Digital Commons Network^™

Distributed Sensemaking In Loosely Coupled Organizations, Sridhar Belavadi Seshadri

Student Scholarship

Academic Medical Centers\, despite their research and educational prowess\, are in a financial crisis. Increasing costs\, stiffer competition\, and anticipated tightening of budgets have created new levels of urgency and vibrancy among medical school deans and hospital CEOs about the need to increase the productivity of the clinical enterprise. To date\, most of these efforts have failed- this study attempts to understand why. The conceptual model sets up the relative advantage created by the organizational innovation and resulting organizational performance as the primary independent variable and dependent variables respectively. Organizational sensemaking among the sponsors\, designers\, and implementers of the change …

Distributed Sensemaking In Loosely Coupled Organizations, Sridhar Belavadi Seshadar

Student Scholarship

Academic Medical Centers, despite their research and educational prowess, are in a financial crisis. Increasing costs, stiffer competition, and anticipated tightening of budgets have created new levels of urgency and vibrancy among medical school deans and hospital CEOs about the need to increase the productivity of the clinical enterprise. To date, most of these efforts have failed- this study attempts to understand why. The conceptual model sets up the relative advantage created by the organizational innovation and resulting organizational performance as the primary independent variable and dependent variables respectively. Organizational sensemaking among the sponsors, designers, and implementers of the change …

Association In Associations: Network Dynamics In Dermatology Research, Rebecca M. Minnillo

Student Scholarship

The work of scientists is heterogeneous-a series of interactions within networks composed of individuals from diverse fields and disciplines (Star & Griesemer, 1989). Generation of new knowledge is essential in the organizations in which these individuals associate; the bridge that holds them together. Knowledge generation takes place at both the individual and collective levels (Brown and Duguid, 1998). Professional organizations attract individuals because they provide a unique forum, a space in which they converge to pursue common goals. Actor-network Theory (ANT) is concerned with how heterogeneous networks and the associations that comprise them come into existence and operate to construct …

Sales Sense: Improving Communication Through A Network Of Frames, Stuart R. Strolin

Student Scholarship

Why, when one business unit is successfully using an IT product, will another business unit reject or block its deployment when they have the same or similar business needs? Sales practitioners involved in making sense of these situations, centered on the assimilation of complex software innovations, lack the descriptive tools and language for methodically formulating approaches to overcome such obstacles. Insights have been offered by theories such as Diffusion of Innovation (Rogers, 1995), Technological Frames (Orlikowski & Gash, 1994), and Actor-Network Theory (Callon & Latour, 1981; Law, 1987). Various authors (Fichman, 1992; Lamb, 2003; Letch & Perth, 2001; Silver, Markus, …

College And University Endowment Diversification: An Extension Of Institutional Theory, Mary (Mimi) E. Lord

Student Scholarship

Today’s college and university endowments look dramatically different than they did 25 years ago. The quest for greater investment returns has been accompanied by an explosion in the number of asset classes in endowment portfolios\, particularly among large endowments. According to Modern Portfolio Theory\, greater diversification of holdings can help to improve the return/risk profile of a portfolio either by: a) enabling greater returns without adding to risk; or b) lowering risk without lowering returns. Transformation toward greater diversification has resembled to some extent the diffusion process described in institutional theory\, where new practices are initiated by large\, prestigious organizations …

Employee Level Dynamics Within A Merger Or Acquisition. The "Me-I" Theory Of Organization Consolidations; Avoiding Merger-Encouraged-Individualism, Todd Creasy

Student Scholarship

With the employee as the unit of analysis while studying mergers and acquisitions, our results suggested for merger consolidations, perceived organization support (POS) and identification with the new merged organization partially mediated the relationship between procedural justice and job satisfaction. Identity with the new organization fully mediated the relationship between cultural discontinuity and job satisfaction. For acquisition consolidations, we suggest identification with the new organization partially mediated the relationship between procedural justice and organization citizenship behavior (OCB). Further, POS fully mediated the relationships between procedural justice and job satisfaction and between trust in management and job satisfaction. Lastly, identification with …

Sales Opportunity Crafting: Explaining Diverse Selling Approaches, Ganesh Kumar

Student Scholarship

Salespeople play a critical boundary-spanning role in establishing productive relationships with their buyers. In doing so, they employ diverse selling approaches that resulting in a wide range of customer experiences—some that align well with the overall marketing strategies and some that conflict with the intent of the organization. Several theoretical explanations for the variations in selling approaches, but no singular theory provide us a lens to understand how salespeople approach various selling opportunities. The primary goal of this inquiry is to compile the extant theoretical knowledge from various disciplines in order to develop a conceptual framework for future empirical research …

Where Was The Board? A "Moves"-Based Approach To Improving Npo Accountability, Frederick O. Udochi

Student Scholarship

Strong arguments have been made that traditional definitions of accountability – financial health, internal controls and regulatory compliance – do not fully capture an organization’s performance (Ospina et al, 2002; Behn, 2001; Kearns, 1996). Failures evidenced by multiple breakdowns of accountability in nonprofit organizations have resulted in calls for boards to pursue a broadened level of accountability. There is little or no corresponding guidance in the literature to show how that could be accomplished. This research paper proposes to explore the “how” by adopting the notion of “moves” (Pentland, 1992), which are the verbal and/or nonverbal actions, routines or accomplishments …

Paradoxical Strategies And Firm Performance: The Case Of Indonesian Banking Industry, Mohammad Hamsal, I Gusti Ngurah Agung

The South East Asian Journal of Management

Recently, research on paradoxical strategies has been considered critical in winning in the competitive dynamic landscape, characterized by uncertainty and rapid changes in the business environment. Such environmental uncertainties require firm to apply paradoxical strategies; combining strategic flexibility and strategic consistency (Parnell, 1994). This study addresses three main questions: what is the effect of strategic flexibility on firm’s performance; what is the effect of strategic consistency on firm’s performance; what is the contingent effect of perceived environmental uncertainty on the relationship between paradoxical strategies and firm’s performance. Questionnaires were distributed to 131 CEOs or members of top management team of …

Developing Expanded Conceptions Of Governance In Community Foundations, Michael Wolfe

Student Scholarship

Community foundations administer over $44 billion and distribute $3.5 billion annually to improve the quality of life throughout the United States. In 2000, a series of "National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations" was developed. Are changes currently promoted by the field of community foundations truly propelling community foundations to a more advanced role? Present research posits the value to community foundations of engaged proactive behavior by the board of directors and CEO. By examining the developmental responses of boards during times of institutional pressure, we can inform research and practice that seeks to improve nonprofit governance.

Control Of The Electronic Management Of Information, A. Boone, R. Szatmary Jr.

Publications (YM)

This procedure establishes the responsibilities and provides direction for developing and evaluating the adequacy of process controls on specific uses of electronically stored information. These uses include, but are not limited to, information used in design input, developed as design output, or developed as input to or output from scientific investigation or performance assessment modeling and analysis. This pertains to information that resides in an electronic information management system or on electronic media.

Being Ethical When The Boss Is Not, Mary Uhl-Bien, Melissa K. Carsten

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

A missing element in discussions of ethical leadership is: What happens to enforcement of ethics if it is the managers who are behaving unethically? In this article we address this question by describing a framework of upward ethical leadership. This framework expands conceptualizations of leadership beyond top-down models to a view that considers employees to be active participants in the leadership process. Upward ethical leadership is defined as leadership behavior displayed by individuals who take action to maintain ethical standards in the face of questionable moral behaviors by higher-ups. It is fostered when employees are encouraged to establish personal power …

The Long-Term Impact Of The Feedback Environment On Job Satisfaction: A Field Study In A Belgian Context, Filip Anseel, Filip Lievens

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This study examines (1) the relationship between the feedback environment and job satisfaction and (2) the mediating role of leader-member exchange in a Belgian context. Results from a sample of 155 employees of a governmental service for employment and vocational training supported our hypotheses. A favorable supervisor feedback environment was related to higher levels of job satisfaction 5 months later, and this relationship was fully mediated by the quality of leader-member exchange. These findings highlight the usefulness of diagnosing and assessing the feedback environment for a better understanding of feedback processes and for enhancing feedback interventions in organisations.

“Go Live In ’05”—From Hierarchy To Shared Governance In Higher Education, Peter A. Maresco

WCBT Faculty Publications

Higher education is in the midst of a major transformation evidenced by several factors: greater demands from stakeholders; pressure to increase student enrollment, financial uncertainty, limited resources, and a responsibility to contribute to the community’s civic and economic development. Faculty and staff in higher education are challenged to deliver education in innovative ways. This innovation requires an expedient method of governance and necessitates careful examination of the organization’s structural, cultural, and decision-making processes. To meet these demands, leaders in higher education must examine decision-making processes and design governance models that respond quickly and efficiently to their myriad of constituents.

Managing Stakeholders During It-Enabled Organizational Transformation: A Case Study Of E-Government In South Korea, Hyun Jeong Kim, Gary Pan, Shan Ling Pan

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

The implementation of e-government is a burgeoning phenomenon across the globe. It improves and enhances the infrastructures and services provided to the citizens. However, a review of the IS literature reveals that research on the implementation of e-government is rather limited, which could be due to the general misconception of the public sectors as rigid and risk-averse establishments. The shortage of studies on e-government’s implementation presents a knowledge gap that needs to be plugged. This gap is significantly amplified by the increasing number of e-government initiatives being implemented by governments in recent years. This paper describes and analyzes South Korea’s …

We Teach It, But Do We Practice It? Challenging Our Own Ethics In Higher Education, Susan R. Madsen, James Davis, Scott C. Hammond, Bonner Ritchie

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

The purpose of this panel discussion is to provide business school faculty, administrators, and doctoral students a forum to discuss current issues and challenges related to the ethical decision-making and behavior of individuals and groups (i.e., faculty, administrators, and staff) within the higher educational arena. It will provide the attendees/participants the opportunity to challenge behaviors and practices commonly seen and held. There are a number of contexts that provide ethical/moral dilemmas in post-secondary settings. While several of these contexts have received significant attention from professional associations such as the Academy of Management, others have received little or no attention. The …

Refinement Of An Instrument To Assess Readiness For Knowledge Management, Landon C. Bailey

Theses and Dissertations

Academics and practitioners have described knowledge as a primary source for competitive advantage for organizations; however, many attempts at instituting knowledge management programs to increase organizational competitiveness do not succeed. Instituting knowledge management programs generally requires organizations to make significant changes and the concept of readiness has long been believed to be an important precondition for successful organizational change. By linking previous research in enablers for knowledge management and organizational change, it is possible to adapt an established organizational change readiness instrument to measure readiness for knowledge management. This study culminates in the development and field-testing of the resultant knowledge …

Contemporary Leadership Project, Santosh Guha

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Company XYZ has many challenging projects and initiatives for 2006 - 2007 as the company strives to meet the goals of operational excellence. Projects completed in 2005 indicate that 30 % of the projects failed. Cummings and Worley's (2005) Eight-Step Action Research Model will be applied to help identify the root causes for the 30 % project failures at the Company and develop an intervention that will reduce project failures. Further, the proposal would demonstrate a thorough literature review for the causes of project failures.

Mapping Change Management: A Co-Citation Analysis, Brian R. Low

Theses and Dissertations

Today's organizations are continually undergoing changes to make improvements in their efficiency and effectiveness. The ability of organizations to effectively implement and sustain successful change, however, has been limited, with most change initiatives failing to attain the desired success. To counter this trend, researchers across several disciplines have worked to provide practitioners better insight into how to facilitate change within their organizations. This research has resulted in many theories as to what constitutes change and how best to implement it, but it lacks a unifying theory that encompasses all aspects of change research. This effort takes a step toward a …

Use Of Interpretive Schemes And Successful Adaptation: The Case Of Chinese Protestant Immigrant Churches In North America, Siu-Hang P. Chan

Student Scholarship

How religious congregations adapt to change determines whether they will continue to thrive (Ammerman, 1997). Chinese immigrant religious organizations in America face a built-in clash between overseas-born and American-born generations that is usually visible in their religious congregations (Ling & Cheuk, 1999). This study identifies interpretive schemes (Bartunek, 1984) used by Chinese congregations that help ease the generational transition and lead to or hinder successful adaptation.

A Project Manager's Personal Attributes As Predictors For Success, Vhance V. Valencia

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine what personal attributes project managers (PMs) possess which leads them to project management success. Numerous attributes are identified in the literature through a variety of methods, but very few studies relate specific qualities to success. The traits identified in the literature were compiled and condensed into seven distinct skills and attributes: leadership ability, communication skill, decision making skill, administrative skill, coping ability, analytical thinking, and technical competence. A survey method was developed which involved the PM, to measure levels of each attribute, and the PM’s supervisor and project data, to provide a …

Adult Retraining Programs And Reemployment For Dislocated Workers, Tony J. Perry

Faculty Dissertations

A variety of government sponsored programs provide retraining and income assistance to dislocated workers, yet it is unclear whether these initiatives are effective in providing workers the essential skills needed for new careers. Using Mezirow’s transformational learning theory, this study was designed to evaluate programs in selected counties in the states of Virginia and North Carolina. Using self-administered surveys, data were gathered from college instructors, dislocated workers, and local business owners. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and related to each research question. Results showed that instructors were effectively using adult training methods, the majority of students perceived their retraining …

Language Of Change: Dynamics Of Push-Pull Communication, Humayun Rashid

Student Scholarship

Changing organizational culture is a challenging undertaking, especially when it is attempted through a global change in systems and processes, such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Implementations. During these transformations, organizations desire alignment between people at different levels and across various parts of the organization; and communication is considered a critical factor to developed shared meaning leading towards alignment. This research redefines alignment as a dynamic push-pull communication model for change in which the traditional top-down "push" communication frames the overall purpose and objectives of a change while the deeper-level "pull" communication helps employees make sense of the change--what the …

The Relationship Between Leadership Styles And Organizational Culture Withinschools Of Nursing, Debra K. Vankovich Mullins

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between leadership styles and organizational culture within schools of nursing. A non-probability convenience sample (N=149) of subjects was obtained from BSN schools of nursing within the Southern Regional Education Board geographical area. Three data collection tools were utilized including a demographic questionnaire; the Multi-factor Leadership Questionnaire (Bass & Avolio) which measures transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership styles; and the Organizational Culture Assessment Inventory (Cameron & Quinn) which measures four culture types including clan, market, adhocracy and hierarchy cultures. A descriptive – correlational design was used. Inferential statistics utilized included multiple …

Fostering Entrepreneurship: Developing A Risk-Taking Culture In Singapore, Balbir B. Bhasin

New England Journal of Entrepreneurship

About 10 years ago the Singapore Government realized that entrepreneurial spirit was lacking in its general population. These conclusions were confirmed by an empirical survey, the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), an annual assessment of the national level of entrepreneurial activity. The paternalistic and authoritative approach of the government contributed to the general population’s averseness to participating in risk-oriented ventures.

Removing impediments to entrepreneurship is a key challenge for the government and the business sector if the island republic is to maintain its national competitiveness. This article explores the various initiatives taken by the government to stimulate risk-taking and attempts to …

Enterprise Resource Planning (Erp): A Review Of The Literature, Young Moon

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering - All Scholarship

This article is a review of work published in various journals on the topics of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) between January 2000 and May 2006. A total of 313 articles from 79 journals are reviewed. The article intends to serve three goals. First, it will be useful to researchers who are interested in understanding what kinds of questions have been addressed in the area of ERP. Second, the article will be a useful resource for searching for research topics. Third, it will serve as a comprehensive bibliography of the articles published during the period. The literature is analysed under six …

A Study Of Strategies For Successful Enterprise Resource Planning Implementation In A Merger And Acqusition Environment, Maricelle Casquejo Thomas

Theses Digitization Project

This project will be focusing on the business problem of integrating information systems within a M & A organization, in this case to a SAP platform. SAP is the platform the parent company uses to run its corporate business functions.

Reinforce Customer Satisfaction Through Enterprise Resource Planning And Supply Chain Management Integration, Yu-Hsiang Chen

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this project is to try and establish a blueprint for integrating Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Supply Chain Management (SCM). ERP and SCM have become popular in many industries because they help companies improve their Information Systems (IS) which helps support their operational goals. New technology is being used in resource planning and e-commerce and a stable supply chain helps corporations integrate many basic applications. This helps facilitate smooth supplier-customer interactions while minimizing transaction costs. This project is trying to provide a way in which to implement ERP systems properly into SCM. It should result in improved …

Through The Eyes Of Experts: A Socio-Cognitive Perspective On The Automation Of Fingerprint Work, Christopher Davis, Ellen M. Hufnagel

USF St. Petersburg Campus Faculty Publications

Prior research on technological frames indicates that manyof the difficulties associated with systems implementation stem from differences in the meanings users, managers, and system developers attribute to automation projects. Although the concept of technological frames has been used to explore the bases for intergroup conflict during implementation, it is also a useful device for probing more deeply into the effects complex systems have on users' perceptions of their work and the role-altering effects of new technologies. Drawing upon personal construct theory and job characteristics theory, we adapted the repertory grid technique to explore the technology- in-use frames of a group …

2006-2007 Financial Summary, Morehead State University. Budget & Financial Planning Office.

Morehead State University Financial Summaries Archive

2006-2007 Financial Summary of Morehead State University.