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Article
Publication date: 6 August 2021

Eyvind Helland, Marit Christensen, Siw Tone Innstrand and Karina Nielsen

This paper explores line managers' proactive work behaviors in organizational interventions and ascertains how their management of their middle-levelness by aligning with the…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper explores line managers' proactive work behaviors in organizational interventions and ascertains how their management of their middle-levelness by aligning with the intervention, or not, influences their proactive work behaviors.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors’ findings are based on thematic analysis of 20 semi-structured interviews of university heads of departments responsible for managing organizational interventions.

Findings

The authors found that line managers engaged in a range of proactive work behaviors to implement the organizational intervention (i.e. “driving proactive behaviors”). Furthermore, line managers tended to engage in driving proactive behaviors when they aligned with the organizational intervention, but not to when unconvinced of the intervention's validity.

Practical implications

These findings highlight the importance of senior management and HR investing sufficient time and quality in the preparation phase to ensure all actors have a shared understanding of the organizational interventions' validity.

Originality/value

This is the first study to explore line managers' proactive work behaviors to implement an organizational intervention, and how the line managers' management of their middle-levelness influence these proactive work behaviors.

Details

International Journal of Workplace Health Management, vol. 14 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8351

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 July 2022

Hamid Roodbari, Karina Nielsen, Carolyn Axtell, Susan E. Peters and Glorian Sorensen

Realist evaluation seeks to answer the question of “what works for whom in which circumstances?” through developing and testing middle range theories (MRTs). MRTs are programme…

Abstract

Purpose

Realist evaluation seeks to answer the question of “what works for whom in which circumstances?” through developing and testing middle range theories (MRTs). MRTs are programme theories that outline how certain mechanisms of an intervention work in a specific context to bring about certain outcomes. In this paper, the authors tested an initial MRT about the mechanism of participation. The authors used evidence from a participatory organisational intervention in five worksites of a large multi-national organisation in the US food service industry.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative data from 89 process tracking documents and 24 post-intervention, semi-structured interviews with intervention stakeholders were analysed using template analysis.

Findings

The operationalised mechanism was partial worksite managers’ engagement with the research team. Six contextual factors (e.g. high workload) impaired participation, and one contextual factor (i.e. existing participatory practices) facilitated participation. Worksite managers’ participation resulted in limited improvement in their awareness of how working conditions can impact on their employees’ safety, health, and well-being. Based on these findings, the authors modified the initial MRT into an empirical MRT.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the understanding of “what works for whom in which circumstances” regarding participation in organisational interventions.

Details

International Journal of Workplace Health Management, vol. 15 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8351

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 April 2020

Robert Lundmark, Karina Nielsen, Henna Hasson, Ulrica von Thiele Schwarz and Susanne Tafvelin

Line managers can make or break organizational interventions, yet little is known about what makes them turn in either direction. As leadership does not occur in a vacuum, it has…

Abstract

Purpose

Line managers can make or break organizational interventions, yet little is known about what makes them turn in either direction. As leadership does not occur in a vacuum, it has been suggested that the organizational context plays an important role. Building on the intervention and leadership literature, we examine if span of control and employee readiness for change are related to line managers' leadership during an organizational intervention.

Design/methodology/approach

Leadership is studied in terms of intervention-specific constructive, as well as passive and active forms of destructive, leadership behaviors. As a sample, we use employees (N = 172) from 37 groups working at a process industry plant. Multilevel analyses over two time points, with both survey and organizational register data were used to analyze the data.

Findings

The results revealed that span of control was negatively related to constructive leadership and positively related to passive destructive leadership during the intervention. Employee readiness for change was positively related to constructive leadership, and negatively related to both passive and active destructive leadership.

Practical implications

Our findings suggest that contextual factors need to be assessed and considered if we want line managers to engage in constructive rather than destructive leadership during interventions.

Originality/value

The present study is the first to address line managers' making or breaking of organizational interventions by examining the influence of context on both their destructive and constructive leadership.

Details

International Journal of Workplace Health Management, vol. 13 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8351

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 June 2022

Rosalien A. van ‘t Foort-Diepeveen

The aim of this article is twofold: (1) to identify gender equality organizational interventions implemented by a selected number of Dutch companies to increase the number of…

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this article is twofold: (1) to identify gender equality organizational interventions implemented by a selected number of Dutch companies to increase the number of women at the corporate top and (2) to identify how these interventions overcome barriers to women's advancement and contribute to more women at the corporate top.

Design/methodology/approach

A comparative case study method was applied through conducting qualitative research. The research was conducted at four large Dutch companies.

Findings

The research identified 23 organizational interventions that were classified in four categories. The cross-case analysis focuses on specific themes, such as the type of interventions, the identified barriers, the successfulness of the interventions and factors contributing to increasing the number of women at the corporate top. The research shows that top-level commitment to this topic is important for the success of interventions and for increasing the number of women at the corporate top and throughout the rest of the organization. Some of the barriers could be overcome by the interventions identified.

Practical implications

This research provides companies with better insight into the quality and quantity of gender equality organizational interventions implemented by Dutch companies to increase the number of women at the corporate top. It can assist them in deciding which interventions could be implemented in order to achieve gender equality at their corporate top.

Originality/value

The research provides in-depth insight into the types and number of implemented gender equality organizational interventions for women at the corporate top and into the results and perceived effectiveness of such interventions.

Details

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, vol. 41 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-7149

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 November 2020

Natalia D'Souza, Darryl Forsyth and Kate Blackwood

This paper offers a synopsis of workplace cyber abuse, identifying patterns of and responses to cyber abuse, as well as barriers to reporting and successful organisational

Abstract

Purpose

This paper offers a synopsis of workplace cyber abuse, identifying patterns of and responses to cyber abuse, as well as barriers to reporting and successful organisational intervention.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a pragmatic research paradigm, quantitative and qualitative survey data were collected from 205 targets of cyber abuse in New Zealand.

Findings

Nearly half of all respondents experienced more than one form of cyber abuse, with gendered patterns emerging. Workplace cyber abuse also frequently went unreported for varying reasons. Based on the descriptive analyses, four key challenges for the management of cyber abuse are identified: (1) multiple and gendered patterns of cyber abuse, (2) cyber abuse across organisational boundaries, (3) non-reporting and underreporting and (4) ineffective (or lack of) organisational interventions.

Practical implications

Implications for human resource management (HRM) and line managers include adopting a preventative approach to workplace cyber abuse by implementing clear policies, guidelines and resources to deal with cyber abuse, clarifying the boundaries of “workplace” cyber abuse and considering organisational protection measures for non-standard and vulnerable workers.

Social implications

Unique challenges with workplace cyber abuse emphasise the need for a coordinated, multilevel intervention approach involving organisations, policymakers, online platforms and academics.

Originality/value

This study provides an important overview of existing approaches to the management of workplace cyber abuse as well as a foundation upon which to base further research exploring good practice in its prevention and intervention and much-needed theoretical development.

Article
Publication date: 30 March 2010

Rupashree Baral and Shivganesh Bhargava

This paper aims to examine the role of work‐family enrichment in the relationships between organizational interventions for work‐life balance (job characteristics, work‐life…

15666

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the role of work‐family enrichment in the relationships between organizational interventions for work‐life balance (job characteristics, work‐life benefits and policies, supervisor support and work‐family culture) and job outcomes (job satisfaction, affective commitment and organizational citizenship behaviour). It is hypothesized that organizational interventions for work‐life balance will be positively related to job outcomes and work‐to‐family enrichment will mediate these relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 216 managerial employees through a structured questionnaire from four organizations in India representing manufacturing and information technology (IT) sectors. Analysis was done using multiple regressions.

Findings

Job characteristics were positively related to all the measures of job outcomes. Supervisor support and work‐family culture were positively related to job satisfaction and affective commitment. No significant association was found between work‐life benefits and policies (WLBPs) and any of the job outcome measures. Job characteristics and supervisor support were positively related to work‐to‐family enrichment. Work‐to‐family enrichment mediated the relationships between job characteristics and all job outcomes and between supervisor support and affective commitment.

Research limitations/implications

The correlational design prevents conclusions about causality.

Practical implications

The findings have implications for designing jobs, developing supportive work‐family culture and managing employee work‐family interface for maximizing individual and organizational outcomes.

Originality/value

The study reflected on the work‐family domain relationships in a novel socio‐cultural context and demonstrated the mediating role of work‐family enrichment in the relationships between organizational interventions for work‐life balance and job outcomes.

Details

Journal of Managerial Psychology, vol. 25 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0268-3946

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 April 1998

Mark N.K. Saunders and Adrian R. Thornhill

Reviews and integrates UK and North American research on job relocation relating to managerial and professional employees. Notes evidence which indicates an increasing level of…

1177

Abstract

Reviews and integrates UK and North American research on job relocation relating to managerial and professional employees. Notes evidence which indicates an increasing level of reluctance by such employees to relocate for job reasons. Examines barriers to domestic relocation, including those related to financial and personal reasons, and organisational interventions designed to overcome them. Recognises that traditional forms of organisational intervention to alleviate barriers to relocation may be becoming less effective despite careful targeting. Analyses research data from the UK local authority sector to explore the effectiveness of organisational interventions to overcome barriers to relocation. Uses force field theory to evaluate the relationship between these barriers and organisational interventions in relation to organisations in general and UK local authorities in particular. Draws conclusions about the nature and use of organisational interventions to overcome barriers to domestic relocation, and discusses the applicability of the findings drawn from the UK local authorities research data.

Details

Personnel Review, vol. 27 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0048-3486

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 October 2018

Joon-Hee Oh and Judy Ma

Despite its significance in salespeople management, salespeople expectation management has received little attention in the literature, especially in the industrial marketing…

Abstract

Purpose

Despite its significance in salespeople management, salespeople expectation management has received little attention in the literature, especially in the industrial marketing literature. In response, the purpose of this study is to leverage the expectation confirmation theory to present a conceptual framework that provides an effective tool for salespeople expectation management.

Design/methodology/approach

This study first explores the application and strategic implications of expectation-confirmation theory in salespeople expectation management and theorizes that salespeople establish pre-expectations (expectations that are developed before joining the firm), experience multiple stages of the expectation-confirmation process throughout their sales career with a firm and – in each stage – establish either a longer-term commitment to or permanent disengagement from the firm.

Findings

A winning strategy for sales organizations is to recognize salespeople expectations and to meet or beat these expectations. Salespeople expectation management is particularly important in sales organizations that frequently find aligning sales force management strategies with organizational imperatives to be challenging.

Research limitations/implications

This study extends expectation-confirmation theory by presenting a conceptual framework that: identifies the existence of pre-expectations of salespeople and their outcomes; recognizes that the expectation-confirmation process occurs across multiple stages in the salespeople’s career cycle; recognizes that the level of expectations in previous stages of one’s career cycle influences the level of expectations in subsequent stages; and conceptualizes the non-linear relationship between expectations, tenure and turnover intentions.

Originality/value

The multiple expectation-confirmation framework can be used for effective salespeople expectation and turnover management and may also serve as a general model of organizational interventions.

Details

Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, vol. 33 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0885-8624

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 October 2022

Mary Hogue, Deborah Erdos Knapp, Jessica A. Peck and Velvet Weems-Landingham

Little research directly examines leader self-development among marginalized workers. The authors offer a framework to explain the role of internalized prejudice in limiting…

Abstract

Purpose

Little research directly examines leader self-development among marginalized workers. The authors offer a framework to explain the role of internalized prejudice in limiting leader self-development, and the authors use that framework to suggest organizational interventions aimed at enhancing leader self-development among marginalized workers.

Design/methodology/approach

The framework is grounded in the incompleteness thesis with its attention to the mutual shaping of culture and mind, and the interventions are drawn from principles of social movements with their focus on changing culture and the minds of individuals. The framework and interventions address the role of status in internalized prejudice.

Findings

Status-related experiences in culture shape status-related thoughts in the mind, resulting in internalized prejudice. Internalized prejudice reduces the status-related behavior of leader self-development, which serves to shape status in the culture. This repeats in an ongoing, recursive process that can be disrupted through organizational interventions. The social movement principles of common purpose and networking can provide new status-related experiences to reduce internalized prejudice, and habit-breaking can stop automatic self-limiting behaviors that can arise from internalized prejudice.

Originality/value

By focusing on status, the authors provide a framework that allows integration of literature across marginalized groups, providing a guide for understanding both commonality and uniqueness of experience. The authors bring principles of social movement to the discussion of leader self-development among marginalized workers as a guide for developing organizational interventions.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 61 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 1996

Winfred Arthur, Dennis Doverspike and James E. Kuthy

This paper is a case study of the effects of an organizational intervention on the recovery of the Ashanti Goldfields Corporations Limited mining operations in Ghana, a country in…

Abstract

This paper is a case study of the effects of an organizational intervention on the recovery of the Ashanti Goldfields Corporations Limited mining operations in Ghana, a country in West Africa. We examine the events leading up to the company's decline, the deep‐level intervention strategy that was applied, and the effects of that intervention. The design of the change initiative could best be classified as a system‐renewal intervention, in that comprehensive changes in the organization were sought through an eclectic combination of strategies that recognized the unique cultural milieu in which the company was operating. Major emphasis was placed upon the development and establishment among management of a new shared vision of performance, the introduction of managerial goal setting, the development of managerial teams, and an improvement in the basic standard of living for line employees.

Details

The International Journal of Organizational Analysis, vol. 4 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1055-3185

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