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1 – 10 of over 315000Ivana Silic, Zelimir Dulcic and Meri Visic
The youth (especially students) with their values have major influence on further value system of society in general in the future. Exploring the values and value systems focused…
Abstract
Purpose
The youth (especially students) with their values have major influence on further value system of society in general in the future. Exploring the values and value systems focused on youth, students in the field of economic science are in the interest of this study. Pedagogical interest for the research of values among youth can be double‐natured: the authors want to find out how much students manage to adapt to validity system of a certain society, or they want to find out what values in which youth can bring to future generation as a special group of people. The aim of this research is to find out whether there are differences in the hierarchical values and the value system between the Economics university students from EFST (Croatia) and GUF (Germany) or not.
Design/methodology/approach
In order to find out if there are values in general and also a value system of the youth, the research was conducted using questionnaires at Universities in Split and Frankfurt. The questionnaire was constructed based on psychometric Likert‐analytical methods. The collected statistical data are entered and stored in the file of the statistical package SPSS.
Findings
The value system of the youth is an important indicator for a specific trend of the society, because young people represent the future backbone of the society. The current situation in society affects the formation of confounding value attitudes to a greater or lesser impact on the actual behavior of young people. Based on obtained results it can be concluded that the Economics students of the University of Split and Frankfurt have a statistically significant difference in the assignment of significance values and the value system as a whole.
Originality/value
This study primarily examines the value systems of students who live in very different social environment. Social environment has affected their value system.
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Antonio Casanueva-Fernández and José Alberto Ross-Hernández
Senior managers seek to align managerial endeavors with the organization’s objectives. Traditionally, alignment has focused on monitoring and rewarding the achievement of assigned…
Abstract
Senior managers seek to align managerial endeavors with the organization’s objectives. Traditionally, alignment has focused on monitoring and rewarding the achievement of assigned targets. However, there is evidence to suggest that organizations may also seek to align managerial “values” with those of the organization. These attempts to influence managerial mindsets through management control systems raise non-trivial questions regarding the systems involved, the reasons behind them, and the possible consequences of such attempts. These questions form the basis of this research, and this chapter reports on two case studies of Mexican organizations that claim to have a values-based philosophy. This study contributes to the management literature by presenting empirical evidence related to certain philosophical ideas on the development of human potential and senior managers’ attempts to influence their employees’ will. In detailing the implementation process of two specific value systems, this chapter fills a gap identified in the management control literature.
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The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role played by value systems as mechanisms for organizational change. Three issues are examined: purpose; implementation; and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role played by value systems as mechanisms for organizational change. Three issues are examined: purpose; implementation; and effects, intended and unintended, that may arise from using values systems as a management control mechanism to effect organizational change.
Design/methodology/approach
The research is based on evidenced garnered from an in‐depth, longitudinal study of a major UK based organization which operates in the “global communications industry”. Data are collected from a range of sources, but particularly interviews and a questionnaire survey involving a broad cross‐section of the company's managers.
Findings
Findings suggest that, in terms of purpose, top management may use value systems as a management control mechanism to effect organizational change by espousing a new set of normative values which should inform managers' decisions and actions, particularly in trade‐off situations. Communication and implementation of value systems may involve a multitude of formal and informal information‐based mechanisms and procedures, including mission statements, newsletters, email, “strategy days”, “roadshows” and similar social events. Implementation may rely on change agents creating a drive for change. However, the results of a questionnaire survey suggest that value systems may be only partly successful in securing their intended purpose of mobilising attitudes around a particular set of normative values. Various unintended effects may arise which, in the present case, include increasing project redundancy, decreasing project scrutiny, a re‐distribution of social esteem within the firm, polarisation of attitudes towards budgetary control, and a general reduction in the exercise of hierarchical management control. Overall, it argued that the use of value systems as a mechanism of organizational change may be as problematic to the firm as it is beneficial.
Practical implications
The results of the present study may help firms devise more appropriate value systems for “maintaining or altering patterns of organizational behaviour”.
Originality/value
The present study contributes further insight is through evidence which suggests value systems may be used to communicate a set of quite specific values; and adds to a knowledge of the range of procedures which may be involved in using value systems to effect organizational change.
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It has been suggested that “space and artifacts constitute systems of communication which organizations build up within themselves” (Gagliardi, 1992a, b, p. vi) and reflect the…
Abstract
It has been suggested that “space and artifacts constitute systems of communication which organizations build up within themselves” (Gagliardi, 1992a, b, p. vi) and reflect the cultural life within that organization. This is a study of how the “landscape” of a public library (“Library X”), as an information retrieval system, relates to the values of the people who created it. The efforts here are geared towards understanding the physical instantiation of institutional culture and, more specifically, institutional values as they are reflected through the artifact.
The purpose of this paper is to examine the antecedents and implications of aligning the organizational values embedded in a systems development approach (e.g. agile) with the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the antecedents and implications of aligning the organizational values embedded in a systems development approach (e.g. agile) with the organizational values of project team members.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative case study approach is used to examine systems development project teams at three organizations, each using a development approach that incorporates different organizational value dimensions. Interviews were conducted with developers, systems analysts, and managers regarding their systems development experiences. A structured coding of the interview transcripts was then completed to enable analysis of value dimensions.
Findings
By comparing the dominant values between the project teams and their development approach, varying degrees of alignment were identified. Where alignment is high, perceptions of the systems development process are associated with satisfaction and enthusiasm; where alignment is low, perceptions focus on frustration and discontent.
Research limitations/implications
Based on the study's findings, four propositions pertaining to the antecedents and implications of IS values alignment are outlined for examination in future research.
Practical implications
The findings from this study can aid managers who are considering the use of a new systems development approach or evaluating the effectiveness of their current approach. By determining the degree of information systems (IS) values alignment, organizations may be able to customize their development approach to be more consistent with the team's values, in order to minimize negative development process perceptions and increase project performance.
Originality/value
This research extends past studies of organizational values and alignment by introducing the concept of IS values alignment.
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Examines the subject “How can we study value systems from a systemic angle of incidence?”, based on the philosophy developed by Bunge through his treatise on basic philosophy…
Abstract
Examines the subject “How can we study value systems from a systemic angle of incidence?”, based on the philosophy developed by Bunge through his treatise on basic philosophy. Develops a conceptual model for the value system, consisting of the following entities: wellbeing, needs and wishes, values, moral codes and action. Discusses each element of the model from a systemic angle of incidence. The ethical norm expressed is referred to as systemic principle of balance and can be expressed in the following way: the wellbeing of those most subject to suffering in the social system should be given number one priority, despite the fact that wellbeing of the majority will deteriorate as a result of this priority.
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This paper considers supply chain management organizations with the aid of 'chaotic systems theory' developed originally in physics and mathematics. Since innovations in supply…
Abstract
This paper considers supply chain management organizations with the aid of 'chaotic systems theory' developed originally in physics and mathematics. Since innovations in supply chain management are vital for organizational survival 'complex systems theory' may assist in fine-tuning managerial philosophies that provide stability in supply chain management because it is on the boundary of chaos that the greatest innovational creativity occurs. Neither 'management by rigid objectives' (MBO) nor 'management by instruction' (MBI) will be suitable for the information society of the twenty-first century because chaotic social systems will no longer be effectively managed. However, the capacity for self-organization will be derived essentially from how supply chain management members accept a shared set of values or principles for action-'management by values' (MBV). Complex systems theory deals with systems that show complex structures in time or space, often hiding simple deterministic rules. This theory holds that once these rules are found, it is possible to make effective predictions and even to control the apparent complexity. The state of chaos that self-organizes is attributable to the appearance of the 'strange attractor' and provides the ideal basis for creativity and innovation in the twenty-first century. In the self-organized state of chaos, social members are not confined to narrow roles and gradually develop their capacity for differentiation and relationships, growing progressively towards their maximum potential contribution to the efficiency of the organization. In this meaning, values act as organizers of 'attractors' of disorder, which, in the theory of chaos, are systems represented by usually regular geometric configurations that predict the long-term behavior of complex systems. In supply chain management organizations (as in all kinds of social systems) the initial principles end up as the final principles in the long term. An attractor is a model representation of the behavioral results of the system. The attractor is not a force of attraction or a goal-oriented presence in the system; it simply depicts where the system is heading based on its rules of motion. In supply chain management organizations that cultivate or shares values of autonomy, responsibility, independence, innovation, creativity, and proactivity, the risk of short-term chaos is mitigated by external complexities that organizations are currently confronting. The strategy is to alter the supply chain management's surroundings so that they can benefit from management by values (MBV).
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Dejana Zlatanović and Matjaž Mulej
Respecting the growing importance of interdependence of knowledge, values and social responsibility, the purpose of this paper is to introduce the concept of knowledge-cum-values…
Abstract
Purpose
Respecting the growing importance of interdependence of knowledge, values and social responsibility, the purpose of this paper is to introduce the concept of knowledge-cum-values management and to show how some soft systems approaches can support interdependence of knowledge and human values resulting in socially responsible innovative behavior, hence in success.
Design/methodology/approach
The selected soft systems approaches are used to double-check the usefulness of the requisitely holistic approach to knowledge-cum-values management and innovation. The applied methodology for qualitative analysis is the Dialectical Systems Theory.
Findings
One-sidedness, unlike the requisite holism, causes oversights and hence disables innovations as a new users’ benefit. Requisitely holistic knowledge-cum-values management prevents one-sidedness and therefore many oversights; hence it is a valuable driver of innovation. It is supported by social responsibility (exposing the systemic behavior by suggesting interdependence and holistic approach to one’s responsibility for one’s influences on society). By including values and by enabling consideration of interdependence of human values and knowledge, some soft systems approaches support innovative behavior with social responsibility.
Research limitations/implications
Research is limited to theoretical findings resulting from authors’ previous empirical studies. The novel concept “knowledge-cum-values” erases the human dangerous one-sidedness resulting from the irrational rationalistic division of the two. Social responsibility supports informal use of some soft systems theories and diminishes this danger.
Practical implications
The practical application of the selected soft systems approaches and social responsibility offers great possibilities for managers to improve the holism of their innovation processes, driven by knowledge-cum-values management. Fewer oversights are possible and lead to fewer mistakes and more success in the invention-innovation-diffusion processes. No human is rational or emotional only, either as a creator or as a consumer, but this fact is disregarded in the management literature.
Social implications
Social responsibility shall be considered as an important novel soft-system approach and part of organizational innovative behavior aimed to replace the one-sided approaches prevailing so far and causing crises: the overseen attributes do not cease, but they still impact life and are out of control.
Originality/value
The contribution introduces the new, still insufficiently researched concept of knowledge-cum-values management; it highlights new ways of attaining the requisitely holistic knowledge-cum-values management that enhances enterprise’s innovation capacity by requisite holism, supported by social responsibility.
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The purpose of this paper is to analyze the values of IT in elderly care.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the values of IT in elderly care.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is an empirical investigation based on four in‐depth case studies concerning IT in elderly care. The study draws on Actor‐Network Theory (ANT) and Social Construction of Technology (SCOT) with a focus on different actor groups' sense‐making regarding the role of IT in elderly care. The empirical analysis is, however, influenced by Grounded Theory (GT). Values are studied through the concept of “value areas”, which is a categorization of various actor groups' anticipated and experienced effects of developing, implementing, and using IT in elderly care.
Findings
The paper finds that the values of IT in elderly care can be organized in four related value areas: administration values, integration values, care values, and professional values. Research limitations/implications – Although the findings in this paper are related to elderly care it is believed that the value areas could be valid for all kinds of care work. Practical implications – The paper illustrates how different values are present during the development of IT, and discusses the importance of not only including, but also permitting, various actor groups' interests and values to influence the design process.
Originality/value
This paper examines the value of IT in elderly care, as well as presenting an approach for analyzing the values of IT. The paper and its findings should be valid for researchers, as well as for practitioners.
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This study attempts to draw a value profile of a transformational leader – the leader who transforms people and organizations. It compares the terminal and instrumental value…
Abstract
This study attempts to draw a value profile of a transformational leader – the leader who transforms people and organizations. It compares the terminal and instrumental value systems of leaders who are more transformational with those of leaders who are less transformational, using a sample of 95 pairs of leaders and subordinates of a non‐profit organization in the United States. Findings reveal that transformational leaders do have some identifiable patterns in their value systems. They give relatively high priority to “a world at peace” and “responsible”, and relatively low priority to “a world of beauty”, “national security”, “intellectual”, and “cheerful”. Results also suggest that transformational leaders might give greater importance to values pertaining to others than to values concerning only themselves.
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