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Article
Publication date: 7 May 2020

Jingyuan Wan, Yun Le, Ge Wang, Nini Xia and Xiaoxue Liu

Following the call to explore what leadership theory could be applicable in temporary organizations, the purpose of this study was to develop an integrative model linking the…

1065

Abstract

Purpose

Following the call to explore what leadership theory could be applicable in temporary organizations, the purpose of this study was to develop an integrative model linking the effects of paternalistic leadership styles (i.e. authoritarian, benevolent and moral) on the behavioral integration (BI) of top management teams (TMTs) in megaproject settings.

Design/methodology/approach

The performance of the research model was tested based on empirical data collected from a sample of 43 megaproject TMTs.

Findings

The results show that the moral leadership style can significantly stimulate the BI of TMTs, whereas authoritarian leadership has a negative impact and benevolent leadership has no significant impact. Furthermore, trust in leader plays a partial mediating role between paternalistic leadership and BI, and the power distance value of TMT positively moderates the links between authoritarian and moral leadership styles and BI.

Research limitations/implications

The TMT sample was drawn from China's megaprojects, most of which have global influence (e.g. Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge and Shanghai Expo), but the sampling approach limits the generalizability of the research findings to other contexts.

Originality/value

This study introduces the concept of BI into the realm of megaproject management and provides a novel perspective (i.e. paternalistic leadership) for exploring its antecedents. The findings, therefore, contribute to the literature by broadening the megaproject management research with a microfoundation perspective and by extending the extant paternalistic leadership in the context of temporary organizational settings.

Details

International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, vol. 13 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8378

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 21 June 2023

Pu Wang, Shuguo Wang, Jing Ge, Daolin Si and Dongsheng Yang

It is quite universal for high-speed turnouts to be exposed to the wear of the stock rail of the switch rail during the service process. The wear will cause the change of railhead…

Abstract

Purpose

It is quite universal for high-speed turnouts to be exposed to the wear of the stock rail of the switch rail during the service process. The wear will cause the change of railhead profile and the relative positions of the switch rail and the stock rail, which will directly affect the wheel–rail contact state and wheel load transition when a train passes the turnout and will further impose serious impacts on the safety and stability of train operation. The purpose of this paper is to provide suggestions for wear management of high-speed turnout.

Design/methodology/approach

The actual wear characteristics of switch rails of high-speed turnouts in different guiding directions were studied based on the monitoring results on site; the authorized wear limits for the switch rails of high-speed turnout were studied through derailment risk analysis and switch rail strength analysis.

Findings

The results show that: the major factor for the service life of a curved switch rail is the lateral wear. The wear characteristics of the curved switch rail of a facing turnout are significantly different from those of a trailing turnout. To be specific, the lateral wear of the curved switch rail mainly occurs in the narrower section at its front end for a trailing turnout, but in the wider section at its rear end when for a facing turnout. The maximum lateral wear of a dismounted switch rail from a trailing turnout is found on the 15-mm wide section and is 3.9 mm, which does not reach the specified limit of 6 mm. For comparison, the lateral wear of a dismounted switch rail from a facing turnout is found from the 35-mm wide section to the full-width section and is greater than 7.5 mm, which exceeds the specified limit. Based on this, in addition to meeting the requirements of maintenance rules, the allowed wear of switch rails of high-speed turnout shall be so that the dangerous area with a tangent angle of wheel profile smaller than 43.6° will not contact the switch rail when the wheel is lifted by 2 mm. Accordingly, the lateral wear limit at the 5-mm wide section of the curved switch rail shall be reduced from 6 mm (as specified) to 3.5 mm.

Originality/value

The work in this paper is of reference significance to the research on the development law of rail wear in high-speed turnout area and the formulation of relevant standards.

Details

Railway Sciences, vol. 2 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2755-0907

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 21 March 2019

Nianxin Wang, Huigang Liang, Shilun Ge, Yajiong Xue and Jing Ma

The purpose of this paper is to understand what inhibit or facilitate cloud computing (CC) assimilation.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand what inhibit or facilitate cloud computing (CC) assimilation.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors investigate the effects of two enablers, top management support (TMS) and government support (GS), and two inhibitors, organization inertia (OI) and data security risk (DSR) on CC assimilation. The authors posit that enablers and inhibitors influence CC assimilation separately and interactively. The research model is empirically tested by using the field survey data from 376 Chinese firms.

Findings

Both TMS and GS positively and DSR negatively influence CC assimilation. OI negatively moderates the TMS–assimilation link, and DSR negatively moderates the GS–assimilation link.

Research limitations/implications

The results indicate that enablers and inhibitors influence CC assimilation in both separate and joint manners, suggesting that CC assimilation is a much more complex process and demands new knowledge to be learned.

Practical implications

For these firms with a high level of OI, only TMS is not enough, and top managers should find other effective way to successfully implement structural and behavioral change in the process of CC assimilation. For policy makers, they should actively play their supportive roles in CC assimilation.

Originality/value

A new framework is developed to identify key drivers of CC assimilation along two bipolar dimensions including enabling vs inhibiting and internal vs external.

Details

Internet Research, vol. 29 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1066-2243

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 January 2020

Le Yun, Jingyuan Wan, Ge Wang, Ju Bai and Bing Zhang

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship between the demographic characteristics of top management teams (TMTs) (i.e. age, gender, administrative level, senior…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship between the demographic characteristics of top management teams (TMTs) (i.e. age, gender, administrative level, senior management experience and educational background) and megaproject performance, with respect to schedule, cost, quality, safety and technological innovation. The results shed new light on the effectiveness of different types of TMT.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper collected secondary and objective data from 208 TMT members in 42 megaprojects and employed hierarchical regression analysis to test the research hypotheses.

Findings

The findings revealed that age has a significant influence on schedule performance; gender has a significant influence on safety performance; senior management experience has a significant influence on cost performance; and educational background has a significant influence on both schedule and technological innovation performance. However, this study did not find evidence of a significant relationship between the administrative level and megaproject performance.

Research limitations/implications

This paper mainly focused on China’s megaprojects, most of which are globally influential (e.g. Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge and Shanghai Expo), however this sampling approach still limits the generalizability of research findings to other contexts.

Originality/value

The results of this paper contribute to a better understanding of how management team capabilities translate into better project achievements. This paper also provides implications on the criteria for selecting top megaproject managers to optimize the composition of the TMT and realize better performance.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 27 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 December 2020

Tianyu Ma, Zhuofu Wang, Miroslaw Jan Skibniewski, Jiyong Ding, Ge Wang and Qinghua He

This research aims to analyzes how megaproject top managers engaged in stewardship behaviors. Studying megaprojects from the micro-foundations rooted in individual action and…

Abstract

Purpose

This research aims to analyzes how megaproject top managers engaged in stewardship behaviors. Studying megaprojects from the micro-foundations rooted in individual action and interaction, this research examines the gaps between literature and top managers' positive behavior to challenge the current theoretical underpinnings of megaproject governance research and practice.

Design/methodology/approach

An extensive literature review was performed in the initial phase. Then, a case study of South-to-North Water Diversion project was conducted based on following this project and on access to its top executives. Data was collected from multiple sources and analyzed by Nvivo (version 12). Further analysis was then carried out in two stages to identify megaproject stewardship behavior and related governance patterns.

Findings

Results show that stewardship behavior is prevalently existing and is possibly to be identified through psychological, situational, relational dimensions. Also, 16 factors have been found to describe the precise nature of megaproject stewardship behavior. Further explorative findings were discussed from three perspectives: possible theoretical development, self-actualization motivation and temporalities of megaprojects.

Originality/value

Building upon the ideas on how to extend steward theory towards project field, this research conducts a first exploration of stewardship behavior in megaprojects. This study contributes to complement the research into top-level organizational behavior in megaprojects, and it provides helpful implications for how to govern top managers in the following megaprojects with the cooperative spirit that can be valued by megaproject stakeholders.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 28 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 November 2021

Ge Wang, Giorgio Locatelli, Huijin Zhang, Jingyuan Wan and Yufan Chen

Organizational citizenship behaviors for the environment (OCBEs) represent a crucial element of environmental sustainability for a wide range of organizations. However, the…

Abstract

Purpose

Organizational citizenship behaviors for the environment (OCBEs) represent a crucial element of environmental sustainability for a wide range of organizations. However, the leadership mechanisms underlying OCBEs are as yet unexplored, particularly regarding the delivering megaprojects. The paper aims to investigate how transformational leadership (TFL) and transactional leadership (TSL) styles shape the environmental commitment (EC) of subordinates, motivating OCBEs in megaprojects.

Design/methodology/approach

Partial least squares modeling and hierarchical regression were performed on data obtained from 140 experts who have been involved in megaprojects.

Findings

Both TFL and TSL styles are effective in motivating OCBEs, although the EC of subordinates partially mediates these relationships. The power distance (PD) orientation significantly moderates the relationship between TFL and OCBEs, with the relationship being more positive when the PD of subordinates is lower. Unexpectedly, a collectivist orientation (CO) was found to elevate the effect of TSL but weaken the effect of TFL.

Originality/value

The mixed and contradictory findings regarding TFL and TSL styles are reconciled in the current study by integrating the contextual factors of PD and CO. The findings of the study shed new light on “playing the cards right” when using the leadership practices, i.e. how leadership can be better leveraged to cultivate subordinates' OCBEs. They also provide targeted guidance for shaping contextual factors to increase the environmental sustainability of megaprojects.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 30 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 June 2013

Gai-Ge Wang, Amir Hossein Gandomi and Amir Hossein Alavi

To improve the performance of the krill herd (KH) algorithm, in this paper, a series of chaotic particle-swarm krill herd (CPKH) algorithms are proposed for solving optimization…

Abstract

Purpose

To improve the performance of the krill herd (KH) algorithm, in this paper, a series of chaotic particle-swarm krill herd (CPKH) algorithms are proposed for solving optimization tasks within limited time requirements. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

In CPKH, chaos sequence is introduced into the KH algorithm so as to further enhance its global search ability.

Findings

This new method can accelerate the global convergence speed while preserving the strong robustness of the basic KH.

Originality/value

Here, 32 different benchmarks and a gear train design problem are applied to tune the three main movements of the krill in CPKH method. It has been demonstrated that, in most cases, CPKH with an appropriate chaotic map performs superiorly to, or at least highly competitively with, the standard KH and other population-based optimization methods.

Article
Publication date: 15 October 2021

Ge Wang, Qiang Chen and Shenghua Xie

Although internet plus government platforms (IPGPs) are being increasingly used by citizens around the world, questions emerge regarding the public adoption, utilization and use…

Abstract

Purpose

Although internet plus government platforms (IPGPs) are being increasingly used by citizens around the world, questions emerge regarding the public adoption, utilization and use of IPGPs. This study aims to explore the determinants of citizens’ differentiated IPGPs usage behaviors.

Design/methodology/approach

An analytical framework has been built upon the rational choice theory and the cultural dimension theory. The present study draws on a survey of 866 citizens from Guangzhou, Wuhan and Chengdu.

Findings

The empirical findings suggest that the perceived functional benefits and personalization features both significantly affect citizens’ informational, service and participatory uses of IPGPs, to varying degrees. Furthermore, long-term orientation plays a moderating role in the relationship between perceived functional benefits and the service use of IPGPs.

Originality/value

The findings demonstrate that the public’s rational choice of a new digitalized service channel depends on to what extent and to what degree the absolute and relative benefits they consider important compare to other possible channels. Users also consider how the new service channel satisfies their personalized demands of digitalized services. Also, users’ long-term orientation can affect their rational choices by adjusting the perceived functional benefits of the channel when that channel is used for service transactions.

Article
Publication date: 1 February 2004

Samuel H. Huan, Sunil K. Sheoran and Ge Wang

Research on supply chain management can be broadly classified into three categories, namely, operational, design, and strategic. While many analytical and numerical models have…

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Abstract

Research on supply chain management can be broadly classified into three categories, namely, operational, design, and strategic. While many analytical and numerical models have been proposed to handle operational and design issues, formal models for strategic planning are scarce. The supply chain operations reference (SCOR) model, developed by the Supply Chain Council, is a strategic planning tool that allows senior managers to simplify the complexity of supply chain management. It is firmly rooted in industrial practices and is poised to become an industrial standard that enables next‐generation supply chain management. This paper gives a brief introduction to the SCOR model, analyzes its strength and weakness, and discusses how it can be used to assist managers for strategic decision making.

Details

Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, vol. 9 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1359-8546

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 June 2017

Chunhua Jin and Xinwei Wang

The purpose of this paper is to present a general formulation of the quadrature element method (QEM). The method is then used to investigate the free vibration of functionally…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a general formulation of the quadrature element method (QEM). The method is then used to investigate the free vibration of functionally graded (FG) beams with general boundary conditions and different variations of material properties.

Design/methodology/approach

The quadrature elements with arbitrary number of nodes and nodal distributions are established on the basis of two types of FG Timoshenko beam theories. One called TBT-1 takes the cross-sectional rotation as the unknown function and the other called TBT-2 uses the transverse shear strain as the unknown function. Explicit formulas are provided via the help of the differential quadrature (DQ) rule and thus the elements can be implemented adaptively with ease.

Findings

The suitability and computational efficiency of the proposed quadrature elements for the vibration analysis of FG beams are demonstrated. The convergence rate of the proposed method is high. The elements are shear-locking free and can yield accurate solutions with a small number of nodes for both thin and moderately thick beams. The performance of the element based on TBT-1 is better than the one based on TBT-2.

Originality/value

The present QEM is different from the existing one which exclusively uses Gauss–Lobatto–Legendre (GLL) nodes and GLL quadrature and thus is more general. The element nodes can be either the same or different from the integration points, making the selection of element nodes more flexible. Presented data are accurate and may be a reference for other researchers to develop new numerical methods. The QEM may be also useful in multi-scale modeling and in the analysis of civil infrastructures.

Details

Engineering Computations, vol. 34 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-4401

Keywords

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