study surveys 155 executivesfrom the People's Republic of China (PRC), Hong Kong, and Canada to investigate whether norms for organizational design and management are subject to a process of globalization. The survey consisted of structured questionnaires using two different sets of Likert-like importance rating scales. One set of scales examined organizational design norms. The other setfocused on the desired attributes of a good manager The balance of the evidence from this study supports the hypothesis of globalization. However, the study also indicates that some norms of organizational design that reflect basic cultural values are resistant to change and convergence. Furthermore, the study indicates that regulatory and political differences may be reflected in local adaptation of organizational and management design norms.
A Communication-Information Model of Competitive Response Timing
Authors: Smith Ken G. , Grimm Curtis M.
Published: March 2006

Although issues of timing in interfirm rivalry are critical to strategic managers, rarely have they received scholarly attention. A model of competitive response timing is here proposed that contains three basic elements: competitive actions, responses, and response timing. The article discusses howfirms enhance performance by undertaking actions and responses; the speed with which one firm responds to another s action is explained by communication-information theory. Specifically, the speed with which afirm responds to a competitor's action is posited to be afunction of (a) characteristics of the actot; (b) characteristics of the action, (c) how the action is communicated, (d) the competitive environment, and (e) the characteristics of the potential respondingfirm. Hypotheses regarding the determinants of competitive response timing are developedfrom communication-information theory.
Quality Circle Performance
Authors: Adam Everett E.
Published: March 2006

Quality circle advocates suggest a wide array of positive results when this participation technique is used. This study explores the importance of company, employee group (circle or non-circle), and time as well as their interactions. Assessment of circle performance was measured by employee attitudes, actual performance, and facilitator perception. This study did not support small group behavior and group dynamics research, as well as quality circle case study reports, that suggest attitudes will improve when quality circles are formed and will remain improved over time. Actual performance indicated cost savings and perceived circle success in three of the four circles, even though neither attitudes nor quality significantly improved over time.
Equity in Effort: The "Sucker Effect" in Co-Acting Groups
Authors: Schnake Mel E.
Published: March 2006

This research investigates the effects of negative social cues on worker quantitative task performance, internal work motivation, and job satisfaction. Negative social cues may create an effect similar to a class of social dilemma phenomena in small groups known as the "sucker effect." The sucker effect was originally identified as a particular form of social loafing and stems from the perceptions that others in the group are withholding, or intend to withhold, effort. Individuals who hold this perception then withhold effort themselves to avoid being played for a "sucker" Although most social loafing research has examined the sucker effect in situations where individuals performed additive or disjunctive tasks, this experimental research investigates the degree to which the sucker effect occurs among individuals working in co-acting groups. Two common managerial strategies, goal setting and punishment, are examinedfor their ability to reduce the sucker effect. The results show that the sucker effect does occur in co-acting groups and that both punishment and goal setting may be used to reduce it. Further, goal setting was a more effective strategy than punishment.
Communication Abilities of Managers: The Relationship to Performance
Authors: Penley Larry E. , Alexander Elmore R. , Jernigan I. Edward , Henwood Catherine I.
Published: March 2006

Communication competence is considered essential to managing, both in terms of its theoretical role in management and in observations of the communication behaviors of managers. Yet the specific skills and abilities or communication competencies of managers have received only limited study in organizational settings. The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between managerial performance and communication competency by identifying communication skills and social cognitive abilities that are associated with managerial performance for both male andfemale managers. Female managers provided lower self-reports of skills than male managers, and results linked managerial performance primarily to communication skills.
The Effects of Graphical Versus Numerical Response on the Accuracy of Graph-Based Forecasts
Authors: Carey Jane M. , White Edna M.
Published: March 2006

This article explores the literature in graphic information presentation and managerial decision making. The literature suggests that task must be controlled in experimental design. The results of an experiment undertaken to determine the effects of collecting numeric versus graphic responses onforecasting accuracy are discussed. Results of the study show forecasts were significantly more accurate when subjects responded graphically than when they responded numerically. The difference in accuracy was found to be unassociated with preference for the two response approaches and to be independent of graph-reading ability.

Based on the experimenteal results, it appears that more accurate subjective visual forecasts can, on average, be obtained by collecting the forecasts in graphical format. Therefore, when in comparisons of performance based on graphical versus tabular information, the way in which the response is elicited must be considered along with otherfactors that affect performance and preference for presentation style. This finding has implications for the design of graphical interfaces for managerial decision support systems.
Firm Resources and Sustained Competitive Advantage
Authors: Barney Jay
Published: March 2006

Understanding sources of sustained competitive advantage has become a major area of research in strategic management. Building on the assumptions that strategic resources are heterogeneously distributed acrossfirms and that these differences are stable over time, this article examines the link betweenfirm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Four empirical indicators of the potential of firm resources to generate sustained competitive advantage-value, rareness, imitability, and substitutability-are discussed. The model is applied by analyzing the potential of severalfirm resourcesfor generating sustained competitive advantages. The article concludes by examining implications of this firm resource model of sustained competitive advantage for other business disciplines.
A Historical Comparison of Resource-Based Theory and Five Schools of Thought Within Industrial Organization Economics: Do We Have a New Theory of the Firm?
Authors: Conner Kathleen R.
Published: March 2006

A resource-based approach to strategic management focuses on costly-to-copy attributes of the firm as sources of economic rents and, therefore, as the fundamental drivers of performance and competitive advantage. Interest presently exists in whether explicit acknowledgement of the resource-based view may form the kernel of a unifying paradigm for strategy research. This article addresses the degree to which a resource-based view represents a fundamentally different approach from theories used in industrial organization (10) economics. The central thesis is that, put informal terms, the resource-based approach is reaching for a theory of the firm. To determine its distinctiveness in comparison to IO, therefore, an appropriate comparison is with other theories of the firm developed within that tradition. Section I summarizes and analyzes five theories that have been significant in the historical evolution of IO. These are neoclassical theory's perfect competition model, Bain-type IO, the Schumpeterian and Chicago responses, and transaction cost theory. The first part of Section II analyzes the resource-based approach in terms of similarities to and differencesfrom these IO-related theories. The conclusion is that resource-based theory both incorporates and rejects at least one major element from each of them; thus resource-based theory reflects a strong IO heritage, but at the same time incorporates fundamental differences from any one of these theories. The second part of Section II analyzes resource-based theory as a new theory of the firm.
Managing Culture as a Competitive Resource: An Identity-Based View of Sustainable Competitive Advantage
Authors: Fiol C. Marlene
Published: March 2006

How can organizations manage the cognitive processes by which a firm invests in resources for competitive advantage? Studies of organizational culture, as currently framed, have not provided adequate answers to this question. By focusing either on culture as underlying beliefs or on culture as behavioral manifestations, these studies have overlooked the critical links between beliefs and behaviors that are at the very core of managing cognitive processes for sustained advantage.

This article reframes the culture concept to highlight the role of contextual identities in linking behaviors and their social meaning in organizations. Drawing on theories from cultural linguistics and structural anthropology, it argues that cognitive processes in organizations do not directly reflect either behaviors or underlying beliefs. Rather, they represent the interface between the two. To manage cognitive processes for competitive advantage requires that we attend to the identities by which people make sense of what they do in relation to a larger set of organizational norms.
Strategy Formation Processes in Health Care Organizations: A Context-Specific Examination of Context-Free Strategy Issues
Authors: Blair John D. , Boal Kimberly B.
Published: March 2006

The current research literature on strategy formation processes (formulation and implementation) in health care organizations is reviewed. A new, integrated model of the linkages between strategy formation process and content is developed based on the general strategic management literature. This framework is applied systematically to the health care organizational literature. Issues of control, collectivity, change, choice and thinking are examined in detail as they apply to strategy formation processes in health care organizations.
Five Years of Groups Research: What We Have Learned and What Needs to Be Addressed
Authors: Bettenhausen Kenneth L.
Published: March 2006

This article reports the principal findings of over 250 studies published between January, 1986 and October, 1989 that address the dynamics of small social groups. The reviewed work falls into four broad areas that together provide insight and knowledge of group behavior Studies in the first section explore the fundamental tension between individuals and groups, how group members form a common understanding of their world, and how groups develop and change over time. The second section examines how the group's interaction context, (i.e., its structure, technology environment, size, and composition) affects group processes and outcomes. The third and fourth sections summarize the recent findings in each of seven areas of traditional interest in social psychology: group polarization, social influence, social loafing, group cohesion, commitment, conflict, and goal setting. Finally, research that specifically addresses work group effectiveness, self-managed teams, quality circles and team building interventions is summarized and discussed. Trends and areas of managerial interest that deserve further research attention are identified throughout this review; the areas of greatest practical concern are summarized in afinal section.
Emerging Theories of Communication in Organizations
Authors: Fulk Janet , Boyd Brian
Published: March 2006

This article reviews recent theoretical developments in four areas of organizational communication that have a common concern with information processing: communication media choice, computer-supported group decision making, communication technology and organizational design, and communication networks. For each topic the article includes a review of current theory, an assessment of the empirical evidence to date, and proposals for further theoretical and empirical development. The wealth of scholarship in these areas in the last 5 years testifies well to the substantial contribution of information processingrelated theories to a new core of organizational communication theory.
Personnel/Human Resources Management: A Political Influence Perspective
Authors: Ferris Gerald R. , Judge Timothy A.
Published: March 2006

It was suggested over 10 years ago that new and different perspectives should be applied to the Personnel/Human Resources Management (P/HRM)field in an effort to promote theory and research and expand our understanding of the dynamics underlying P/HRM processes. This article tries to address this suggestion in three ways. First, it proposes a political influence perspective as an alternative way to view P/HRM decisions and actions. Second, it reviews research investigating political influence in key P/HRM areas. Third, it examines the strengths and limitations of the political influence perspective relative to other perspectives.
Current Topics in Industrial and Labor Relations Research and Practice
Authors: Arthur Jeffrey B. , Dworkin James B.
Published: March 2006

Recent research on six current topics in industrial and labor relations is reviewed: (a) the decline in union membership in the United States, (b) concession bargaining, (c) unions and employee participation programs, (d) the effect of unions on productivity and profits, (e) dispute resolution, and (f) international industrial relations. For each topic, major research findings are summarized and evaluated along with suggestions forfuture research. The article concludes by considering future scenarios for the U.S. labor movement.
Enforcements, Inducements, Expected Utility and Employee Misconduct
Authors: Leatherwood Marya L. , Spector Lee C.
Published: March 2006

Both agency theory and organization theory have considered the problem of employee misconduct -employee decisions to pursue selfinterest at the expense of their principal or employer Integrating these two theoretical perspectives, this article describes the empirical results of a study that examines the effects of inducements and enforcements on individuals' estimates that employee misconduct would occur The effects of these factors were considered within a context where the expected value of engaging in misconduct was positive. Although inducements and enforcements were both significantly related to estimates of misconduct, the rationales providedfor instances of employee misconduct suggest that otherfactors, such as ethical, cost, or risk considerations, may also affect estimates that employees will engage in misconduct.
Identifying Common Methods Variance With Data Collected From A Single Source: An Unresolved Sticky Issue
Authors: Avolio Bruce J. , Yammarino Francis J. , Bass Bernard M.
Published: March 2006

Common methods variance that can result when two or more constructs are measured by a single rater or source was examined using Within and Between Analysis (WABA). Levels of analysis effects were assessed for single-source leadership and outcome ratings obtained using surveys completed by the followers of managers employed by a multidivisional Fortune 500 high technology organization. The alignment of singleand multiple-source effects with the analytic procedures, a critique of recommended procedures for addressing problems with single-source variance, an alternative conceptual framework, and strategies to address problems with research involving questionnaire! survey self-report measures are discussed.
A Leader's Wake: Organization Member Reactions to CEO Succession
Authors: Friedman Stewart D. , Saul Kathleen
Published: March 2006

This article examines how the context and content of CEO successions affect the reactions of organization members in Fortune 500 firms. The influence ofpresuccessionfinancial performance, predecessor tenure, the force initiating a change in CEO, and successor origin on postsuccession disruption, management turnover, and company morale was assessed (controlling for both size and age offirm). These consequences of succession, measured in a survey to which 235 human resources executives responded, had not been investigated in previous large-scale empirical studies. The conceptual model and empirical results of this study suggest that understanding how organization members react to leadership changes is intrinsically important for organization scientists, potentially useful in explaining the effects of succession on economic performance outcomes, and valuable for those seeking to cope effectively with the aftermath of leadership transitions.
Conceptualizing and Measuring the Organizational Environment: A Multidimensional Approach
Authors: Sharfman Mark P. , Dean James W.
Published: March 2006

Neither a single set of constructs nor a single set of measures of the organizational environment is widely accepted, making it difficult to build a comprehensive literature on the impact of the environment on thefirm. In this article we review three constructs-complexity, instability, and resource availability common to most environmental research. We identify theoretical omissions in Dess and Beard's (1984) measurement of these constructs, and present a revised set of constructs designed to build on their research. The new measures' construct validity is assessed using perceptual data from senior managers. We investigate the predictive validity of both our measures and Dess and Beard's by using them to predict industry performance. We also use our measures to predict two firm-level structural variables. We argue that the revised measures more accurately reflect our theoretical un-derstanding of environmental dimensions.
Conceptualizing and Measuring Organizational Environments: A Critique and Suggestions
Authors: Dess Gregory G. , Rasheed Abdul M.A.
Published: March 2006

This article reviews and critiques Sharfnan and Dean's (1991) approach to the conceptualization and measurement of organizational environments. We raise three major issues that need to be addressed in order to enhance the reliability and validity of their environmental measures. These are concerns about the dimensionality of environmental constructs, problems associated with the measurement of environmental variables, and limitations regarding the predictive validity of the study.
Dimensions and Constructs: A Response to Dess and Rasheed
Authors: Sharfman Mark P. , Dean James W.
Published: March 2006

In their thoughtful critique, Professors Dess and Rasheed raise several important issues about the conceptualization and measurement of the organizational environment in general and our work in particular In this rejoinder, we discuss afundamental difference between their position and ours regarding the place of theoretical constructs and observable dimensions in conceptualizing and measuring the environment. We also take issue with several of Dess and Rasheed's specific criticisms of our work.
Development of Organizational Commitment During the First Year of Employment: A Longitudinal Study of Pre- and Post-Entry Influences
Authors: Meyer John P. , Bobocel D. Ramona , Allen Natalie J.
Published: March 2006

To test hypotheses concerning the influence of prospective and retro-spective rationality in the development of organizational commitment, we measured both the affective and continuance commitment of recent university graduates on three occasions during theirfirst year of employment and examined their relations with variables measured prior to and following entry into an organization. Prior to entry, we measured variables presumed to bind individuals to their choice of organization (i.e., volition, irrevocability, and importance) as well as perceived decision quality. Following entry, we measured perceptions of job quality, investments, and alternative employment opportunities. The results were more consistent with a prospective- than with a retro-spective-rationality view of the development of commitment. The best predictors of affective commitment were the job-quality and decision-quality variables. Continuance commitment correlated most strongly with the pre-and post-entry measures of perceived alternatives. Implications for organizational efforts to foster commitment in employees are discussed.
Environmental Change and Management Staffing: An Empirical Study
Authors: Guthrie James P. , Grimm Curtis M. , Smith Ken G.
Published: March 2006

In 1980, the U.S. railroad industry underwent massive deregulation that has significantly altered the environment in which managers must operate. This article discusses the relationship between environmental change and executive staffing as an adaptive organizational response. It is hypothesized that background characteristics of managers (such as tenure, level of education, etc.) employed by railroads during the regulated era will significantly differ from those employed following deregulation. Results generally support expectations. Relative to the regulated environment, managers in the deregulated era have fewer years of industry and company service, are better educated, and have differentfunctional backgrounds.
Three Components of Perceived Environmental Uncertainty: An Exploratory Analysis of the Effects of Aggregation
Authors: Gerloff Edwin A. , Muir Nan Kanoff , Bodensteiner Wayne D.
Published: March 2006

Duncan's 1972 instrument was completed by 118 Project Managers to investigate perceived environmental uncertainty (PEU). Factor analysis indicates significant loadings on three factors corresponding to Milliken 's (1987) state, effect, and response uncertainty. Measures of project manager performance were found to be differentially associ-ated with total PEU and its disaggregated components of state, effect, and response uncertainty.
Organization Theory and Structural Perspectives on Management
Authors: Pfeffer Jeffrey
Published: March 2006

Structural effects represent the influence of an individual s position in social space on that person because of the constraints and opportunities for interaction and social comparison that derive from the structural realities. The effects of structural position (including network location, physical location, and one's demographic relationship to others) on job attitudes, turnover performance, and wages illustrate the application of a structural perspective and how that perspective can enrich our understanding of phenomena typically studiedfrom the perspective of individual attributes and dispositions. A structural perspective seeks to put the fact of social relations and organizations back into the study of organizational behavior.
Dressing Up Like an Organization: When Psychological Theories Can Explain Organizational Action
Authors: Staw Barry M.
Published: March 2006

This article explores how psychological theories can be used to explain organizational action. It starts by noting that many macro actions may in fact be micro behavior in disguise. It is argued that psychological models are relevant when individuals are able to influence organizational action, when individuallevel processes mediate organizational actions, and when theories of human behavior serve as a metaphor for the action of organizations. Once these arguments are posed, how micro research might actually be applied to macro problems is then discussed and specific examples of such "macropsycho logical research" are provided.
What Is Strategy's Distinctive Competence?
Authors: Meyer Alan D.
Published: March 2006

How have theory and research in strategy contributed to the broader domain of management? A survey of prominent researchers in strategy and adjacent fields suggests that the answer depends on how "strategy" is defined. Modest and incremental contributions are evident when strategy is defined as a distinct field wherein a small group of scholars labor to develop unique theory, methods, and substantive research findings. More important and valuable contributions are apparent when strategy is viewed as a pluralistic arena where many disciplines and methodologies meet and compete to answer a set of applied research questions.