Search results

Implementing new quality initiatives in organizations is challenging, as it requires managers and employees to adjust to new processes, methodologies and even mindsets. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between quality management (QM) practices and readiness for change due to implementing new quality initiatives such as lean, six sigma and to determine which dimensions of QM are more important to change efficacy and change commitment.

The issues are examined in this study through the analysis of survey data obtained from US textile and apparel industry managers by using factor analysis, stepwise regression to construct path model and structural equation modeling.

This study identifies change readiness measures which are specific for quality implementations and establishes two constructs, namely, change commitment and change efficacy. The results indicate that as good Employee Relations increase, the level of organizational change commitment increases. If employees are engaged and empowered to provide excellent quality, then it is more likely that they will be committed to change due to implementing future quality initiatives. Moreover, a direct relationship between Customer Relationship Management and change efficacy is found. Companies with a strong customer orientation are more able to implement the quality initiatives that matter to their markets.

This study is unique in investigating the empirical relationship between QM practices and the dimensions of readiness for change due to implementing new quality initiatives via data from various organizations. This study empirically contributes to the QM literature with change readiness antecedents in quality implementation setting.

This paper seeks to investigate whether linkages, proposed by previous researchers, among business strategies and structural and infrastructural investment decisions of manufacturing are empirically supported.

A sample of 101 US manufacturing firms is classified into three groups based on their predominant business strategies. The classification is validated using analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests on the taxons and on the environment in which the firms operate. ANOVA tests on manufacturing investment decisions are then used to address the central question of the paper – whether the three business strategy groups differ in their emphasis on structural and infrastructural areas of manufacturing.

The three business strategy‐based groups of firms, labeled broad‐based competitors, differentiators, and price leaders, differ in their emphasis on several of the structural and infrastructural areas of manufacturing, thus supporting the contention of linkages among business strategy and manufacturing investment decisions.

The popular notion of linkages among business strategies and investments in structural and infrastructural areas of manufacturing is empirically tested.

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship of sustainability knowledge to pro-environmental behaviour. A common misperception is that unsustainable behaviours are largely driven by a lack of knowledge of the underlying societal costs and the contributing factors leading to environmental degradation. Such a perception assumes if individuals “only knew better” they would engage in more sustainable behaviours. The “knowledge deficit model” has been critiqued for not including social psychological research about how knowledge is incorporated into decision-making and its subsequent effect on human behaviour. The theory of planned behaviour (TPB) model has been used extensively to examine intention to engage in a variety of behaviours, therefore this model is applied to examine the effect knowledge has in predicting behaviour.

To better understand these relationships, the authors examined the relationships between sustainability behaviours through an online survey of over 500 students at a large university in the USA.

Results indicate that knowledge had a significant, albeit weak, bivariate correlation with behaviour (r = 0.113, p < 0.001). However, when controlling for TPB variables (attitudes, norms and perceived behavioural control), knowledge was not a significant predictor of behaviour.

The authors conclude with several implications to guide university sustainability programmes.

This study places sustainable knowledge in the context of other social psychological factors which also influence behaviour. The results show that as the students are educated about sustainability, fostering behaviour change will require education not only about how actions affect sustainability but also about social norms, attitudes towards sustainable behaviours and the level of self-efficacy in doing those behaviours.

This chapter describes public space exploration services’ business goals, purpose, and strategy. It reinforces space exploration organizations’ fundamental bureaucratic administrative culture (Tier 1). The authors describe the influence that political appointees as leaders may play in shaping public sector cultures. Next, the public service culture (Tier 2) is deconstructed, and each of the five layers is described in detail. Additionally, the authors explain why focusing on the beliefs layer is the dominant layer and the essential starting point for analysis in space exploration cultures. Next, the chapter outlines the landscape of external influencing cultures (Tier 3) in the space exploration landscape. Finally, the potential value and challenges of developing internal KLC cultures are explored.

This empirical study identifies individual, organizational, and job factors of the range‐number element of labor flexibility. Tenure and emotional stability are found to increase a worker's flexibility. Emphases on quality, speed, and flexibility (time) also have positive influences on labor flexibility. Finally, task complexity, joint responsibility for decision making, and automation require workers to expand their skill repertoire and therefore enhance their flexibility. This study focuses on a sound measurement of labor flexibility and proposes strategies to cultivate this capability.

To examine how psychological diversity among work team members affects team interaction processes. Psychological diversity is described in terms of personality attributes (emotional stability, extraversion, conscientiousness, openness to experience, and agreeableness), need for achievement (nAch), and emotional intelligence. Team interaction processes include workload sharing, team communication, member flexibility, social cohesion, team viability.

A survey research was conducted that involved 1,421 oil‐drilling workers in 54 work teams. The participants were drawn from five major oil drilling companies in Nigeria. Standardized measures were used to collect data on each of the variables examined.

It was found that each of the measures of team interaction processes is predicted by different psychological diversity measures. However, emotional stability, extraversion, agreeableness and emotional intelligence are significant in predicting overall team interaction processes.

The psychological diversity measures examined are not exhaustive. It is also not clear the extent to which the findings can be generalized to other work settings that are different from oil‐drilling companies.

Human resources management in organizations that work in teams needs to include in their selection programs, psychological measures for identifying applicants who possess requisite psychological features for team work.

Study of the efficacy of psychological variables in enhancing work teams in oil drilling firms in Nigeria.

Drawing upon the social presence theory, this paper aims to propose three social presence variables in the brand page context (the brand page as a medium, the presence of other customers and interaction with the brand page manager) and to test their effects on customer engagement behavior (CEB) and customer-brand identification (CBI).

A total of 340 responses were collected via an online research platform and analyzed using structural equation modeling analysis.

The results revealed that both the social presence of the brand page and the interaction with the brand page manager are positively associated with CEB, whereas that of other customers negatively influences CEB, which in turn, positively affects CBI.

This paper presents the underlying process of driving customers’ engagement activities and building psychological closeness between customers and brands by applying social presence theory and social identity theory to Facebook brand pages.

To enhance customers’ experiences on Facebook brand pages, practitioners should visualize brand page managers through diverse types of postings. Brand page managers need to balance the presence of others, as well as bring a sense of human-likeness on the pages using storytelling strategies.

This research sheds light on the human side of a non-human world. The results suggest that the sense of a human presence in virtual brand communities is essential to engage customers with online activities toward brands while also building a closer customer–brand relationship.