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Providers of healthcare services face increasing performance demands in terms of cost-efficiency as well as client centeredness. Dementia care is an illustrative example in this respect. Due to the aging society, the number of dementia clients is expected to grow significantly, which implies increasing costs. At the same time, demands in terms of coherent and high-quality care for dementia clients are increasing, putting a stronger emphasis on demand driven, responsive care and service processes. Literature shows that case management in dementia care is beneficial for persons with dementia and caregivers, but costly. Using insights from operations management (OM), the purpose of this paper is to develop a new model for case management in dementia care.

To address both cost containment and customer orientation, insights from OM, in particular front/back office (FO/BO) configuration and modularity theory, are used to develop an innovative conceptual model for case management in dementia care.

This framework offers a new way of conceptualizing care provision throughout the different phases of a chronic disease process. Linking FO/BO configurations and modular organizing with case management makes it possible to create a cost-effective and client-centered system of healthcare management.

A new model is developed to address both cost containment and customer orientation based on insights from OM, in particular FO/BO configuration and modularity theory.

This paper aims to examine the influence of the level of team virtuality on the effects of intra‐team conflicts on team performance, which have hardly been investigated.

A framework is proposed based on the extent to which team members use communication media to coordinate their actions and execute their tasks, taking into account the extent to which the communication media are synchronous and the extent to which the communication media convey para‐verbal and nonverbal aspects of communication. Data of 49 teams with 172 team members were analyzed using stepwise multiple regression analysis.

The level of team virtuality influences the relation between intra‐team conflict and perceived team performance. The higher the level of team virtuality, the greater the positive impact of task conflict on perceived team performance. In teams with a low level of virtuality task conflict has a negative impact on perceived team performance, and in high virtual teams task conflict has a positive impact. In addition, process conflict has a negative impact on perceived team performance.

The present study provides a framework for the effects of the level of team virtuality that can be used in further research and has implications for practice.

The study shows the effects of the level of team virtuality on team performance, which is important considering the emerging use of virtual communication tools in organizations.

The aim of this paper is to examine the influence of group composition in cultural values on conflict management styles in groups.

A field study using data from 125 groups was conducted.

The results show that in groups where members feel they are equal and connected (horizontal collectivism) cooperation is better, and contending and avoiding conflict management styles are used less. When people view themselves as unequal and independent (vertical individualism (VI)) the avoiding style of conflict management is more frequently used. Within‐group similarity (low variety) in VI leads to more cooperation and less avoidant conflict management strategies as well as less third party interventions. High group variety in views of being unequal, but interconnected (vertical collectivism), as well as in the views of being equal but independent (horizontal individualism), leads to more cooperative conflict resolution strategy.

The results show that small and consistent within‐group differences in cultural values are beneficial (with the exception of VI) for cooperative strategies. By showing that group compositional configurations in cultural values (vertical/horizontal individualism and collectivism) impact on conflict management strategies, the study has important implications for team design.

The paper extends current research by conceptualizing cultural values (it considers the horizontal vs vertical orientation in individualism‐collectivism) as configural group properties and by testing the impact of specific team configurations in cultural values on conflict management strategies.

This study aims to explore generational differences in the psychological contract of hospitality employees and work outcomes such as commitment and turnover intention.

Data were collected in 20 hotels (n=359) from a four‐star hotel chain in The Netherlands using a self‐administered questionnaire. Data were analysed using MANOVA and post‐hoc analysis.

Findings suggest that opportunities for development and challenge, variation and responsibility are more important to younger generations of hospitality workers. Generation X placed high value on work‐life balance, autonomy and job security. No differences were found for work atmosphere, salary and task description. Significantly lower commitment and higher turnover intention was also found for Generation Y.

The findings provide insight into generational differences in expectations that hospitality workers have of their employers. This helps managers in developing management styles as well as human resource policy to better address these expectations.

This study is one of the first to explore the psychological contract in a hospitality context and contributes empirical evidence to the body of knowledge on generational differences.

The purpose of this study is to shed more light on the role of employee proactivity (self‐starting, action‐orientated behaviours aimed at greater organisational effectiveness) in relation to aging and career development. It aims to do this in two ways. First, by investigating how age and HR practices for development initiated by the organisation influence proactivity. Here, proactivity it seeks to study as a career‐relevant outcome. Second, by examining how age, proactivity and HR practices for development influence employee experiences of career opportunities. Here, it aims to use proactivity as career‐relevant predictor.

A total of 619 employees from 47 departments completed a questionnaire, including two scales on proactivity (on‐the‐job and developmental proactivity) as well as a scale on career opportunities. HR and line managers in these departments were interviewed about HR practices directed at career development of the employees. The data combine information from two levels (employee, department) as well as three different sources (employee, line manager, HR manager), and are analysed using multi‐level analysis.

First, the paper presents the results on proactivity as an outcome: age is positively related to proactivity on‐the‐job but has no association with proactivity towards development. HR practices targeted at career development are positively associated with both types of proactivity. Second, the results on proactivity as a predictor show that career opportunities have a negative association with age, a positive association with proactivity, and a positive association with career development‐orientated HR practices. An additional negative effect on career opportunities is found for the cross‐level interaction between HR practices and age.

This study is original as it combines individual, psychological, and HR perspectives in researching age‐related career issues. It contributes to the literature by showing that age has no negative, but rather a positive impact on proactivity. Proactivity furthermore is sensitive to HR practices for development, implying that organisations can influence the proactivity of their employees. For older employees the study implies that, although organisations tend to offer them fewer HR practices for development, they can offset this disadvantage to some extent by increased proactivity, and thus retain career opportunities.

The aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship between perceived social identity as an “older worker” and attitudes towards early retirement and commitment to work.

Survey data were obtained from 352 workers aged 50‐59. Hierarchical regression analyses were performed to test the influence of social identity after controlling for demographics, organizational variables and work‐to‐family conflict.

The results show that self‐categorization as an “older worker” is related to negative attitudes towards work (stronger desire to retire early, stronger inclination towards intergenerational competition) while the perception that the organization does not use age as a criterion for distinguishing between workers supports positive attitudes towards work (e.g. higher value placed on work).

This study is cross‐sectional and does not allow conclusions about causality between intergroup processes and attitudes towards works. Future research should develop longitudinal designs to verify that social identity as an “older worker” does induce elders' attitudes at work.

Retirement is usually considered as an individual and opportunistic decision. This research highlights its social dimensions and suggests that managers should pay attention to ageism at work and its potential effects not only on the withdrawal process but also on the quality of life in the workplace.

The paper's aim is to introduce the interactive acculturation model (IAM) of Bourhis et al. to predict how disconcordance in acculturation orientations between host community and immigrant workers relates to the quality of intergroup work‐relations.

The sample consisted of 141 host community (Dutch) and 41 non‐western immigrant workers of a postal service company who filled out a questionnaire. Methods of analyses include analysis of variance and multiple regression.

In line with the IAM, results showed that a higher disconcordance in preferred acculturation orientations between host community and immigrant workers related to a poorer quality of intergroup work‐relations. However, intergroup contact moderated this relationship differently for host community and immigrant workers.

Data are cross‐sectional and collected in one organization. Future studies should replicate the findings to other organizational contexts, cultural groups, and collect longitudinal data to determine causal effects.

Organizations should monitor disconcordance in acculturation orientations amongst host community and immigrant workers. A multicultural culture in organizations may reduce disconcordance in acculturation orientations between host community and immigrant workers.

The paper helps to explain the mixed findings in cultural diversity research so far, by demonstrating that disconcordance in acculturation orientations relates negatively to intergroup work‐relations in a multicultural workplace.

This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.

The main finding was that the measurement of experienced levels of various components of HPWS in work teams predicted performance – including productivity, quality of service and innovativeness – at both team and individual level.

The briefing saves busy executives, strategists and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

The paper aims to extend research on public‐private partnerships (PPP) by exploring the path toward procedural justice and cooperation performance through contracts.

The paper uses equity theory to address inter‐partner cooperation in PPPs. The paper emphasizes how procedural fairness, as perceived by partners in a PPP, influences cooperation effects. Using both social exchange theory and transaction cost theory, it hypothesizes that procedural fairness improves cooperation effects by enhancing two kinds of contracts: the control‐formal contract and the informal contract.

The regression analysis suggests that procedural fairness indirectly affects three kinds of cooperation effects – direct effects, knowledge‐created effects, and social effects – by increasing formal and informal contracts.

Further research might address the antecedents of procedural justice.

The paper suggests that procedural justice is important to PPPs and that contracts mediate this relationship.

The paper enriches PPP research, especially with regard to procedural formalization, contracts, and cooperation performance.

Intercultural interfirm relationships have become a new challenge for international management. The purpose of this paper is to explore differences in computer‐mediated negotiation behavior between participants who come from nations which differ as regards two major cultural values: individualism and collectivism.

This is an empirical study with a sample containing 170 negotiators with different cultural backgrounds; it comprises content analysis; and multivariate analysis of variance models.

Comparing negotiators from Asian, North American, and European cultures, it is found that people who come from an individualist culture exhibit different negotiation strategies to individuals from a collectivist culture.

Based on the results management may sensitize negotiators in intercultural interfirm relationships to their counterparts' communication strategies.

The paper highlights how negotiators' cultures affect their strategic orientation.