Organizational Sciences Research Articles

The criterion problem in cross-cultural performance research

The criterion problem is a serious conceptual and methodological challenge that has confronted investigators and managers in the organizational sciences for over 100 years. This paper is an introduction to the criterion problem and some of the complex, multifaceted issues it encompasses. It defines and discusses important concepts (e.g. the problem itself, conceptual criteria, operational criteria). It explores broad dilemmas that afflict all types of criteria and narrower dilemmas that are more individually relevant to criteria traditionally considered objective or subjective. It concludes by examining prospects for the criterion problem both in general and within cross-cultural management.

Making sense of circular economy: Understanding the progression from idea to action

AbstractThis study examines how management and organisation sciences can contribute to and accelerate circular economy (CE) practices by providing insight into how circular oriented innovation (COI) processes unfold. Emergent theory and recent empirical evidence shows that research into CE needs to acknowledge both salientcommonalitiesbetween circular solutions, but—crucially—also theirdifferences. A range of well‐known circular strategy frameworks exist that offer suggestions for understanding circular strategies in relation to each other. However, at present such frameworks tend to be normative and conceptual. Our objective is therefore twofold: (1) to develop an analytical framework for CE that is grounded in both theory and practice, as well as (2) to demonstrate the application of such a framework to a wide range of different circular solutions and how this can lead to new insights and new directions for research. We deploy a longitudinal qualitative multi‐case case study design, where we focus on business‐led COI projects, covering innovation projects of 23 product(s) (groups) for 19 focal companies. We identify circular pivots, minimal viable circular configuration, continuous improvement of circular configurations and interactions between circular strategies as particularly important phenomena and the importance of taking a longer time horizon to understand circular phenomena in business. Moreover, we identify a lack of application of structured approaches in practice—to complexity, to circular strategies and to value network development—which, if left unaddressed, pose a risk that CE will not achieve a positive systemic impact.

Using Team Building-based Instruction to Foster EFL Learners’ Motivation under the Context of Education 4.0

Under the context of Education 4.0, motivation for language learning takes on a range of meanings and implications that are inextricably bound up with more socially meaningful contexts. Hence, the quality of motivation matters. It is imperative that EFL education make adjustments to strengthen learners’ motivation to achieve the desired learning outcomes and develop skills required in Education 4.0 era. Drawing on interdisciplinary knowledge of applied linguistics and organizational behavioral science, the current research explored the effects of team building-based instruction on EFL students’ motivation. The participants of the study were 84 undergraduate EFL learners at a Chinese university. Questionnaire and open-ended questions were employed to collect data. The results showed that, on average, participants reported high mean values for each of the motivation components, indicating that team building-based instruction played a positive role in motivating most students in the course. Nonetheless, students’ responses towards the components vary significantly, especially for the ‘interest’ scale and ‘usefulness’ scale. Several motivating factors that led to students’ motivation to engage in the course were identified: group dynamics, project design, technology, and assessment. The research concluded that team building-based instruction should take both linguistic factors and non-linguistic factors into consideration to fully motivate and engage students. In the end, the researcher proposed implications for motivational pedagogy and practices.

Generations, We Hardly Knew Ye: An Obituary

Although popular in the organizational sciences, in the media, and in practice, the concepts of “generations” and “generational differences” have been increasingly scrutinized based on theoretical, methodological, and statistical concerns. Here, we present a short obituary to bid adieu to these troubled concepts, with the hopes of memorializing and “putting to rest” these controversial ideas. We encourage researchers and practitioners to think beyond the narrow scope offered by the idea of generations, adopt a more critical perspective on our science and practice, and learn from the mistakes of the past.

Sometimes enough is enough: Nurses’ nonlinear levels of passion and the influence of politics

Does work politics get in the way of nurses’ passions even when mired in a global pandemic? To address this question, we examined the nonlinear associations of general work passion with job outcomes for practicing nurses and investigated whether these relationships were consistent across levels of perceived work politics. Results from multi-source, time-separated data indicated that passion possessed nonlinear associations with job satisfaction (inverted U-shape), work effort (U-shape), organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) (U-shape), and work performance (U-shape). Furthermore, passion demonstrated nonlinear relationships with job satisfaction and work effort when perceptions of organizational politics (POPs) were high (inverted U-shape) and low (U-shape). A nonlinear relationship emerged when POPs were high (inverted U-shape) when examining work passion associations with OCBs and job performance. Conversely, nonlinear associations were nonsignificant when POPs were low. These findings question the often-held assumption of linearity in the organizational sciences, in general, and support the speculation of more complex passion – outcome forms, specifically. We discuss implications of these results for nursing practice and scholarship, strengths, limitations, and avenues for future research.

The Mechanisms and Components of Knowledge Transfer: The Virtual Special Issue on Knowledge Transfer Within Organizations

Knowledge transfer within organizations has important implications for organizational performance and competitive advantage. In this virtual special issue, we review articles on this topic published in Organization Science between 2014 and 2020 and identify 53 articles for their theoretical and empirical contributions. These articles examine knowledge transfer through five transfer mechanisms: social networks, routines, personnel mobility, organizational design, and search. We consider the intersection of each transfer mechanism with important components of knowledge transfer (characteristics of sources/recipients, characteristics of knowledge, and characteristics of contexts). We present 15 exemplar articles, each of which reflects the intersection of a mechanism and a component of knowledge transfer. We also present an overview of the methodological approaches and empirical contexts that are utilized. We conclude our article with a discussion of future research opportunities. The articles published in Organization Science have advanced understanding of both the mechanisms through which knowledge transfer occurs and the conditions under which it is most likely.

The impact of higher education students’ personality traits on susceptibility to specific gamification elements

This research aims to determine if higher education students with certain personality traits are susceptible to specific gamification elements in education like points, levels, rewards, and others. A quantitative survey was carried out with a sample of 382 students from the Faculty of Organizational Sciences, University of Maribor, Slovenia. A 10-term measure of the Five-Factor Model (FFM) called the Ten Item Personality Measure (TIPI) was used. Descriptive statistics were used for analyses of collected data. Based on sample means, t-tests were performed to compare population means for statements of gamification elements between groups. This research's significant findings reveal that students with specific personality traits are more susceptible to particular elements of gamification. For example, students with high expressed extraversion are more susceptible to elements like immediate feedback, verbal praises from the professors, regular progress, teamwork, and constant challenges. The research contributes to a more in-depth understanding of gamification elements and is valuable for practical application.
 
 Keywords: Big Five inventory; gamification; gamification elements; higher education; personality traits.

Normalizing the Use of Single-Item Measures: Validation of the Single-Item Compendium for Organizational Psychology

The application of single-item measures has the potential to help applied researchers address conceptual, methodological, and empirical challenges. Based on a large-scale evidence-based approach, we empirically examined the degree to which various constructs in the organizational sciences can be reliably and validly assessed with a single item. In study 1, across 91 selected constructs, 71.4% of the single-item measures demonstrated strong if not very strong definitional correspondence (as a measure of content validity). In study 2, based on a heterogeneous sample of working adults, we demonstrate that the majority of single-item measures examined demonstrated little to no comprehension or usability concerns. Study 3 provides evidence for the reliability of the proposed single-item measures based on test–retest reliabilities across the three temporal conditions (1 day, 2 weeks, 1 month). In study 4, we examined issues of construct and criterion validity using a multi-trait, multi-method approach. Collectively, 75 of the 91 focal measures demonstrated very good or extensive validity, evidencing moderate to high content validity, no usability concerns, moderate to high test–retest reliability, and extensive criterion validity. Finally, in study 5, we empirically examined the argument that only conceptually narrow constructs can be reliably and validly assessed with single-item measures. Results suggest that there is no relationship between subject matter expert evaluations of construct breadth and reliability and validity evidence collected across the first four studies. Beyond providing an off-the-shelf compendium of validated single-item measures, we abstract our validation steps providing a roadmap to replicate and build upon. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

A century of labour turnover research: A systematic literature review

AbstractLabour turnover has been an important research topic in social science over the past century, involving disciplines such as human resource management, industrial relations, organizational behaviour, individual and organizational psychology, economics and health sciences. This paper presents a systematic literature review of voluntary labour turnover, providing an in‐depth analysis of 1375 labour turnover studies published up to July 2019 in 142 academic journals listed in the Chartered Association of Business Schools Academic Journal Guide 2018. The analysis of theoretical and empirical labour turnover studies reveals: (1) distinctive foci in the development of labour turnover research over the past hundred years; (2) relative lack of attention to testing specific labour turnover theories; (3) a prevailing quantitative approach to identifying antecedents of labour turnover; (4) increased reliance on turnover intention as a proxy for actual turnover. This paper highlights these trends over time, providing insight into problematic areas from theoretical, methodological and empirical points of view. We suggest avenues for a more productive route to coherent theoretical, methodological and empirical development of labour turnover research.

The Plurality of Institutional Approaches and Difficulties of Scholarly Communication

Over the past decades, the development of institutional studies has become one of the main directions in the social sciences. Does everything in the organization of science contribute to this research? The main objective of the article is to analyze and assess factors that can have a negative impact on the growth of scientific knowledge about institutions. The first section discusses approaches to the growth of scientific knowledge, the role of scholarly communications in it, and the structure of the conceptual apparatus of scientific research programs. Some features of the competition among research programs that might hinder the growth of knowledge are also analyzed in the first section. The second section examines the variety of institutional approaches and manifold research initiatives and communication processes that derive from them. The third section is devoted to the analysis of microfoundations in economics and organizational science. In the fourth section we analyze approaches to the study of various economic institutions within the framework of organizational institutionalism. The features of the conceptual apparatus of organizational institutional theory and the specifics of its impact on the implemented approaches to the microfoundations of institutions are characterized. It is assumed that the research program of organizational institutionalism contains composite concepts with a heterogeneous content, it may result in the lack of operational definitions. This feature, together with the limited scholarly communications, determines the presence of artificial scientific problems which hinder the growth of scientific knowledge both in the framework of this research program and in the study of institutions in general.

A Field Study of Racial Bias in Policing: Implications for Organizational Sciences

A Field Study of Racial Bias in Policing: Implications for Organizational Sciences

Quality of hire: expanding the multi-level fit employee selection using machine learning

PurposeOrganizational psychologists and human resource management (HRM) practitioners often have to select the “right fit” candidate by manually scouting data from various sources including job portals and social media. Given the constant pressure to lower the recruitment costs and the time taken to extend an offer to the right talent, the HR function has to inevitably adopt data analytics and machine learning for employee selection. This paper aims to propose the “Quality of Hire” concept for employee selection using the person-environment (P-E) fit theory and machine learning.Design/methodology/approachThe authors demonstrate the aforementioned concept using a clustering algorithm, namely, partition around mediod (PAM). Based on a curated data set published by the IBM, the authors examine the dimensions of different P-E fits and determine how these dimensions can lead to selection of the “right fit” candidate by evaluating the outcome of PAM.FindingsThe authors propose a multi-level fit model rooted in the P-E theory, which can improve the quality of hire for an organization.Research limitations/implicationsTheoretically, the authors contribute in the domain of quality of hire using a multi-level fit approach based on the P-E theory. Methodologically, the authors contribute in expanding the HR analytics landscape by implementing PAM algorithm in employee selection.Originality/valueThe proposed work is expected to present a useful case on the application of machine learning for practitioners in organizational psychology, HRM and data science.

Urban epidemic governance: An event system analysis of the outbreak and control of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China.

The outbreak of a virus such as COVID-19 is composed of a series of seemingly random incidents which are nevertheless interconnected. In a novel approach, this article adopts the event system theory (EST), established in organisational behaviour science, to investigate the mechanism of epidemic governance in Wuhan, the city which reported the first case of COVID-19 and thereafter successfully controlled the outbreak. The event system analysis divided Wuhan's response mechanism to COVID-19 into four dimensions: the graded response systems, the interactive relationship between multilevel entities of epidemic governance, the quarantine regulations and the governance of public sentiment. There are numerous lessons learned and effective measures developed from the 'Wuhan experience'. These lessons and measures can assist other cities around the world to cope with the current COVID-19 crisis and prepare their urban governance systems for similar infectious diseases in the future. We urgently advocate the addition of more scholarly discussion on urban epidemic governance by incorporating interdisciplinary approaches like EST in particular.

THE IMPACT OF DIGITALIZATION ON INDUSTRY RISKS (EXEMPLIFIED BY TRANSPORT)

Today, digital transformation has become a strategic development priority for many advanced industries, including transportation. There are high expectations for cost reduction, increased product quality consistency, and improved manageability of production as a whole. However, the optimistic expectations of many executives do not take into account the changing industry risks that can seriously affect the outcome of digitalization.The purpose of this article is to investigate the impact of the digitalization process of transport on related industry risks. The theoretical basis of the article is universal organizational science of A. Bogdanov. The object of the study is freight transport.The article argues that industry risks can be classified into three subrisks: subrisks associated with industry technology; subrisks of coordination of interests of participants in the transport process; subrisks of the transporter to manage the long-term behavior of freighters and consignees. Quantitative models characterizing each of these subrisks are proposed.This approach is tested with three examples: The Northern Sea Route, railway transport in Russia, and the sea route from South-East Asia to Europe. The actual subrisk and the quantitative level for each of these objects are determined. It is stated that a radical change in the level of risk is possible primarily with the help of digital technology. At the same time, digitalization gives rise to fundamentally new risks, the main of which is the risk of exhausting the differences that have caused macroeconomic flows till now.This article is a logical continuation of the article written by the authors I. Anokhov and O. Rimskaya “Digital twins and their application in transport economy”, published in № 2.2021 in the journal “Strategic decisions and risk management”.

Intuition as Emergence: Bridging Psychology, Philosophy and Organizational Science.

Accelerating environmental uncertainty and the need to cope with increasingly complex market and social demands, combine to create high value for the intuitive approach to decision-making at the strategic level. Research on intuition suffers from marked fragmentation, due to the existence of disciplinary silos based on diverse, apparently irreconcilable, ontological and epistemological assumptions. Not surprisingly, there is no integrated interdisciplinary framework suitable for a rich account of intuition, contemplating how affect and cognition intertwine in the intuitive process, and how intuition scales up from the individual to collective decision-making. This study contributes to the construction of a broad conceptual framework, suitable for a multi-level account of intuition and for a fruitful dialogue with distant research areas. It critically discusses two mainstream conceptualizations of intuition which claim to be grounded in a cross-disciplinary consensus. Drawing on the complexity paradigm, it then proposes a conceptualization of intuition as emergence. Finally, it explores the theoretical and practical implications.

Pre-entrepreneurship social status and research and development investment decision: Evidence from Chinese private enterprises

Social status is seen as an important topic in management and organisational sciences. Despite the extensive research on the upper echelons of management, little is known about the influence of social status on R&D investment decisions. We examine the effects of pre-entrepreneurial social status on R&D investments based on imprinting theory, using 2000–2014 data for 20,177 Chinese private small- and medium-sized enterprises. The results reveal that entrepreneurs with an upper and lower social status show a stronger tendency to make R&D investments than middle-class counterparts. The findings are robust to various sensitivity tests. In addition, we explore the moderating influences of political capital and institutional environment, both of which enhance the positive relationship between social status and R&D investments. Our study finds that social status has a lasting and varying impact on decisions to engage in innovation behaviours. The findings contribute to research on Chinese firm innovation and offer key implications for social status and imprinting theorising.

The legacy of Chester I. Barnard in the science of organization of Oliver E. Williamson

Chester Barnard was an American manager and public administrator who greatly influenced economics and the history of economic thought. Oliver Williamson’s early works were published after Barnard’s death, but the intellectual proximity they show to Herbert Simon, along with the significant influence of John Commons on their analysis, brings them closer. This study investigates Barnard legacy (particularly his work in 1938) in Williamson’s “science of organisation” project by analysing the Barnardian origins of his organisational micro-approach from their complementary theories of cooperation.

Polynomial regression analysis and response surface methodology in leadership research

Congruence has served as an important research framework for many leadership research topics. Perhaps the most frequently used methodological/statistical approach for testing the congruence framework is polynomial regression analysis (PRA) with response surface methodology (RSM). As this approach was introduced to organizational sciences more than two decades ago, we can now identify the main issues with the use of this approach in leadership research. To systematically investigate these issues, we first review how PRA and RSM have been used in various leadership studies. We then review the levels-of-analysis and rater model assumptions prevalent in PRA in terms of multilevel techniques, choice of centering options, and issues of endogeneity. Finally, to better understand the inconsistencies and variabilities that exist in leadership research, we review the use of two main RSM features and summarize additional statistical techniques for assessment in this realm. Overall, we aim to promote the rigorousness of this methodology within the study of congruence in leadership research by enhancing its capability in theory testing and building.

What is that I hear? An interdisciplinary review and research agenda for non‐native accents in the workplace

SummarySpeaking with a non‐native English accent at work is a prevalent global phenomenon. Yet, our understanding of the impact of having a non‐native accent at work is limited, in part because research on accents has been multidisciplinary, fragmented, and difficult for scholars to access and synthesize. To advance research on accents in the workplace, we provide an interdisciplinary and integrative review of research on non‐native accents drawing from the communications, social psychology, and organizational sciences literatures. First, we briefly review the dominant approaches taken in each literature. Second, we organize and integrate extant research findings using a 2 × 2 framework that incorporates the two main theoretical perspectives used to explain the effects of accents—stereotypes and processing fluency—and the two primary categories of workplace outcomes examined—interpersonal (i.e., others' evaluations of speakers with non‐native accents, such as hiring recommendations) and intrapersonal (i.e., non‐native‐accented speakers' own evaluations and experiences, such as sense of belonging). To facilitate future research, we end by articulating a research agenda including theoretical and methodological expansions related to the study of accents, identifying critical moderators, adopting an intersectional approach, and studying group‐level and potential positive effects of speaking with non‐native accents.

Sećanje na doajena organizacionih nauka i upravljanja prof. dr Vukana Dešića - razvoj naučne organizacije rada u FNR Jugoslaviji i okruženju

Paper presents reminiscence for Prof. Dešić from his short biography, his contribution to organizational science and management of enterprises to, up to his contribution to the creation and development of institutions and his students in this field, shown through the memories of his doctoral student Prof. Dr. Vujadin Vešović. Prof. Dešić formed well-known principles of scientific organization such as the principles of records, analysis, synthesis and control, relying on and adapting the approaches of Fayol, Taylor and Weber. He made a symbiosis of these principles and places them in the context of valid political soundings. In the later works of Prof. Dešić leans more towards Fayol, approaches. In this way, through more than 15 published books and more than 60 studies and articles successfully applied in practice, he lays the foundations of organizational science. This is particularly highlighted through the concept of Complex Analytical Methods for evaluating the level of organization in companies, through the design of organizational models, management of changes, crisis and knowledge. As a lecturer, he particularly distinguished himself by imparting his knowledge to the students of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Belgrade, as well as to students of other faculties and higher schools. He was a consultant in the biggest companies of that time, Energoinvest, Zastava, Fourteenth October, Elektronska industrija Niš, Velenje and many others. The paper describes in detail the collaboration Prof. Dešić and his doctorial student Prof. Vešović.