Organizational Behavior and Theory Commons^™

Compliant Sinners, Obstinate Saints: How Power And Self-Focus Determine The Effectiveness Of Social Influences In Ethical Decision Making, Marko Pitesa, Stefan Thau

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

In this research, we examine when and why organizational environments influence how employees respond to moral issues. Past research has proposed that social influences in organizations affect employees' ethical decision making, but has not explained when and why some individuals are affected by an organizational environment and some disregard it. To address this problem, we drew on research on power to propose that power makes people more self-focused, which, in turn, makes them more likely to act upon their preferences and ignore (un)ethical social influences. Using both experimental and field methods, we tested our model across the three main paradigms …

Designing Trustworthy Organizations, Robert F. Hurley, Nicole Gillespie, Donald L. Ferrin, Graham Dietz

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Companies often blame trust violations on ‘rogue employees', but these violations are predictable in organizations that allow dysfunctional, conflicting or incongruent activities to take root.

A Tale Of Two Trusts: A Case Study Of The Consolidation Of Two Community Land Trust Affordable Housing Organizations In Vermont, Isaac I. Wagner

Capstone Collection

Between early 2010 and May 2011 the Windham Housing Trust conducted a feasibility analysis to study the possibility of merging with or acquiring the Rockingham Area Community Land Trust, a similar community land trust organization providing affordable housing in an adjacent county.

This study analyzed the one year feasibility study and merger negotiation process between the two organizations, and explored the complex set of relationships between financial partners, communities, residents, and funding stakeholders. The methodology for this work included reviewing current literature about nonprofit mergers and acquisitions, funder involvement, and community impact of consolidating services. In addition the author interviewed …

Bridging The Culture's Environments Components Into A Common Cause: Case Study El Zahrawan Charity Corporation In Egypt, Zeinab Shawky Younis

Business Administration

Culture in an organization is the set of values that help its members to maintain and understand what an organization is all about and what it stands for. It is considered to be the set of shared meanings that the members cherish and should respect in order to go with the norm of the organization .It also plays a very important role in shaping managerial decisions and behavior as it is the founding base for the internal environment in the organization. Culture determines the theme of the organization whether it is ethical, social or political. The Culture is engraved in …

How To Make Happy Workers, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

Companies around the world are realising that happy employees are more productive and that investing in morale will pay dividends in the form of more creative and loyal workers. Several American companies have stood out by offering their employees great perks. This mindset is now becoming more common among Asian organisations, according to Felix Sim, the CEO of a Singaporean team-building company, Playlor!

Communicating Creativity: A Workshop And Communication Tools For Teaching And Consulting In Creativity, Stephen J. Hammond

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

This project developed tools to support a consulting practice integrating the author’s interests in creative process, design and organizational strategy. The focus is on educating students and clients about creativity, creative thinking, design and innovation. Design thinking concepts of user feedback and rapid prototyping were used during the project. The resulting products are materials for a multi-day graduate level workshop for design students, a creativity website including blogging capability and a four minute educational video aimed at helping establish an Aerospace Technology Center in Northern Illinois.

Authentic, Transformational Leadership: A Phenomenological Study Of The Experiences Of Black/White Biracial Leaders, Carmen R. Zafft

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This phenomenological study described the racial identity and leadership experiences of eight community, education, and business Black/White biracial leaders. Four central themes emerged relating to the participants’ racial identity choices: (a) family discourse, (b) social networks, (c) appearance, and (d) identity work. Three central themes emerged relating to the participants’ leadership experiences: (a) cultural agility: “Blessed to be flexible”, (b) perceived representation: “I look like them”, and (c) transformational leadership: “I lead so others can grow.” Because the participants were conscious of their identity development experience, all demonstrated a strong sense of self which influenced how they experienced leadership. As …

Workplace Health Promotion Programs: An Assessment Of Factors Influencing Participation, Tomeka Lashell Harbin

Dissertations

Increasing health care costs are indicators of a major threat to short and long term viability of American businesses. As leaders in American businesses and industries face rising health insurance and medical care costs, interest in disease prevention and health promotion increases. Decreasing health care costs coupled with a greater public interest for addressing health issues has led to the workplace health promotion movement. This study utilized quantitative research methods to examine employee perceptions of workplace health promotion in the Mississippi Delta, a rural area identified as one of the three unhealthiest places to live in the United States.

Electronic …

Masters Of The Universe: How Power And Accountability Influence Self-Serving Decisions Under Moral Hazard, Marko Pitesa, Stefan Thau

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This article provides an answer to the question of why agents make self-serving decisions under moral hazard and how their self-serving decisions can be kept in check through institutional arrangements. Our theoretical model predicts that the agents' power and the manner in which they are held accountable jointly determine their propensity to make self-serving decisions. We test our theory in the context of financial investment decisions made under moral hazard using others' funds. Across 3 studies, using different decision-making tasks, different manipulations of power and accountability, and different samples, we show that agents' power makes them more likely to behave …

Corporate Social Responsibility, Daniel H. Brown

Senior Honors Theses

This paper will address Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and its far-reaching implications. Initially, the term CSR will be introduced and defined to provide the backbone for the following discussions. The paper will address the theoretical constructs of CSR, managerial strategies for implementing CSR and the application of stakeholder theory. The thesis is built upon Dr. Archie Carroll’s four-part CSR construct. In addition, international standards of CSR, with a focus on Nike, Inc.’s actions, will be evaluated.

Innovators And Imitators In Product-Market Competition And Accounting Reporting, Carlos Corona, Lin Nan, Ran Zhao

Accounting Faculty Articles and Research

In this study, we examine firms’ investments in explorative initiatives and their choices of capitalization method in a product-market competition setting. Since the capitalization of exploration expenditures may contain information on whether a firm’s exploration investment is successful, financial reports may reveal important information to competitors, and thus may have real consequences in product-market competition. In our paper, we identify two driving forces that induce firms to choose different capitalization methods: an information-spillover effect and a preempting effect. We also find that enforcing an accounting method that requires firms to capitalize expenditures of only successful explorations may increase or decrease …

The Comprehensive Soldier And Family Fitness Program Evaluation. Report #4: Evaluation Of Resilience Training And Mental And Behavioral Health Outcomes, Peter D. Harms, Mitchel Herian, Dina V. Krasikova, Adam J. Vanhove, Paul B. Lester

P. D. Harms Publications

The purpose of this evaluation is to examine the effectiveness of Master Resilience Training, which is a pillar of the Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness (CSF2) program. The report evaluates the relationship between resilience training and diagnoses for mental health or substance abuse problems and whether this relationship was mediated by Soldiers’ self-reported resilience/ psychological health (R/PH). In other words, we tested whether Soldiers with MRT trainers in their units experienced increases in self-reported R/PH, and whether increases in self-reported R/PH were associated with reduced odds of Soldiers receiving diagnoses for mental health or substance abuse problems.

The results revealed …

The Relationship Between Proactive Personality And Performance: Why And When?, Khai The Nguyen

Doctoral Dissertations

In this dissertation, I developed two measures of the value congruence constructs: value congruence with organization and value congruence with supervisor. I also hypothesized that value congruence with one's supervisor and one's organization will be a function of the extent to which the subordinate and supervisor share similarity in proactive personality and that the two value congruence constructs would mediate the relationship between proactive personality and proactive behavior. I further hypothesized that the relationships between value congruence and proactive behavior would be the function of the extent to which employees perceived support from their supervisor and their organization. Finally, I …

Actualizing Organizational Core Values: Putting Theory Into Practice, George J. Byrtek, Mark Dickerson

Faculty Publications - George Fox Digital

The literature on organizational culture and leading by shared values suggests a prescriptive model for use by leaders in actualizing stated organizational core values. Utilizing a qualitative case study approach, this study sought to examine the efficacy of this theoretical model in representing actual efforts by practitioners to embed diversity as a new organizational core value. Leadership actions to embed and actualize diversity as an institutional core value at two private universities were examined and compared. Findings suggest the theoretical model inadequately addresses the critical role of contextual assessment and under represents the dynamic cyclical nature of value embedding and …

The Influence Of Social Networking Technology In An Engineering Organization, Derrick Marcus Tepaske

EMSE Doctoral Projects

Computer facilitated Social Networking (SN) is becoming more prevalent in our society, both in our personal and professional lives. As its use grows, there is a desire to determine how it will impact an organization. If it can positively impact an organization then it is an initiative that could be embraced and leveraged for any number of business related activities from marketing to engineering. This project develops and implements a social networking treatment for an engineering organization in order to determine how it impacts the responsiveness and performance of the organization. The treatment includes an online tool, a training package, …

2013 Ijbe Front Matter, Tamra Connor

International Journal for Business Education

1. Editorial Board
2. President's Letter
3. SIEC-ISBE International

Differential Relationships Of Internal And External Networking Behaviors With Turnover, Caitlin M. Porter

Open Access Theses

Although networking behaviors are proven to be beneficial for career success, less is known about how networking influences organizational outcomes such as turnover. Using a professional and an academic sample of "stayers" and "leavers", the present study addresses how two types of networking behaviors, networking focused either internal or external to the organization, differentially influence the voluntary turnover process. Data gathered from "stayers" suggested that internal networking behaviors were positively associated with perceived desirability of movement (i.e., job satisfaction), whereas external networking behaviors were associated with perceived (i.e., perceived employment opportunity) and actual (i.e., job offers) ease of movement. For …

Female Authority In A Globalizing Market, Megan R. Mccann

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

An Epistemological Inquiry Into The Incorporation Of Emergency Management Concept In The Homeland Security With A Post-Disaster Security Centric Focus, Mehmet Secilmis

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The historical roots of the Emergency Management concept in the U.S. date back to 19th century. As disasters occurred, policies relating to disaster response have been developed, and many statuary provisions, including several Federal Disaster Relief Acts, conceptually established the framework of Emergency Management. In 1979, with the foundation of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), disaster relief efforts were finally institutionalized, and the federal government acknowledged that Emergency Management included mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery activities as abbreviated 'MPRR.'

However, after 2000, the U.S. experienced two milestone events - the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001 and Hurricane Katrina …

Harnessing Charisma For Leadership Training, Meagan Roper

Masters Theses

Effective leadership develops followers toward objectives that focus a group's energy to engage in its task and accomplish its goals. The following study sought to understand charismatic leadership and its role in creating transformational change. Through a mixed methods case study using surveys and interviews, this researcher sought to explain the essence of charismatic leadership. Within the organization this study investigated, this meant first establishing organizational vision for a family atmosphere and guiding members on the path to achieving that vision, generating motivation and dedication to the task goals. The researcher discovered practical communicative strategies for incorporating charismatic leadership in …

Team Innovation Processes: An Examination Of Activity Cycles In Creative Project Teams, Kenneth T. Goh, Paul S. Goodman, Laurie R. Weingart

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This study investigates cycles of planning, enacting, and reviewing activities over time in teams engaged in creative projects. Drawing on longitudinal case studies of two interactive media development teams, two distinct cycles of planning, enacting, and reviewing activities are identified: experimentation cycles and validation cycles. Experimentation cycles are discovery-oriented processes where teams gather insights into project requirements, constraints, and design specifications through trial-and-error. Validation cycles are correction-oriented processes where teams align their output with project requirements through incremental modifications. These findings are then built on to develop testable propositions about the relationship between the duration of planning, enacting, and reviewing …

Analysis Of Effects Of Organizational Behavior On Evolving System Of Systems Acquisition Programs Through Agent Based Modeling, Klayton S. Bobsein

Theses and Dissertations

Every weapon system operates in context with one or more system of systems (SoS). It is the SoS that provides warfighting capability. Each system is managed independently by a program office with program-centric priorities. These systems must be interconnected and interoperable, so the program office must collaborate across the SoS. The SoS are always changing and evolving, triggered by variety of stimuli. Acquisition program offices can be characterized with a set of organizational behaviors that respond to the environment, are influenced by SoS architecture, and can be described by their fitness and contribution to SoS. Using Geert Hofstede's cultural dimensions, …

Student Affairs: An Apologia, Aaron W. Hughey

Counseling & Student Affairs Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Closer Look At The Assistant (To The) Regional Manager: Personality Differences Between First And Second In Command Leaders In Organizations, Ross Benes

McNair Scholars Research Journal

Although a great deal of research has established personality differences between leaders and their followers (Lord, de Vader, & Alliger, 1986) there has been little research on how leaders at different levels of organizations may differ from one another. In particular, no research to date has examined whether or not there are personality differences between those who are first in command of their organizations and those second in command. The present study attempts to explore whether or not these differences exist in terms of both lay perceptions and in reality. The researchers in this study asked 401 individuals to contrast …

Editor-In-Chief’S Introduction To Spring 2013 Issue, William P. Ferris

Organization Management Journal

No abstract provided.

A Manager’S Actions? An Exercise For Exploring Sexual Harassment, David E. Desplaces, John R. Ogilvie

Organization Management Journal

This exercise is designed to enhance students’ understanding of sexual harassment issues in the workplace, as well as to extend these issues to customer interactions in retail settings. Through research and class discussion, participants explore their perceptions and assumptions about a manager’s potentially harassing behaviors. Furthermore, discussions of the manager’s actions provide additional opportunities to explore issues dealing with legal foundations of sexual harassment as well as gender differences in response to harassment. Multiple variations are presented making this scenario/exercise suitable to various courses and all types of participants in order to facilitate a healthy discussion about the issues associated …

Progress And Regress In The Mba Curriculum: The Career And Practice Skills Gap, Robert R. Laud, Matthew S. Johnson

Organization Management Journal

The question of MBA (master of business administration) curriculum relevancy has extended over many years, but surprisingly there has been little cohesive effort on the part of business schools to modify their approach in preparing students for successful practice management. Our research provides support to the growing concern that managerial and behavioral skills education has been overshadowed by the quantitative orientation emphasized in most MBA programs, despite the weak relationship found between MBA curricula and career success. The results of our study, based upon the perceptions of successful executives, revealed a set of prioritized managerial advancement skills as essential to …

Beyond The Textbook: An Approach To Facilitating Student Understanding Of Organizational Culture In Organizations, Kathleen J. Barnes, George E. Smith

Organization Management Journal

Organizational culture has been likened to an onion, an umbrella, sticky glue, and an iceberg. Due to the multifaceted nature of the subject matter, presenting and explaining this topic to students can be a daunting task. This article describes an assignment that allows students to discover and understand organizational culture by conducting a cultural analysis of organizations. Student groups collaboratively complete this assignment by locating a research site, administering a questionnaire, processing quantitative data using a statistical analysis software package, analyzing qualitative data using content analysis with analytic coding, developing a formal written report, and making an oral presentation to …

Everything I Know About Business I Learned From The Grateful Dead: The Ten Most Innovative Lessons From A Long, Strange Trip By Barry Barnes, Joanne L. Tritsch, Claudia Harris

Organization Management Journal

No abstract provided.

Organizational Ethics: A Practical Approach Edited By Craig E. Johnson, Ashwini Gangadharan

Organization Management Journal

No abstract provided.