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1 – 10 of 67Mark J. Martinko and Scott C. Douglas
The high failure rate for expatriate leaders is well documented. One major cause of these failures has been identified as the incongruencies in the perceptions of expatriate…
Abstract
The high failure rate for expatriate leaders is well documented. One major cause of these failures has been identified as the incongruencies in the perceptions of expatriate leaders and the host members that they manage. This article describes theory and research which suggests that a potential explanation for at least some of these perceptual incongruencies is that they are a result of culturally‐based attributional biases interacting with self‐serving and actor‐observer attributional biases. Although not all of the interactions of these biases result in incongruent perceptions, some interactions appear to be particularly prone to result in incongruent perceptions such as when leaders from highly individualistic and low context cultures interact with members from highly collectivistic and high context cultures. Suggestions for research and interventions designed to reduce incongruent attributions between leaders and members are discussed.
Jack Carson, Jacob Waddingham and Jeremy Mackey
The purpose of this research is to describe organization members' attributions for managerial responses to obviously externally caused crises. The authors draw from attribution…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to describe organization members' attributions for managerial responses to obviously externally caused crises. The authors draw from attribution theory research and the actor-observer bias to argue that organization members' proximity to managerial crisis response is a key determinant of organization members' affective and behavioral outcomes following a crisis.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors develop a conceptual dual-process model of attributions that explains why organization members' judgments of managerial responsibility and associated outcomes differ depending on organization members' proximity to crisis response action.
Findings
The authors focus on organization members' attributions for the failure of managerial crisis responses to obviously externally caused crisis events. The authors present propositions regarding the impact of organization members' potential biases on their attributions for managerial crisis response. Then, the authors delineate how action proximity can assuage negative outcomes of managerial crisis response failure by encouraging an attitude of understanding and awareness of situational challenges.
Originality/value
The authors diverge from prior applications of attribution theory to crisis management by focusing on organization members' attributions of managerial crisis response failure, rather than attributions for the initial cause of the crisis itself. The authors also extend prior work that primarily focuses on crisis response strategies by instead elaborating on how organization members' attributions operate in the wake of their management's failure to effectively respond to an obviously externally caused crisis.
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Paul Harvey, Mark J. Martinko and Scott C. Douglas
The purpose of this article is to develop a conceptual model predicting the influence of biased causal explanations for subordinate behaviors and outcomes on a leader's…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to develop a conceptual model predicting the influence of biased causal explanations for subordinate behaviors and outcomes on a leader's functionality and the quality of leader‐member relationships.
Design/methodology/approach
Attribution theory is used to analyze the effect of leader perceptions and emotions on the functionality of leader‐member relationships. It is predicted that the negative emotions and expectancies stemming from biased leader attributions will promote dysfunctional leader behaviors. These dysfunctional behaviors, in turn, are believed to reduce the quality of leader‐member relationships.
Research limitations/implications
Although much of the proposed model is based on empirical evidence, it is acknowledged that some key relationships have not been tested directly in past research. It is suggested that future research can seek to validate these aspects of the model. It is also suggested that future research explore the role of subordinate, as well as leader, attributions in dysfunctional relationships.
Practical implications
Several implications of the model for promoting functional leadership in organizations are described. The importance of leaders being aware of their attributional biases is indicated and information provided on how to assess one's attribution style. Also discussed are implications for reducing situational ambiguity and increasing causal feedback in the workplace.
Originality/value
This paper builds on past attribution theory research to address a shortage of research on the cognitive, interpersonal aspects of functional and dysfunctional leadership.
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Mahesh Babu Purushothaman, Jeff Seadon and Dave Moore
This study aims to highlight the system-wide potential relationships between forms of human bias, selected Lean tools and types of waste in a manufacturing process.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to highlight the system-wide potential relationships between forms of human bias, selected Lean tools and types of waste in a manufacturing process.
Design/methodology/approach
A longitudinal single-site ethnographic case study using digital processing to make a material receiving process Lean was adopted. An inherent knowledge process with internal stakeholders in a stimulated situation alongside process requirements was performed to achieve quality data collection. The results of the narrative analysis and process observation, combined with a literature review identified widely used Lean tools, wastes and biases that produced a model for the relationships.
Findings
The study established the relationships between bias, Lean tools and wastes which enabled 97.6% error reduction, improved on-time accounting and eliminated three working hours per day. These savings resulted in seven employees being redeployed to new areas with delivery time for products reduced by seven days.
Research limitations/implications
The single site case study with a supporting literature survey underpinning the model would benefit from testing the model in application to different industries and locations.
Practical implications
Application of the model can identify potential relationships between a group of human biases, 25 Lean tools and 10 types of wastes in Lean manufacturing processes that support decision makers and line managers in productivity improvement. The model can be used to identify potential relationships between forms of human biases, Lean tools and types of wastes in Lean manufacturing processes and take suitable remedial actions. The influence of biases and the model could be used as a basis to counter implementation barriers and reduce system-wide wastes.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that connects the cognitive perspectives of Lean business processes with waste production and human biases. As part of the process, a relationship model is derived.
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Keri Szejda Fehrenbach and Amy S. Ebesu Hubbard
– The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of the neutrality literature and suggests areas ripe for future research.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of the neutrality literature and suggests areas ripe for future research.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors reviewed journal articles on the topic of neutrality in mediation, which included theoretical viewpoints and empirical research on practicing mediators’ understanding of neutrality.
Findings
The review of literature revealed that party perspectives are largely missing from current neutrality literature. Two potential concepts emerged from the authors' review of literature that could potentially influence parties’ attributions of mediator neutrality: symmetry and transparency. Symmetry refers to the equal treatment of parties, whereas transparency refers to providing an explanation of past or future behavior. Research on whether symmetry and transparency are key influences on party assessment of mediator neutrality could make a significant contribution to the field.
Research limitations/implications
The authors call on researchers with diverse methodological perspectives to examine, from the party’s perspective, important questions regarding the meaning of neutrality, mediator strategies to successfully enact neutrality and the impact of neutrality on mediation outcomes.
Originality/value
Neutrality is arguably one of the most important concepts to the mediation field. Despite its significance to the field, only limited research has been conducted to better understand how neutrality is enacted in practice. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the literature and provides a launching point for future research.
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Hizir Konuk, Goksel Ataman and Ugur Yozgat
This study aims to reveal the role of performance on the likelihood of conflict occurrence and the conditions that affect this relationship. This study measures managers’…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to reveal the role of performance on the likelihood of conflict occurrence and the conditions that affect this relationship. This study measures managers’ perceptions about the cause of the subordinate’s low-level performance, stability of the performance, propensity to trust of managers and investigate the effects of them on conflict types.
Design/methodology/approach
This study draws on the attribution theory for investigating the effect of the negative performance of subordinates on a conflict between manager and subordinate by using the quantitative research method. A random sample was drawn from 150 Turkish mid-level managers from midsized small and medium - sized enterprises companies. The hypotheses are tested by hierarchical linear modeling.
Findings
According to results, negative performance of subordinates may predict the types of conflict depending on the attributions of managers about negative performance. In addition, the manager’s attributions to the locus of control or/and to the stability affect the likelihood of conflict types occurrence, between managers and subordinates. Depending on the managers’ attributions, the propensity to trust of managers has a significant moderation effect on the relationship between performance of subordinates and the likelihood of conflict types occurrence.
Originality/value
This study advances knowledge on conditions that affect the likelihood of conflict occurrence. It contributes to the literature by suggesting performance as a predictor of conflict instead of an outcome of the conflict. The research is one of the rare studies investigating the relationship between attributions and conflict. In addition, it expands the understanding of personal traits and conflict interaction by testing the moderation effect of propensity to trust.
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Although researchers have carried out considerable work on organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), the questions of whether and how adopting a positive leadership style leads…
Abstract
Purpose
Although researchers have carried out considerable work on organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), the questions of whether and how adopting a positive leadership style leads subordinate employees to engage in interpersonal citizenship behavior (ICB) remain, thus far, unanswered. To address this research gap, this study aimed to uncover the possible underlying mediation mechanism.
Design/methodology/approach
Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to test the research model using data collected by means of a three-wave online survey with 166 respondents.
Findings
The results indicated that the organization-based self-esteem (OBSE) of subordinate employees mediated the effect of supervisors using a positive leadership style on subordinates engaging in person-focused ICB.
Originality/value
The importance of positive leadership is revealed in the finding of a self-consistency-based positive spillover effect, according to which the use of a positive leadership style directly benefits subordinates by enhancing their OBSE. This subsequently motivates them to engage in person-focused ICB, which benefits their coworkers. Thus, a positive leadership style creates a positive dynamic in the workplace.
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Richard Eberlin and B. Charles Tatum
The purpose of this paper is to examine organizational justice, decision making, and the unintended consequences of cognitive biases and errors. Managers, and other leaders, are…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine organizational justice, decision making, and the unintended consequences of cognitive biases and errors. Managers, and other leaders, are often subject to simple, but serious, biases and errors when making important organizational decisions. Sometimes these errors and biases produce decisions that result in adverse outcomes. Moreover, these same errors and biases may be used to justify or excuse the unintended results.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper reviews the literature on organizational justice, decision‐making styles and biases, and cognitive errors. From this review, the authors draw conclusions about potential adverse outcomes when leaders or managers engage in biased decision‐making or commit cognitive errors.
Findings
When leaders or managers inadvertently make biased decisions or cognitive errors that lead to adverse results, their followers may perceive these acts as unfair and unjust even when no injustice was intended. Leaders must acknowledge, and be accountable for, their actions and decisions if they want to avoid undesirable side effects such as lower morale, increased turnover, reduced performance, or litigation.
Originality/value
The lack of consideration of the implications of organizational justice (especially the social forms of justice) during the decision‐making process may create perceptions of unfairness and injustice among followers (e.g. employees, subordinates). Any rip in the fabric of social justice, whether intentional or not, can create problems in an organization. Many of these problems can be avoided if leaders or managers accept responsibility for their decisions and not try to deflect criticism or rationalize their actions.
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Alperen Öztürk and Korhan Arun
This study aims to discuss appropriate individual, organizational and macroleveled conditions when it is desired to foster intrapreneurship with nudge techniques.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to discuss appropriate individual, organizational and macroleveled conditions when it is desired to foster intrapreneurship with nudge techniques.
Design/methodology/approach
Conceptual paper.
Findings
This paper aims to provide theoretical framework on the relationship between nudges approach and intrapreneurship and offer measurable propositions at different level of analysis for future research.
Originality/value
At the individual level it is theorized that nudges techniques on intrapreneurship will work when: “agents are aware of being nudged”, “choice architect is a well-recognized leader”, “perception of meaningful work is high” and “agents had former experience about being nudged”. At the organizational level it is claimed that the “number”, “type” and “frequency” of nudges plays the prominent role. Lastly, at the macrolevel it is postulated that “cultural adjustments”, “providing education” and “forming networks” sets the ground for pushing masses to intrapreneurial activities via nudges.
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