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1 – 10 of 566Sarah Schiffling, Claire Hannibal, Yiyi Fan and Matthew Tickle
By drawing on commitment-trust theory, we examine the role of swift trust and distrust in supporting coopetition under conditions of uncertainty and interdependence in the setting…
Abstract
Purpose
By drawing on commitment-trust theory, we examine the role of swift trust and distrust in supporting coopetition under conditions of uncertainty and interdependence in the setting of humanitarian disaster relief organisations.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents findings from case studies of 18 international humanitarian relief organisations based on 48 interviews and the analysis of publicly available documents.
Findings
We find that both swift trust and swift distrust support coopetition. As coopetition is simultaneous cooperation and competition, in this study we show how swift trust and swift distrust also occur simultaneously in coopetitive contexts.
Research limitations/implications
Coopetition as a strategic choice is well-researched in the private sector, yet has received less attention in the nonprofit sector, particularly in contexts that are shaped by interdependence and uncertainty. We show the importance of swift trust and swift distrust in coopetitive relationships by drawing on commitment-trust theory.
Practical implications
In focusing on a competitive environment in which cooperation is essential, we find limited choice of coopetitive partners. Humanitarian relief organisations must often simply work with whichever other organisations are available. We highlight how trust and distrust are not opposite ends of a spectrum and detail how both contribute to coopetitive relationships.
Originality/value
Our findings contribute to commitment-trust theory by explaining the important role of distrust in forging coopetitive relationships. Furthermore, we contribute to prior work on coopetition by focusing on an uncertain and interdependent nonprofit environment.
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The purpose of this paper is to respond to a call for academia to partner industry by offering new thinking on public relations research and practice.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to respond to a call for academia to partner industry by offering new thinking on public relations research and practice.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper rethinks relationship management by broadening previous views on the dimensions of relationships. Distrust is proposed as a 12th dimension, adding to Ledingham's 11. It suggests that trust and distrust exist simultaneously within business‐to‐business relationships and that trust and distrust are employed in a coaxial view of relationships within a zone of approval. The paper draws on the work of relationship management theorists and those who identify trust as a key component of relationships. Conceptual considerations are coupled with empirical data collected in a qualitative case study of relationships between the communications team of a blue chip UK utilities company and service provider (SP) organisations.
Findings
Analysis supports the broader understanding of trust and distrust operating simultaneously in a zone of approval and may help managers to analyse their business‐to‐business relationships.
Research limitations/implications
Findings of qualitative research case studies are not themselves generalisable. This paper uses those findings to develop relationship management theory which may be of interest to practitioners. The findings are also used to generate ideas for further research.
Practical implications
An embryonic model is suggested that may provide managers with a tool to use when considering the elements of trust and distrust in relationship management.
Originality/value
Contributes to a broader understanding of relationships by suggesting distrust as a 12th dimension in the coaxial view of relationships. Proposes a zone of approval model to enable the exploration of trust and distrust in relationship management.
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Qing Lu, Mark Goh and Robert De Souza
Trust is essential for any team working together. In humanitarian logistics operations, relief organizations often have to work collaboratively in hastily formed networks. Trust…
Abstract
Purpose
Trust is essential for any team working together. In humanitarian logistics operations, relief organizations often have to work collaboratively in hastily formed networks. Trust in such a context, termed as “swift trust” in the literature, is an important but less explored topic. The purpose of this paper is to empirically explore the antecedents of swift trust as well as its impact on the coordination among the humanitarian workers.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors choose the humanitarian workers in Southeast Asia as the research sample. An exploratory survey study is conducted in three Southeast Asian countries, namely, Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines, with 89 usable responses.
Findings
The empirical results have shown support for most hypotheses. Third-party certification, competency, similarity in procedure standards and organizational values, can all generate swift trust. Moreover, swift trust can lead to greater openness in information sharing for coordination, though not to active assistance. Both coordination activities would lead to greater coordination effectiveness.
Research limitations/implications
Future studies could examine the four antecedent conditions for swift trust with better proxies. The connection between swift trust and coordination effectiveness can be explored in depth.
Practical implications
NGOs and governments could use these means effectively to build swift trust among the humanitarian players. For example, organizing field-oriented training activities would be beneficial for humanitarian workers in both network building and enhancing personal competency.
Originality/value
The findings point to the importance of swift trust in humanitarian operations and identify several means to enhance this trust. It has filled a research gap on the empirical investigation of the antecedents and impact of swift trust on inter-organizational coordination in humanitarian logistics operations.
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Ross Gardner, Ad Kil and Nick van Dam
This paper aims to analyze cognitive-based trust development during the beginning phase of virtual teams (VT) before any trustor’s firsthand, knowledge-based trust of a trustee…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to analyze cognitive-based trust development during the beginning phase of virtual teams (VT) before any trustor’s firsthand, knowledge-based trust of a trustee can develop. At this phase, early cognitive trust development is largely an individual construct that can help set the tone for subsequent phases and may also influence final VT effectiveness and performance.
Design/methodology/approach
This study begins with an analysis of cognitive-based trust and trust in VT and then focuses on the models and antecedents of early trust development in VT.
Findings
The conclusion offers a precise visualization of the research on early trust development in VT that identifies new research opportunities, particularly valuable for new field research.
Research limitations/implications
This literature review could be useful to both researchers of early trust formation in VTs and to organizations that use VTs as a part of their workforce. The figures and tables produced in this literature could be useful to researchers of early trust development in VTs in two areas. First, researchers can use this information to quickly identify the academic literature associated with each component of early trust models, the type of research conducted for each component. Second, new research opportunities based on this sample for each component of the early trust model is clearly identified.
Practical implications
Organizations need to ensure that members of VTs can form quickly and operate effectively within a short period. Identifying factors that may influence early trust formation could give managers and VT members an understanding of the importance of trust development in the early stages of VTs and how this may ultimately influence a VTs performance, effective teamwork and productivity.
Originality/value
The conclusion offers a precise visualization of the research on early trust development in VT that identifies new research opportunities, particularly valuable for new field research.
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A number of organisations outsource their information systems and information technology infrastructure to a type of organisation called a “service organisation”. In the current…
Abstract
Purpose
A number of organisations outsource their information systems and information technology infrastructure to a type of organisation called a “service organisation”. In the current business environment, where cyber risks are increasing, it is important to have a mechanism to ensure the credibility of these service organisations. This paper, therefore, aims to understand the contextualisation of accountability and trust of related organisations through the use of assurance engagements.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is conceptual in nature; however, textual data sources are used to support the theorisation of accountability and trust in the context of companies using service organisations. It uses publicly available assurance reports and related assurance standards for observing the accountability mechanism in practice, to understand the purpose of the assurance.
Findings
Assurance statements for service organisations mainly provide reputation-based, not contract-based, accountability. Limited access to the assurance reports and limited responsibility of service auditors potentially decrease the degree of this reputation-based accountability. The findings reveal a potential accountability paradox regarding the role of assurance practice, as to whether it serves as a managerial tool to build trust or as an accountability mechanism for stakeholders.
Originality/value
This paper extends the understanding of accountability and trust in the context of this unconventional form of organisational relationship. It urges more transparency in terms of the accessibility of assurance reports to provide information to wider stakeholders. The findings add to the latent literature on organisational trust and voluntary assurance practice.
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Although trust and distrust as distinct phenomena are of increasing interest to operations and supply chain management (OSCM) scholars, they have been inconsistently…
Abstract
Purpose
Although trust and distrust as distinct phenomena are of increasing interest to operations and supply chain management (OSCM) scholars, they have been inconsistently conceptualized and there is a lack of evidence regarding the distinctiveness of their respective antecedents. This study, therefore, focuses on one of the most widely accepted dimensions of trust, benevolence, to help more fully analyse (supplier) trust and distrust (in a buyer) and explore the effects of relational norms and structural power as specific antecedents.
Design/methodology/approach
The study employed a scenario-based role-playing experimental method. The proposed hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling.
Findings
The results that while relational norms increase supplier trust, power asymmetry can simultaneously generate supplier distrust, support the coexistence of supplier trust and distrust in a buyer–supplier relationship.
Originality/value
This study is one of the first to explore the antecedents of supplier trust and distrust in a buyer. It demonstrates that supplier trust and distrust can coexist when the relationship is characterized by relational norms and asymmetrical power. This opens important questions for future trust–distrust research.
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Gyöngyi Kovács, Markku Kuula, Stefan Seuring and Constantin Blome
The purpose of this article is to discuss the role of operations management in society. The article detects trends, raises critical questions to operations management research and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to discuss the role of operations management in society. The article detects trends, raises critical questions to operations management research and articulates a research agenda to increase the value of such research in addressing societal problems.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper evaluates the papers presented at the EurOMA 2019 conference to detect trends and discuss the contributions of operations management research to society. It further goes to identify gaps in the research agenda.
Findings
The article finds several important streams of research in operations management: sustainable operations and supply chains, health care and humanitarian operations, innovation, digitalisation and 4.0, risk and resilience. It highlights new trends such as circular economy research and problematises when to stop implementing innovation and how to address and report their potential failure. Importantly, it shows how it is not just a question of offshoring vs reshoring but of constant change in manufacturing that operations management addresses.
Originality/value
The article highlights not just novel research areas but also gaps in the research agenda where operations management seeks to add value to society.
Successful National Security Special Events (NSSE) have several critical components that will ensure success; one key component is collaboration among various and distinctive…
Abstract
Successful National Security Special Events (NSSE) have several critical components that will ensure success; one key component is collaboration among various and distinctive organizations. During the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, 11,000 public safety officers came together from federal, state, and local agencies and successfully protected the games. In subsequent years following the 9/11 terror attacks and the Olympic Games, however, law enforcement and public safety agencies at every level have, at times, struggled to successfully implement collaborations on a continuing and consistent basis.
Creating collaborations that endure throughout a national security event is an important issue for public safety organizations. What are the key factors that foster an environment in which collaborations can be sustained? Based on research and numerous interviews with law enforcement and public safety leaders involved in the 2002 Winter Olympics, several factors were identified that impact the effectiveness and endurance of collaborations. The enablers for effective collaborations before, during, and after the 2002 Winter Olympics included leadership, trust, social capital, and felt need.
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Chandra Prakash, Vivek Roy and Parikshit Charan
Governance is the key to establishing effective collaboration among humanitarian logistics partners addressing an ongoing relief work. With a focus on humanitarian…
Abstract
Purpose
Governance is the key to establishing effective collaboration among humanitarian logistics partners addressing an ongoing relief work. With a focus on humanitarian interorganizational collaboration, this research draws on governance theories to investigate how conflicts can be mitigated in this challenging setting.
Design/methodology/approach
The focus on governance extends attention to the frontiers of contractual agreement, trust and environmental uncertainty to be applied in the humanitarian setting. To develop perspectives, an online survey of 289 field executives working in humanitarian organizations across the globe is conducted. The findings are based on hierarchical regressions.
Findings
Environmental uncertainty, in humanitarian logistics, is not straightforward, but wields distinctive challenges in the response phase (immediate to the disaster) as well as the recovery phase (beginning of build back) – to loom prospects of conflict between partners. Findings outline that contractual agreement can increase conflict during the response phase (high environmental uncertainty), but mitigate it during the recovery phase (low environmental uncertainty). Furthermore, contractual agreement interactively strengthens the ability of trust to reduce conflict. Yet, trust acting alone shows best outcome to mitigate conflict.
Research limitations/implications
Contrary to the established understanding in traditional logistics suggesting the vitality of contracts to easily mitigate challenges posed by environmental uncertainty, the humanitarian setting extends a unique outset for interorganizational governance based on the temporality of response and recovery phases.
Originality/value
This research pioneers to quantitatively examine the setting of humanitarian logistics based on survey. Given the difficulty of data acquisition, the extant research has largely relied on qualitative investigations when considering the agenda of governance.
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Renata Konrad, Solomiya Sorokotyaha and Daniel Walker
Conflict and violence are the main drivers of globally escalating humanitarian needs. Local grassroots initiatives are pivotal in distributing humanitarian supplies in the acute…
Abstract
Purpose
Conflict and violence are the main drivers of globally escalating humanitarian needs. Local grassroots initiatives are pivotal in distributing humanitarian supplies in the acute response phase until more established humanitarian aid organizations can enter. Nevertheless, scant research exists regarding the role of grassroots associations in providing humanitarian assistance during a military conflict. The purpose of this paper is to understand the role of grassroots associations and identify important themes for effective operations.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper adopts a case-study approach of three Ukrainian grassroots associations that began operating in the immediate days of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The findings are based on analyzing primary sources, including interviews with Ukrainian volunteers, and are supported by secondary sources.
Findings
Grassroots associations have local contacts and a contextual understanding of population needs and can respond more rapidly and effectively than large intergovernmental agencies. Four critical themes regarding the operations of grassroots associations emerged: information management, inventory management, coordination and performance measurement. Grassroots humanitarian response operations during conflict are challenged by personal security risks, the unpredictability of unsolicited supplies, emerging volunteer roles, dynamic transportation routes and shifting demands.
Originality/value
Grassroots responses are central to humanitarian responses during the acute phase of a military conflict. By examining the operations of grassroots associations in the early months of the 2022 war in Ukraine, the authors provide a unique perspective on humanitarian logistics. Nonetheless, more inclusive models of humanitarian responses are needed to harness the capacities and resilience of grassroots operations in practice.
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