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Intimacy in Economic Organizations

Viviana A. Zelizer

in Economic Lives: How Culture Shapes the Economy

This chapter moves away from the analysis of economic transactions in intimate relations to studying intimacy within economic organizations. Just as some analysts have feared the commodification of ... More

This chapter moves away from the analysis of economic transactions in intimate relations to studying intimacy within economic organizations. Just as some analysts have feared the commodification of intimacy, others worry about “intimization,” the improper intrusion of intimacy in what are supposed to be efficiency-driven, impersonal organizations. The chapter asks why people worry so much about the presence of intimacy in organizations and reviews the evidence on its actual effects. It argues that while sexual intimacy, friendship, and kinship sometimes do disrupt organizations, they often coexist with organizational effectiveness, or even contribute to it. These three forms of intimacy are singled out not because they are interchangeable or because they mark degrees on some scale of intensity but because differences among them clearly show how the presence of intimacy within economic organizations affects organizational performance.Less

Trends in budgetary control and responsibility accounting

David Otley

in Contemporary Issues in Management Accounting

This chapter begins by reviewing the roles that budgetary control systems take in helping managers assure organizational performance and by considering some of the growing criticisms of their ... More

This chapter begins by reviewing the roles that budgetary control systems take in helping managers assure organizational performance and by considering some of the growing criticisms of their efficacy that have been made in recent years. Two distinct views have been taken about the best way to proceed. The first espouses incremental improvement to budgetary control processes, both in terms of linking them more closely to operational requirements and planning systems, and also coping with the issues of rapid change with more frequent budget revision and the adoption of techniques such as rolling budgets. The second suggests the abandonment of budgetary control, replacing it with a variety of alternative techniques that will enable organizations to become more agile and adaptive. The chapter concludes with an outline of the main issues facing control systems designers, and indicates some ways forward for both practitioners and researchers.Less

The Control Role of the Board

Philip Stiles and Bernard Taylor

in Boards at Work: How Directors View their Roles and Responsibilities

Several control mechanisms have been proposed to ensure that managerial discretion is aligned with shareholder interests. The major external mechanism is the market for corporate control, in which ... More

Several control mechanisms have been proposed to ensure that managerial discretion is aligned with shareholder interests. The major external mechanism is the market for corporate control, in which the threat of takeover induces incumbent management to greater efficiency. However, this mode of control has limited effectiveness due to imperfections in the market and the wider effects of takeover bids. A great deal of attention has focused on the chief internal mechanism for control: the board of directors. This chapter examines the role of boards of directors in corporate control and argues that, contrary to the managerialist tradition, the boards can exert control over the running of the organisation by using management control systems, assessing top management, and determining their incentives and sanctions. In addition to monitoring past and present organisational performance, directors also actively diagnose opportunities for the firm through data from control systems, thereby facilitating organisational change.Less

Organizational Performance Research in India: A Review and Future Research Agenda

Shailendra Singh and Vishal Gupta

in ICSSR Research Surveys and Explorations: Psychology of Organizations

This chapter presents a review of research in the area of organizational performance in India during the last decade, which has become a challenge for organizations and management researchers. The ... More

This chapter presents a review of research in the area of organizational performance in India during the last decade, which has become a challenge for organizations and management researchers. The chapter begins with a critical analysis of the nature of performance measurement and associated challenges. Next, it summarizes the research that has linked individual-level, group-level, and organization-level variables to organizational performance. The theoretical and conceptual contributions, limitations, gaps, and the scope of future research in the field are presented by the contributors. Finally, a multi-level model has been presented that provides a process framework, which links antecedent variables to organizational performance. The framework provides a set of working hypotheses for future organizational performance research in the Indian context.Less

Strategic Change: Intelligent Adaptation

James A. Phills

in Integrating Mission and Strategy for Nonprofit Organizations

This chapter describes the challenge of strategic change, whether internally or externally driven. In particular, a meta-framework that identifies three specific types of knowledge necessary for ... More

This chapter describes the challenge of strategic change, whether internally or externally driven. In particular, a meta-framework that identifies three specific types of knowledge necessary for leading the process of intelligent strategic adaptation: a theory of organizational performance, a theory of change, and a theory of intervention, is reported. The basic types of skills and knowledge that leaders need if they are to be effective agents of strategic change are also examined. The Dashman Company is used as a case study that shows the three generic categories of skill and knowledge.Less

Perspectives on the Contribution of Boards of Directors

Philip Stiles and Bernard Taylor

in Boards at Work: How Directors View their Roles and Responsibilities

How boards of directors influence organisational performance has been a central topic of corporate governance literature. This chapter outlines the major theoretical issues pertaining to research on ... More

How boards of directors influence organisational performance has been a central topic of corporate governance literature. This chapter outlines the major theoretical issues pertaining to research on the contribution of the boards of directors in running an organisation. Six major theories on boards of directors are discussed: agency theory, transaction-cost economics, stewardship theory, resource-dependence theory, class-hegemony theory, and managerial-hegemony theory. This chapter argues that much of the empirical work supporting the theories sheds little light on the actual operations of the board. Based primarily on secondary data or anecdotal evidence, these studies eschew detailed analysis of what directors do and how they conceive of their influence. This chapter also contends that the theories themselves may not be mutually exclusive and that there is strong potential for synthesis.Less

How Performance Management Must Change to Drive Organizational Agility and High Performance: An Evidence-Based View

Elaine D. Pulakos and Tracy Kantrowitz

in Performance Management Transformation: Lessons Learned and Next Steps

This chapter focuses on implications of the changing work environment for performance management (PM) design and practice. The chapter begins by discussing how technology has created disruptive ... More

This chapter focuses on implications of the changing work environment for performance management (PM) design and practice. The chapter begins by discussing how technology has created disruptive change and hypercompetition, which have left organizations searching for how to create competitive advantage, concluding that agility is essential for their long-term success. Given the limited research in this area, a large-scale research program was undertaken (as described in the first part of this chapter) to provide an evidence-based definition of agility and to understand what organizational conditions lead to it and which outcomes result from it. The research showed, remarkably, that companies with high organizational agility delivered up to five times higher financial performance than others. It was learned that six organizational conditions enabled agility, two of which were team-level factors that are particularly relevant for PM. These were interconnected performance and real-time performance drivers (i.e., agile goals, real-time feedback, and solving performance problems). In the second part of this chapter, implications of these factors for PM design and practice are discussed.Less

The Virtues of Leadership: Contemporary Challenges for Global Managers

Arménio Rego, Miguel Pina e Cunha, and Stewart Clegg

in The Virtues of Leadership: Contemporary Challenges for Global Managers

This chapter argues that, in the complex world of contemporary globalization, we need to develop and cultivate leaders who can show a degree of virtuous virtuosity that has been all too lacking in ... More

This chapter argues that, in the complex world of contemporary globalization, we need to develop and cultivate leaders who can show a degree of virtuous virtuosity that has been all too lacking in the recent past. This chapter stresses that virtues and virtuousness should be put at the centre of the stage, not in order to depreciate competition and competitiveness but to hitch them to other virtues that foster individual, organizational, and societal betterment. This chapter discusses some possible specific arguments against the discourse of virtuousness that the chapter is advocating.Less

State of the Practice in Performance Management: How Did We Get Here?

Mariangela Battista

in Performance Management Transformation: Lessons Learned and Next Steps

Performance management (PM) is one of the few organizational processes that touches every single employee and requires their active participation. In spite of its ubiquitous position in ... More

Performance management (PM) is one of the few organizational processes that touches every single employee and requires their active participation. In spite of its ubiquitous position in organizations, there has been a groundswell of questions emerging about the usefulness, value, and effectiveness of PM. This introductory chapter addresses the current state of PM, including its history. It provides an overview of academic research highlighting the evolution from performance evaluation to performance management and the current status. Then, the practical realities and challenges people in organizations experience with performance management every day are discussed. This includes performance management being viewed as an administrative “human resources activity” with a lack of strategic alignment to business goals; lack of manager capability to manage employee performance effectively; and an overreliance on system automation. The chapter continues with an outline and overview of the book, including nine case studies written by in-house talent and human resources practitioners and six chapters (written by scholars in the performance management and feedback arena) describing next-generation research as well as future research trends.Less

Electoral Management in Britain

Toby S. James

in Advancing Electoral Integrity

This chapter examines electoral administration in the British case. Existing approaches to the study of electoral malpractice have focused primarily on how the strategic office-seeking behavior of ... More

This chapter examines electoral administration in the British case. Existing approaches to the study of electoral malpractice have focused primarily on how the strategic office-seeking behavior of incumbent rulers has led to defects in electoral practices. This chapter argues that problems can also occur through organizational failures in electoral management boards. The chapter offers a new framework for assessing EMB performance and a typology for identifying failures. The chapter then explores the environment in which policy makers and electoral officials run elections in the British case, using qualitative interviews. The study finds that new challenges and opportunities have emerged that require change and adaption. Elections are now implemented in an era of post-industrial, digital-era governance, and this makes organizational performance more difficult to achieve.Less

The Unique Role of Corporate Culture in Employee Listening Systems

Daniel Denison, Marcus W. Dickson, Michelle W. Mullins, and Jessie Sanchez

in Employee Surveys and Sensing: Challenges and Opportunities

This chapter gives an overview of the organizational culture perspective and considers the range of contributions that it can make to the design of contemporary employee listening systems. The ... More

This chapter gives an overview of the organizational culture perspective and considers the range of contributions that it can make to the design of contemporary employee listening systems. The authors begin by tracing the origins of the culture literature and its evolution as a key element of the systems perspective in organizational studies. In addition to its focus on the organizational level, the culture perspective offers a unique application of qualitative and quantitative methodologies, an extensive literature on predicting organizational performance, and a unique perspective on how cultures are created, which is useful for driving action and inclusion. The chapter also offers a brief overview of seven frameworks for assessing organizational cultures that are useful resources for practitioners and researchers to draw upon. The authors conclude by making a set of recommendations about how to build greater depth and impact to employee listening systems.Less

Linkage Analysis: Tying Employee Attitudes to Business Outcomes

Shawn M. Del Duco, Patrick K. Hyland, David W. Reeves, and Anthony W. Caputo

in Employee Surveys and Sensing: Challenges and Opportunities

Linkage analysis is a framework for determining the impact that employee attitudes, as measured by organizational surveys, have on business outcomes. Linking employee attitudes to outcomes such as ... More

Linkage analysis is a framework for determining the impact that employee attitudes, as measured by organizational surveys, have on business outcomes. Linking employee attitudes to outcomes such as employee turnover and performance provides a compelling business case for executives to invest both emotionally and financially in employee surveys. The current chapter reviews the large body of research supporting the linkage analysis framework, as well as common approaches and challenges. Three case studies from the field are also presented, along with practical recommendations for translating linkage results into meaningful actions that organizations can take. The authors conclude by sharing the implications of linkage analysis in an era of big data.Less

Does Aid Break Down Cooperation?

in Breakdown in Pakistan: How Aid Is Eroding Institutions for Collective Action

This chapter provides the survey results of Pakistan's forty largest civil society organizations, half of which use development aid and half of which don't. The survey focused on the motivation of ... More

This chapter provides the survey results of Pakistan's forty largest civil society organizations, half of which use development aid and half of which don't. The survey focused on the motivation of the group leaders, the groups' membership, and the organizational performance of these forty groups. This survey was conducted as a way to test the hypothesis that was expressed in the previous chapter: that the main reason why aid breaks down cooperation within civil society groups is because it changes group performance and the behavior of group leaders. This chapter argues that aid actually has a negative impact on collective action, which then results in a negative impact on the ability of an organization to achieve its development goals.Less

The Role of Leadership in Promoting Workplace Pro-Environmental Behaviors

Jennifer L. Robertson and Julian Barling

in The Psychology of Green Organizations

Corporations are beginning to mitigate their contributions to environgmental degredation by implementing various environmental initiatives. The success of these initiatives, however, largely rests on ... More

Corporations are beginning to mitigate their contributions to environgmental degredation by implementing various environmental initiatives. The success of these initiatives, however, largely rests on those who lead these companies. The focus of this chapter is on how leaders can help improve their organizations’ environmental performance by positively affecting subordinates’ workplace pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors. This chapter explores the conceptualization of environmental leadership, the processes through which it positively affects corporate environmental issues, and the characteristics of these leaders. This chapter reviews and synthesizes the empirical evidence linking environmental leadership to a variety of employees’ pro-environmental initiatives and examines a case example of environmental leadership at Steam Whistle Brewing Company, which is located in Ontario, Canada. The chapter concludes by providing some thoughts for future research on ways in which organizational leadership might influence corporate environmental sustainability.Less

Surveys and Sensing: Realizing the Promise of Listening to Employees

William H. Macey and Alexis A. Fink

in Employee Surveys and Sensing: Challenges and Opportunities

This chapter serves as an introduction to the book and more specifically to introduce several key themes that characterize the shift from the decades-old traditions in conducting employee surveys to ... More

This chapter serves as an introduction to the book and more specifically to introduce several key themes that characterize the shift from the decades-old traditions in conducting employee surveys to a more inclusive perspective on how organizations listen and more broadly sense employee perceptions regarding employee well-being and engagement—with the particular goal of reinforcing organizational strategy and driving organizational performance. The changes in the employee survey landscape are discussed in classical terms such as how survey content is determined, how surveys are deployed, and how data are analyzed to determine priorities for taking action to facilitate change. Newer ambient methods for sensing are also discussed in the context of “meaning-making,” as are the newer data-analytic methods. Key challenges in conducting survey research are discussed within the scientist-practitioner framework including the tensions between stakeholder-driven constraints and scientific best practices and the necessity for protecting data and ensuring respondent privacy.Less