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The purpose of this multi-voiced paper is to propose a prosocial paradigm for the field of performance management and management control systems. This new paradigm suggests cultivating prosocial behaviour and prosocial groups in organizations to simultaneously achieve the objectives of economic performance and sustainability.

The authors share a common concern about the future of humanity and nature. They challenge the influential assumption of economic man from neoclassical economic theory and build on evolutionary science and the core design principles of prosocial groups to develop a prosocial paradigm.

Findings are based on the premise of the prosocial paradigm that self-interested behaviour may outperform prosocial behaviour within a group but that prosocial groups outperform groups dominated by self-interest. The authors explore various dimensions of performance management from the prosocial perspective in the private and public sectors.

The authors call for theoretical, conceptual and empirical research that explores the prosocial paradigm. They invite any approach, including positivist, interpretive and critical research, as well as those using qualitative, quantitative and interventionist methods.

This paper offers implications from the prosocial paradigm for practitioners, particularly for executives and managers, policymakers and educators.

Adoption of the prosocial paradigm in research and practice shapes what the authors call the prosocial market economy. This is an aspired cultural evolution that functions with market competition yet systematically strengthens prosociality as a cultural norm in organizations, markets and society at large.

This study aimed to examine the impact of learning organization (LO) on job satisfaction and individual performance in Vietnamese enterprises. The study further explores the mediating effect of job satisfaction on the relationship between learning organization and employee performance.

Data were collected from 653 employees from various types of organizations in Vietnam. Structural equation modeling was implemented to test the hypotheses.

The results revealed that the proposed research model was supported. Results indicated that LOs positively influenced employees’ job satisfaction and the broader range of their individual performance. In addition, employees’ job satisfaction motivated them to achieve higher performance levels. The study also found a mediating effect of job satisfaction on the relationship between LO and employee performance. The results underscore the importance of implementing an LO culture for individual outcomes such as job satisfaction and employee performance in the Vietnamese cultural context, which is based on socialism and Confucianism.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine the relationships among LO, job satisfaction and individual employee performance in the Vietnamese context. The results offer a deeper understanding of the LO concept in the Vietnamese cultural context and highlight the cultural impact on the LO concept and its effects. The results suggest how the LO concept is applied in the Vietnamese context.

The purpose of this paper is to present the learnings of a broker organization that started a new Population Health Management initiative in two regions in the Netherlands. The research focusses on the role of the broker organization itself in supporting stakeholders in the region to adopt a new implementation strategy designed by the broker organisation itself. The basis of this model was to organize, finance and monitor differently to improve the overall health of the population.

An action research approach was chosen to support the endeavours of the broker organization and to acquire practical knowledge on the role of a third-party in PHM implementation. Qualitative data were collected from documentary analysis, focus groups, logbooks and observational data from team meetings.

The main result is that the role of the broker organization to implement PHM was subject to change during the more than two years of the research. Several themes emerged that influenced these role changes, both internal and external, showing the complexity of providing PHM implementation support as a third-party to regional stakeholders.

We hypothesize that the role of a third-party changes depending on the maturity of the regional collaboration. The complexity of the transition in healthcare calls for constant adaptations, and thus learning and reflection, from all involved. Action research is a strong tool for this.

This paper is one of the first to report on the role of a third-party in PHM implementation. The action research methodology offered the right amount of flexibility to adhere to the complexity of the context and provided rich insights.

The current research investigates the gender difference in the attitudes of current employees and job seekers (or “future” employees) to payroll cost reduction methods (downsizing vs cutting pay).

Two studies were conducted. In Study 1, we analyzed a secondary dataset (survey data) of 2,139 employees in Ireland. In Study 2, we conducted an online experiment on 384 people in the US.

Study 1 reveals that, for males, downsizing survivors' commitment and job satisfaction levels are higher than those of employees whose pay is cut. In contrast, there were no differences in the commitment and job satisfaction levels between survivors of downsizing and pay-reduced employees for females. The analysis in Study 2 indicates that females are more attracted to organizations that utilize pay cuts over downsizing to overcome financial difficulties. In contrast, males demonstrated no differences in job-seeker attraction outcomes to organizations that chose either of these two payroll cost reduction methods. Thus, the results of the two studies indicate that females, compared to males, form less negative (or more favorable) attitudes toward pay cuts over downsizing.

The findings urge organizations to consider gender differences and develop relevant mitigation plans when one method must be chosen to reduce payroll costs.

The outcomes of this research indicate that the selection of a payroll cost reduction method may lead to a disparate impact on gender composition in an organization.

The study examined the influence of humanitarian organizations’ culture and financial service providers’ technology readiness on the usage of digital cash-based assistance by humanitarian organizations, the influence of Humanitarian Organization Culture on Financial providers’ technology readiness and the mediating role of financial service providers’ technology readiness on the relationship between the culture in humanitarian organizations and their usage of digital cash-based assistance.

A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was used. The target population consisted of humanitarian organizations that were members of the Uganda Cash Consortium (UCC). The research hypotheses were tested using SMART PLS version 4.

The culture in humanitarian organizations and financial service providers’ technology readiness positively influences the usage of digital cash-based assistance by humanitarian organizations during humanitarian crises, and humanitarian organizations’ culture positively influences financial service providers’ technology readiness. Financial service providers’ technology readiness fully mediates the relationship between the culture of humanitarian organizations and the usage of digital cash-based assistance by humanitarian organizations during humanitarian crises.

The study mainly focuses on culture in humanitarian organizations and financial service providers’ technology readiness when examining the usage of digital cash-based assistance during humanitarian crises. Further, financial service providers’ technology readiness is examined using a humanitarian organization, financial service provider and beneficiary/persons of concern’s point of view rather than the government’s point of view.

Research examining determinants for digital cash-based assistance usage in humanitarian crises is scarce. Further, empirical research examining the influence of the humanitarian organizations’ culture and financial service providers’ technology readiness in promoting the usage of digital cash-based assistance in humanitarian crises, the impact of humanitarian organizations’ culture on financial service providers’ technology readiness and the mediating role of financial service providers’ technology readiness on the relationship between the culture of humanitarian organizations and usage of digital cash-based assistance in humanitarian crises are non-existent. The majority of research and grey literature focuses on how digital cash-based transfers can be used to enhance financial inclusion in refugee contexts.

This study has the following aims. First, it tries to clarify the relationship between global value chain (GVC) participation and innovation performance. To date, research generated mixed results. Secondly, it explores a novel way of investigating GVC participation by focusing on the sectoral level in which organizations operate using the concept of GVC embeddedness, which has not been investigated to date.

Data from two sources are combined. The European Company Survey of 2019 provides data about the innovation performance of organizations. These data include measures about production and process. At the sectoral level, these company-level data are combined with data from the Trade in Value Added from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. In total, more than 20,000 companies were investigated, which operate in 15 sectors in 28 countries. This three-level structure is analysed using multilevel ordered probit analyses.

The results show that forward participation and backward participation at the sectoral level are positively related to product innovation and process innovation. The probability of not being engaged in innovation is reduced through GVC embeddedness. And, the probability of generating incremental and radical innovations (both regarding products and processes) increases if GVC participating at the sectoral level is higher.

This study is the first to relate sectoral GVC embeddedness to the innovation performance of organizations.

In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, innovation is the cornerstone for every organization. Knowledge management (KM) is crucial for developing sustainable competitive advantage by fostering innovation. This study aims to identify the key drivers of KM in the context of digital transformation through qualitative research.

This study employs a qualitative approach based on in-depth interviews with senior KM officers, including chief knowledge officers and directors who spearhead KM in their respective organizations. This research identifies four key dimensions, shedding new light on the drivers of KM in the context of digital transformation.

This study’s findings reveal that the integration of important drivers from the lens of social-technical system (STS) theory is categorized into the four dimensions of KM, namely, motivation, technology, people interaction and organizational drivers. These factors jointly impact and design the effectiveness of KM in the digital age.

This study makes a unique contribution to the field of digital transformation. It presents a conceptual framework from the lens of the STS theory that encompasses four critical dimensions of KM: motivation, technology, people interaction and organizational dimensions, each with sub-codes. This framework can be utilized by practitioners and scholars alike.

Managing megaprojects is challenging due to their inherent complexity and uncertainty. Collaborative project delivery models have been introduced as an alternative to traditional project management in public infrastructure megaprojects and are often realized through collaborative contracts. These project organizations act as institutional arenas for logic interaction as actors with differing institutional backgrounds interact within the project. This paper aims to study the delivery phase of three megaprojects through an institutional lens, investigating the institutional interaction and alignment of logics therein.

A multiple case study was employed to reach deep insight into the phenomenon. Sixty-one interviews were conducted over 3 cases with representatives from all levels of the project hierarchy. Respondents were selected through snowball sampling. In two cases, observations of the shared project office were conducted. Data analysis built on first-order codes and second-order themes, collected into a theoretical framework.

The empirical evidence demonstrates the dynamics shaping institutional logics and gives evidence for changing logics in projects with a well-applied collaborative contract. However, there is a risk of resistance and a return to traditional logics since institutional change is slow and an unsuitably applied collaborative contract can lead to adherence to the conventional way of work.

Current research has focused on the regulatory framework and procurement phase of such models, but little attention has been given to the delivery phase and the interaction of conflicting logics. This paper can serve as an exemplar of the different logics found within public infrastructure projects and their interaction and alignment. Contributions include a heightened emphasis on the start of the project as a meeting point for differing institutional logics and the role change necessary when using a collaborative contract.

In the course of worldwide COVID-19, the phenomenon of corporate social responsibility (CSR) gained more importance and publicity. Many organizations made a significant contribution in dealing with the crisis situation and even increased their spending on the welfare activities. This study aims to evaluate the attitude of community, especially young generation, towards the CSR undertaken by the organization during the pandemic period.

Descriptive research design has been employed using purposive sampling for data collection through a structured questionnaire. A sample of 550 was taken, and pilot survey was conducted among 100 respondents before administering it at full scale. A model has been proposed and tested by using structural equation modelling in AMOS.

The results of the study show that compulsory provisions of CSR have enhanced the trust of community and made the organizations more responsive towards philanthropic, legal, ethical and economic responsibility. The respondents were found to be aware about the welfare activities carried out by the organizations and developed a positive attitude towards them.

First, the study is limited to examining the attitude of community towards CSR, especially young generation. Second, it is difficult to say whether outcomes of this study can be generalized for such other potential global crisis. Third, the study is based on the Carroll’s “CSR Pyramid” framework when other such frameworks and approaches could be available to analyse the impact of COVID-19-related CSR initiatives. Last, this study has been conducted only in the state of Maharashtra, and results may not be applicable to other states as well other countries.

The findings of the study may help the organizations to plan their activities in line with the amendments made time to time. This shall also help the regulating agencies to monitor and catch the wrongdoers and take appropriate action. Findings of such studies, based on public opinion, can also help the governments to make further amendments, time to time, in related acts. It can also be said that with the involvement of public/society, more transparency can be brought in the functioning of the organizations, especially in the context of CSR.

Earlier, most of the organizations were falsely recording the CSR expenditure in their balance sheets without actually spending it, but the amendment in act has made it compulsory for the organizations to follow it honestly. The pandemic period gave an opportunity to the society to evaluate the organizations on these parameters and to make their opinion about them in real time. Therefore, it is concluded that pandemic has created awareness in the society and significantly influenced their attitude about CSR activities. This shall also help the organizations feel a pressure in future while planning and implementing the activities under CSR.

The results of the study show contribution of the corporate towards social welfare during pandemic. The results would help the policymakers to monitor the execution of practices more closely and organizations to execute their strategies in a more effective manner.

Service organizations operate in an increasingly complex and uncertain context that makes decision-making challenging. Despite well-recognized changes in the operational context of government as service organization, service literature has given surprisingly limited attention to what these changes imply for organizational decision-making. This study aims to face with the lack of fit of decision-making theorizing with the reality, within which most service practitioners operate, in order to foster the relevance of decision-making in service research and properly approach the false assumptions and misguided instructions for action.

To rectify the situation, the purpose of this paper is to advance a more holistic understanding of decision-making in government as service organization. The authors do so by reviewing the sparse, though insightful, prior literature on decision-making in service research and identifying four foundational assumptions of decision-making in the service context, that radically differ from the traditional assumptions of decision-making within the wider management literature.

The authors contribute to service research by further advancing the emerging dynamic understanding of decision-making by developing eight systems thinking-informed research propositions and a connected research agenda. In doing so, the paper offers the essential ground work that can revitalize the field of service management and equip it for facing the challenges that government as service organization is encountering in the 21st century.

The formulated eight research propositions demonstrate that decision-making in a government as service organization occurs within complex adaptive systems composed of multiple subsystems and is characterized by a high degree of unpredictability. It is a process influenced by multiple actors part of the system and subsystems, through multiple feedback loops, where the implications of prior decisions inform the future decisions.