Search results

Focusing on the social influence processes in the context of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), this study aims to investigate the nomological network of social influence factors, a topic seldom explicitly articulated in the literature in this unique context.

This study adopts a mixed-methods approach to develop and test a context-specific model of social influence processes in MMORPGs. First, the authors conducted qualitative interviews with MMORPG players to identify the drivers shaping players' perceptions of social influences. Second, the authors formulated and tested a research model with quantitative data collected from 450 respondents of an online survey.

Through the qualitative study, the authors identify leader enthusiasm, social support and social presence as the critical drivers of social influence factors. The result of the quantitative study validates the influences of the critical drivers and demonstrates the impact of social influences on MMORPG players' we-intention to continue playing games.

This research extends the social influence theory by identifying contextualized drivers that shape MMORPG players' perception of social influences determining their we-intention to continue playing games. MMORPG service providers can draw on these drivers to leverage social influences to increase players' we-intention of continuance.

A self‐help guide to achieving success in business. Directed more towards the self‐employed, it is relevant to other managers in organizations. Divided into clear sections on creativity and dealing with change; importance of clear goal setting; developing winning business and marketing strategies; negotiating skills; leadership; financial skills; and time management.

Modern leaders need to encourage their organizations to thrive on innovation and embrace opportunities to do things differently. Based on the author's experience training executives, the paper aims to conclude that successful leaders inspire enthusiasm for change through communication that is fundamentally differently from the traditional, abstract approach.

Effective leaders communicate by first getting attention, then stimulating desire and only then reinforcing with reasons. The paper explains the surprising method that works best in practice.

The paper finds a surprisingly effective change management skill: learn to tell simple, attention getting stories that enable audiences to recognize and choose future possibilities that they have hitherto missed.

An ability to spark enthusiasm for change through the use of simple but powerful narratives becomes an essential competence for all leaders in the organization.

The paper reveals that the kinds of stories that are effective for leaders in stimulating desire for change are very different from what most people expect.

The intention of this paper is to conceptualize charisma as a multidimensional, cognitive‐affective phenomenon for the reason that the current practice of conceptualization and operationalization of charisma in terms of observable extraordinary behaviour of the leader has diluted “attributed extraordinariness” while disregarding other facets that the theorists assume to be part of charisma.

The existing literature on charisma in many diverse disciplines is appraised in order to enumerate the dimensions of charisma. Accordingly, the paper presents a working definition of charisma and makes suggestions on developing a scale of charisma as a multidimensional, cognitive‐affective phenomenon.

The paper concludes that charisma is a cognitive‐affective phenomenon and is characterized by “Leader extraordinariness”, “Leader archetypicality” “Leader group prototypicality” (cognitive dimensions), “Reverence with awe” and “Love with enthusiasm” (affective dimensions).

Other than explaining how a scale of charisma could be developed, the paper also explains how the proposed conceptualization opens up new avenues for the exploration of routinization of charisma and follower psychological dynamics.

While the paper urges leaders to appeal to followers emotionally and to use the impression management techniques, it urges followers to be vigilant about the “dark side of charisma”.

The present paper can be taken as the first attempt at conceptualizing charisma as a multidimensional, cognitive‐affective phenomenon, though charisma has been long thought to be so. As it takes a follower‐centric approach and incorporates many dimensions of charisma which are presently neglected in operationalizing charisma, the suggested scale of charisma will more validly measure the charisma of leaders than scales presently used.

Team leaders require enthusiasm and commitment from their team members to enable them to be agile, adaptable and responsive. This paper uses results from a longitudinal study of a successful building construction project delivered using a project alliancing approach. Results presented use a model pioneered by the US academic Peter Senge. This helps explain the system dynamics that generated the necessary enthusiasm and commitment to support collaboration and co‐operation within and between project teams. It became clear that enthusiasm and commitment can be achieved on construction projects provided that a collaborative and co‐operative workplace environment is carefully nurtured and crafted, which not only supports drivers for enthusiasm and commitment, but also addresses barriers that inhibit those values. Experience gained from studying the exemplar project illustrated in this paper provides the basis for a model of how to create and maintain the necessary workplace environment.

Strategy scholars have theorized that a firm's strategic leaders play an important role in firm dynamic capabilities (DCs). However, little research to date has studied how leaders shape the development of DCs. This inductive theory-building study sheds new light on the multilevel architecture of DCs by uncovering that the three core DCs – sensing, seizing, and reconfiguring – operate through distinct individual, group, and organizational processes. Further, the role of strategic leadership is critical as organizational processes create DCs only when they are purposefully designed by firms' strategic leaders to enable change and opportunity pursuit. Whether strategic leaders design processes for change and opportunity pursuit, in turn, reflects the extent to which they view change as positive and desirable. Our insights about the role of strategic leaders' positive attitude toward change as an important aspect of firm DCs uncover new interconnections between strategic leadership, organizational design, and the micro-foundations of DCs. Collectively our findings about the role of positive attitude toward change, the purposeful design of processes for change, and the varying manifestations of these processes at different levels of analysis reveal the coupling of strategic and organizational processes in enabling strategic dynamism and change.

The purpose of this paper is to present leaders with a tool – war gaming – for effectively and efficiently stress‐testing their plans and strategies in a changing world under competitive pressures.

The paper uses case studies and anecdotal experience accumulated over 25 years.

War games reveal three basic myths regarding strategy: Everyone knows what strategy is intuitively. Improving execution is the essence of strategy. Everyone shares the leaders' enthusiasm and perceptions regarding the firm's strategic direction. Structuring war games correctly solves all three misconceptions.

Leaders looking for effective tools to test their ideas before committing resources to them will find war games exceedingly easy to use and very quick on results. This paper provides four quick “rules” on doing it right.

War games – long practiced by the military – have been successfully adapted for business use. Adopting the methodology to commercial environment offers wealth of opportunities for leaders to improve strategy.

This chapter explores the attributes that made Mary Kay Ash a global success – attributes that helped her build a global cosmetics empire at a time when strong, successful female entrepreneurs were almost unheard of. Mary Kay’s can-do spirit led her to create a company that enriched – and continues to enrich – millions of women’s lives around the globe. Her example, her teachings, her legacy live on today, and that legacy has inspired countless entrepreneurs, leaders, and business students. The qualities she exhibited remain an important part of Mary Kay’s legacy: imagination, passion, determination, integrity, courage, and compassion. Although those qualities were innate in Mary Kay, they resonate today as guidelines for others to follow in shaping their own careers – or their own empires. Mary Kay’s path was never easy, but she met every challenge she faced with grit and determination. Because she shaped her own path against all odds in a way that was uniquely her own, those who study her methods today can benefit from the examples she set, and her footsteps can lead others on their way to a rich, rewarding future.

Student leadership is a buzzword on most university campuses. However, recent research indicates that the leadership learning assumed to be taking place may not have happened at the depth currently believed. One explanation is that, as management education and development scholars, we are not clear on what leadership skills these student leaders require. This manuscript identifies the critical managerial leadership behaviors these student leaders need to successfully move their student organizations forward. It is based on empirical data from student members of the very organizations the student leader is trying to influence.

To understand the partnership between clinicians and academics who come together to provide high-quality care alongside research and innovation, identifying challenges and productive conditions for innovation and collaboration across multi-disciplinary teams.

An explorative action research methodology was adopted. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 clinical, academic and executive leads at a large metropolitan tertiary care hospital with an academic health services portfolio in the UK.

Clinical leaders recognise the division of limited resource, restrictive employment contracts and the divergent priorities of each organisation as challenges hindering the collaborative process and derailing innovation. Developing a culture of respect, valuing and investing in individuals and allowing time and space for interaction help facilitate successful innovation and collaboration. Successfully leading collaborative innovation requires a combination of kindness, conviction and empowerment, alongside the articulation of a vision and accountability.

Action research continues at this site, and further enquiry into the experiences, challenges and solutions of non-leaders when collaborating and innovating will be captured to present views across the organisation.

Clinical and academic collaboration and innovation are essential to the continued success of healthcare. To ensure hospitals can continue to facilitate this in increasingly challenging circumstances, they must ensure longevity and stability of teams, devote time and resource to research and innovation, nurture interpersonal skills and develop kind and empowering leaders.

This work uniquely focuses on a real-time collaborative and innovative development. By employing action research while this development was happening, we were able to access the real time views of those at the centre of that collaboration. We offer insight into the challenges and effective solutions that consultant-level clinical leaders encounter when attempting to innovate and collaborate in practice.