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1 – 5 of 5Peng Ning, Lixiao Geng and Liangding Jia
Drawing on bargaining power and the inequality aversion perspective, this study aims to probe employees’ influence on addressing income inequality between top executives and…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on bargaining power and the inequality aversion perspective, this study aims to probe employees’ influence on addressing income inequality between top executives and nonexecutive employees. Meanwhile, it examines the moderating role of employee-related factors and plan attributes.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a staggered difference-in-differences design with a propensity scoring match approach and verification of the parallel trend assumption to test the hypotheses.
Findings
The results support the hypothesis that employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) significantly reduce within-firm income inequality. The negative effect is amplified by both the presence of trade unions and the unemployment rate at the regional level, as well as the duration of the lock-in period and the scale of participants within the stock ownership plan.
Practical implications
This study has implications for income inequality research and ESOP design and provides theoretical support for policymakers and corporate governance.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature on income inequality by examining the implementation of ESOPs from the employee perspective. Furthermore, it extends the current literature by investigating the strengthening effects of regional factors and ESOP attributes on the relationship between ESOPs and income inequality. The conclusions provide new empirical evidence to promote the effective implementation of ESOPs by combining internal and external factors.
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Xuan Wang, Mimi Xiao and Liangding Jia
Organizational wicked problems are ill-defined phenomena arising in complex environments with intertwined and evolving interests. This paper aims to use a nonlinear…
Abstract
Purpose
Organizational wicked problems are ill-defined phenomena arising in complex environments with intertwined and evolving interests. This paper aims to use a nonlinear epistemological approach to explore how multiple management decision tools work together to form configurational paths to deal with organizational wicked problems and to propose some heuristic toolkits for tackling them.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on interviews with 53 senior executives dealing with 62 organizational wicked problems, this paper uses grounded theory to construct an antecedent theoretical framework and then uses qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) to conduct configuration analysis on the strategy portfolios that can tackle organizational wicked problems.
Findings
This paper used grounded theory to identify six theoretical dimensions as management decision tools for dealing with organizational wicked problems: change adaptation, goal performing, administration, mechanical integration, organic integration and entrepreneuring. In addition, this paper used QCA to explore and propose three heuristic toolkits – synergy oriented, institution oriented and innovation oriented – as multiple equivalent paths to help deal with organizational wicked problems.
Originality/value
This paper uses configuration analysis instead of the net effect analysis of the traditional econometric method and captures multiple antecedent conditions for decision-makers to deal with organizational wicked problems from a holistic perspective. This paper constructs three heuristic toolkits and matches each of them with the most suitable type of organizational wicked problem, constructing a complete research chain of “identifying–tackling” the organizational wicked problem and providing a reference for organizations facing similar situations in future practice.
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Jieyu Zhou, Mengmeng Bu and Liangding Jia
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how CEO humility influences inter-firm collaboration (IFC) and the moderating roles of firm status (a firm's relative position in a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how CEO humility influences inter-firm collaboration (IFC) and the moderating roles of firm status (a firm's relative position in a social order) and environmental uncertainty on such an effect.
Design/methodology/approach
As the firms were nested in township clusters, the theoretical model was tested using hierarchical linear modeling to analyze a multisource and multilevel onsite survey from 254 firms in Chinese township clusters. CEO humility was measured using an 18-item scale reported by both the human resource managers and the financial managers. Besides using CEO self-reported ratings as the measurement of IFC, this study employed additional measurements to further validate the findings, including the IFC reported by the administrative managers and two alternative measures for IFC reported by both CEO and the administrative managers of each firm.
Findings
This study found that CEO humility is positively related to IFC (H1), and that this association is marginally more salient when firms have high status (H2) but less salient when firms face a high level of environmental uncertainty (H3).
Practical implications
Findings suggest that firms with humble CEOs may benefit from better inter-firm collaborative relationships, especially when firms have high status (i.e. possess many well-known trademarks), but not when they are in an uncertain environment.
Originality/value
Previous humility studies focused on the influence of leader humility on individual and team outcomes, but little attention has been paid to organizational outcomes. This research extends the implications of leader humility to inter-firm relationships. Moreover, this paper explores the boundary conditions of the influence of CEO humility, thus advancing the contextual understanding of leader humility.
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The purpose of this paper is to bridge the understanding of apparent dichotomies such as East and West, philosophy and social sciences, and antiquity and modernity, and to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to bridge the understanding of apparent dichotomies such as East and West, philosophy and social sciences, and antiquity and modernity, and to continue the vibrant expansion of competitive dynamics study into the realm of East-West theoretical fusion.
Design/methodology/approach
The author looks to classical Chinese philosophy to discover the origins and nature of competitive dynamics. The paper develops the premise that the foundational thrusts of this contemporary Western management topic spring from ancient Eastern conceptions of duality, relativity, and time.
Findings
Research inroads are made along two paths. First, the paper traces the theoretical and philosophical underpinnings of competitive dynamics to Eastern thinking. Then by bridging what have customarily been perceived as fundamentally different paradigms, it reveals, in a new light, empirical findings in this strategy subfield.
Research limitations/implications
Linking Western management science, and specifically the study of competitive dynamics, to classical Eastern philosophy raises new research questions in the areas of international management and management education as well as competitive dynamics. In the latter, the paper suggests opportunities for exploring connections between traditional Chinese concepts and contemporary organizational and competition research issues, including competitive and cooperative relationships at the industry level. Future research may also investigate the fundamental differences and similarities between Eastern and Western philosophies, and their implications for competitive strategies.
Originality/value
From a relatively obscure corner of business academia, competitive dynamics now occupies a distinct place in strategic management research and is a topic of intense interest to scholars in a variety of disciplines. The usual view is that competitive dynamics fits squarely in the spectrum of social sciences, an organically home-grown area of Western study. This paper examines the topic from a distinctly different angle – through the lens of ancient Eastern philosophy – to discern deeper a deeper meaning and wider application.
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Mieke Audenaert, Alex Vanderstraeten and Dirk Buyens
The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the field’s understanding of how to raise individual innovation. Specifically, the authors aim to contribute to an understanding of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the field’s understanding of how to raise individual innovation. Specifically, the authors aim to contribute to an understanding of the interplay of job characteristics and intrinsic motivation for individual innovation.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses time-lagged survey data of a public service organization in Belgium. The analyses are based on more than 80 jobs and more than 1,000 employees. Hierarchical linear modeling was adopted to test cross-level hypotheses.
Findings
Innovation requirements influence individual innovation efforts by psychologically empowering employees, but the extent to which psychological empowerment translates into individual innovation depends on job complexity.
Originality/value
A more nuanced understanding is developed of when innovation requirements empower individual innovation, by acknowledging the role of job complexity in this relationship. The current findings contribute to a multilevel integrative understanding of the interplay of the job context and intrinsic motivation.
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