Search results

There is a paucity of research into high-performing virtual teams. This study aims to design and test a model of virtual team performance and to produce a profile of high-performing teams.

The main constructs found to have influenced virtual team performance in business were trustworthiness, commitment, communication characteristics, cross-cultural communication style and structure effects. New or revised scales to measure these and a new performance measure, based on five performance criteria, were developed. A research model was designed and tested, and a profile of high-performance teams produced. The sample from a global telecoms company comprised 108 global virtual teams. Two senior managers rated performance independently.

Hierarchical regression results explained 75.7 per cent of the variance of performance. Analysis of variance revealed that model fit was highly statistically significant. Trustworthiness was identified as the predominant factor, explaining a majority of the dependent variable’s variance, while interpersonal communication, commitment and cross-cultural communication style were also identified as important. The 52 items differentiating high- and low-performing teams are reported and discussed.

The research model makes a contribution to team performance theory and understanding, especially the relative importance of constructs for explaining performance. The profile of high-performing teams adds greatly to our knowledge and provides valuable guidance for team management, selection and development.

The need for effective leadership has become paramount to meet the challenges of the 21st Century and a growing number of academics and senior managers have recently come to recognize the importance of emotional intelligence (EI) for effective leadership. Furthermore, Goleman, Boyatzis, & McKee (2002) have contended that the higher up one advances in an organization, the more important EI becomes. In this paper the authors have focused on evidence at the very top of the organization, the Board. They review the findings from a major study of UK boards and re‐analyze the data on tasks and competencies relating to EI constructs. Their results show that EI competencies are considered to be extremely important according to the majority of a large sample of UK directors in a survey and they go on to argue that many of the tasks (outputs) of the Board require EI competencies, as well as many aspects of Team Process (for Organizing and Running the Board). The authors also produce new findings which support Goleman's hypothesis that the higher one advances, the more important EI becomes. Possible explanations for the findings are discussed and the paper concludes with a review of important current and future research such as the full integration of EI elements into instruments to assess leadership competence and style, and the effect that organization culture has on these constructs.

Although the proliferation of research in emotional intelligence (EI) in the last 25 years has largely focused on the individual level, some researchers have proposed theories and measurement models for EI at the organizational level. Drawing from earlier work which conceptualizes organizational emotional intelligence (OEI) as a climate-level construct involving shared norms and practices this chapter sets out to investigate the relationship between perceptions of organizational emotional intelligence (OEI) and turnover intentions amongst employees. Since turnover intentions are a reliable indicator of actual turnover they are deemed to be a critical indicator for organizational performance. This chapter also builds on previous research which found that the relationship between OEI as a climate-level construct and intention to leave was mediated by organizational emotional appeal (i.e., overall reputation) and trust in senior management to explore the mediating role of other employee attitudes which have been traditionally linked to climate and individual-level outcomes in organizations, namely job satisfaction and affective commitment. By surveying employees in a UK-based charity organization (n = 173), the study finds that both job satisfaction and affective commitment mediate the impact of OEI on intention to leave and explain a moderate amount of variance in the focal construct. However, the majority of the mediation occurs through job satisfaction with a reduced mediation effect for affective commitment. Potential reasons for these results in the charity context are discussed. The chapter contributes to a wider understanding of the way in which perceptions of OEI impact on employee attitudes toward the organization and the job; and, in turn, how these attitudes impact on turnover intentions.

Many authors claim there is a paucity of evidence for the validity of measures of emotional intelligence (EI). This paper summarises existing information on the reliability and validity of two measures of EI, the Dulewicz and Higgs EIQ and the Bar‐on EQ‐i. It also reports the results of a study on middle managers which investigated the degree to which these two EI instruments measure the same constructs: their concurrent/criterion‐related validity; and the relationship between EI and morale and stress at work. Correlations between the two instruments showed content and construct validity, with 16 out of the 20 hypothesised relationships between scales being significant. Correlations between various measures of morale and stress at work and EIQ demonstrated construct validity. Significant relationships were also found between EIQ and current job performance, thus providing further evidence of concurrent/criterion‐related validity.

The purpose of this paper is to explore two under‐developed areas of board research: the corporate governance of unlisted companies; and board behaviour, focusing on process factors that contribute to a board performing effectively.

The Board Effectiveness Questionnaire was completed by 67 directors, to gather views on how their board currently operates and how they think it should operate, across various behavioural areas relating to the relationships, decision making, the working climate and predispositions. Analysis of “process losses”, the pattern of sub‐optimal board behaviour, allowed the testing of four hypotheses concerning board effectiveness.

The 18 most important and five least important behaviours were identified, plus 12 showing the greatest “process loss”. Quality of team “relationships” is the main cause of loss whereas evidence for the impact of leadership style is mixed. Size of the board is related to overall performance of the board but number and proportion of non‐executive directors are not.

This is a “purposive, judgmental” sample of all unlisted companies, derived from those who were willing and able to respond. Only one director's view of each board was sought.

The picture of the “ideal” board provides a checklist for a company wishing to assess its board's performance as a working group, highlighting key characteristics that should be reflected on when discussing director/ board performance. The gaps in board behaviour identified could help other boards assess their own performance and researchers to focus on these areas.

The paper explores two under‐researched areas.

To investigate the new leadership dimensions questionnaire (LDQ) and a related framework for assessing an individual's leadership style in relation to the context in which the leader works; the three new LDQ sub‐scales designed to measure organisational context, follower commitment and leader performance; and the relationship between personality and leadership.Design/methodology/approach – Research is reported on LDQ data from a large sample of leaders and managers (n 222) from a range of public and private organisations. A style score was calculated and then related to data on respondents' biographical – job function, gender, sector and nationality – and FFM personality data.Findings – Results show a reasonably even allocation across all three leadership styles and that the styles are independent of the four important biographical variables. They also show that the five FFM personality factors do not account for any additional variance on any of the styles at a significant level. Results on the factor structure of the organisational context, follower commitment and leader performance scales show them to be reliable scales.Research limitations/implications – A majority of the sample were from the UK, from the private sector and were male. This study did not incorporate measures of job performance or investigate the style and context link. The self‐assessed, not the 360° version of LDQ was used.Practical implications – Some support is provided for the LDQ's use for leadership assessment and development, and for identifying potential, in both public and private sector organisations, with a standardisation sample of more than 1,000 now available. Results also show that the LDQ can be used without losing significant personality‐related variance.Originality/value – LDQ provides a unique opportunity for managers to relate leadership dimensions to three different leadership styles – engaging, goal‐oriented and involving – and, in turn, to the degree of organisational volatility faced by the leader, thus enabling respondents to identify the most appropriate style. Leader performance and follower commitment sub‐scales should facilitate further research by academics into leadership performance.

This article reviews the literature on the subject of “emotional intelligence” (EQ) and attempts to pin‐down and define this nebulous construct, using competency‐based and personality factor scales. In an exploratory study, the reliability and construct and predictive validity of three scales were investigated. An EQ scale based on 16 relevant competencies showed highly promising reliability and validity. The results also showed the relevance of two other competency‐based scales – intellectual intelligence (IQ) and managerial intelligence (MQ) – which both predicted organisational advancement. Taken together, however, the three scales had even higher validity. The overall results supported the view that EQ constructs can be measured more effectively by “performance analysis” than “classic paper and pencil tests”. In addition they provide support for the proposition that the combination of EQ and IQ is a more powerful predictor of “success” than either measure alone.

This paper aims to present a summary of a study to identify the competencies of effective leadership and management in the British Royal Navy (RN).

The sample consisted of 261 Officers and Ratings. Performance was determined through the organisation's own extensive appraisal process, whilst personality and competency data were gathered through the use of the well‐established occupational personality questionnaire (OPQ) and the then relatively new leadership dimensions questionnaire (LDQ).

The results provide support for an integrated approach to leadership and management selection and development by identifying four “supra‐competency” clusters associated with high performance in both activities. They also provide an illuminating insight into the important academic debate over the differences between the constructs of leadership and management. Additional findings highlight the importance of motivation as a competency, and deliver the first empirical support for a relationship between congruent/public and emotional/private self‐awareness and performance.

The findings have been endorsed by the RN and are being actively implemented as the basis for all leadership and management selection, training and development.

This is a rare example of a study of leadership and management validated against formal performance appraisal data. The fact that conclusions are drawn from an appraisal system which conforms with best practice and from a highly representative sample, with a 97 per cent response rate, reinforces their value.

Emotional intelligence (EI) is a topic of growing interest. This article describes the design of a new tailored instrument to measure emotional intelligence, which was piloted on 201 managers. Data are presented showing its high reliability and validity. In particular, construct validity is demonstrated using the 16PF, Belbin team roles, Myers‐Briggs type inventory and Type A behaviour. Seven elements (sub‐scales) make up the total questionnaire – self‐awareness; influence; decisive; interpersonal sensitivity; motivation; integrity; and resilience. These are defined in detail, and guidance is given on administration, and reporting which is done through an expert system. Advice on how the results can be used for personal development is also given. Finally, suggestions are put forward for further work on appropriate organisational cultures to reinforce emotional intelligence, and the issue of emotional intelligence and leadership.

This paper aims to present some findings from a wider study into effective command, leadership and management in the British Royal Navy (RN). Its aim is to increase understanding of two types of self‐awareness, emotional and congruent, and their relationship to job performance and personality.

The sample consisted of 261 Officers and Ratings in the Royal Navy. Performance was established through the organisation's own rigorous appraisal process, while personality and competency data were gathered through the use of the Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ) and the Leadership Dimensions Questionnaire (LDQ). Two difference measures were computed to assess the congruence of self‐other assessment (d1) and degree of under‐ or over‐rating (d2).

The results demonstrate that self‐evaluation of own performance (from LDQ) was significantly correlated with appraised (actual) performance. Hierarchical regression showed that both d scales explain significant variance in appraised performance, especially the d2 measure which accounted for 47 per cent. The findings establish the first empirical relationship between congruent/public (self‐evaluation) and emotional/private (self‐consciousness) self‐awareness and performance.

Measures of self‐awareness were derived from the three data sets described, not from a separate measure. The findings relate to a single organisation and need to be replicated more widely.

The results of this study suggest that emotional/private and congruent/public self‐awareness are related to each other and that the latter is significantly related to effective performance. The findings have implications for manager and officer assessment, selection and development.

Given the broad employment contexts of previous studies into external/congruent and internal/emotional self‐awareness and performance, the findings and improvement applications discussed in this paper could have practical implications for many other organisations.