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How to select suitable entrants for programmes emphasizing interpersonal and counselling skills is a question faced by many tertiary training institutions. Discusses special selection procedures used by the School of Social Science at the Queensland University of Technology, over a four‐year period, to identify suitable students for its undergraduate degree programme, the Bachelor of Social Science (Human Services) degree. The process differs for school‐leavers and non‐school‐leavers or mature entrants. For school‐leavers, expressed preference and academic merit are used as the basis for selection. For non‐school‐leavers, expressed preference, questionnaires, group processes and interviews are used. Discusses issues concerning the use of the different school‐leaver versus non‐school‐leaver procedures, including questions of discrimination, problems in administering the programmes and perceptions of the successes and failures in the processes to date.

The purpose of this study is to examine if there is a difference between service-sector Lean Six Sigma (LSS) project teams that progress through Tuckman’s group development model and those that do not in terms of the number of completed projects, the number of projects completed on time, the length of time to complete the projects and the total cost savings and avoidance because of the projects.

The research consisted of a quantitative, descriptive methodology. The design included a sample from a service-sector LSS practitioner population, a survey instrument, one independent construct with two levels, four dependent constructs and a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA).

The progression of service-sector LSS teams through Tuckman’s group development model, as measured with the group process questionnaire, significantly influences the teams in terms of the number of completed projects, the number of projects completed on time, the length of time to complete the projects and the total cost savings and avoidance because of the projects.

A limitation of the study is there may be other factors not related to Tuckman’s group development model that can influence the outcomes of LSS projects. These variables may include senior executive buy-in, number of LSS practitioners in the organization, the robustness of LSS training programs, level of talent and other factors not related to Tuckman’s group development model. Another limitation of the study encompassed using a sample of convenience instead of a random sample.

The recommendation for practice is binate. First, service-sector LSS project teams should ensure they progress through the stages of Tuckman’s group development model to enjoy the significantly improved project outcomes. Second, LSS practitioners and trainers should ensure that Tuckman’s group development model is part of the training curriculum.

The study demonstrates that all groups should attempt to progress through the stages of Tuckman and Jensen (2010) group development model to enjoy the benefits of working in a cohesive, task-focused team.

This study adds to the body of knowledge because, prior to this study, there was not prior research involving Tuckman’s group development model and LSS team outcomes.

Work‐home conflict of women in a multinational computer organisation was examined in two phases using quantitative and qualitative methods. In Phase 1 a questionnaire was sent to all directly employed females (n = 204), who were also invited to participate in Phase 2, a one‐hour on‐site focus group. A total of 31 women contributed to four focus groups. In line with previous research, Phase 1 identified the dominant construct to be work interfering with home. Almost one in ten women scored in the highest quartile of possible scores (24 to 30) for work‐to‐home conflict. In Phase 2, issues such as lack of time and lack of social support, family, careers and guilt were discussed in depth. Central to the development of conflict was commitment to both domains. The different meanings women attached to “work” and “home” added to the complexity of these issues. In contrast with past studies, part‐time working status was found to contribute to conflict and intensified the feelings of “juggling”, as did being single. Poor physical and psychological health was a common outcome. A minority of participants experienced positive work‐home “spill‐over”. Witnessing that other women accepted and acknowledged the negative effects of the stressors was thought to be a first step to resolving them. The dual approach adopted facilitated a greater understanding of the concept of work‐home conflict that health professionals may use both to develop and to deliver effective interventions.

Virtual teams are typically made up of geographically dispersed experts, supported by computer‐based communication technologies. Though increasingly popular this is still a relatively unstudied organizational form. Virtual team membership is typically based solely on needed expertise; the teams rarely have any history of interaction and their performance potential is unknown. Research shows that teams exhibit constructive, passive, and aggressive interaction styles, which have significant effects on the decisions the teams produce as well as the teams’ satisfaction with those decisions. We present managerial tools for the assessment of conventional and virtual team interaction styles. We detail how the tools are used, and we also discuss how the styles manifest in each medium, and their effects. We give suggestions to team managers on how to use the insights the tools provide to manage their virtual teams for optimal performance.

The aim of this paper is to explore whether national diversity in the form of national variety (differences in kind, e.g. number of nationalities) has a positive effect on group processes and performance whereas national separation (differences in attitudes and beliefs; i.e. social distance and national stereotypes) has a negative effect.

This cross-cultural comparative study examines the moderating role of national diversity in the relationship between social attitudes on conflict and performance across two samples. Participants are presented with one of the two national variety conditions (low or high national variety) who then report on social distance, national stereotype, conflict, and performance.

National separation negatively relates to performance and positively relates to conflict. However, there is less conflict and higher performance, despite national separation, when there is high national variety.

This study is limited to individual perceptions. Research could be extended to experienced conflict and effects of individual national separation on conflict and performance at the group level.

Although social distances and negative stereotypes may not be completely eliminated, the results imply that managers can modify the effects by promoting and celebrating national variety. The results show that even conflict is modified (task conflict increases while relationship and process conflict decreases) when there is national variety despite social distances and negative stereotypes.

This study contributes to workgroup research on diversity and conflict management by exploring social attitudes and opinions. Individual attitudes are the bases of group processes and this study attends to two of the social attitudes that need to be added to our understanding of group processes.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a reliable and valid field survey research instrument to assess national cultural cognitive templates of preferred leader behaviour dimensions to facilitate education, development, and training of managerial leaders operating across diverse organisations.

The study consists of focus group evaluations of the validity and the translations to local languages of a survey instrument assessing leader behaviour preferences in business organisations.

The studies find that the survey instrument and its translations are valid and reliable for assessing preferred leader behaviour across national cultures. The length of the survey is problematic, and a new project is underway to produce a shorter version with equivalent reliability and validity.

As the research project is long term, at this point, a relatively long survey is available for research, with a shorter version planned for the future.

Practical implications include producing and validating a field survey research instrument that is reliable and valid across cultures and languages, and can be employed to improve the understanding, development, and education of managers and leaders of international business organisations.

Management and leadership processes are employed in all aspects of life, and can be better understood and improved through this research project.

The majority of cross-cultural research is leader-centric studies of implicit leader characteristics; this project expands the scope of studies further into follower-centric studies of observed leader behaviour.

It is recommended that the OD Community develop a taxonomical diagnostic guide concerning organisational pathologies similar to APA′s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Part of such an effort would be the classification of the subset of organisational maladies that derive from the subconscious dimensions of organisational behaviour. As an example of how such a schemata can be created, a non‐directive psychological depth approach was applied to a decade‐long conflict between the engineering and operating divisions of a Fortune 500 company. It was found that the source of the difficulty was subconscious paradigmatic differences between the two groups; engineers exhibiting a scientific, positivistic world view; operating managers an entrepreneurial one. Symptoms of such a conflict are long term (years) normative, moral rigid disagreements over how the affairs of the company should be conducted. Thus paradigmatic conflict would constitute one type of organisational disorder that could be incorporated into a potential OD diagnostic guide.

This study endeavours to (a) develop a comprehensive interpretive structural modelling (ISM) toolkit containing sufficient details about the suitability and procedural aspects of each ISM approach and offer points of reference for budding researchers, (b) highlight the compatibility of ISM approaches with other qualitative and quantitative approaches, and (c) chalk-out an agenda for future research.

This study is based on an extensive review of 74 studies where researchers have used one or more ISM approaches. These studies span across the different industry sectors.

There exists a huge void in terms of the methodological synthesis of ISM approaches. ISM approaches are frequently used in sync with other qualitative and quantitative approaches. Furthermore, it highlights the need of improving the robustness of the proposed ISM models by sharing the critical details of research process.

Being a review-based work, it could not illustrate the discussed ISM approaches with real data. However, it offers a research agenda for the prospective researchers.

The prerequisites, pitfalls, suitability and the procedural aspects of various ISM approaches contained in this toolkit are equally useful for the academicians as well as practitioners.

In the absence of a synthesized framework, this study contributes a comprehensive ISM toolkit which will help the researchers to choose a suitable ISM approach in a given case.

Information and communications technology (ICT) offers enormous opportunities for individuals, businesses and society. The application of ICT is equally important to economic and non-economic activities. Researchers have increasingly focused on the adoption and use of ICT by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as the economic development of a country is largely dependent on them. Following the success of ICT utilisation in SMEs in developed countries, many developing countries are looking to utilise the potential of the technology to develop SMEs. Past studies have shown that the contribution of ICT to the performance of SMEs is not clear and certain. Thus, it is crucial to determine the effectiveness of ICT in generating firm performance since this has implications for SMEs’ expenditure on the technology. This research examines the diffusion of ICT among SMEs with respect to the typical stages from innovation adoption to post-adoption, by analysing the actual usage of ICT and value creation. The mediating effects of integration and utilisation on SME performance are also studied. Grounded in the innovation diffusion literature, institutional theory and resource-based theory, this study has developed a comprehensive integrated research model focused on the research objectives. Following a positivist research paradigm, this study employs a mixed-method research approach. A preliminary conceptual framework is developed through an extensive literature review and is refined by results from an in-depth field study. During the field study, a total of 11 SME owners or decision-makers were interviewed. The recorded interviews were transcribed and analysed using NVivo 10 to refine the model to develop the research hypotheses. The final research model is composed of 30 first-order and five higher-order constructs which involve both reflective and formative measures. Partial least squares-based structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) is employed to test the theoretical model with a cross-sectional data set of 282 SMEs in Bangladesh. Survey data were collected using a structured questionnaire issued to SMEs selected by applying a stratified random sampling technique. The structural equation modelling utilises a two-step procedure of data analysis. Prior to estimating the structural model, the measurement model is examined for construct validity of the study variables (i.e. convergent and discriminant validity).

The estimates show cognitive evaluation as an important antecedent for expectation which is shaped primarily by the entrepreneurs’ beliefs (perception) and also influenced by the owners’ innovativeness and culture. Culture further influences expectation. The study finds that facilitating condition, environmental pressure and country readiness are important antecedents of expectation and ICT use. The results also reveal that integration and the degree of ICT utilisation significantly affect SMEs’ performance. Surprisingly, the findings do not reveal any significant impact of ICT usage on performance which apparently suggests the possibility of the ICT productivity paradox. However, the analysis finally proves the non-existence of the paradox by demonstrating the mediating role of ICT integration and degree of utilisation explain the influence of information technology (IT) usage on firm performance which is consistent with the resource-based theory. The results suggest that the use of ICT can enhance SMEs’ performance if the technology is integrated and properly utilised. SME owners or managers, interested stakeholders and policy makers may follow the study’s outcomes and focus on ICT integration and degree of utilisation with a view to attaining superior organisational performance.

This study urges concerned business enterprises and government to look at the environmental and cultural factors with a view to achieving ICT usage success in terms of enhanced firm performance. In particular, improving organisational practices and procedures by eliminating the traditional power distance inside organisations and implementing necessary rules and regulations are important actions for managing environmental and cultural uncertainties. The application of a Bengali user interface may help to ensure the productivity of ICT use by SMEs in Bangladesh. Establishing a favourable national technology infrastructure and legal environment may contribute positively to improving the overall situation. This study also suggests some changes and modifications in the country’s existing policies and strategies. The government and policy makers should undertake mass promotional programs to disseminate information about the various uses of computers and their contribution in developing better organisational performance. Organising specialised training programs for SME capacity building may succeed in attaining the motivation for SMEs to use ICT. Ensuring easy access to the technology by providing loans, grants and subsidies is important. Various stakeholders, partners and related organisations should come forward to support government policies and priorities in order to ensure the productive use of ICT among SMEs which finally will help to foster Bangladesh’s economic development.