Intra-organizational Environment Research Articles

JOB SATISFACTION AND LABOR MOBILITY OF IT-SPECIALISTS

The article discusses the issue of correlations between labour (territorial) and professional migrations of IT-specialists. This group of professionals is represented by highly qualified specialists who have justifiably high incomes and constantly enhance their professional qualification. This leads to their justifiable claims to better labour conditions, consequently, to labour mobility and changing job. Such labour mobility can be the cause of staff problems for IT companies. Transformation of professional mobility into labour mobility is explained by the level of job satisfaction. Job satisfaction is seen as conformity between workers’ claims and suggested labour conditions. The aim of this work is to identify factors of IT-professionals’ job satisfaction. The research is based on the methods of online survey and questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. As a result of the research, the factors for job satisfaction have been identified: the level of wages, opportunities for professional improvement, favorable relations in the team. The relationship between these factors and the level of professionalism (grade) of employees has been established. Managerial measures to increase satisfaction with the work of IT-specialists have been revealed: to provide constant training and individualization of professional strategies, to form a motivating intra-organizational environment of professional interaction.

Physical activity in the workplace: a cost or a benefit for organizations? A systematic review

PurposeMost adults do not follow the minimum requirements for physical activity despite the benefits such activity can provide toward improving quality of life. On average, an adult spends 60% of daily hours in the workplace, making it essential to create working environments that are favorable to avoiding harmful effects on the health of workers. Toward this end, the application of physical activity programs in a work context is one of the possible interventions. This study aims to carry out a systematic review of the literature to identify the impact of physical activity programs applied in the workplace, on employee wellness and organizational productivity.Design/methodology/approachThe search for reports was carried out in two databases, namely, Thomson Reuters Web of Science and Scopus, according to several inclusion and exclusion criteria. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) was applied to ensure the quality of the study. Microsoft Excel 2016 was used to organize the database to support the data analysis.FindingsThe sample comprised 64 reports published in international journals between 1986 and 2019. From these studies, six thematic clusters were formed: Workplace Physical Activity Interventions, Workplace Wellness, Physical Activity and Organizational Performance, Barriers to Developing Physical Activity Programs in the Workplace, Physical Activity and Sedentary Occupations and Workplace Physical Activity Incentives. The analysis of these clusters confirmed that the implementation of physical activity programs in this context could represent beneficial effects for workers and the organizational system by contributing to a reduction in the rates of absenteeism and presenteeism. However, there are still many organizations that do not implement such programs.Originality/valueThe results of this study are essential for managers of organizations to be able to implement physical activity programs in a work context, similarly to the application of a strategy of corporate social responsibility in an intra-organizational environment. This research may also be useful for professionals in the areas of sports and physical exercise, who want to build their business around physical exercise programs applied to a work context.

Оценка физического и психосоциального благополучия персонала: самочувствие работников и презентеизм на рабочем месте

The article is devoted to the study of factors that have a negative impact on the well-being of employees in the workplace. Special attention is paid to the problem of presenteeism on the example of a large metallurgical enterprise. A review of foreign and domestic publications allows concluding that until now specialists do not have reliable and valid tools for studying the presenteeism phenomenon in organizations. The purpose of the research presented in the paper is to examine influence of the factors of the intra-organizational environment on the personnel well-being and assess the level of presenteeism at the enterprise. Empirical data were obtained by conducting a sociological survey of various categories of workers, as well as assessing the impact of presenteeism on the economic indicators of the studied enterprise. For the subsequent in-depth study of health problems in the workplace, the authors have developed a research tool based on the use of a digital service, which allows monitoring the self-feeling of employees by the self-assessment method, which determines the level of physical and psychosocial well-being of staff.

Information society: socio-hygienic aspects of the transformation of employment and working environment

Introduction. The current historical period is characterized by significant transformations in all spheres of life activity. The reasons for the changes are the development of information technologies and globalization processes. In the information (post-industrial) society, transformations are associated with the introduction of the principles of flexibility in job placement and labor organization. The transition to flexible forms of employment appears as a risk factor for the deterioration of working conditions and the reduction of workers’ security. “Social pollution” of the production environment is spreading. These include management methods that harm the well-being of workers.The aim of the study is the evaluation of the influence of flexibilities of employment and labor relations on the deterioration of working conditions as a risk factor for the well-being of workers.Material and methods. The study object in the article is flexibility as a socio-psychological and organizational-economic phenomenon. A comparative analysis of the views of various authors and their theoretical generalization.Results. A modern understanding of the information society as a society of network structures based on innovation and decentralization, as well as employment on adaptability to market conditions is presented. The introduction of the flexibility of employment means a departure from the standard model of labor relations. The negative consequences of labor flexibility for workers are given: instability, compulsion, unsteadiness, and lack of guarantees. Employment unsteadiness occurs both in the informal and formal sectors of the economy. The statistics cited indicate a trend towards an increase in the proportion of workers included in unsustainable and precarious employment. The influence of “social pollution” of the intra-organizational environment in the form of adverse management decisions introducing instability and unreliability in working conditions is considered. Their consequence is a violation of the social and psychological well-being and somatic health of workers. Conclusion. The more employment differs from the standard, the higher its instability, and lack of guarantees for the worker, the higher the risks of deterioration of working conditions, health, and job loss. There is a connection between the instability of employment, psychological well-being, and health.

Antecedents of Employees’ Goal Orientation and the Effects of Goal Orientation on E-Learning Outcomes: The Roles of Intra-Organizational Environment

Organizational learning is beneficial for the maintenance and development of an organization’s long-term competitive advantages. However, organizational learning can be achieved only through the learning carried out by individual members. Therefore, employees’ learning plays a critical role in companies that pursue sustainable management. E-learning allows employees to learn without any time or space constraints, which strengthens and improves organizational learning capacity. The participants of this study were employees in small and medium-sized enterprises. This study explored and identified the ways in which these employees’ perceived intra-organizational environment (including the organization’s commitment to learning and a competitive psychological climate) affects their learning outcomes through their goal orientations and computer anxiety (CA). A questionnaire was administered to the employees who have used an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) e-learning platform. The results indicated that an organization’s commitment to learning and its competitive psychological climate affect e-learning outcomes, with employees’ goal orientations and CA acting as mediator variables. Furthermore, in contrast to past studies, this study found that the organization’s competitive psychological climate could strengthen employees’ learning motivation (i.e., learning goal orientation) and their desire to perform well (i.e., proving goal orientation), thus improving their e-learning outcomes. Finally, the empirical results were used to develop recommendations for high-ranking executives, department managers, and human resource departments.

The impact of characteristics of intra-organizational environment on entrepreneurial marketing intensity and performance in Egypt

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to contribute to the entrepreneurial marketing (EM) paradigm by empirically investigating the relationship between intra-organizational environment, EM intensity (EMI) and organizational performance in an emerging market context. Specifically, the paper identifies the elements of the intra-organizational environment that enhances EMI and also examines the impact of EMI on organizational performance.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected from large-sized companies in Egypt. Data were analyzed by using path analysis on Smart-PLS.FindingsThe findings suggest that the characteristics of the intra-organizational environment that support developing and increasing EMI in large-sized companies in emerging markets are cooperative competency, deep locus of planning and institutional support. Also, it was found that the long planning horizon hinders EMI. Finally, it was found that EMI is positively related to organizational performance and competitive advantage.Practical implicationsThe study provides guidelines for managers of large-sized organizations, especially in emerging economies, on how to develop the intra-organizational environment to enhance EMI.Originality/valueThe study of EMI received little or no attention in previous research. Also, there is a paucity of empirical research on the impact of the intra-organizational environment on EMI and also on the impact of EMI on the organizational performance of large-sized companies in emerging markets. Therefore, the results of this research are a step toward filling these gaps.

Practice Implementation Within a Multidivisional Firm: The Role of Institutional Pressures and Value Consistency

This paper proposes a model to predict when the subunits of a multidivisional firm implement a practice adopted by the firm more or less extensively, focusing on the intraorganizational environment. Drawing on institutional arguments, I propose that a subunit’s extent of practice implementation is a combined result of coercive pressures from its headquarters, imitation of its peer units, and its own perception of the practice’s legitimacy. More specifically, I argue that a subunit will implement new practices related to corporate social responsibility (CSR) more fully (1) when the corporate mandate from the headquarters is more pressing, (2) when its peer subunits have implemented similar actions, and (3) when the practice is perceived as consistent with the subunit’s own values. Regression results further suggest that peers and headquarters influence a subunit’s extent of implementation of a practice only when the subunit perceives it as highly consistent with its own values—a finding that points to the importance of values for practice legitimacy and the need to rethink practice implementation within complex organizations.

The Study of Factors Affecting the Job Performance of Nurses Working in Selected Teaching Hospitals in Tehran

Background: Undoubtedly, one of the most important objectives of any organization is to provide high quality and desirable goods and services that depends on the performance of human force of the organization. The performance of physicians and nurses is a very important factor in establishing and enhancing the effectiveness of services. Since nurses are the most fundamental medical staff of the hospital, the present study was performed with the aim of investigating the factors affecting the job performance of nurses working in selected teaching hospitals in Tehran in 2018. Methods: The target group of this study included nurses working in inpatient wards of hospitals, of whom 354 individuals were selected by simple random sampling method. The intraorganizational environment questionnaire (Weisbord), five personality traits (NEO personality inventory), and Paterson’s job performance questionnaire were the three data collection tools. The study was conducted in 2018 and the data were analyzed by SPSS 20 software using descriptive statistics and artificial neural networks. Results: In the personality traits questionnaire, neuroticism (40.22 ± 6.66) dimension had the highest and responsibility (23.94 ± 4.91) dimension had the lowest mean scores. Also in the inter-organizational environment questionnaire, communication (14.66 ± 4.52) dimension and rewards (21.33 ± 6.54) dimension had the best and worst status, respectively. Comparison of significance coefficients in neural networks showed that dimensions of agreeability (100 %) and marital status (8 %) had the highest and lowest importance in nurses’ job performance. Conclusion: The results reveal that the dimensions of personality traits and job agreeability dimension have the most effect on the employees’ job performance. Hence, it is possible to improve staff performance by hiring people consistent with their work.

Connecting the dots

PurposeThis paper aims to identify the intra-organizational environment factors that affect entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and examine the mediating role of market orientation (MO) in the relationship between and organizational performance.Design/methodology/approachThe study is conducted in a less-researched area, Egypt. Data were collected using a survey from 120 large-sized manufacturing firms working in seven industries: engineering and home appliances, communication and information technology (IT), food and beverage, chemicals, furniture and decoration, clothing and smoking. The research framework was examined using partial least square approach of structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).FindingsThe findings indicate that the intra-organizational environment factors that affect entrepreneurial orientation practices are deep locus of planning, planning flexibility, planning horizon, integration and organizational support. Also, the results show that MO mediates the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and performance.Practical implicationsThe findings provide insights about how to manage the intra-organizational environment of the firm and how to configure strategic capabilities, i.e. entrepreneurial orientation and MO, to enhance the organization’s performance.Originality/valueThis paper provides a holistic approach that identifies the intra-organization environmental factors necessary to create an organizational culture that facilitates and encourages entrepreneurial orientation and MO, as well as examine the role of MO in the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and the organizational performance.

Absorptive capacity and business performance

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the multiple paths of absorptive capacity’s (AC) effect on business performance (BP): direct effect and indirect effects through innovation and mass customization (MC).Design/methodology/approachThe authors examined the role of innovation and MC capability on the relationship between AC and BP. Data from 278 Chinese firms in four manufacturing industries collected by questionnaire are used to empirically examine the proposed model by Structural equation modeling.FindingsThe results show that AC can directly enhance BP, and indirectly through innovation and MC capability. The study also finds that MC capability has a stronger mediating effect than innovation.Originality/valuePrior studies have not yet built linkages between AC and BP with both innovation and MC’s effects. This study provides empirical evidence of the effects of AC on BP and three paths are discussed including AC’s direct effect and indirect effects through innovation and MC to firm’s BP. This study provides a new direction for executives to better understand the movement of knowledge along supply chain and in intra-organizational environment, and of the importance of innovation and MC capability since they are essential carriers for BP enhancement.

Institutional Theory and Isomorphism: Limitations in Multinational Companies

Today's popular thinking is that every organization is unique and, in their processes and organizational behavior, specific. However, we witness how organizations, particularly those operating within the same industry, are becoming similar and the same as each other. The explanation for this occurrence is the institutional theory of organization that was created primarily as a critique to contingency theory that supports idiosyncratic of organizations. Institutional theory of organization explains how organizations operating within the same industry or organizational fields tend to adapt to the same structures, behaviors and activities. In the foreground of the institutional theory of organization is the institutional isomorphism that explains the similarity of the companies in an organizational field. In this paper, the author will present the current knowledge regarding this approach in management and will emphasize the lacks of this theory when it is applied with multinational companies and its subsidiaries; the multinational companies are interesting to researchers because of the complexity of operations and the complexity of the external environment and intra-organizational environment.

Executive Leadership and Social Innovation in Direct-Service Nonprofits: Shaping the Organizational Culture to Create Social Change

ABSTRACTDirect-service nonprofits have taken on increasing responsibility in creating social change (operationalized through the concept of social innovation) within local communities. Qualitative interviews were conducted with executive directors to determine the factors within the intra-organizational environment that support an orientation toward social innovation. Findings show that aspects related to staff engagement and development and direction by the executive leadership team are particularly important. The findings provide a conceptual model of the varying intra-organizational dynamics that support the development of a social innovation-oriented organizational culture. This research offers a focus for social work education programs to equip practitioners with the skills needed in contemporary practice.

Chinese State-Owned Enterprises and Human Rights: The Importance of National and Intra-Organizational Pressures

The growing global prominence of Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs) brings new dimensions to our understanding of multi-national corporations (MNCs) and human rights issues. This article constructs a three-level framework that enables the mapping of transnational, national, and intra-organizational human rights pressures, and uses this framework to identify and analyze the human rights that Chinese SOEs report concern with. The analysis provided suggests that while China’s most global SOEs are subject to transnational pressures to respect all human rights, such pressures appear outweighed by those encouraging them to concentrate on only some human rights (i.e., economic, social, and cultural rights) within their national and intra-organizational environment. The article concludes by identifying a number of ways in which our conceptual framework and empirical findings can inform future research.

Ethics, Power and Communities: Corporate Social Responsibility Revisited

Ally-building can be an ethical pursuit in developing sources of power for the business manager. The commitment to social responsibility is a source of power, as well as an ethical practice for corporate endeavors. Pfeffer promotes a business manager’s ability to develop effectiveness with ties to powerful others in an intra-organizational environment. This paper advances an analysis about how individuals in corporations may use an inter-organizational approach to developing sources of power through a notion of corporate social responsibility. As such, a more meaningful qualitative reciprocity between corporations and the communities in which they operate can be developed. And, this relationship develops a source of power for the individual involved in this effort. In other words, relationships with powerful others in the community could develop by revisiting CSR based on reciprocity and exchange of sustainability in a community, rather than on a notion of paternal responsibility to some particular construct in society.

THE MYTH OF THE CORPORATE POLITICAL JUNGLE: POLITICIZATION AS A POLITICAL STRATEGY

ABSTRACTIt is argued that the belief that the intraorganizational environment is necessarily a political one represents a myth propagated and entertained to address various needs of organizational members. One consequence of subscription to the myth of the corporate political jungle is a belief in the necessity for, and as a result the performance of, ‘political’ behaviour itself. ‘Political’ responses by others to this behaviour empirically support the myth and justify the behaviour. It is argued that political behaviour incurs dysfunctional consequences that warrant its reduction or elimination. Because political behaviour responds to belief in its inevitability, reduction of political behaviour ultimately depends upon acceptance of the argument presented in this discussion that the workplace is not inherently political.