Top Management Research Articles

Top management team social capital and business model innovation: moderating role of business ecosystem health

Top management team social capital and business model innovation: moderating role of business ecosystem health

Organiblò: Engaging People in “Circular” Organizations and Enabling Social Sustainability

The present analysis related to social sustainability aims at evaluating and understanding how a “circular” or “round” organization such as the so-called Organiblò (i.e., a fusion of the terms “organigram” and the Italian word for “porthole”) functions. More precisely, the present article wants to raise awareness among companies that a profound cultural change seems necessary to push the search for sustainable objectives further. In this specific regard, independent interviews with the CEOs of 11 medium-sized enterprises and 46 young middle managers were conducted. Based on their responses, our analysis highlights the advantages of a “circular” organization, which range from better corporate sustainability to greater freedom of staff and cross-functional activities as well as the valorization of individuals and enhanced flexibility and collaborative spirit. However, time is needed to effect such a profound cultural change. The main difficulties consist in the approach to decision-making processes, because top management is often not yet prone to strongly encourage transparency, a culture of feedback and inclusiveness in the workforce. Consequently, a new, additional manager (i.e., a “wheeler manager”) might disseminate a new managing culture and involve employees in contributing to the company’s sustainability.

Transactive Memory Systems and Acquisition Performance: A Strategic Decision Making Process Perspective

AbstractDuring the pre‐merger phase of an acquisition, fundamental decisions are made concerning whether to buy, which company to buy, and how much to pay. Further, acquisitions carry significant firm‐wide implications requiring input from multiple different specializations, and hence, they are the product of the judgements, decisions, and social interactions between top managers. We focus our theory development on a pivotal yet under‐researched top management team characteristic, transactive memory system (TMS). TMS is the shared division of cognitive labour with respect to encoding, storing, and retrieving knowledge from individual areas of expertise. We theorize that TMT transactive memory directly influences the strategic decision making process, which in turn determines acquisition performance. We test our hypotheses with a sample of 109 acquisitions, combining survey and archival data. We find that TMT transactive memory increases reliance on expert intuition and procedural rationality, while reducing political behaviour; and each of these three strategic decision processes carries different implications for acquisition performance. Our study advances theory by explaining the team‐level behavioural mechanisms that underlie acquisition performance.

An integrated structural equation modeling and fuzzy qualitative comparative analysis model for examining green procurement adoption drivers

This research examines the factors that influence the implementation of green procurement in small and medium enterprises (SMEs), namely top management commitment, regulations, costs, pressure from consumers, and transformational leadership as moderation. The research employs a quantitative approach with 206 samples from the Indonesian SME industry. It utilizes Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and Fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (FsQCA). The data set includes factors such as top management commitment, regulations, costs, consumer pressure, and transformational leadership as moderation variables. The results show that management commitment, regulations, costs, and customer pressure influence green procurement. The role of the moderating variable shows that transformational leadership only strengthens the influence of costs on green procurement and regulation on green procurement. Meanwhile, the influence of top management commitment to green procurement and customer pressure on green procurement shows that transformational leadership does not strengthen these variables. The research’s novelty lies in combining SEM and FsQCA to analyze the causal relationships among variables influencing green procurement in SMEs. It highlights the importance of understanding and effectively managing these relationships for organizations adopting green procurement practices.

Strategic inertia and renewal: Contrasting responses to market changes

The academic, consulting, and practitioner-oriented literatures present many examples of companies that have failed to adapt their strategy in the face of a changing competitive arena, even when their top managers and executives acknowledged the need for change—and had a reasonable idea of what ought to be done. By means of an in-depth study of two polar cases of large companies from the fast-moving consumer goods sector, this study sheds light on the complex intertwined causes that lead some companies into strategic inertia, while others engage in strategic renewal. Our theoretical framing of possible causes of inertia encompasses cognitive schema, power and politics, emotions, and communication. Our findings provide credible evidence that strategic inertia (or renewal) is the outcome of conjunctural causation, so that a similar initial cause may result in different outcomes depending on the processual interaction with other contributing factors at the organizational, group, and individual levels. The conjunction of various causes can lead a company's managers to adhere rigidly to their sources of past success or, alternatively, embrace novel pathways despite short-term uncertainty and anxiety.

Attitudes Toward Gender Quota Legislation on TMT-level Positions

In 2010, Iceland became the second country in the world after Norway to enact a minimum 40% gender quota for corporate boards. The legislation did not pass without resistance, and concerns were voiced that gender quotas undermined competitiveness and merit-based selection. The legislation had the effect of improving the gender imbalance on corporate boards. Nevertheless, the expected trickle-down effect on the top management team (TMT) level has not materialized; women face apparent exclusion from senior executive positions, and men hold 22 out of 26 CEO positions at listed companies. Women hold 31.6% of TMT-level positions in listed companies, and women business leaders in Iceland have started calling for a gender quota on TMT-level positions. This study aims to measure public attitudes toward interventions to close the gender gap and ensure equal opportunities for men and women to reach top management positions. The study focuses on attitudes toward gender quota legislation on TMT-level positions, with a requirement of at least 40/60% gender balance, identified in qualitative interview studies with board members representing all listed companies in Iceland. We find gender differences in the attitudes toward the TMT-level quota in conjunction with beliefs about equal opportunities for men and women to be hired as CEOs, beliefs about the effect of gender quota legislation on merit-based hiring, and beliefs about the rate of progress toward gender balance. The study contributes to the literature on closing the gender gap by exploring public attitudes toward a legislative intervention that has not been the focus of research so far.

Addressing Environmental Challenges in Technology Adoption within the Digital Supply Chain of Readymade Garments

The study aims to investigate the challenges of technology adoption in the Digital Supply Chain (DSC) of the Readymade Garment (RMG) business, focusing on environmental barriers. The study utilizes the T-O-E framework to examine a sample of 380 participants, consisting of owners and top managers from RMG facilities. The data is analyzed using PLS-SEM Modeling with the aid of SmartPLS4 software. It examines the complex interrelationships between competitive pressure, consumer, external support, stakeholder networks, environmental concerns, and technology adoption within the digital supply chain of the RMG industry. The technology adoption is substantially influenced by environmental conditions, particularly regarding the alignment with customers. The analysis of mediation sheds light on the significance of the environment in both partial and complete mediation, as it exerts influence on competitive pressures, customer involvement, external support, and stakeholder networks. Comprehending this interrelationship is crucial for making well-informed business and policy formulation decisions. organizations must incorporate environmental factors into their strategic decision-making processes, ensuring sustainable technologies are adopted. Policymakers can employ these findings to implement environmentally sustainable policies, promoting innovation within the RMG sector. These measures guarantee the long-term viability of the industry and promote ecological accountability.

Meaningful community engagement through advanced indicator systems for sustainable destination planning

This study advances the measurement of sustainable development in communities and destinations examining socio-ecological, environmental, cultural, and economic dimensions. By integrating qualitive insights within established indicator systems such as the European Tourism Indicator System, it addresses the limitations of traditional, solely quantitative approaches. Carrying out over 400 resident surveys in Co. Clare, Ireland, the research established sustainable indicators and assessed the destination's sustainability through resident-based metrics. For instance, 87% of residents believed that tourism benefits their community, yet only 23% of residents were satisfied with their involvement in planning. Thematic analysis of the open-ended responses provided crucial themes for sustainable destination management, highlighting resident concerns on transport, planning, management, and community involvement and benefits. The study concluded that relying solely on quantitative indicators, limits Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) and planners to Likert scale results, failing to capture nuanced impacts observed by destinations. The study highlights the insufficiency of solely using quantitative indicators, which risk oversimplifying community inputs and misinterpreting resident dissatisfaction, signally a need for diverse solutions to address varied concerns. The study also identified survey fatigue as a governance challenge, potentially hindering future sustainable development efforts. Aligning with the socio-ecological indicators of the community-environment-development nexus call for papers, this interdisciplinary research demonstrates the value of advanced indicator systems in promoting meaningful community engagement and supporting policy formulation for sustainable destination development. It offers a comprehensive framework for integrating resident perspectives and thematic insights into destination management, contributing to a more inclusive and community-based approach to tourism development.

State security bodies of the Vinnytsia region (1932-1938): an attempt to reconstruct the top management

State security bodies of the Vinnytsia region (1932-1938): an attempt to reconstruct the top management

Ethics of Care and Employees: The Impact of Female Board Representation and Top Management Leadership on Human Capital Development Policies

Ethics of Care and Employees: The Impact of Female Board Representation and Top Management Leadership on Human Capital Development Policies

Overseas-Returned Executives, R&D and Innovation

ABSTRACT Hiring overseas-returned executives is increasingly regarded by researchers and society as an important business strategy. This paper investigates the effects of overseas-returned executives in the top management team on firms in China. We propose a mechanism-based framework to study how overseas-returned executives affect firm innovation. Using listed companies in China’s manufacturing industry, we find that overseas-returned executives have a positive effect on firm innovation, especially for high-tech firms, large firms, state-owned firms and returned executives with foreign work experience. Increase in research and development investment is an important channel through which overseas-returned executives affect firm innovation.

The relationship between the behavioral integrity and organizational commitment the mediating effects of the job satisfaction and psychological safety

Purpose This study aims to apply the affective events theory and psychological contract theory to investigate how job satisfaction and psychological safety mediate the effect of the behavioral integrity of supervisors on the organizational commitment of employees. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire survey was conducted using purposive sampling. In total, 500 questionnaire copies were distributed, and 453 responses were collected, of which 441 were valid (valid response rate = 88.2%). Findings The behavioral integrity of supervisors has a direct negative effect on organizational commitment but significant positive effects on job satisfaction and psychological safety, and job satisfaction and psychological safety have significant positive effects on organizational commitment. Job satisfaction and psychological safety have significant mediating effects on the association between the behavioral integrity of supervisors and the organizational commitment of employees. Practical implications Leaders and top management should “practice what they preach,” integrate honesty into organizational culture through training and establish a code of conduct to ensure that employees uphold their commitments. Companies should establish appropriate disciplinary systems and norms related to work and other aspects of organizational culture; they should also establish fair, just and open assessment systems to minimize the gap between their employees’ actual and expected earnings. Originality/value This study is the first to simultaneously consider the mediating effects of job satisfaction and psychological safety on the association between behavioral integrity and organizational commitment.

Pricing and performance of initial public offerings: directions for future research

Purpose This study aims to outline the research field of initial public offerings (IPOs) pricing and performance by combining bibliometric analysis with a systematic literature review process. Design/methodology/approach The study uses over three decades of IPO publication records (1989–2020) from Scopus and Web of Science databases. An analysis of keyword co-occurrence and bibliometric coupling was used to gain insights into the evolution of IPO literature. Findings The study categorized the IPO research field into four primary clusters: IPO pricing and short-run behaviour, IPO performance and influence of intermediaries, venture capital financing and top management and political affiliations and litigation risks. The results offer a framework for delineating research advancements at different stages of IPOs and illustrate the growing interest of researchers in IPOs in recent years. The study identified future research potential in the areas of corporate governance, earning management and investor sentiments related to IPO performance. Similarly, the study highlighted the opportunity to test multiple theoretical frameworks on alternative investment platforms (SME IPO platforms) operating under distinct regulatory environments. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper represents the first instance of using both bibliometric and systematic review to quantitatively and qualitatively review the articles published in the area of IPO pricing and performance from 1989 to 2020.

Artificial intelligence-based reverse logistics for improving circular economy performance: a developing country perspective

PurposeReverse logistics services are designed to move goods from their point of consumption to an endpoint to capture value or properly dispose of products and materials. Artificial intelligence (AI)-based reverse logistics will help Micro, Small, and medium Enterprises (MSMEs) adequately recycle and reuse the materials in the firms. This research aims to measure the adoption of AI-based reverse logistics to improve circular economy (CE) performance.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, we proposed ten hypotheses using the theory of natural resource-based view and technology, organizational and environmental framework. Data are collected from 363 Indian MSMEs as they are the backbone of the Indian economy, and there is a need for digital transformation in MSMEs. A structural equation modeling approach is applied to analyze and test the hypothesis.FindingsNine of the ten proposed hypotheses were accepted, and one was rejected. The results revealed that the relative advantage (RA), trust (TR), top management support (TMS), environmental regulations, industry dynamism (ID), compatibility, technology readiness and government support (GS) positively relate to AI-based reverse logistics adoption. AI-based reverse logistics indicated a positive relationship with CE performance. For mediation analysis, the results revealed that RA, TR, TMS and technological readiness are complementary mediation. Still, GS, ID, organizational flexibility, environmental uncertainty and technical capability have no mediation.Practical implicationsThe study contributed to the CE performance and AI-based reverse logistics literature. The study will help managers understand the importance of AI-based reverse logistics for improving the performance of the CE in MSMEs. This study will help firms reduce their carbon footprint and achieve sustainable development goals.Originality/valueFew studies focused on CE performance, but none measured the adoption of AI-based reverse logistics to enhance MSMEs’ CE performance.

Gender bender organizational barriers and women’s career progression: Evidence from commercial banks in Pakistan

The study aims to investigate the effect of gender bender organizational barriers on women career progression in Commercial Banks in Pakistan. The Perceived barriers were gender stereotype, socio-cultural beliefs, organizational structure, family responsibilities and individual characteristics. To serve that purpose, specifically branches of all public and private banks in twin cities i-e Islamabad and Rawalpindi, were selected. Survey research strategy was adopted to collect data from 252 branches of selected sample. Convenience sampling and random sampling techniques were used to select sample of branches. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed among the three clusters which are top managers, middle managers and sub-ordinate. Collected data was tested on IBM SPSS by using multiple linear regression, descriptive statistics reliability and correlation analysis. The findings indicate that gender-specific organizational systems negatively affect women career progression in banks of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The theoretical support was provided by gender and feminist theories and Gendered Organizational Structure (GOS) Model” and its three sub-models.

Research on the impact of top management team digitalization awareness of a firm's innovation output

Research on the impact of top management team digitalization awareness of a firm's innovation output

Business model innovation, digital organizational culture, and bank performance: The role of digital technologies and top management mindfulness

Digital technologies have changed our lives. This digital move is not limited to a particular area or a sector. It has also changed the way of doing business, but the opportunities associated with this digitalization are not yet appropriately identified. Appropriate action to respond to new avenues can substantially change business performance. This research presents a framework that suggests that the development of digital organizational culture and innovation in business models support digital technology value development and digitization, ultimately improving business performance. The collected data from banks working in Pakistan were analyzed with smart PLS. The results revealed that business model innovation, business digitization, and top management mindfulness boost the banks' performance. In contrast, digital organizational culture and digital technologies value development have no association with bank performance. Further, top management mindfulness has no moderating effect on studied relationships. By adopting innovation and necessary developments, banks can improve their performance significantly.

Enhancing academic performance: investigating the nexus between digital leadership and the role of digital culture

Purpose The purpose of this study is to establish the relationship between digital leadership and academic performance. It models the digitalization process, outlining why and how digital leadership is important for better academic performance. At the same time, this study examines the role of digital culture as a moderating variable in the direct relationship between main variables of the study. The study aims to expand the domain of academic performance at the university by including a much recent leadership-related aspect and organizational context of the digital culture. Design/methodology/approach The study opted for a descriptive study, using the survey instruments to collect the data. The sample population consisted of students currently enrolled at the Faculty of Business and Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Melaka, Malaysia. Based on the convenience sampling, 383 samples were drawn from the sample population. All items were adopted from previous literature, and expert feedback was obtained to examine the validity of the instruments. The data were analysed using SPSS and SmartPLS version 3.0. Findings This study provides empirical insights about how digital leadership is important for academic performance for the new millennials. Also, digital culture is found to provide significant moderation effect into the relationship. It suggests that universities must promote digitalization culture and embed the use of technology and digitalization into teaching and learning to cultivate a more effective learning process among university students. This is important as elements of digital leadership, including adaptive role, attitude, digital competency, digital skill and inspirational role, are found to significantly contribute to academic performance. Research limitations/implications This study only focuses on samples taken from one of the faculties in one campus, thus limiting its scope. Future research is encouraged to replicate the same study setting to include larger sample size from different faculties, or perhaps from different universities. These propositions could help to better generalize the research findings on the practice of digital leadership on academic performance in the country. However, this study established a digital leadership model that can be applied to undergraduate students at the universities. Also, the inclusion of digital culture can strengthen the learning process. Practical implications This study includes implications for the development of digital leadership attributes and promoting digital culture within the university students and environment for engaging in a better academic performance. Digital leadership is found to be an important criterion of academic performance in this digital age society, and cultivating digital culture enhances students’ academic performance. These findings shall prompt the university to actively engage in fostering digitalization culture within the university. Also, the top management of the university should inform the students to be adaptive and cultivate the attributes of digital leaders, as their readiness to cope with the technological change has significant positive impact on their academic performance. Social implications It is important to ensure that the future graduates that are being produced are ready to take on more challenges as digital leaders in the digital society. This might accelerate the country’s initiatives and efforts towards becoming a developed nation. Thus, investing in oneself to become digitally literate and competent might not only influence their academic performance, but they will also be equipped to fulfil one of the expectations of future employers of potential graduates, which is possessing digital leadership. Originality/value Digitalization is not only about the technology. It is about the people too. As the study on digital leadership is still in its infant stage, this study is unique as it is among the earliest to establish digital leadership constructs within the context of Malaysia. It informs the university that digital leadership provides significant contribution to academic performance. Thus, the university is encouraged to nurture digitalization, not only in the teaching and learning but also with the people within the university environment. Determining the right programs and plans for the curricular will help students to develop digital leadership attributes more effectively. Finally, improving digitalization among its students and culture is important, as these elements provide significant effect towards academic performance.

Transformational leadership, organizational justice and organizational citizenship behavior in the restaurant context

This research investigates the association between transformational leadership and Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB). Moreover, organizational justice is analyzed as a mediating variable between transformational leadership behavior and OCB. This research was conducted in the restaurants of Pakistan, on a sample of 219 employees. The current study used correlation and regression analyses in order to test the hypothesized model. Findings of this research show that transformational leadership behavior and employees’ perception of organizational justice are significantly and positively related to employees’ OCB. In addition, the results also show that organizational justice perception mediates the relationship between transformational leadership and OCB. Thus, current research shows that the top management of the restaurants in Pakistan should focus on establishing transformational leadership behavior and also focus on the selection of individuals having transformational leadership qualities which have the ability to positively influence organizational justice perception thereby fostering OCB of employees. Lastly, this study provides its limitations and suggestions for further research.

Conceptualizing an integrative typology of sales enablement strategy

Recent conceptualizations of sales enablement (SE) provide a foundation for emerging scholarship yet do not capture the vast complexities of developing an SE strategy. SE is not a singular construct. As a point of departure for future scholarship, the authors conceptualize a framework integrating extant knowledge of SE research and theorizing to develop a typology of SE strategy components. To establish a baseline for the typology, this paper first reviews the theoretical foundations of SE. Next, research domains on the periphery of the phenomenon (go-to-market strategy, organizational learning, change management, technology adoption) are reviewed and organized. Building from extant literature, the emergent typology integrates relevant literature streams with the various perspectives of the organization where SE strategy is devised and utilized (top management, sales management, salesperson). In addition to internal organizational factors, the authors include performance indicators, external contingency factors, and a research agenda associated with each SE typology component area (i.e., SE strategy: people, process, and system components). Ultimately, this work contributes to the sales literature by providing a nuanced view of SE strategy.