Organizational Communication Commons^™

The Collaboration Of Human Resource Management And Line Management–An International Comparison, Klaas Szierbowksi-Seibel, Bernhard A. Wach, Rudiger Kabst

Organization Management Journal

The extant research advocates for the strategic integration of human resource management (HRM) in managerial decision making to foster firm performance. However, the empirical evidence of a stronger strategic integration of HRM is still limited, especially in terms of strategic guidelines such as a human resource (HR) strategy and international comparative matters. Drawing on responses from 588 German and US-based organizations and related to the new institutionalism theory, this study examines whether a HRM partnership (i.e., sharing responsibilities between HRM and line management) that represents a particular form of strategic integration of HRM is beneficial for organizations. In particular, we …

Hr Flexibility In Family Firms: Integrating Family Functioning And Family Business Leadership, Sanjay Goel, Lin Xiu, Sheila Hanson, Raymond J. Jones Iii.

Organization Management Journal

We developed a conceptual model that links central constructs of family functioning to HR flexibility and subsequent HR outcomes in family businesses. We proposed that family functioning was associated with two fundamental leadership decisions (i.e. family-business integration and family involvement) in family businesses. We posited that family business leaders have immense discretion to make these critical decisions that establish the degree to which the family firms would exhibit HR flexibility. We distinguished the three dimensions of HR flexibility – skill, behavioral, and HR practices flexibility and proposed that skill and behavioral HR flexibility generally lead to positive HR outcomes whereas …

Should All Stakeholders Be Treated Fairly? Identifying Stakeholders That Legitimately Matter, Desmond Ng

Organization Management Journal

A key contribution of stakeholder research is that a firm’s purpose and objective is influenced by those stakeholders who have a legitimate stake in a firm’s business activities. Yet, identifying those that have a legitimate stake remains a challenge in stakeholder research. This research draws on legitimacy arguments to explain how stakeholders develop accountability and reliability in their legal and moral claims and how legitimacy influences a firm-manager’s obligations of fairness to these stakeholder groups. A concept of directness, consisting of close and relational specific exchanges, is introduced to explain this legitimation process. Directness offers accountability and reliability when an …

In Defense Of The Lecture: Revisiting And Reassessing Its Place Within Management Pedagogy, Evan H. Offstein, Rebecca M. Chorry

Organization Management Journal

Long the staple or go-to technique in management education, instruction via the lecture has fallen on hard times. Dismissed as professorially heavy-handed and lacking creativity, the lecture has yielded considerable ground to experiential, service, applied, and active learning techniques. In this essay, we question this shift away from the lecture toward the aforementioned trending instructional methods. In coming to the defense of the lecture, we explore the benefits afforded by the lecture for students and the professorate. Drawing on the maxim that what is old is new again, we contend that the lecture still deserves central billing in the management …

The Role Of Sensemaking And Organizational Identification In Employee Engagement For Sustainability, Kent D. Fairfield

Organization Management Journal

This exploratory study examines how sensemaking and organizational identification occur inside an organization and how they can affect how employees engage in managing for sustainability. Qualitative data suggest a positive effect of organizational identification on support for sustainability goals and actions and, conversely, how individual sustainability actions may in turn increase organizational identification. The findings from interviews of a sample of eight companies reveal many different goals, challenges, and means of seeking sustainability. Analysis points toward the dynamics of cognitive and emotional processing across this diverse sample, suggesting implications for practitioners and further research.

A Qualitative Study Of “Online” Work Breaks, Sungdoo Kim, Stacie Furst-Holloway, Elaine Hollensbee, Suzanne Masterson, Therese Sprinkle, Daniele Bologna

Organization Management Journal

Despite the growing empirical evidence on the beneficial effects of “micro” work breaks, scant research has examined “online” work breaks. Thus, the purpose of this study is to explore the nature and effects of online work breaks. Through an in-depth qualitative study of a diverse set of 33 full-time working professionals, we identified conditions under which online breaks occur as well as the characteristics and outcomes of these breaks. Interestingly, our findings point to both negative and positive outcomes associated with online breaks, largely dependent on an individual’s ability to self-regulate. Our grounded theory approach allows us to develop a …

Team-Building: Developing Teamwork Skills In College Students Using Experiential Activities In A Classroom Setting, Shelly Marasi

Organization Management Journal

This paper provides a systematic team-building training to fill a knowledge hole and a skills gap as well as prepare college students for better employability and future career success. The teambuilding training follows the interpersonal approach and utilizes adventure learning in the form of improvisational activities that can be used in a classroom setting. The team-building training enhances student learning of teams and the team development process as well as develop students’ teamwork skills. Data from a treatment group and a control group through pre- and post-measures of student perceptions are presented to determine the team-building training’s effectiveness. Correlations, t-tests, …

The Business Meeting: A Cross-Cultural Experiential Learning Activity, Arpita Joarder, Konrad Jamro, Ram Ravi

Organization Management Journal

This paper presents a simulation designed to help students learn about the challenges and necessary skills for conducting business in cross-cultural settings. The exercise involves assigning participants to two fictitious cultural groups, each with its own norms and expectations. Participants interact with members of the other culture in accordance with the instructions provided in order to negotiate successfully. This experiential learning activity allows students to reflect on their cross-cultural skills in a simulated business setting. An assessment of the exercise conducted in classroom setting indicated evidence of its effectiveness.

Faculty Senates And College Presidents: Perspectives On Collaborations, Daniel P. Nadler, Michael T. Miller, Eid Abo Hamza, G. David Gearhart

Journal of Research on the College President

Colleges and universities have historically provided faculty members access to sharing authority, and this has been manifest in recent decades through the creation and use of a formal body called a faculty senate. These formal bodies have at times been highly effective at articulating faculty member interests, yet there are few formal definitions or boundaries concerning what areas senates are most appropriately engaged. College presidents similarly recognize that senates have a role in institutional decision-making, yet often lack a clear understanding of where and how they should be engaged. The current study explored faculty senate leader and college president perceptions …

Peak Learning Experiences: A Group-Based Phenomenological Investigation And Description, Thomas A. Conklin

Organization Management Journal

This paper explores peak learning (PL) experiences through a semi-longitudinal approach across the life space of multiple groups of learners. Appreciative inquiry (AI) was used to gather data through interviews that resulted in unique examples of PL experiences. Once collected, a novel application of phenomenology was employed to identify the structural elements of participants’ experiences. Finally, thematic analysis was applied to the aggregated structural elements of each group to identify those common to all who participated in the AI. The final synthesis description was written in alignment with the structural themes and could be applied as a qualitative assessment to …

Strategy Implementation As Performative Practice: Reshaping Organization Into Alignment With Strategy, Sander Merkus, Thijs Willems, Marcel Veenswijk

Organization Management Journal

Much of the existing scholarly work on strategy implementation focuses on factors that either catalyze or obstruct the infusion of strategy into the organization. While this renders valuable knowledge about factors enabling or frustrating implementation, the actual process of strategy implementation is treated as a black box and as a step in the strategy model which is not further explained. To understand this process, this conceptual paper draws from performativity literature in which a strategy is conceptualized as a performative device. This means that a strategy triggers practices which reshape the organization so that the strategy is actualized in the …

Exploring Inclusion Of Leadership Development Into New Employee Orientations: A Proposed Approach From Army Leader Development, Michael J. Kirchner, Mesut Akdere

Organization Management Journal

Regardless of industry, organization leaders recognize the need for a strong leadership pipeline and a culture of sustained leader development, and the U.S. Army is no exception. Beginning in basic training, Army leaders offer soldiers leader development training through various methods, including defining leadership expectations, providing experience-based developmental exercises, and offering self-development opportunities. The early introduction is part of a continuous leader development regimen engrained in military service, and—as a result—military veterans are often credited by employers for their leadership skills. This paper, through exploring Army leader development, proposes a framework for introducing leadership development during new employee orientations based …

Integrity According To Whom? An Experiment Of The Effects Of Gender, Moral Integrity, And Behavioral Consistency On Evaluations Of Leaders, Benjamin J. Thomas

Organization Management Journal

Organizational stakeholders place great importance on leaders’ integrity, which, current theory indicates is a multidimensional construct. Drawing from leadership categorization theory and multidimensional leadership perspective, this research offered novel tests of the independent and interactive effects of a leaders’ behavioral consistency (the alignment between a leader’s words and actions) and moral integrity (doing right and not doing wrong) using experimental methods. The results of the 2x3x3 between-subjects (N = 781) factorial design reveal the moderate-strong magnitude of the effects of leader integrity on followers’ evaluations, and indicate the two dimensions of leader integrity—behavioral consistency and moral integrity—interact in fascinating ways. …

Psychological Underpinnings Of The Work-Site Selection Process Of Knowledge Workers, April J. Spivack, Ashay Desai

Organization Management Journal

As a result of technological advances, knowledge workers have become increasingly mobile; people can perform work in a variety of new locations via an assortment of new working arrangements. Knowledge workers are now faced with the question of where to work. We argue that the process of work-site selection depends on the relationship between a variety of individual factors such as motivation, cognitive and affective evaluation, and regulatory focus as they interact with self-regulatory resources. Specifically, we use a dynamic interactionist perspective to integrate components of social exchange, self-determination, regulatory focus, and selfregulation theories. The resulting conceptual model contributes to …

Examining Self-Monitoring And Neuroticism As Predictors And Self-Efficacy As An Outcome Of Authentic Leadership, Richa Chaudhary, Chinmay Panda

Organization Management Journal

The present study explores the role of personality traits of neuroticism and self-monitoring as determinants of authentic leadership, and self-efficacy as an outcome using a sample of 300 employees from automobile and heavy engineering companies in India. Support for the study hypotheses was mixed. Although the effect of neuroticism on authentic leadership was negative, the relationship was not significant. The trait of self-monitoring showed significant positive association with the ratings of authentic leadership. With regard to the outcomes of authentic leadership, the results provided support for the positive relationship between authentic leadership and self-efficacy. The study makes significant contribution to …

Illness And The American Workplace: Issues And Implications For Employers And Employees, Victoria R. Dolan

Student Theses and Dissertations

This project aims to identify American employee experiences and existing workplace policies and cultures surrounding illness, disability, and sick leave. This approach was taken in order to closely examine what looks to be working well for companies and workers, and what could benefit from a more human centric approach in regards to workplace policy and employee support programs. The study of employee experiences in particular represents a gap in the current scholarly literature regarding illness and illness policy in the American workplace, and more accurately represents the experiences for both employees and employers. Furthermore, it assists with distinguishing the types …

Together Apart: Influences And Barriers To Engagement Among Remote Workers, Stacey-Robin H. Johnson

Student Theses and Dissertations

Organizations recognize the importance of having employees who do more than 'show up' for work. Rather, the goal is to have employees who will adapt to, embody, and promote the values, agenda, and strategic purposes of the organization beyond their work life. In the efforts around engagement, there are key influences in the organizational lifespan of an employee that can inspire or discourage engagement attitudes and behaviors.

Remote workers (defined here as those who work outside of a central, collective work setting) present unique challenges, the most pressing being maintaining a sense of connection and inclusion among the group in …

Social Class And Social Networks: How Sociocultural Upbringing Affects Organizational Social Networks, Jacqueline Tilton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Organizations are a key venue where individuals from different backgrounds have the opportunity to interact and yet we know very little about how social class background shapes interactions within the workplace. There is reason to believe that the differing value systems of social class groups influence their attitudes and behavior towards workplace connections and relationship formation. This article considers how social class background affects organizational social networks as well as the class-distinct values and attitudes that shape networking behavior of employees. To study this phenomena, I analyze a sample of 490 employees from a broad range of roles and organizations …

From Cyber To E-Mail Incivility: A Psychometric Assessment And Measure Validation Study, Kimberly Mccarthy, Rajnandini Pillai, Bennett Cherry, Michael Steigerwald

Organization Management Journal

Conducting research on organizational communication, and on how e-mail is used and misused by employees, is an important question addressed by this research. Specifically, we assess and address the deficiency in the existing construct of cyber incivility. This research examines how the existing scale is lacking, explains why a new scale is needed, and then develops and tests a new measure of rude e-mail. In this study we perform a quantitative test of the quality of the existing cyber incivility scale. In addition, we develop and propose a new scale with improved psychometric properties and test its validity on a …

The Modern Face Of Workplace Incivility, Devi Akella, Vance Johnson Lewis

Organization Management Journal

No abstract provided.

Resilience Only Gets You So Far: Volunteer Incivility And Burnout, Sheridan B. Trent, Joseph A. Allen

Organization Management Journal

Although multiple factors have been found to induce burnout in volunteers, studies examining relationships among volunteer coworkers as a potential stressor are sorely lacking. Through the lens of conservation of resources (COR) theory, we investigated coworker (i.e., from both paid and unpaid coworkers) incivility as a predictor of burnout in a sample of volunteers. COR theory postulates that environmental stressors lead to burnout or other negative outcomes by depleting an individual’s resources. The present study also explored resilient coping as one factor that might help volunteers cope with the burnout emanating from incivility. Using regression, we found that incivility from …

Incivility And Beyond At The Top Management Team Level, Joanne O. Martinez, Julia Eisenberg

Organization Management Journal

Although incivility has been gaining increasing attention in the literature as well as in the industry, academic studies have not examined the effects on top management team (TMT) members. TMT members are different from employees at other levels because they are officers of their organizations who are held to a much higher level of responsibility than those in lower echelons. They are crucial in setting the norms of an organization and have far-reaching influence. This article seeks to uncover the mechanisms that explain what happens when TMT members are targets of uncivil leadership behavior. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 15 …

On Observers’ Conjunctive Attributions And Blame For Workplace Mistreatment, James M. Wilkerson, Janet C. Meyer

Organization Management Journal

This essay reflects on the need for more research to address observers’ perspectives and reactions when witnessing or hearing about workplace mistreatment. After describing workplace mistreatment with respect to a behavioral spectrum ranging from incivility to violence, this essay focuses on observers’ causal attributions and blame for workplace mistreatment. We relate observers’ conjunctive causal attributions to multifocus blame that positions the organization as decidedly more blameworthy than typical research in a traditional causal attribution paradigm would suggest. We also offer some suggestions for future research that is more responsive to observers’ blame for workplace mistreatment.

What Is Workplace Incivility? An Investigation Of Employee Relational Schemas, Jonathan Samosh

Organization Management Journal

This qualitative study investigated relational schemas of workplace incivility to develop an understanding of incivility from the employee perspective, refine theoretical comprehension of the incivility construct, and begin collecting data to support development of applied interventions. Two hundred and five currently employed respondents answered open-ended survey questions about schematic features of incivility and normative questions about how it should be addressed at work. Responses were analyzed with phenomenological methodology. Workplace incivility was defined in relational schemas similarly to current scholarly conceptualization, but respondents’ examples of incivility included more severe mistreatment as well. Perpetrators, targets, bystanders, and interveners were identified as …

The Effect Of Organizational Resilience And Ceo’S Narcissism On Project Success: Organizational Risk As Mediating Variable, Hadi Al-Abrrow, Alhamzah Alnoor, Sammar Abbas

Organization Management Journal

This study aimed to determine the effect of organizational resilience and chief executive officer (CEO) narcissism on project success via the mediating role of organizational risks. The study also highlighted the potential of the organization to adapt to environmental conditions, while maintaining successful projects according to established standards. The study developed a theoretical framework, within which the hypothetical structure was built on involving the five study variables. The framework was then tested and used in electrical power sector projects in Iraq, particularly in Basra. The study distributed 201 questionnaires to employees in the electricity power sector to obtain the required …

Work–Family Conflict And Counterproductive Work Behaviors: Moderating Role Of Regulatory Focus And Mediating Role Of Affect, T. T. (Rajan) Selvarajan, Barjinder Singh, Peggy A. Cloninger, Kaumudi Misra

Organization Management Journal

Evidence suggests work–family conflict can lead to numerous negative consequences in the workplace, including behaviors detrimental to the organization and its members, such as counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs). Yet relatively little research has addressed the relationship between work–family conflict and CWBs. This study builds on the structural model of stress and regulatory focus theory to addresses this major gap in the literature. Our model proposes that negative affect and self-regulation can help us understand how and why work–family conflict may be related to CWBs. We hypothesize that work–family conflict is positively related to negative affect, which in turn is positively …

A Study Of The Hierarchical Culture Gaps Within Unionized Utilities Companies, Levi R. G. Nieminen, Benjamin Biermeier-Hanson, Adam Roebuck, Daniel R. Denison

Organization Management Journal

The purpose of this study was to measure the culture gaps between hierarchical subgroups within unionized utilities companies. We conducted a mixed methods study. Using archival survey data, we compared hierarchically-defined subgroups’ perceptions of performance-linked culture traits within five unionized utilities companies. We later conducted interviews and focus groups, followed by qualitative coding and analysis. As compared to non-union employees, union employees viewed their companies as substantially less involving, consistent, adaptable, and clear about purpose and direction. Our qualitative analysis highlighted two prior management decisions as illustrative of the contrast between high and low levels of union involvement and clarity. …

Stakeholders And Business Strategy: A Role-Play Negotiation Themed Exercise, Jeff Moretz, Catherine C. Giapponi

Organization Management Journal

Consideration of the interests of stakeholders as well as the potential impact of stakeholders on company decisions provides critical insight into dimensions of strategic decision making that may be overlooked using traditional strategy frameworks. Using a case based on a manufacturing company’s deliberation of a decision to send offshore the manufacturing of its core products, this exercise exposes students to a variety of stakeholder perspectives through a role-play negotiationthemed exercise. Students adopt the roles of top management, labor representative, local supplier, customer representative, city manager, environmental activist, and shareholder representative. The negotiation activity is designed to raise student awareness of …

2019 Icrcc Proceedings Table Of Contents, Conference Organizers

International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference

These proceedings are a representative sample of the presentations given by professional practitioners and academic scholars at the 2019 International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference (ICRCC) held March 11-13, 2019. The ICRCC is an annual event that takes place the second week in March in beautiful sunny Orlando, Florida. The conference hosts are faculty and staff from the Nicholson School of Communication. The goal of the ICRCC is to bring together prominent professional practitioners and academic scholars that work directly with crisis and risk communication on a daily basis. We define crisis and risk broadly to include, for example, natural …

An Exploratory Study Of Acculturation Experiences Of Graduate Student Immigrants At The University Of San Francisco, Courtney Lamar

Master's Theses

This study explores the shared challenges during the acculturation process of graduate student immigrants pursuing higher education in the United States. 13 graduate student immigrants at the University of San Francisco discuss their experiences of cultural adjustment into U.S. culture. Through qualitative interviews and thematic analysis, this study seeks to understand the acculturation experiences of graduate student immigrants in the San Francisco Bay Area of the United States. This analysis is based on the individual-level experience examining attitudes and acculturation strategies in the dominant society. Analysis, possibly policy implication for institutions of higher education, and possible directions for future research …