Theory Of Human Agency Research Articles

A Temporally Situated Self-Agency Theory of Information Technology Reinvention

Our knowledge of how users reinvent information technologies (IT) in ways that depart from their intended purposes to achieve new goals is relatively limited. Drawing on a human agency theory that situates actors in the flow of time, this paper develops a theory of IT reinvention. It identifies the key subprocesses of IT reinvention, describes two patterns of reinvention (performance-oriented and mastery-oriented), and explains how the present and the past influence the ambiguities, demands, and dilemmas inherent to each pattern. The outcomes associated with each pattern of IT reinvention are also discussed. The paper provides the theoretical foundations to understand how users reinvent IT as well as new insights into a broader range of post-adoption behaviors.

Are international top executives paid more? Empirical evidence on fixed and variable compensation in management boards of German MNCs

This paper asks the question whether international executives receive higher pay than their non-international peers. Building upon human capital theory and agency theory, we assume that highly international executives achieve higher market value in terms of their level of compensation than less international executives. To investigate this relationship, we use a multidimensional construct of internationalisation and differentiate between fixed and variable pay components of top executives. Based on a comprehensive sample of top executives from Germany's DAX firms, we find empirical evidence that 'being international' pays off for the individual in terms of variable compensation but not in terms of fixed compensation. We also demonstrate that the structure of compensation is affected by the internationalisation level of the supervisory board members. Hence, we show that governance bodies who are deciding on management board members' compensation should not be neglected in top management research.

A model for study of teacher agency for social justice

Internationally teachers are called upon to act as agents of change. However, there is little clarity about the kind of change teachers are expected to contribute to and even less empirical evidence about the ways teacher agency operates in schools and beyond. Empirical analyses of teacher agency require a clear articulation of the purpose and content of such agency in relation to a particular aspect of change, which could then help us specify appropriate units of analysis and generate hypotheses based on the insights provided by previous research. This paper articulates a model for study of teacher agency as a process whereby teachers act strategically to transform the risks of exclusion and underachievement into inclusion and improved outcomes for all students in contexts of cultural and social diversity. The model is guided by social theories of human agency within social structures and cultures, applied to the empirical insights into teachers’ inclusive practices. Potentially appropriate units of analysis and related variables are proposed, and face-validated in consultation with 12 experts from Scotland including teachers, (deputy) head teachers, researchers, teacher educators and policy-makers. The units include teachers’ inclusive practices at individual, school and broader policy and social levels, teachers’ moral purposes and competence as agents of change for inclusive education, scope of teachers’ autonomy including individual, collective and contextual variables, and teachers’ reflexivity. Implications for future research and teacher education are discussed.

Building theory of sustainable manufacturing using total interpretive structural modelling

The purpose of this paper is to generate theory using total interpretive structural modelling. In this paper, an extensive review of extant literature was undertaken to identify research gaps. To bridge the existing gaps, an approach has been undertaken to further alternative methods in theory building in the field of operations management. This paper presents our arguments supported by extant literature to adopt total interpretive structural modelling technique to generate theory. The total interpretive structural modelling and cross multiplication impact matrix output were synthesised to generate a sustainable manufacturing framework which is the integration of three independent theories. The sustainable manufacturing framework is the unique contribution of this paper, which suggests how human agency theory, institutional theory can contribute to ecological modernisation theory. In future the theory developed can be tested using multivariate analysis using data, gathered through structured questionnaire. Finally, the research limitations and further research directions were outlined which may help operations management community to extend the current theoretical framework to next level.

The ‘Two Marxisms’ Revisited: Humanism, Structuralism and Realism in Marxist Social Theory

The ontological and analytical status of Marxian social theory has been a matter of fierce controversy since Marx’s death, both within and without Marxist circles. A particular source of contention has been over whether Marxism should be construed as an objective science of the capitalist mode of production or as an ethico-philosophical critique of bourgeois society. This is paralleled by the dispute over whether Marxism ought to be considered a humanism (or critical theory of human agency) or a structuralism (or science of social systems). This article addresses both sides of this debate. The argument is that, rather than Marx’s own social thought being split into incompatible poles, giving rise to ‘two Marxisms’, it forms a coherent unity. Marx’s social theory is neither humanist philosophy, nor structural science, but is in fact realist science, which synthesizes these apparent antinomies, and thereby transcends both.

Moral Disengagement and Aggression: Comments on the Special Issue

This special issue on relationship between moral disengagement and aggression brings together nine sophisticated as well as theoretically, methodologically and analytically stimulating studies. Three of articles are concerned with individual characteristics that moderate (or buffer or aggravate) impact of moral disengagement on aggression or include moral disengagement as a moderator on link between individual characteristics and aggression. Three address trajectories and age-related changes by exploring developmental pathways of moral disengagement and aggression, while remaining three treat moral disengagement in its situational context in school and family and raise questions of socialization. Besides summarizing and discussing nine articles, this commentary raises some critical issues-for example, regarding assessment of moral developmental processes.For past decade, a growing, but still rather small group of international researchers have studied moral disengagement and its relation to prosocial and antisocial/aggressive behaviors in children and adolescents (including both traditional bullying and cyberbullying). Although much has been learned about both concurrent and longitudinal (inter) relationships (e.g., Barchia & Bussey, 2011; Gini, 2006; Hymel, Schonert-Reichl, Bonanno, Vaillancourt, & Rocke Henderson, 2010; Perren & Gutzwiller-Helfenfinger, 2012), crucial issues regarding these relationships are still (partly) unresolved-for example, with respect to contextual and situational factors (e.g., see recent review by Gini, Pozzoli, & Hymel, 2014). This special issue on moral disengagement and aggression is result of a recent initiative bringing together many of these researchers in order to critically reflect on both conceptual and methodological foundations of this research and to develop avenues for future research. In this commentary, I discuss articles and their joint contribution towards advancement of theorizing and research in field against background of avenues suggested, namely (1) age-related changes (emergence of moral disengagement; precursors of moral disengagement; changes in moral standards, emotions, and justifications); (2) trajectories (Who is becoming morally disengaged? How and why?); (3) situational processes (situational variations; interplay between moral standards, emotions, justifications, and behavior; cognitive dissonance); (4) contextual effects (family, peers, and school; subcultural norms); and (5) interventions (moral disengagement as a mediator; morality as an intervention goal). Before doing so, core elements of Bandura's social cognitive theory of human agency (e.g., Bandura, 2002; Bandura, Barbaranelli, Caprara, & Pastorelli, 1996; Bandura, Caprara, Barbaranelli, & Pastorelli, 2001), which lies at heart of this research, are briefly characterized to establish a common reference point with respect to conceptual and methodological issues raised later.The social cognitive theory of human agency offers an inclusive conceptual framework within which moral dimensions of aggressive and antisocial behaviors can be described. According to Bandura (2002), moral agency involves both the power to refrain from behaving inhumanely and proactive power to behave humanely (p. 101). Based on understanding that individuals monitor and regulate their behavior by anticipating consequences for self and others, anticipatory self-pride (for morally good behavior) and self-blame (for morally bad behavior) ensure that behavior is enacted in concordance with personal moral standards (Paciello, Fida, Tramontano, Lupinetti, & Caprara, 2008). Still, individuals can enact behaviors that are not concordant with these (individual as well as social) moral standards while claiming to adhere to them. By disconnecting moral thought and moral action, they avoid feelings of conflict, guilt, or remorse. …

Agency and Expanding Capabilities in Early Grade Classrooms: What it Could Mean for Young Children

In this essay, Jennifer Keys Adair aims to clarify the concept of agency as a tool for improving the educational experiences of young children in the early grades. She conceptualizes agency in the context of schooling as the ability to influence what and how something is learned in order to expand capabilities, drawing on economic theories of human development, agency, and capability as they might be applied to early learning in schools. An understanding of early childhood education aimed at expanding children's capabilities stands in contrast to the currently prevalent emphasis on preparing children for the knowledge and skills tested in elementary grades. Through her classroom-based examples of student agency and her call to bring cultural and varied perspectives into the discussion, Adair hopes to encourage dynamic, agentic learning experiences for all children, not just those of privilege.

Cinematic climate change, a promising perspective on climate change communication.

Previous research findings display that after having seen popular climate change films, people became more concerned, more motivated and more aware of climate change, but changes in behaviors were short-term. This article performs a meta-analysis of three popular climate change films, The Day after Tomorrow (2005), An Inconvenient Truth (2006), and The Age of Stupid (2009), drawing on research in social psychology, human agency, and media effect theory in order to formulate a rationale about how mass media communication shapes our everyday life experience. This article highlights the factors with which science blends in the reception of the three climate change films and expands the range of options considered in order to encourage people to engage in climate change mitigation actions.

Exploring the Application of Computer-Assisted English Learning in a Chinese Mainland Context: Based on Students’ Attitudes and Behaviours

Computer-assisted language learning (CALL) has played an important role in language curriculums for Chinese schools and university over two decades; however, few researchers rare focused on this applicable tool from students’ views. Based on theories of human agency, it is essential to know people’ attitudes and acceptance of the information technology (Rogers, 1983). Hence, this paper explores university students’ attitudes on the widespread teaching and learning approaches utilising computer-assisted language learning in the subject university in mainland China. Data was collected by using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Current computer-related behaviours were investigated by using a questionnaire; while their attitudes towards the application of CALL in universities was further explored by adopting a semi-structured interview. On the one hand, the results of the survey present that students do not use computers to assist their English learning. However, on the other hand, the interviews indicate that students hold a positive attitude on applying CALL in English classes if efficient guidance is available. It suggests that more accompanied trainings and workshops would be provided in Chinese mainland universities for university students to improve their capacities of applying CALL to their English learning.

The contribution of social theories to information system research

The concept of the IT user is an object of fascination in information systems research. This paper attempts to explore the theoretical issues regarding this actor, considered as changeable and erratic by social theories such as the human agency theory and the structuration theory. Our approach, which does not claim to be exhaustive, focuses primarily on a review of a list of information system papers that have used social theories. Our paper attempts first to provide an overview of the evolution regarding the place of users in IS research, second, to identify the contributions made by some IS papers that have harnessed social theories, and third, to explore potential research topics using social theories.

Issues and developments on the consumer recovery construct

The consumer recovery model has had increasing influence on mental health practices in the United States, Western Europe, and several other countries. However, adoption of the model has reflected political decisions rather than empirical evidence of the validity of the model or its value for treatment services. The recovery construct is poorly defined, and until recently there has been no reliable and valid measure with which to base a research program. We have developed an empirical measure that is well-suited for both research and clinical applications: the Maryland Assessment of Recovery in Serious Mental Ill-ness (MARS). We briefly describe the MARS and present preliminary data demonstrating that recovery is not a simple by-product of traditional outcome do-mains, but seems to be a distinct construct that may have important implications for understanding consumers with serious mental illness and for evaluating the outcome of treatment programs.

The sinking of the unsinkable Titanic: Mental inertia and coordination failures

This study investigates the sinking of the Titanic from the theory of human agency derived from Austrian economics, interpretation sociology and organizational theories. Unlike most arguments in organizational and management sciences, this study offers a subjectivist perspective of mental inertia to understand the Titanic disaster. Specifically, this study will argue that the fall of the Titanic was mainly due to a series of coordination and judgment failures that occurred simultaneously. Such systematic failures were manifested in the misinterpretations of the incoming events, as a result of mental inertia, by all parties concerned in the fatal accident, including lookouts, telegram officers, the Captain, lifeboat crewmen, architects, engineers, senior management people and owners of the ship. This study concludes that no matter how successful the past is, we should not take experience for granted entirely. Given the uncertain future, high alertness to potential dangers and crises will allow us to avoid iceberg mines in the sea and arrived onshore safely.

Exploring the human element of computer-assisted language learning: an Iranian context

Based on various theories of human agency (Ajzen, I. (2005). Attitudes, personality and behavior (2nd ed.). London: Open University Press; Davis, F.D. (1989). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Quarterly, 13, 319–340; Rogers, E.M. (1983). Diffusion of innovations (3rd ed.). New York: The Free Press), it is essential to know users' attitudes and abilities before implementing widespread use of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) techniques in schools. This study takes a two-tiered approach. On the one hand, it aims to explore the current computer-related attitudes and abilities of Iranian high school language teachers and students, before the actual diffusion of computers into the education system. On the other hand, this study compares the attitudes of language teachers and students towards CALL, cultural perceptions of the role of computers in education, computer competence, and computer access. Toward this aim, a multi-section survey in the Persian language was administered to high school language teachers and students. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and the results indicated that the majority of the participants have positive attitudes towards CALL and find it relevant to the cultural context of Iran. Teachers have moderate computer competence, while students have limited competence. Language teachers and students have daily access to computers mostly at home. The study further shows the difference between language teachers and students in that although teachers are presumed to be ambivalent about computer-related issues, in comparison with their students, teachers rank significantly higher on the CALL attitude and computer competence scales. From the positive CALL attitudes of both groups, it may be inferred that they will use computers in language education once computers become available, accompanied by adequate training.

ONE-GLOBE APPROACH TO THE TAIWAN STRAIT CONFLICT

Conflicts among nation states have led to violence, bloodshed and war. Although the conflicts can be explained by national, racial and cultural reasons, we argue that conflicts arising from sovereignty and territorial disputes are socially constructed. People take whatever they have been taught or brought up as right. If people do not give in to something they have taken for granted, then conflicts arise. This paper explains conflicts among nations and suggests a solution from human agency theory. More specifically, it formulates a theory of one-globe reality from Weber–Thomas–Berger's social construction perspective to resolve the Taiwan Strait conflict. The theory calls for both mainland China and Taiwan to learn global oneness and unlearn narrowly scoped concepts of nationalism and patriotism to achieve peace in the region.

Examining the antecedents of work connectivity behavior during non-work time

In this study, we draw from human agency theory to develop the construct of work-related connectivity behavior during non-work time, and conduct a survey to investigate the organizational and individual antecedents of this behavior. Data from 139 full-time working adults in the marketing division of a media organization revealed that work connectivity behavior after-hours is significantly related to the distribution of wireless enabled devices by the organization and organizational norms about connectivity. Our results also indicate that individual characteristics exert different levels of influence depending on the functionality of the device through which connectivity behavior is enacted. Polychronicity was more strongly related to laptop connectivity behavior than to handheld connectivity behavior, whereas role integration preference is only related to handheld connectivity behavior. We also found that organization members were more likely to exhibit continued workplace connectivity behavior during generic “downtime” activities such as traveling or commuting. These results have important theoretical and practical implications.

Human agency, social networks, and FOSS project success

The development model of free open source software (FOSS) provides important managerial lessons for knowledge creation, innovation, and software and new product development. Yet many unanswered questions exist regarding why certain FOSS projects succeed while others fail. Drawing on social capital theory and human agency theory, this study proposes that FOSS projects stand a better chance of success if they possess desirable social network capital and adopt effective strategies. It further argues that valuable social network capital and effective strategies produce greater returns together than they do alone. The results of an empirical analysis reveal significant positive interactions between social capital variables and human agency/strategy variables, highlighting the importance of complementarity between social network ties and strategies in shaping the outcome of FOSS projects.

Personal Agency across Generations: Evolutionary Psychology or Religious Belief?

Although the authors of modern scientific psychology agreed on precious little, Freud and Jung both insisted that any complete science of psychology requires some way to explain the intergenerational inheritance of character traits or personal habits of mind and action. Yet neither they nor their heirs in contemporary philosophy, psychology or cognitive science have been able to provide a plausible conceptual framework, much less a mechanism to account for the conservation of forms of personal agency across multiple lives. Is there a role in contemporary philosophy and psychology for an intergenerational theory of human agency informed by the Buddhist theory of karma? This paper argues the affirmative case, offering both a current scientific reading of karma and a Buddhist scientific approach to the metaphysical and metapsychological problems caused by the divergence of modern science and religion in the West. The model of intergenerational agency I present here is based on a comparative study of ordinary language philosophy in ancient India and the contemporary West. Its premise is that most theories of moral development and psychological agency are limited by the insistence on a substantial or essential ground for the designation of a person or self. Ordinary language philosophy offers greater conceptual freedom because it accepts a distinctively human theory of self as a linguistic construction that refers to mind/body systems and elements in which there is no substantial or essential self. This conceptual freedom permits a model of human agency as an open system of linguistic reference that can be transmitted across generations in the course of language acquisition. Such a system is not merely discursive in that language serves to guide the social construction not just of discursive thinking but also of learned patterns of perception and action mastered together with language in the course of neuropsychological development. This model has implications for both Buddhist and Western worldview, popular and scientific, as well as for bioethics and the practice of psychotherapy.

Studying institutional work in organizations

PurposeIn order to provide new and other directions to institutional studies in organization theory, Lawrence and Suddaby forward the notion of institutional work of actors aimed at maintaining, changing and disrupting institutions. The purpose of this paper is to further theory and method in studying the institutional work of people in organizations.Design/methodology/approachMethodological insights from the ways in which theories of human agency in institutional contexts have co‐evolved with field study methodologies are analyzed in related fields of research, particularly in sociology and anthropology.FindingsThe ways have been analyzed in which social theories of human agency in institutional contexts and field methodology have co‐evolved in an inter‐disciplinary perspective. The analysis shows how field methodologies may provide inspirations to theory and method in studying institutional work.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings suggest that institutional organization research may prosper by grounding the study of institutional work on ethnographic methodologies.Originality/valueThis paper contributes methodological inspirations to studying organizational actors' work with accomplishing change and stability, which constitutes a comparatively underexplored line of inquiry in organizational institutionalism.

The Gender and Ethnic Diversity of US Boards and Board Committees and Firm Financial Performance

ABSTRACTManuscript Type: EmpiricalResearch Question/Issue: We examine the business case for the inclusion of women and ethnic minority directors on the board. Specifically, we investigate the relationship between the number of women directors and the number of ethnic minority directors on the board and important board committees and financial performance measured as return on assets and Tobin's Q.Research Findings/Insights: We do not find a significant relationship between the gender or ethnic diversity of the board, or important board committees, and financial performance for a sample of major US corporations. Our evidence also suggests that the gender and ethnic minority diversity of the board and firm financial performance appear to be endogenous.Theoretical/Academic Implications: Reasonable theoretical arguments drawn from resource dependence theory, human capital theory, agency theory, and social psychology suggest that gender and ethnic diversity may have either a positive, negative, or neutral effect on the financial performance of the firm. Our statistical analysis supports the theoretical position of no effect, either positive or negative. Our results are consistent with a contingency explanation because the effect of the gender and ethnic diversity of the board may be different under different circumstances at different times. Over several companies and time periods, the results could offset to produce no effect.Practitioner/Policy Implications: The results of our analysis do not support the business case for inclusion of women and ethnic minorities on corporate boards. However, we find no evidence of any negative effect either. Our evidence implies that decisions concerning the appointment of women and ethnic minorities to corporate boards should be based on criteria other than future financial performance.

A Template Analysis of Teacher Agency at an Academically Successful Dual Language School

Mainstream models of bilingual education view English language learners (ELLs) from a deficiency perspective and engage in the practice of subtractive schooling, which strips the learner of cultural capital that could benefit him or her in terms of educational achievement. Conversely, the dual-language (DL) model is additive in nature, seeking to add English to the student's body of knowledge while at the same time maintaining the first language. Evidence suggests that DL programs have the potential to foster both significant academic achievement and increased cultural awareness in the students they serve. Moreover, researchers have found a pervasive “culture of intellectualism” present in schools with effective DL programs. This culture is characterized by active engagement in learning, including the free exchange of ideas and the promotion of higher order thinking skills. As such, DL programs offer both language-majority and language-minority learners the opportunity to reach advanced levels of academic achievement. As with any educational program, teachers play a crucial role in the success or failure of these programs. Thus, successful DL teachers must draw from a variety of sources to make decisions about instruction in their classrooms. By building on Bandura's theory of human agency and applying it specifically to DL teachers, these findings can be used to inform the successful implementation and maintenance of new DL programs.