Organizational Core Research Articles

NASA pressure-relieving foam technology is keeping the leading innerspring mattress firms awake at night

The over $6 billion US wholesale mattress market is driven mostly by metal innerspring technology originally innovated by blacksmiths in the 1800s. New bedding market entrant Tempur-Pedic continues to enjoy phenomenal growth and the industry's best profit margins founded on viscoelastic foam technology innovated by NASA. Visco mattress innovations are clearly disrupting the mattress industry as evidenced by several management, market, and financial metrics. However, visco mattress innovations cannot be classified as a disruptive innovation (DI) because the popularized term as commonly accepted and practiced requires that a DI cannot be used by mainstream users. Visco mattress innovations can be used by mainstream mattress users. Technology management researchers and practitioners may miss significant opportunities by rejecting potential innovations that would disrupt incumbent competitors and markets because they do not fit their current conceptual requirements for DIs such as that they cannot be used by mainstream users. Therefore, for this essay, a visco mattress innovation is characterized as a radical-disruptive innovation (RDI) with most characteristics of both radical and disruptive innovations in that it: (1) uniquely delivers new customer-demanded benefits useful even to mainstream users, (2) requires new organizational core competencies relative to the incumbent firms, and (3) disrupts the business models and markets of incumbent firms. This essay explores some of the management/organizational behaviors and market dynamics associated with the continuing disruption of the mattress industry by visco foam mattress RDIs. In addition, this essay briefly explores the managerial and financial constraints that LBO owners place on their firms that: help to allow a new firm with an RDI to enter the incumbent market and successfully compete, as well as mitigate the success of the new market entrant, both as the result of low organizational/financial slack. In conclusion, it is expected that Tempur-Pedic will continue to outperform innerspring incumbents by executing their current successful business model based on viscoelastic foam RDIs, albeit at slower rates. Also, it is expected that visco foam RDIs will become ubiquitous in the bedding and other industries, particularly in the high margin healthcare and sports industries, which is beneficial to all.

New strategy for the search of natural biologically active substances

The modern pharmaceutics actively screens an immense diversity of substances occurring in plants and other natural resources in the search for new effective medicinal agents. The Global Institute for Bioexploration (GIBEX) established by joint efforts of Rutgers University and the University of Illinois (United States) represents the organizational core of international scientific community whose activity is directed towards the search and development of new medicinal preparations from natural raw materials. The basis of GIBEX activity is the transfer of modern screening technologies to countries and geographical regions characterized by remarkable biodiversity. The GIBEX goals are to encourage the search for new natural biologically active substances, to maintain biodiversity, and to monitor the natural resources conservation.

Knowledge Creation – Presumption Versus Actual Practice

As more managers realize that knowledge within their organizations is an imperative asset to leverage their organizational core competencies and competitive advantages, effective knowledge management (KM), in particular—knowledge creation—becomes a crucial practice for their business success. Given the multi-disciplinary nature of knowledge, many organizations find that their KM initiative diffusion is slow, and with diverse contemplation of what KM is and how KM could and/or should be incorporated in their business processes. To address the problem, this study adopted the focus group method to drill into various perceptions from business managers to reveal the gap between the commonly presumed and the actual knowledge creation practices. The overall objective is that, through better understanding the qualitative ideas of KM, more effective strategies for KM development, adoption, and implementation can be devised. Keywords: Knowledge Management, Knowledge Creation

Distributed Problem Solving in Software Development

This paper describes the study of the distribution and integration of knowledge in a small control system development project called the Automation System for Agricultural Implements (AGRIX). The activity of integrating socially distributed knowledge is called knowledge networking. We distinguish between three modes of knowledge networking — modular, integral and translational — and argue that the project team's task-specific selection of a knowledge networking mode depends on the nature of the problem to be solved. We propose that groups tend to select different kinds of knowledge networking strategies, depending on whether the problem is perceived as well- or ill-defined. We found that the AGRIX team worked with well-defined problems in modular and translational ways, while treating ill-defined problems with integral knowledge networking. We also observed that, in the absence of major constraints, the networking mode co-evolved dynamically with the problem structure, even though the organizational core of the project remained unchanged. This suggests that our proposal is plausible and should be investigated more systematically.

Japan's Paradoxical Response to the New 'Global Standard' in Corporate Governance

We suggest, on the basis of empirical research into the implementation of recent legal reforms, that Japan is not moving inexorably towards a 'global standard' in corporate governance, based on external monitoring and a market for corporate control. Japanese corporate governance is nevertheless changing: in part as an indirect response to legal initiatives, new structures and practices are emerging, aimed at providing greater flexibility in decision-making, while retaining the organisational core of the Japanese firm. The paradoxical effect of legal reforms aimed, in large part, at transplanting the global standard, may be to renew the distinctive Japanese model of the corporation.

Evaluating organisation core competences and associated personal competencies using analytical hierarchy process

PurposeThis paper seeks to introduce an integrated framework to determine the relationships between organisation core competences and associated personal competencies.Design/methodology/approachAt first organisation core competences are determined by conducting internal and external benchmarking exercises, respectively, employing the “collectiveness” and “uniqueness” measures using key capabilities as a basis. Subsequently a pair‐wise comparison using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is conducted to assess related personal competencies using the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development list of competencies. The paper shows how these individual competencies are crucial to the overall organisational core competences. The framework is tested for a construction company, where five management directors are interviewed to develop an overall picture regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the company's key capabilities.FindingsOverall the results show that, despite being a construction company, the composition of its organisational capabilities is dominantly governed by intangible assets’ contributions. The AHP prioritisation analysis confirmed that with regard to Innovative solutions, organisational core competence, Customer focus, and Team orientation are the most related personal competencies.Originality/valueThis paper makes an original contribution in the core competence literature by showing how to evaluate individual competencies that are essential to the construction of the organisational core competence. The use of AHP facilitates consistent data by screening out any subjective anomalies. The outcome of this exercise can help management prioritise the most related personal competencies needed for developing its organisational core competences and to undertake crucial business functions.

Developing Advanced Decision-Making Skills in International Leaders and Managers

Socially, economically, politically, and technologically, our world is transforming in complex ways that are beyond what we could have fathomed even five years ago. Now, more than ever, managerial decisions have far-reaching consequences in the way that organizations fail or succeed in bridging commerce and compassion, sustainability and profitability, and move from vision to effective strategic implementation. Solving problems, making decisions, and picking the courses of action are the most critical aspects of being in charge because it is risky and very difficult. Bad decisions can damage a career, influence peoples' lives, and hurt an organization's performance. But, where do bad decisions come from? In many cases, they can be traced back to the way the decisions were made. Maybe the right questions were not asked. Maybe the right alternatives were not explored or may be the data collected was wrong. Sometimes, the fault of poor leadership decisions lies not in the decision-making process, but rather in the mind of the decision-maker. How does an organizational manager make the correct leadership decisions when the unexpected occurs or the existing plans are insufficient or important organizational core values and goals are threatened? Critical Thinking in decision-making helps the professionals ask relevant questions, gather opinions from various groups, interpret complex problems, and make wise decisions. The development of critical thinking skills in international executives has never been more vital than it is today. The engagement in managerial critical thinking is about learning to apply experience-based, team-based, and formal problemsolving methods to situations. It is essential to develop a keen ability to overcome and become self-aware of biases, false assumptions, myths, and faulty paradigms that can hamper effective decision-making.

Competency management in support of organisational change

PurposeCompetitive advantage depends largely on the ability to activate and use organisational resources. As a result, the focus in the strategic management, organisational behaviour and human resource management literature has turned to the internal capabilities of organisations including a particular focus on employees' competencies. This paper seeks to analyse and discuss a forward‐looking, dynamic and proactive approach to competency modelling explicitly aligned with strategic business needs and oriented to long‐term future success.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is based on a longitudinal research project sponsored by a leading Greek bank, currently undergoing fundamental corporate restructuring. This paper describes how the competency model was developed and how it facilitated strategy implementation and change by supporting communication, employee understanding of business goals, and the incorporation of new behaviours, roles and competencies in operations.FindingsA forward‐looking and proactive approach to competency modelling is presented and discussed in the context of a large‐scale organisational change. The organisational core competencies required for a business to compete successfully in the banking sector are defined and discussed. The right mix of skills and behaviours that the individuals would need to possess in order to produce and support those core competencies is also analysed and discussed.Originality/valueTraditional approach to competency management, which is analogous to job analysis, focuses on competencies of successful individuals, rather than on competencies that are needed to support an organisation to meet its short‐ or long‐term objectives. It is important to realise that there is a need to shift toward a forward‐looking and proactive approach to competency modelling and present a competency methodology that supports this need.

Information Technology Professionals’ Perceived Organizational Values and Managerial Ethics: An Empirical Study

This paper summarizes the results of an analysis of empirical data on ethical attitudes of professionals and managers in relation to organizational core values in the Information Technology (IT) industry. This study investigates the association between key organizational values as independent variables and the ethical attitudes of IT managers as dependent variables. The study also delves into differences among IT non-managerial professionals, mid-level managers, and upper-level managers in their ethical attitudes and perceptions. Research results indicated that IT professionals from mechanistic organizations were much more likely to report – compared to those from organic organizations – that managers in their corporate environment engage in behaviors considered unethical and that successful managers were more unethical relative to unsuccessful managers. There were significant differences between the upper-level managers and the mid-level managers and between the mid-level managers and the IT non-managerial professionals on certain key ethical issues. This paper discusses the conceptual framework, hypotheses, research methodology, data analysis, implications of the findings, and suggested areas of further research.

Assessment of complex sociotechnical systems – Theoretical issues concerning the use of organizational culture and organizational core task concepts

This article studies organizational assessment in complex sociotechnical systems. There is a practical need to monitor, anticipate and manage the safety and effectiveness of these systems. A failure to do so has resulted in various organizational accidents. Many theories of accidents and safety in industrial organizations are either based on a static and rational model of an organization or they are non-contextual. They are thus reactive in their search for errors and analysis of previous accidents and incidents, or they are disconnected from the actual work in the organization by their focus on general safety attitudes and values. A more proactive and predictive approach is needed, that is based on an accurate view on an organization and the demands of the work in question. This article presents and elaborates four statements: (1) the current models of safety management are largely based on either a rational or a non-contextual image of an organization, (2) complex sociotechnical systems are socially constructed and dynamic cultures, (3) in order to be able to assess complex sociotechnical systems an understanding of the organizational core task is required, and (4) effectiveness and safety depend on the cultural conceptions of the organizational core task. Finally, we will discuss the implications of the proposed concepts for safety research and development work in complex sociotechnical systems.

Internal manufacturing strategy audit: the first step in integrated strategic benchmarking

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how auditing internal manufacturing can improve the effectiveness of the benchmarking process. It is the intent of this study to provide a set of internal auditing guidelines and recommendations for organizations committed to benchmarking.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire‐based mailed survey was used to the audit manufacturing process. The questionnaire is a modified version of manufacturing futures survey. The survey contains a series of questions that managers need to answer about themselves and their competitors, covering the following categories. The questionnaire contains the following categories: corporate strategy and competitive priorities, and manufacturing performance objectives and action plans.FindingsThe proposed integrated strategic benchmarking (ISB) requires the benchmarking organization to conduct a thorough auditing of corporate strategy and deployment of the strategy into manufacturing strategy and action plans before committing resources to external benchmarking. Statistical results indicate evidence of misalignments and lack of consensus at various levels of the organizations. Lack of proactive strategy to develop organizational core competencies, miscommunication among managers, inadequate employee training, inconsistent short term and long‐term decisions, and inconsistent employee evaluation and reward system are the primary causes for such misalignments. Successful resolution of such inconsistencies in internal corporate and manufacturing strategies is the critical first step in an ISB.Originality/valueThis paper demonstrates how auditing internal manufacturing strategy can improve the effectiveness of the benchmarking process.

Organizational Acculturation JetBlue Airways through Values-Framed Instructional Design

New initiatives across the entire spectrum of academic education are attempting to develop values-based curricula that teach ethical decision making. Can a similar process be used to inculcate organizational culture in a corporate workforce? Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is exploring the use of values-framed instructional design (VFID), where traditional course contents are structured around organizational core values in order to explicitly and implicitly acculturate corporate workers. The method is currently being used to train instructor pilots at JetBlue Airways as a means of scaling organizational culture in step with ongoing growth. In order to determine the potential role for VFID in future corporate education programs, methodologies must be developed to measure the effectiveness of values based instruction as an acculturation tool and to assess its concomitant impact on the financial performance of an organization.

Characteristics of organizational culture at the maintenance units of two Nordic nuclear power plants

This study aims to characterize and assess the organizational cultures of two Nordic nuclear power plant (NPP) maintenance units. The research consisted of NPP maintenance units of Forsmark (Sweden) and Olkiluoto (Finland). The study strives to anticipate the consequences of the current practices, conceptions and assumptions in the given organizations to their ability and willingness to fulfill the organizational core task. The methods utilized in the study were organizational culture and core task questionnaire (CULTURE02) and semi-structured interviews. Similarities and differences in the perceived organizational values, conceptions of one's own work, conceptions of the demands of the maintenance task and organizational practices at the maintenance units were explored. The maintenance units at Olkiluoto and Forsmark had quite different organizational cultures, but they also shared a set of dimensions such as strong personal emphasis placed on safety. The authors propose that different cultural features and organizational practices may be equally effective from the perspective of the core task. The results show that due to the complexity of the maintenance work, the case organizations tend to emphasize some aspects of the maintenance task more than others. The reliability consequences of these cultural solutions to the maintenance task are discussed. The authors propose that the organizational core task, in this case the maintenance task, should be clear for all the workers. The results give implications that this has been a challenge recently as the maintenance work has been changing. The concepts of organizational core task and organizational culture could be useful as management tools to anticipate the consequences of organizational changes.

Modelling the communication dynamics of uninspired leadership

Change in the leadership of an organization comes from the edges of an organization in which organizational players are engaged in a struggle with uninspired core leaders. Revolutionary transformations and inspired leadership occur at precise times and places within an organization. This article explores the communication strategies employed by uninspired leaders in attempts to maintain control of the organizational core and suggests that uninspired leadership is the normative state for organizational core leadership. The author, through an extensive first person narrative, explored a lifetime of experiences within academic administration and offers ten life lessons that led to the development of the model of uninspired leadership as well as the components and rationale for that model.

Measuring maintenance culture and maintenance core task with CULTURE-questionnaire––a case study in the power industry

Organisational culture has become a focus of much attention in industry in general and the nuclear industry in particular. In maintenance work, the research has addressed mainly human error issues or strategic decision making and optimisation. The present study utilises the CULTURE-questionnaire that is designed to measure the different cultural aspects of complex organisations. Functioning of the questionnaire and the results obtained in a case study at a maintenance organisation of a nuclear power plant are reported in this paper. The questionnaire consisted of four instruments: measures of values, psychological job characteristics, individual perceptions and organisational core task. Three of the instruments were factor analysed and 13 summated scales were formed. The core task instrument was used in a cluster analysis to separate the respondents into groups on the basis of their orientation towards the maintenance work. Differences between the work tasks, section, age and length of service were studied. Hierarchical position in the company influenced perceptions of values. Core task orientation influenced the perception and subjective feelings towards one's organisation. Several partially overlapping subcultures were thus identified. The implications of the different work orientations for effective maintenance are discussed.

The management of nuclear knowledge and expertise for sustainable development

Knowledge is the key resource of most organisations in today's world. To manage it effectively requires the concept of organisational knowledge rather than simply knowledge that is centered in individuals. This needs to be addressed through the concept of an "organisational core competency' that has proven itself within many organisations. Hard knowledge can be captured easily but not the nebulous "tacit learning" that is embodied in the life-long experience of employees. Some of the more recent methods to capture the tacit learning within organisations are explored. Since the middle 1990s, the International Atomic Energy Agency has redirected its technical co-operation (TC) programme towards a focused "needs driven" approach away from the former "technologically driven" approach. From a "before" and "after" comparison, it is concluded that the new strategy is better placed to manage the preservation of the nuclear knowledge and to ensure the sustainability of these projects.

Towards an effectiveness model of development centres

Argues that for competence management to be a valuable tool in leveraging individual competencies to dynamic organisational core competencies, more stress should be laid on competence development. More specifically, focuses on the effectiveness of development centres (DC), in terms of personal development and pursuit of the development plan. In this way, attempts to meet the need for more studies on the whole DC process and, more specifically, on its effectiveness. Furthermore, looks to take a first step in integrating fields of coaching, self‐development and line management human resources involvement in DC studies.

Shifting Gears, Shifting Niches: Organizational Inertia and Change in the Evolution of the U.S. Automobile Industry, 1885–1981

We examine how experiential learning affects organizational change and its consequences on firm mortality. We develop hypotheses about the interactions of experiences with a specific type of organizational change on the one hand, and environmental stability, organizational size, and organizational niche width on the other hand. Our findings draw from analysis of the U.S. automobile industry between 1885 and 1981 and support the general prediction that “process” effects of change in the organizational core elevate the hazard of failure. We also find that a dynamic interpretation of organizational environments as comprised of other organizations helps to explicate the interplay between organization and environmental forces that shape the occurrence and outcome of transformation.

Emotional intelligence

Quality education and training is undoubtedly imperative to being able to deliver good maternity care. While midwifery and medical academic education is under the auspice of Universities, the clinical component resides firmly in the service. Achieving good quality education in clinical practice relies precariously on many factors, not least staffing levels, experience and attitudes of mentors, working culture and environment and good links between the academic institutions and the clinical practice areas. However one of the hardest things to determine is what constitutes ‘good practice’. Herein lies the dilemma for many, as good practice is determined by personal, professional and organizational core values in which care is delivered and also increasingly influenced by outside agencies such as Clinical Negligence Schemes for Trusts, Clinical Governance and the Confidential Enquiries.

Corporate Risk Strategy:: Does it Vary Across Business Activities?

The argument that an organization’s risk strategy is a unified whole and an integral component of the organization’s Total Strategy was subjected to empirical examination. Ninety-two of the 450 top executives of the largest industrial companies in Israel, representing various business sectors, responded to the research questionnaire. Contrary to the research hypothesis, it was found that risk strategy in an organization is not uniform but varies across activities. In-depth interviews with 21 of the participants supported the findings, suggesting that propensity to risk taking is generally high in activities that support organizational core competencies and competitive advantage, whereas in other activities it depends on the organization’s being risk seeking or risk averse.