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Meta-Analysis Of The Impact Of Positive Psychological Capital On Employee Attitudes, Behaviors, And Performance, James B. Avey, Rebecca J. Reichard, Fred Luthans, Ketan H. Mhatre

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

The positive core construct of psychological capital (or simply PsyCap), consisting of the psychological resources of hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism, has recently been demonstrated to be open to human resource development (HRD) and performance management. The research stream on PsyCap has now grown to the point that a quantitative summary analysis of its impact on employee attitudes, behaviors, and especially performance is needed. The present meta-analysis included 51 independent samples (representing a total of N = 12,567 employees) that met the inclusion criteria. The results indicated the expected significant positive relationships between PsyCap and desirable employee attitudes (job satisfaction, …

Psychological Capital And Employee Performance: A Latent Growth Modeling Approach, Suzanne J. Peterson, Fred Luthans, Bruce J. Avolio, Fred Walumbwa, Zhen Zhang

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

The positive core construct of psychological capital (consisting of efficacy, hope, optimism, and resilience) has been conceptually and empirically demonstrated to be related to employee performance. However, much of this work has relied on cross-sectional designs to examine these relationships. This study utilizes longitudinal data from a large financial service organization (N = 179 financial advisory-type employees) to examine withinindividual change in psychological capital over time and if this change relates to their change in performance. Latent growth modeling analyses revealed statistically significant within-individual change in psychological capital over time, and that this change in psychological capital was related to …

Aligning Strategic Processes In Pursuit Of Firm Growth, Varkey K. Titus Jr., Jeffrey G. Covin, Dennis P. Slevin

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

Strategy formation mode refers to the way organizations devise their strategies. While some organizations do so through an explicit, formalized, and planned method, other organizations unintentionally create patterns in their strategic decisions— a strategy formation route that is more emergent in nature. This research explores the relationship between strategy formation mode and firm growth. Further, this article explores two strategic processes—forecasting and long-range objective setting— and their efficacy in association with particular strategy formation modes. Primary and secondary data collected from 103 manufacturing firms were used to test the hypotheses. Results indicate that the relationship between strategy formation mode and …

Effects Of Alliances, Time, And Network Cohesion On The Initiation Of Foreign Sales By New Ventures, Jifeng Yu, Brett Anitra Gilbert, Benjamin M. Oviatt

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

In this study, we seek to advance the network perspective on new venture internationalization by examining the role of networks in accelerating new venture sales into foreign markets. We propose that knowledge derived from ventures’ technology and marketing alliances increases the likelihood that new ventures begin exploiting opportunities in international markets. We also argue that the extent to which the networks open the venture to new knowledge or constrain it to knowledge already shared among the partners will influence the initiation of foreign sales by a venture. Using a longitudinal dataset of 118 ventures in the U.S. biotechnology industry, we …

Hospital Boards And Hospital Strategic Focus: The Impact Of Board Involvement In Strategic Decision Making, Karen Ford-Eickhoff, Donde Ashmos Plowman, Reuben R. Mcdaniel Jr.

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

Background: Despite pressures to change the role of hospital boards, hospitals have made few changes in board composition or director selection criteria. Hospital boards have often continued to operate in their traditional roles as either “monitors” or “advisors.” More attention to the direct involvement of hospital boards in the strategic decision-making process of the organizations they serve, the timing and circumstances under which board involvement occurs, and the board composition that enhances their abilities to participate fully is needed.

Purposes: We investigated the relationship between broader expertise among hospital board members, board involvement in the stages of strategic decision making, …

The Gendering Of Organizational Research Methods: Evidence Of Gender Patterns In Qualitative Research [With Commentaries And Response], Donde Ashmos Plowman, Anne D. Smith

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

Purpose — The purpose of this paper is to explore the role that gender plays in choice of research methods.

Design/methodology/approach — The publication patterns of men and women in four prominent management journals over two decades were analyzed in three North American journals—Academy of Management Journal, Administrative Science Quarterly, and Organization Science—and one European journal—Journal of Management Studies. The authors coded the research methodology—qualitative or non-qualitative—and author gender for each article from 1986 through 2008, other than Organization Science which began in 1990. The authors also coded the stage of career for the journals …

Mentoring Impact On Leader Efficacy Development: A Field Experiment, Paul B. Lester, Sean T. Hannah, Peter D. Harms, Gretchen R. Vogelgesang, Bruce J. Avolio

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

While practitioners and scholars tout the importance of mentorship in leader development, few studies have empirically determined whether mentoring actually positively impacts a leader’s development, and if so, in what ways. In a longitudinal field experiment, we examined how a targeted mentorship program that unfolded over 6 months enhanced the development of protégés’ leader efficacy and performance. Results showed that the targeted mentorship intervention increased protégés’ level of leader efficacy more than a comparison intervention that was based on a more eclectic leadership education program delivered in a group setting. Leader efficacy then predicted rated leader performance. Both protégés’ preferences …

Adult Attachment Styles In The Workplace, Peter D. Harms

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

Prior research has demonstrated that attachment styles are important antecedents of interpersonal relationship quality and psychological well-being. Despite this, the theory of attachment styles has been largely ignored by researchers interested in workplace phenomena. The present paper aims to explain the theory of attachment styles, why researchers have overlooked attachment styles as an antecedent of organizational behavior, and a possible means of reconciling attachment theory with current models of personality. Moreover, I will review what existing research has actually demonstrated in terms of linking attachment styles to leadership, trust, satisfaction, performance and other outcomes. Finally, I will explore what possible …

Leader Development And The Dark Side Of Personality, Peter D. Harms, Seth M. Spain, Sean T. Hannah

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

The present study investigates the role of subclinical personality traits as determinants of leader development over time. In previous literature, subclinical traits have been identified as potential causes of leader derailment. However, leader development researchers have argued that developmental interventions based on increasing self-awareness may be effective at mitigating the negative effects of these character flaws. Using a multi-wave, multi-method longitudinal study of military school cadets we evaluate the impact of subclinical traits on externally-rated measures of leader development over a three year period. Results demonstrated that adding subclinical traits to models of development significantly increased model fit and that …

Dialogue, Asghar Zardkoohi, Leonard Bierman, Daria Panina, Subrata Chakrabarty

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

In a recent Academy of Management Review article, Professor Andrew von Nordenflycht (2010) focused on defining professional service firms (PSFs). In the article von Nordenflycht argues that past research leaves the term professional service firms either undefined or at best provides only examples, such as law firms, accounting firms, "etc." In addition, he argues that while most scholars agree that law firms and accounting firms fit the "definition" of PSFs, there is "little consensus on what the 'etc.' refers to. Does it include ad agencies? Physician practices? Software firms? Why or why not?" (2010: 155). The author's contributions include …

Developing A Capacity For Organizational Resilience Through Strategic Human Resource Management, Cynthia A. Lengnick-Hall, Tammy E. Beck, Mark L. Lengnick-Hall

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

Resilient organizations thrive despite experiencing conditions that are surprising, uncertain, often adverse, and usually unstable. We propose that an organization's capacity for resilience is developed through strategically managing human resources to create competencies among core employees, that when aggregated at the organizational level, make it possible for organizations to achieve the ability to respond in a resilient manner when they experience severe shocks. We begin by reviewing three elements central to developing an organization's capacity for resilience (specific cognitive abilities, behavioral characteristics, and contextual conditions). Next we identify the individual level employee contributions needed to achieve each of these elements. …

Antecedents Of New Director Social Capital, Scott Johnson, Karen Schnatterly, Joel F. Bolton, Chris S. Tuggle

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

Prior research shows that firms benefit from the social capital of their boards of directors but has not explored the antecedents of new director social capital. We argue that firms can attract directors with social capital by offering more compensation. We also argue that more complex firms (firms with a greater scale and scope of operations) are more attractive to such directors because of the greater experience and exposure that such directorships provide. Similarly, we argue that firms with high-status directors on their current boards will be more attractive to directors with social capital. We analyse the social capital of …

A Tale Of Two Paradigms: The Impact Of Psychological Capital And Reinforcing Feedback On Problem Solving And Innovation, Fred Luthans, Carolyn M. Youssef, Shannon L. Rawski

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

This study drew from two distinct paradigms: the social cognitively based emerging field of positive organizational behavior or POB and the more established behaviorally based area of organizational behavior modification or OB Mod. The intent was to show that both can contribute to complex challenges facing today’s organizations. Using a quasi-experimental research design (N = 1,526 working adults), in general both the recently recognized core construct of psychological capital (representing POB) and reinforcing feedback (representing OB Mod), especially when partially mediated through a mastery-oriented mindset, were positively related to problem solving performance, reported innovation, and subsequent psychological capital. The implications …

Experimentally Analyzing The Impact Of Leader Positivity On Follower Positivity And Performance, James Avey, Bruce J. Avolio, Fred Luthans

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

This field experimental study examined the role that positive leadership plays in producing effective leader and follower outcomes. Specifically, a sample of engineers (N = 106) from a very large aerospace firm were randomly assigned to four experimental conditions. Two conditions involved assigning these engineers to a low and high problem complexity condition. The other two conditions represented high versus low conveyed leader positivity. The results indicated a positive relationship between the leaders’ positivity and the followers’ positivity and performance, as well as a negative relationship between problem complexity and follower positivity. The study limitations, needed future research, and practical …