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This paper aims to investigate a team dynamics based approach to assess board effectiveness, namely the interplay between boardroom decision-making processes and the board members' cognitive mental models.

A socio-cognitive perspective is utilized for analyzing board processes and determining board effectiveness. Utilizing the concepts of team mental models and sensemaking, a theoretically grounded model of board effectiveness is developed, wherein the propositions predict the causality and effect of the socio-cognitive and sensemaking processes on board effectiveness.

The proposed model is able to analyze the relationship among the different decision-making processes and members' cognitive models as determinants of board effectiveness, wherein the board's decision making process mediates the board's cognitive model – effectiveness relationship, while the board's cognitive model moderates the decision process – effectiveness relationship.

The conceptual model advances a rationale that might explain the mixed or modest findings in literature on the relationship between board demographics, dynamics and effectiveness.

The model allows practitioners and policy makers an alternative mechanism to assess board effectiveness, that is able to not only integrate the demographic, diversity and dynamics related measures, but also enables a clear understanding of the cognitive influences on board decision making and effectiveness.

The conceptual model encompasses most of the relevant constructs and findings of previous studies and offers a parsimonious yet holistic understanding of the boardroom mechanisms that might determine board effectiveness.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of decision rules and agency in supporting project initiation decisions, and the influences of agency on decision-making effectiveness.

The study this paper is based upon used grounded theory methodology, and sought to understand the influences of individual decision makers on project initiation decisions within organizations. Data collection involved 28 participants who were involved in project initiation decisions within their organizations, who discussed the process of project initiation in their organization and their role within that process.

The study demonstrates that the overall effectiveness of project initiation decisions is a product of agency, process effectiveness or rule effectiveness. The employment of agency can have a direct influence on decision-making effectiveness, it can compensate for organizational inadequacies of a process or political nature, and it can be constrained in the evidence of formal and effective organizational practices.

While agency was recognized by all participants, there are clearly circumstances where actors perceive the ability to exercise agency to be externally constrained. The study is exploratory, contributing to the development of substantive theory. Theory testing as well as a more in-depth investigation of the underlying drivers of agency would be valuable.

The study provides executives and individuals supporting the initiation of projects with insights on how to effectively influence the effectiveness of project initiation decisions, and the degree to which personal characteristics influence organizational dynamics.

Most discussions of agency has been framed the subject as an executive- or board-level phenomenon. The current study demonstrates that agency is in fact being perceived and operationalized at all levels. Those demonstrating agency in the majority of instances in this study do so in exercising stewardship behaviours. This has important implications for how agency is perceived by executives, and by how agency is exercised by actors at all levels of the organization.

The chapter studies the current tendencies of the Russian practice of decision-making in business systems by the example of a gas distribution company of the Russian Federation. In the modern Russian practice, the companies transform the system of decision-making to the process-oriented approach, which envisages decision-making and correction of decisions not according to functional responsibilities but according to consecutively performed procedures of conducted business processes.

The authors describe the procedure of formation of business processes in a gas distribution company by the example of the business process “Technological connection” and provide its characteristics.

As a result of studying foreign approaches to formation of the model of management and decision-making in companies, the authors develop a methodology of evaluation of economic effectiveness of implementation of a business process, based on the principles of management according to goals and KPI. This methodology allows evaluating the obtained results of a separate stage and of the business process on the whole.

By the example of the studied business process, a set of key indicators of effectiveness of a separate subprocess “Formation of technical condition” in a company is offered, and calculations of final results of effectiveness of this business process are provided. As a result of the final evaluation, practical recommendations for development of managerial decisions in a company are provided.

This study aims to examine the influence of lean management practices on organizational process effectiveness and maturity. The underlying assumption of this paper is that lean management practices may have a positive relation with the initiation and the adoption of a process management approach and be a first step to process management success.

Through a quantitative perspective, a survey was carried out in the Brazilian Federal Police with a valid sample of 991 participants. Data analysis was executed with confirmatory factor analysis and structural equations modeling.

Lean management practices have a positive influence on the Brazilian Federal Police process maturity and on process effectiveness. Process maturity has a positive impact on process effectiveness. The results extend the applicability of lean management practices in the public service scenario. The results will decrease the high failure rates in process transformation projects.

The main limitation of this study is that the researchers could not maintain full control of the research respondents because the data collection was carried out online.

Considering a scenario of increased pressure to upgrade organizational decisional process in the public sector and to offer better public services, the lean management practices can effectively contribute to the development of strategies and actions that will enhance a more effective public service management reality.

This study may contribute as a source of empirical data for future research in other national public organizations and may assist others to redesigning its strategies and actions to achieve excellence in decision-making, by adopting a more agile quality public service with less costs and waste.

New measurement and structural models were defined to analyze lean management practices in the public service as the predictors of organizational process maturity and effectiveness. The discussion on lean management practices, as a first step in process approach applicability, enhances a new process-based management perspective.

This study aims to analyse the relationships between board processes, board role performance and board effectiveness for a cross-country (UK and Romania) sample of comparable European listed companies.

The research design is quantitative in nature and based on the survey method, a self-administered questionnaire which was send to 342 chairmen of selected Romanian and British listed companies and which contains validated statements measured through a seven-point Likert-type scale and grouped in validated constructs.

This study found further empirical evidence that board processes are stronger determinants of board effectiveness than board characteristics and that board roles mediate the relationship between board processes and board effectiveness. It further confirmed the relevance of the three board processes mentioned by Forbes and Milliken (1999) in their seminal work on board decision-making.

The main limitation of this study is the relatively small number of responses (55), which indicates a reduced reliability and generalizability of the results. However, several steps were taken to assure the homogeneity of the sample, starting with a unique data set of firms of comparable size and industry representation.

This study is useful to board directors and chairmen of listed companies, as it can help them to better understand and manage board behaviour.

This study contributes to the limited body of research that investigates specific board process constructs derived from the small team literature and their effect on board effectiveness.

This study aims to investigate the impact that knowledge management (KM) capabilities have on school effectiveness in career and technical education (CTE) in Taiwan.

The study adopted a survey research. A total of 439 valid samples were obtained and subsequently verified with structural equation modeling.

The results indicated that KM capabilities consist of two main dimensions, namely, the KM enabler capabilities and the KM process capabilities. The former includes structures, cultures and information technology support, whereas the latter includes acquisitions, storage, sharing and applications. In terms of the relationships among the dimensions of the model structure, the KM enabler capabilities managed to effectively predict the KM process capabilities, and the KM process capabilities managed to effectively predict the perceived school effectiveness.

Based on the results, improvement of the KM enabler capabilities and process capabilities of higher education institutions of CTE is recommended so that their school effectiveness may be improved. Because the participants were not randomly selected, the generalizability of the results should be further examined.

This study encourages practitioners to focus their KM practices on KM enabler capabilities and the KM process capabilities.

The current study provided an insight into and further understanding of the model regarding the relationships among the KM enabler capabilities, the KM process capabilities and the school effectiveness.

Information technology is a key enabler of logistics performance. Unfortunately, most logistics information systems are implemented with forward logistics processes in mind, with little, if any, consideration for the reverse channel. Informed by task‐technology fit theory, the authors aim to explore how use of complementary information technologies to support reverse logistics processes can lead to enhanced process performance.

The authors use a survey method to gather data from logistics professionals who are positioned within various reverse logistics functions. Using reverse logistics processing effectiveness and reverse logistics cost effectiveness as dependent variables, the authors use multiple regression to examine the relationships between indicators of task‐technology fit and reverse logistics performance.

The authors’ models explain 49 percent and 30 percent of the variance in reverse logistics cost effectiveness and processing effectiveness, respectively. Information technology use and reverse logistics technology innovativeness are shown to enhance levels of reverse logistics cost effectiveness; information system compatibility and reverse logistics technology innovativeness are shown to enhance levels of reverse logistics processing effectiveness.

Although limited by the sample frame, the authors’ findings remain consistent with task‐technology fit theory and suggest that employing information technologies that are designed to complement reverse logistics processes can lead to increased reverse logistics process performance.

This study supports the notion that more attention should be given to reverse logistics processes. In order to achieve maximum return on investment, managers should consider allocating resources toward information technologies and systems that directly support reverse logistics.

This research employs a theory that has seen little attention in the logistics literature to provide insight into how use of complementary information technology can enhance reverse logistics processes.

Training alone is not sufficient to enhance organizational effectiveness to a greater level because not all knowledge obtained from the training is properly transferred and applied to the organization. This study aims to investigate whether efforts invested by Malaysian manufacturers in employee training and knowledge transfer affect organizational effectiveness.

This study adopted a quantitative research design. The questionnaire developed for this study captured the training related to individual/managerial skills, the knowledge management process in place to capture and apply the knowledge obtained through training, and the organizational effectiveness. A closed‐ended online survey was sent to 1,000 members of the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) throughout Malaysia and 88 manufacturers responded. The unit of analysis was an organization.

The study found the following: training employees to acquire individual/managerial skills and process skills helps in improving organizational effectiveness; knowledge application and knowledge protection interact with individual/managerial skills training to improve organizational effectiveness; and knowledge acquisition, knowledge application and knowledge protection interact with process skills training to enhance organizational effectiveness.

Organizations are urged to devise training modules depending on the needs of individual employees, create an environment that will encourage the trained employees to apply their skills (knowledge), and develop policies to retain these employees.

This paper addresses an important and not so well researched issue. It analyzes the interactions between the dimensions of knowledge management practices and type of training in improving the organizational effectiveness of manufacturing firms in Malaysia.

The aim of the present study is to theoretically elaborate the Service Blueprinting (SB) effectiveness concept and integrate it within a conceptual framework, with specific antecedents and the moderating role of two major service characteristics: complexity and divergence.

In order to validate the theoretical framework, a field study in 102 hotels was conducted, with the use of a structured questionnaire.

The results validate the research instrument used to capture SB effectiveness and indicate market orientation, service climate and service design formality as its three major antecedents. Moreover the degree of complexity and divergence of the service process were found to positively moderate the aforementioned relationships.

The study's limitations rely on the business and national context as long as the lack of distinction between newly developed services and service modifications. Also, further research should also integrate the influence that SB effectiveness has on a service provider's organizational function and customers’ perceptions on service quality.

The study provides a useful guide on how a service blueprint should be designed and also the different approaches that should be taken into consideration according to the type of service that is mapped.

The effectiveness of the SB process is conceptualized for the first time and explored in a quantitative research. Also, for the first time, specific organizational factors are indicated as major antecedents of SB effectiveness and two service characteristics are found to moderate these influences.