Organizational Linkages Research Articles

Non-Financial Performance Measures - Organizational Performance Relationship in the Bangladeshi Firms: The Moderator Role of Environmental Uncertainty and Corporate Culture

This paper empirically examines the role of environmental uncertainty and corporate culture on the relationship between non-financial performance measures and organizational performance from manufacturing firms in Bangladesh. Specifically, it investigates the hypothesis that non-financial measures of performance lead to improved organizational performance under circumstances of increased environmental uncertainty and corporate culture. Data from a sample of 61 manufacturing firms listed on Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) in Bangladesh were collected. Data were then analyzed using multiple regression and factor analysis of multivariate statistical tool. Results show that there is a negative but statistically significant relationship regarding the impact of environmental uncertainty on the relationship between non-financial measures and firm performance. The results also advocate that sample Bangladeshi firms make greater use of non- financial measures with the aim of improving firm performance when environmental uncertainty is low. Conversely, the study finds positive relationship between flexibility type corporate culture and the organizational performance, and the moderating effect of this cultural type on the non-financial performance measures- organizational performance linkage. The results of this study must be interpreted with caution since it concentrates only on small sample manufacturing firms. To the best of our knowledge, the study is first to provide evidence on the environmental uncertainty and corporate culture affecting the use of non-financial performance measures and firms performance in the context of a developing country, in particular in Bangladesh.

The Structure of Party-Organization Linkages and the Electoral Strength of Cleavages in Italy, 1963–2008

No consensus exists on the causal mechanisms underpinning declining voting based on social cleavages – religion and class – in Europe. Previous research has emphasized two main factors: social change within the electorate (bottom-up) and parties’ policy polarization (top-down). This article presents a third level of analysis that links parties and cleavage-related social organizations, producing a factor capable of reinforcing group identity and interest representation. This hypothesis was tested for Italy in 1968–2008, where changes in the party system provided a natural experiment to assess the impact of changing structural alternatives at the party–organizational level. The level of cleavage voting in Italy then responded primarily to changes in the structure of party–organization linkages, while the impact of policy mobilization and social change was negligible.

The Influence of Political Parties on Policy Coordination

Despite an increasing interest in party-state relations, the functions political parties as organizations fulfill in the government apparatus are rarely theorized or empirically examined. Instead of focusing on citizen demands toward parties, this article focuses on the demands of government. It argues that party organizational linkages help integrate an increasingly complex government apparatus. To substantiate this claim, it analyzes the impact of party linkages on policy coordination within and across subnational governments in the United States, Canada, and Switzerland. The analysis shows that: (1) the extent to which processes within different policy fields are connected—policy integration—is shaped by the relative strength of party organizational linkages rather than being a mere reflection of institutional divisions and (2) depending on the party configurations predominantly governing at the subnational level, policy integration within subnational governments either facilitates intergovernmental policy coordination or accelerates cross-jurisdictional conflict between them.

Cross-Industry Dimensionality of the Commitment to Change Scale in China

Commitment to organizational change can explain a range of employees' attitudes and behaviors during organizational change, and its measurement is central to explaining such organizational linkages. The purpose of this study is to re-examine the dimensionality of Herscovitch and Meyer's Commitment to Change Scale across two different industrial samples in a non-Western cultural context (China). The two samples were 198 civil servants (60.0% men; M age = 29.3 yr., M organizational tenure = 62.7 mo.) and 442 high-tech company employees (58.2% men; M age = 30.5 yr., M organizational tenure = 66.5 mo.) who had respectively undergone major changes in compensation and performance appraisal systems in their organizations at the time of the research. Results of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses showed that a four-factor model with 14 items fit the data best in both samples. The generality of the scale's structure as well as its implications for change-management practices are discussed.

Learning transfer: the views of practitioners in Ireland

Considerable expenditure on human resource development (HRD) has not necessarily resulted in a significant impact on organizational performance, and research suggests that the failure to transfer learning may be an important explanation. The search for factors affecting transfer has been extensive, as shown in Grossman and Salas's article in this issue, but, as they also show, more research is needed. The purpose of the present study is to ascertain the views of HRD practitioners (in Ireland) about the factors that they believe are relevant to the transfer of learning in the workplace. The aim is to discover whether practitioners have identified potential factors which researchers have not explored or not explored sufficiently. This group of practitioners was chosen because of the considerable control they wield over significant tranches of organizational resources. The method first involved engagement with 28 senior HRD practitioners in a workshop setting to create a transfer inventory based on their expert opinion. The initial inventory was then responded to online by a group of 314 practitioners indicating the relevance of the items to the question of transfer. Factor analysis was used to achieve parsimony among items, and 21 potential factors were identified. This study focused on the 15 factors adjudged by practitioners to be most relevant. It is concluded that trainer effectiveness, organizational linkage and training event climate, all deemed relevant by practitioners, may justify further research.

Activist online resource mobilization: Relationship building features that fulfill resource dependencies

This study examined activist group websites ( N = 300) to determine how activists are engaging in resource mobilization online and provides a benchmark for current mobilization practices by activists. Website features asking visitors to donate, join the organization, and links to other activist groups were most common on the sites. The study positions resource mobilization in terms of online relationships and organizational linkages, argues that resource dependencies drive mobilization efforts and that resource-based relationships with publics may be established in the mobilization process.

Community-based addiction treatment staff attitudes about the usefulness of evidence-based addiction treatment and CBO organizational linkages to research institutions

This national study of community-based addiction-treatment organizations’ (CBOs) implementation of evidence-based practices explored CBO Program Directors’ ( n = 296) and clinical staff ( n = 518) attitudes about the usefulness of science-based addiction treatment. Through multivariable regression modeling, the study identified that identical factors were associated with directors, and staff attitudes about the usefulness of science-based addiction treatment. For both directors and staff working in an organization that was affiliated with a research institution, working in an organization with better internet technology (measured through TCU-ORC scores) and having higher levels of education were all significantly associated with having more positive attitudes regarding science-based addiction treatment. Implications: government policy that promotes the hiring of addiction treatment clinical staff with professional degrees and encourages the development of linkages between addiction treatment researchers and treatment staff may positively impact attitudes and use of evidence-based addiction treatment practices (EBPs) in CBOs.

The role of organizational affiliations and research networks in the diffusion of breast cancer treatment innovation.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) sees provider-based research networks and other organizational linkages between academic researchers and community practitioners as promising vehicles for accelerating the translation of research into practice. This study examines whether organizational research affiliations and teaching affiliations are associated with accelerated diffusion of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB), an innovation in the treatment of early-stage breast cancer. Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results-Medicare data were used to examine the diffusion of SLNB for treatment of early-stage breast cancer among women aged 65 years and older diagnosed between 2000 and 2002, shortly after Medicare approved and began reimbursing for the procedure. In this population, patients treated at an organization affiliated with a research network--the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group (ACOSOG) or other National Cancer Institute (NCI) cooperative groups--were more likely to receive the innovative treatment (SLNB) than patients treated at unaffiliated organizations (odds ratio: 2.70, 95% confidence interval: 1.77-4.12; odds ratio: 1.84, 95% confidence interval: 1.26-2.69, respectively). Neither hospital teaching status nor surgical volume was significantly associated with differences in SLNB use. Patients who receive cancer treatment at organizations affiliated with cancer research networks have an enhanced probability of receiving SLNB, an innovative procedure that offers the promise of improved patient outcomes. Study findings support the NIH Roadmap and programs such as the NCI's Community Clinical Oncology Program, as they seek to accelerate the translation of research into practice by simultaneously accelerating and broadening cancer research in the community.

Community-based addiction treatment staff attitudes about the usefulness of evidence-based addiction treatment and CBO organizational linkages to research institutions

Community-based addiction treatment staff attitudes about the usefulness of evidence-based addiction treatment and CBO organizational linkages to research institutions

The role of theory in clinical prevention research

Globally, the top causes of preventable death are related to lifestyle such as sedentariness, diet, smoking, alcohol use, and unprotected sex. Primary care clinicians address these prevention dilemmas through the judicious use of clinical practice guidelines, critical observation and knowledge of local community conditions. Definitions of prevention science emphasize its interdisciplinary framework and research-based theoretical models of risk and protective processes. The goal of prevention research is to develop a sciencebase to prevent or ameliorate high-risk behaviors, occurrences of disease/disorder/injury, or the progression of detectable but asymptomatic disease. Prevention research, an important focus of Family Practice, is represented in this issue in reports of prevention services research by Graffy et al., Debar et al. and Murray et al., behavioral research by Wilson et al. and Temple-Smith et al., and screening and treatment research by D’Ambrosio et al. and Lagro-Janssen et al. Successful prevention involves partnership between clinicians and patients within a shifting landscape of changing costs and benefits. The need to coordinate medical, social and behavioral resources in a comprehensive approach adds complexity to already taxed primary care systems. Health services research often involves multiple components and pathways broken down into critical factors. With these challenges in mind, one might ask, ‘‘Does theory have a role to play in reducing the complexity of prevention research that aims to address the physical, psychological, and social nature of the disease causality and prevention?’’ Theory links primary care clinicians and researchers in the dual goals to improve patient outcomes and advance science. Theory, whether grounded in experience, ideas, and hunches or in formal models, provides a systematic approach to health improvement often improving the participatory exchange between clinicians and researchers. Theory provides a common language that focuses the balance between practice and science. Theory also links the dual quest to use evidence-based practice and practice-based evidence to maximize internal and external research validity. Examples of formal theory related to changing clinician or patient behavior are numerous and include Health Behavior Model, Social Cognitive Theory, Transtheoretical Model, and clinician–patient communication models. Clinical systems or organizational change is addressed in a range of organizational development and change theories and models of innovation adoption and diffusion. Theory is often underreported in published research despite calls for a more explicit integration of theories and conceptual frameworks in medical research. Without theoretical detail, efforts to aggregate results in systematic reviews and to develop programs of research are hampered. Publication guidelines prescribe the inclusion of research models and theories in the background sections of publications. The plea for theoretically informed research occurs throughout medical, public health, and behavioral domains. In what ways can theory support prevention research and practice for clinician researchers unfamiliar with theoretical models? First, theory enables clinicians and researchers to precisely describe and operationalize key factors and associations during the research development phase. Since multiple factors contribute to preventive behavior, theory specifies the context and boundaries of the research setting, such as the health system, the clinic, the community and family, and the individual. Within defined contexts, we can develop predictions of organizational, social, psychological, or cultural interactions. It is through the hypothesized relationships that we can best examine the dynamics or mechanisms of prevention. Precise measures of key constructs and outcomes, along with well-defined associations, improve research precision. Intervention planning and preliminary testing prior to large scale implementation is assisted by a well-explicated theoretical model. Iterative cycles of testing and model refinement occur during testing in diverse settings and populations and capture with-in group differences or setting-level variables that assist in intervention adaptation during the implementation phase. At this stage new collaborative relationships or organizational linkages are established and a conceptual model can help partners understand respective roles and accountabilities for the planned intervention. Participatory research methodology helps clinicians and researchers work more effectively with community experts to negotiate roles to integrate theoretical perspectives at all stages of research.

A commentary by Kenneth Wardrop on “Explicating inter organizational linkages of a host community’s events network”

A commentary by Kenneth Wardrop on “Explicating inter organizational linkages of a host community’s events network”

Role of linkages and diversity of partnerships in a Mexican community‐based forest enterprise

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify and describe the pervasiveness and importance of various types of institutional and organizational interactions across multiple levels for the management of a community forest enterprise.Design/methodology/approachThe paper analyzes a long‐standing case in Michoacán, Mexico, the San Juan Nuevo (SJN) enterprise, a community‐based system with a multiplicity of actors, objectives, and partners. Information was collected through 100 semi‐structured interviews. By presenting and discussing the main community‐based development strategy within the overall socio‐political context and achievements of the case, the authors attempt to understand the complexity of cross‐scale institutional and organizational linkages and their role in sustainable resource management.FindingsSJN enterprise had linkages with some 22 major partners over the years across four levels of organization: local, state, federal, and international. Cross‐scale partnerships were not merely important, but essential for the overall success of the enterprise in the face of uncertainty over resource ownership and lack of legal jurisdiction. These diverse partnerships and interactions enabled robust institutional structures, making possible the development of linkages to help conserve the resource base and create grassroots socio‐economic development for the comuneros.Research limitations/implicationsFurther understanding of the importance of partnerships and linkages for the development and maintenance of community‐based initiatives will require the analysis of, and comparison between, several long‐standing case studies.Practical implicationsThere is the need to recognize the multiple roles of partnerships, from business networking to research and training, thus unpacking different kinds of capacity building. Actors at various levels can influence management practices in diverse ways, helping to find a balance between local livelihoods and larger conservation needs.Originality/valueThe paper brings a new approach to analyze how indigenous and other rural communities are “opting‐in” to the global economy, through a diversity of partnerships and a complexity of interactions across organizational levels.

The Application of Network Analysis to the Study of Trial Courts

In the late 1960s, scholars began studying trial courts as organizations. Since the last large wave of these studies in the 1990s, there have been reforms that purport to alter state court institutions. The literature on trial courts has not yet addressed how reforms, like specialized courts, alter trial courts as organizations. Studies of trial courts could also profit from the application of other methods for analyzing organizations. This article explores the use of network analysis to examine the organizational linkages and structure of trial courts. After reviewing the literature on trial courts and recent court reforms, we make a case for the utility of this methodological approach. Recent computer applications of network analysis can visually map the linkages between trial court actors and the organizations that work with them. As a demonstration, we provide some of the results of our study of a state trial court located in a medium-size U.S. city. We conclude by arguing that network analysis as a technique can help scholars test past assumptions about the organization of courts and explore new linkages that are proposed by the adoption of court reforms.

Understanding uptake of continuous quality improvement in Indigenous primary health care: lessons from a multi-site case study of the Audit and Best Practice for Chronic Disease project

BackgroundExperimentation with continuous quality improvement (CQI) processes is well underway in Indigenous Australian primary health care. To date, little research into how health organizations take up, support, and embed these complex innovations is available on which services can draw to inform implementation. In this paper, we examine the practices and processes in the policy and organisational contexts, and aim to explore the ways in which they interact to support and/or hinder services' participation in a large scale Indigenous primary health care CQI program.MethodsWe took a theory-driven approach, drawing on literature on the theory and effectiveness of CQI systems and the Greenhalgh diffusion of innovation framework. Data included routinely collected regional and service profile data; uptake of tools and progress through the first CQI cycle, and data collected quarterly from hub coordinators on their perceptions of barriers and enablers. A total of 48 interviews were also conducted with key people involved in the development, dissemination, and implementation of the Audit and Best Practice for Chronic Disease (ABCD) project. We compiled the various data, conducted thematic analyses, and developed an in-depth narrative account of the processes of uptake and diffusion into services.ResultsUptake of CQI was a complex and messy process that happened in fits and starts, was often characterised by conflicts and tensions, and was iterative, reactive, and transformational. Despite initial enthusiasm, the mixed successes during the first cycle were associated with the interaction of features of the environment, the service, the quality improvement process, and the stakeholders, which operated to produce a set of circumstances that either inhibited or enabled the process of change. Organisations had different levels of capacity to mobilize resources that could shift the balance toward supporting implementation. Different forms of leadership and organisational linkages were critical to success. The Greenhalgh framework provided a useful starting point for investigation, but we believe it is more a descriptive than explanatory model. As such, it has limitations in the extent to which it could assist us in understanding the interactions of the practices and processes that we observed at different levels of the system.SummaryTaking up CQI involved engaging multiple stakeholders in new relationships that could support services to construct shared meaning and purpose, operationalise key concepts and tools, and develop and embed new practices into services systems and routines. Promoting quality improvement requires a system approach and organization-wide commitment. At the organization level, a formal high-level mandate, leadership at all levels, and resources to support implementation are needed. At the broader system level, governance arrangements that can fulfil a number of policy objectives related to articulating the linkages between CQI and other aspects of the regulatory, financing, and performance frameworks within the health system would help define a role and vision for quality improvement.

How can supply chain managers classify and differentiate supply chain partners?

The purpose of this paper is to explore how supply chain managers can classify and differentiate supply chain partners. Based on a literature review, the authors studied a typology that distinguishes between four relationship types: logistics integration, unilateral learning, unilateral development and bilateral learning. This paper reports the first empirical test of this typology. Fourteen in-depth personal and structured interviews with key informants in Supply Chain Relationships (SCRs) in various industries were used as the data collection method. The finding was that few firms have developed strategies for differentiating between their supply chain partners. To remedy this, it is suggested that the first step should be to decide which cooperative activities to strive for, and which relationship types are required. The second step is to determine the required focus of coordination and to assess how to develop the required operational and/or organisational linkages to the partner firm. We also discuss implications for further research.

Benchmarking on supply chain partnering effectiveness in two semiconductor companies

PurposeSupply chain partnering (SCP) in internationally operating companies is still not adequately addressed in the literature. The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors towards effective SCP across two organizations of different origins (Company A and Company B).Design/methodology/approachThe central issue is to investigate how information flow, organizational linkage, supply chain infrastructure, and resource sharing exhibit themselves in the SCP through a case study method.FindingsThe interviews reveal that Company B tends to be a reluctant player and is far more skeptical about the benefits afforded through such a relationship. It can also be concluded that Company B is less interested in the benefits gained and is more likely to highlight the risks associated with heightened dependence on a smaller number of suppliers. On the one hand, it can be stated that Company B thinks about the gains afforded by partnering supply chains but is more easily swayed by traditional purchasing metrics related to cost or initial purchase prices. On another level, Company A seems to fully participate in SCP efforts and sees the benefit from such a relationship.Research limitations/implicationsThe interviews are necessary for developing basis understanding on how companies implement SCP, especially to examine the factors that contribute to its successful. The study suggests that larger number of sample need be used.Practical implicationsFrom the case study, it is believed that firms appear to confirm a positive and significant relationship between the degree of resource sharing and organizational linkage, if they see that scalable partnering efforts as hypothesized are workable.Originality/valueThe case study highlights is the important role of the partnering to support supply chain process and to deliver high‐quality service. This is important because the profitability and survival of the chains depend on how well partnering concept been implemented.

Exploring open innovation practice in firm‐nonprofit engagements: a corporate social responsibility perspective

This paper examines the concept of open innovation within the context of corporate social responsibility. It demonstrates how the practice of open innovation unfolds in inter‐organizational collaborations that involve the voluntary or charitable sector, outlining the findings of an explorative collective case study of eight voluntary dyadic partnerships between corporate and nonprofit organizations in the United Kingdom, which have resulted in innovation outcomes. Two generic approaches to open innovation were witnessed: firstly, a more exploratory approach to dyadic engagement activities that resulted in an emergent innovation process, and secondly, a focused and pre‐determined search activity to exploit the resources of the nonprofit partner that demonstrated a more planned innovation process. Two distinct boundary‐spanning roles were identified: in dyads exhibiting few organizational linkages, the role was associated with formal responsibilities from senior management to ‘manage’ innovation opportunities and outcomes. In dyads exhibiting high linkages, there was no such formality; the role was a ‘conduit’ to facilitate search and exploration to locate opportunities for innovation through idea exchange. Overall, this research demonstrates the value of an open innovation approach driven by the need to address societal and social issues (rather than those purely economic). Such practice broadens a firm's ‘search’ activities and delivers innovations in exchange for enhanced social legitimacy – acting innovation capital for future enterprising activities and market advantage.

Outsourced marketing: it's the communication that matters

PurposeOutsourcing has been promoted as one of the most powerful trends in the modernization of marketing operations. The rationale for such an undertaking includes a variety of factors but is generally predicated on fiduciary considerations. The purpose of this article is to examine the issues with, and the empirical consequences of, outsourcing within the intercollegiate marketing context.Design/methodology/approachThis is an exploratory mixed‐methods study incorporating qualitative and quantitative data to investigate outsourcing specifically related to the communication‐employee commitment relationship.FindingsResults from study 1 reveal that marketing directors perceive outsourcing as critical but also experience dissatisfaction with the level, frequency, and direction of communication. Results from study 2 indicate that an explicit and positive relationship exists between employee satisfaction with communication and their resultant commitment to the organization.Research limitations/implicationsOwing to the exploratory nature of the study and a relatively small sample, the conclusions are tempered until subsequent studies have been performed. As well, specific moderating variables (e.g. size, culture, budget) were not included in this initial inquiry and as such may add considerable variance explained to the proposed relationship.Practical implicationsFirst, the authors suggest that managing the “right commitment” is essential for marketing departments when working with an outsourcing agency. Second, the authors call attention to the importance of certain contextual factors (e.g. shared knowledge, mutual dependency, and organizational linkage) that may serve to improve the outsourcing partnership.Originality/valueFew papers have explored the communication‐commitment relationship, particularly with regards to outsourcing. Consequently, this study adds to the research by examining how intercollegiate marketing employees perceive and react to an outsourcing partnership. Building on additional work in this area, the research focuses on several aspects of the communication‐commitment framework not previously examined.

Rethinking Neoliberalism and the Subprime Crisis: Beyond the Re-Regulation Agenda

Many critical commentators view the current crisis and the attendant legitimacy problems for free-market capitalism as an opportunity to make the case for financial re-regulation, i.e. a reassertion of public values against globalising markets. This paper suggests that such assessments of the political possibilities offered by the subprime crisis rest on a misappraisal of its nature and, more broadly, the nature of the neoliberal era. It argues that the financial expansion of the past decades cannot be adequately understood in terms of the state's failure to regulate financial markets. Financial growth has not involved the retreat of public institutions, the dissolution of social bonds or an emptying out of subjectivity, but has rather been a process whereby new organisational linkages were forged, particular norms and relations of institutional control were constructed and complex identities with thoroughly interlinked emotional households were created. Through a historical interpretation of the development of American finance since the New Deal, the paper outlines how the reconfigurations of neoliberalism have not reduced but enhanced the institutional capacities of the American state, as well as the leverage and power resources available to those who enjoy privileged access to the state's organisational mechanisms. It then returns to the question of the political significance of the current crisis, suggesting that to seize on the change in ideological climate to advocate increased state control over financial life is likely to come down to supporting the restoration and fortification of an infrastructure of financial power that we criticised when it still went under the ideological banner of neoliberalism.

Collaborative Governance in Welfare Service Delivery: Focusing on Local Welfare System in Korea

There has been a need to expand the organizational linkage of local governments to the nongovernmental sector. This need for expansion has arisen in response to increasing demand for local welfare services, and the linkage of welfare to public health services for local clients. Using a case study on collaborative governance for the local welfare system, the government-mandated “Community Welfare Council,” this paper explores the council itself and cross-sectoral collaboration for local welfare planning and service provision, and provides implications for the essence of collaborative governance. Despite engaging a wide range of organizations across sectors, the council has faced such challenges as lack of representativeness and elusive cross-sectoral collaboration. These challenges undermine voluntary collaboration because the council is driven by government mandate. Independent private coordinators have not yet been significant in facilitating collaboration. Rather, councils with joint chairs from the public and private sectors have facilitated greater cross-sectoral collaboration. Unless cross-sectoral collaboration incorporates practical subdivisions serving target groups, receives increased operational funding, includes private participants representative of welfare and public health services, and receives willingness of local government, collaborative governance may result in increased transaction costs and governance failure.