Search results

On many occasions, organizational science research has been referred to as fragmented and disjointed, resulting in a literature that is, in the opinion of many, difficult to navigate and comprehend. One potential explanation is that scholars have failed to comprehend that organizations are complex and intricate systems. In order to move us past this morass, we recommend that researchers extend beyond traditional rational, mechanistic, and variable-centered approaches to research and integrate a more advantageous pattern-oriented approach within their research program. Pattern-oriented methods approximate real-life phenomena by adopting a holistic, integrative approach to research wherein individual- and organizational-systems are viewed as non-decomposable organized wholes. We argue that the pattern-oriented approach has the potential to overcome a number of breakdowns faced by alternate approaches, while offering a novel and more representative lens from which to view organizational- and HRM-related issues. The proposed incorporation of the pattern-oriented approach is framed within a review and evaluation of current approaches to organizational research and is supplemented with a discussion of methodological and theoretical implications as well as potential applications of the pattern-oriented approach.

Understanding the multifaceted images of tourism destinations is critical for effective destination marketing and management strategies. Traditional approaches, including conceptualization of destination images or analysis of their antecedents and consequences, are commonly used. This study aims to advocate the inclusion of visitors’ latent profiles based on cognitive images to enrich the evaluation and formulation of destination marketing and management strategies.

The analysis focuses on Serbia, an emerging destination, that attracts an increasing number of first-time, repeat and prospective visitors. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were used to test the potential dimensions (tangible and intangible cultural destination; infrastructural and accessible destination; active, nature and family destination; sensory and hospitable destination; and welcoming, value for money (VFM) and safe destination) of the cognitive destination image factors scale while subtypes (profiles) were obtained using latent profile analysis (LPA).

The cognitive image component encompasses the perceived attributes of a destination, whether derived from direct experience or acquired through other means. The study identified the following profiles: conventional destination; sensory and hospitable destination; welcoming, VFM and safe destination; secure and active family destination and accessible cultural destination, which are presented individually with their sociodemographic assets.

The main contribution of the paper is the application of a novel method (LPA) for profiling visitor segments based on cognitive destination image. From a theoretical perspective, this research contributes to the extant body of literature pertaining to the destination image, thereby facilitating the identification of discrete latent visitor segments and elucidating noteworthy differences among them concerning a cognitive image.

Previous research draws on the dualistic model of passion (harmonious and obsessive passion) overlooks how the different two types of passion interact within individuals using a variable-centered approach. The purpose of this paper is to identify work passion profiles and their antecedent and consequences adopting a person-centered approach, and to explain inconsistences in previous studies.

This paper conducts three studies (n=2,749 in total) using a latent profile analysis. Study 1 identifies three work passion profiles, namely, dual passion, pro harmonious passion and pro obsessive passion; study 2 examines dialectical thinking as an antecedent to work passion profile membership; study 3 examines how each profile relates to work performance and well-being.

This paper finds that the participants with a dual passion profile showed higher task performance and subjective well-being than the participants with the other two profiles; the participants with a pro obsessive passion profile were higher in task performance, interpersonal performance and psychological well-being than the participants with a pro harmonious profile.

This paper is the first that uses a latent profile analysis approach to examining work passion configurations. It provides a unique perspective to investigate how different types of passion configure and interact within individuals; it explores an antecedent (i.e. dialectical thinking) and outcomes (i.e. performance and well-being) of the three work passion profiles.

Extant research on job insecurity has traditionally investigated this construct as a hindrance stressor, based on theoretical developments and meta-analytical results that have shown consistent negative relationships between job insecurity and a host of organizational outcomes. In this chapter, the authors take a person-centered perspective based on the transactional theory of stress and argue that employees can and do appraise job insecurity in different ways which is manifested by qualitatively distinct latent profiles. The authors also argue that certain positive psychological variables (i.e., hope, optimism, self-efficacy, and grit) might influence one’s odds to belong to specific appraisal latent classes. Using a cross-lagged dataset of 322 US-based employees, the authors found evidence of five qualitatively different latent profiles (i.e., employees who viewed job insecurity as: (1) irrelevant, (2) simultaneously moderately challenging and hindering, (3) primarily hindering, (4) both highly challenging and highly hindering, or (5) primarily challenging). Further, the results showed that higher grit was associated with higher odds of belonging to any of the appraisal profiles compared to the high challenge/high hindrance group whereas higher self-efficacy was associated with higher odds of belonging to the irrelevant group compared to any of the appraisal profiles. Hope and optimism, however, did not influence latent class membership. The authors discuss the implications for theory and practice considering seemingly paradoxical findings demonstrating sometimes positive and sometimes negative outcomes of job insecurity, as well as traditional assumptions that employees primarily view job insecurity as either a hindrance or a challenge.

The environment surrounding U.S. higher education has changed substantially over the past 40 years. However, we have a limited understanding of what these changes mean for the higher education organizations (HEOs) that occupy this organizational field. In this paper, I use descriptive statistics and multilevel latent class analysis (MLCA) to analyze the financial behaviors of public four-year HEOs from 1986 to 2010 to evaluate how HEOs adapt financially to their changing environments. I advance the current conceptual and empirical understanding of public HEO behaviors by evaluating how public HEOs utilize combinations of revenue and spending streams to accomplish their mission and the extent to which the revenues and spending patterns of these institutions are related. Descriptive results confirm the shift away from state funding toward tuition revenues and the relative stability in spending patterns. MLCA results, which allow for the investigation of how combinations of revenue and spending streams work together, indicate that public HEOs are changing the combinations of revenues they rely on in different ways, revealing multiple specific pathways for how public HEOs adapt to their changing environments. The spending profiles, in contrast, remain stable with only a few HEOs changing their profile over time. I argue that the loose coupling between revenues and spending and discontinuity in their patterns of change over time suggests that public HEOs are able to establish a buffer between their environment and spending or activities that allows them to continue engaging in the same broad set of activities despite environmental changes.

The purpose of this study is to identify latent profiles based on 3 dimensions of organizational commitment (OC) using 14 Korean samples.

This study used unpublished raw data. Allen and Meyer’s (1996) measurement was used to maintain consistency and facilitate comparison across samples. To determine the number of latent profiles that exist in Korea based on employees’ level of OC, a latent profile analysis (LPA) was performed.

The findings showed that there are two or three profiles (i.e. fully committed, weakly committed and/or moderately committed) across various types of organizations in Korea. These findings are similar to those based on LPA conducted in the West. The number of profiles is more limited in Korean samples than it is in Western samples. Like Western studies, this Korean-focused study identified fully committed, weakly committed and moderately committed profiles, but it did not show any other types of profiles found in the Western sample.

Based on these results, this study suggests academic and practical implications for researchers and practitioners.

The purpose of this study is to employ a user-centered approach to identify subgroups of people with similar profiles based on their perceptions of multiple dimensions of digital products' coolness and to test the differences across subgroups in the intention to use these products.

In Study 1, 1,161 adults rated a virtual digital product on four dimensions of coolness. In Study 2, 660 college students made similar ratings and also reported their intention to use a real digital product. Participants' ratings were analyzed using a user-centered approach, namely latent profile analysis.

Study 1 identified groups of participants who had similar profiles of product ratings on the four dimensions of coolness: niche cool, mass cool, uncertain cool and uncool. Study 2 replicated the findings of Study 1 and in addition showed that these groups varied in their intention to use the product and in whether a specific dimension increased or decreased this intention.

The cross-sectional data preclude inferences about causality, calling for experimental or longitudinal research. Additionally, future research should explore whether the results generalize to other product categories and other age groups.

Managers should design digital products, segment the market and develop flexible strategies based on combined responses to dimensions of coolness perception.

The present research employed a user-centered approach to identify groups of people who share similar patterns of coolness perception. This study provides new insight that was not available in variable-centered research.

The purpose of this paper is to design a system for measuring the level of internationalisation of companies in the field of developing countries, through latent variables based on multiple indicators, external and internal orientation.

From a sample of 112 international companies in Colombia, the methodology of latent variable analysis (LPA) is applied to a series of complementary tools, such as a model of structural equations, regression models and cluster analysis of companies.

The paper allows to verify the identification of six latent variables and their relationships, as well as to identify four levels of internationalisation from the structure of latent variables identified.

This is the first application of this recent and sophisticated statistical technique to the field of measuring the level of business internationalisation, especially indicated in the Latin American area, where an increasing number of companies are advancing in their process of international expansion.

Diseñar un sistema de medición del nivel de internacionalización de las empresas en el ámbito de los países en vías de desarrollo, mediante variables latentes basadas en múltiples indicadores, de orientación externa e interna.

A partir de una muestra de 112 empresas internacionales de Colombia, se aplica la metodología de Análisis de Variables Latentes (LPA) unod a una serie de herramientas complementarias, como un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales, modelos de regresión and análisis cluster de empresas.

Que permite verificar la identificación de seis variables latentes and sus relaciones, así como identificar cuatro niveles de internacionalización a partir de la estructura de variables latentes identificadas.

Se trata de la primera aplicación de esta reciente and sofisticada técnica estadística al ámbito de la medición del nivel de internacionalización empresarial, especialmente indicada en el ámbito latinoamericano, donde un creciente número de empresas están avanzando en su proceso de expansión internacional.

Employee engagement (EE) continues to be one of the most difficult challenges for organizations today. Numerous factors have been linked to EE, according to studies. However, the necessary human resource management (HRM) strategies and systems for enhancing EE have not yet been developed. It is questionable if all employees inside the company require the same HRM strategies, to boost engagement as one size does not fit all. Therefore, it is necessary to create employee profiles based on factors associated with EE. This study aims to develop employee profiles based on engagement dimensions and outcomes. It seeks to comprehend the relationship between engagement level and factors such as age, years of service and employment grade.

Using latent profile analysis (LPA), we identified five EE profiles (highly engaged, engaged, moderately engaged, disengaged and highly disengaged). These five profiles were characterized by five EE dimensions (Culture Dimensions, Leadership Dimensions, People Process, Business alignment Dimension and Job Dimension) and EE outcomes (Say, Stay and Strive).

The study revealed that Engaged profiles exhibited low stay outcomes. The highest percentage of disengaged employees fall under 25 years of age with less than 5 years of experience and are at the entry level.

The study highlights the significance of the people processes dimensions in enhancing engagement. Profiles with low people process dimensions showed high disengagement. Person-centered LPA adds and complements variable-centered approach to develop a better understanding of EE and help organizations devise more personalized strategies. The study would be of interest to both academics and practitioners.

The novelty of this study lies in its attempt to model the employee profiles to comprehend the relationship between engagement levels using LPA.

Resilience while learning is the capacity to initiate, persist and direct effort toward learning when experiencing unpleasant affective states. The underlying mechanisms of resilience are emotional buffering and self-regulation when experiencing unpleasant affective states. The authors identified four factors that support resilience while learning: positive emotional engagement, creative problem-solving, learning identity and social support. The authors developed and tested scales and found evidence to support the four-factor model of resilience. The authors offer a person-centered approach to resilience in learning by conducting a latent profile analysis that tested the likelihood of resilience based on profiles of differences in scores on these factors under two affective conditions: (unpleasant) learning during frustration versus (pleasant) learning during progress. A quarter of individuals activated the four resilience factors in pleasant and unpleasant affective states, while 75% of participants saw decrements in these factors when faced with frustration. The results support a four-factor, person-centered approach to resilience while learning.

The authors develop and test a four-factor model of resilience and test the model in a group of 330 management undergraduate and graduate students. Each participant identified two learning episodes in their responses, one while frustrated and one while making progress, and ranked the level of intensity on the four resilience factors. Analysis on an additional 88 subjects provided additional support for the validation and reliability of scales.

Results revealed 2 latent profiles groups, with 25% of the sample associated with resilience (low difference on resilience factors between the two learning episodes) and 75% who remain susceptible to unpleasant emotions (high difference between the two learning episodes).

The study supports a person-centered approach to resilience while learning (in contrast to a variable centered approach).

The study provides a means to classify individuals using a person-centered, rather than a variable-centered approach. An understanding of how individuals buffer and self-regulate while experiencing unpleasant affect while learning can help educators, consultants and managers develop better interventions for learning.

This study addresses the growing concern over student success associated with increased dropout rates among undergraduate business students, and the failure of many management developments and executive training efforts. This study suggests that looking at specific variables may not provide insight into the complex relationship between learning outcomes and factors that support resilience in learning.

There is growing interest in understanding resilience factors from a person-centered perspective using analytical methods such as latent profile analysis. This is the first study to look at how individuals can be grouped into similar profiles based on four resilience factors.