Emerald

In this study, we examine the developments of transactive memory systems and collective mind and their influence on performance in virtual teams. Although one of the oft‐cited benefits of the virtual team is the ability of its members to contribute diverse knowledge and expertise, the question of how virtual team members can bring their respective knowledge and expertise to solve the problems they face has been largely ignored in the past research on virtual teams. Building on an emerging body of socio‐cognitive literature, we argue that transactive memory systems and the collective mind are two important variables that explain team performance. We tested our hypotheses with a longitudinal data set that was collected from 38 virtual teams of graduate management students from six universities in four countries over eight weeks. The results suggest that the influence of team members' early communication volume on team performance decreases as teams develop transactive memory systems and a collective mind. The results further suggest that the development of a collective mind represents a high‐order learning in team settings.

The topic of workaholism in organizations has received considerable attention in the popular media although our understanding of it is still quite limited. Most definitions of workaholism convey the notion of singular commitment to work to the detriment of extra‐work activities. This study, using measures developed by Spence and Robbins (1992), examines the relationship of workaholism type to measures of extra‐work satisfactions (family, friends, community). Data were collected from 530 women and men managers and professionals using anonymous questionnaires. The results showed the hypothesized negative relationship between workaholism and extra‐work satisfactions. Implications for reducing workaholic behaviors are offered.

Organizational consultants employ scientific methodologies to collect data and generate an organizational diagnosis. Between‐method triangulation is a means of leveraging the strengths of several methods while mitigating weaknesses. This article briefly reviews common scientific data collection methodologies and provides an illustration of between‐method triangulation in organizational diagnosis. Interpretations of organizational social reality were based on the triangulation of data from interviews, systematic observation, observer‐as‐participant observation, and archival data. Between‐method triangulation resulted in a more complete assessment of organizational problems than any lone method.

For several decades, scholars have called for “open” or “living systems” approaches to the study of complex organizations. These approaches were especially characterized by the presence of various nonlinear dynamics. Unfortunately, the formal mathematics required to capture these dynamics did not become widely available until the recent mass computing revolution. Meanwhile, these realms of mathematics, known variously as “catastrophes,” “chaos,” and more recently as “complexity,” have caught hold in the physical, biological, and cognitive sciences. This article contends that it is now time for these recent advances in the sciences of nonlinearity to emerge full scale in the social realm as well. However, thus far, this movement is much more metaphorical than it is methodological. Thus, a review of some policy and management applications is undertaken. Of particular interest are those where the uses of phase plane analysis and genetic algorithms portend significant practical import.

Bài báo này nghiên cứu các tương tác giữa các định kiến về giới liên quan đến công việc, giới tính của thí sinh và các phong cách giao tiếp được sử dụng bởi các thí sinh nam và nữ trong quá trình phỏng vấn. Nghiên cứu này được thực hiện dưới dạng thí nghiệm trong phòng thí nghiệm, sử dụng thiết kế hỗn hợp 2x2x2. Các đối tượng tham gia đọc một mô tả công việc và nghe ba băng ghi âm về tất cả các thí sinh nam hoặc tất cả thí sinh nữ thể hiện phong cách giao tiếp thống trị, phục tùng hoặc trung tính. Sau đó, các đối tượng đã đánh giá thí sinh dựa trên năm tiêu chí: độ dễ mến, năng lực, khả năng giao tiếp xã hội, ấn tượng tổng thể và khả năng được tuyển dụng. Kết quả cho thấy có những tương tác đáng kể giữa giới tính của thí sinh và phong cách giao tiếp trên bốn trong năm tiêu chí được đánh giá trong nghiên cứu này. Sự kiểm tra các giá trị trung bình của các tiêu chí cho thấy những tác động khác nhau của hành vi phù hợp và không phù hợp với giới tính đối với nam và nữ. Nam giới bị phạt về đánh giá ấn tượng tổng thể và khả năng được tuyển dụng khi họ giao tiếp theo cách không phù hợp với giới tính. Nữ giới bị phạt về đánh giá khả năng giao tiếp xã hội và độ dễ mến khi họ giao tiếp theo cách không phù hợp với giới tính. Các hệ quả của những phát hiện này đối với việc sử dụng phỏng vấn được thảo luận trong bối cảnh chủ nghĩa dị ứng giới.

As part of an integrative model of leadership, transformational (versus transactional) styles are proposed to be related to subordinates' motivation and commitment to quality, the strength of empowering norms at the subunit level, and organizational productivity. Transformational and transactional styles also are proposed to be related to the self‐image of leaders. Hypotheses are tested in a military setting, the United States Army Recruiting Command, through the use of survey data provided by mid‐level leaders, station commanders, and recruiters. Data are supplemented by direct measures of subunit productivity. Results support some, but not all, of the proposed hypotheses. Implications for research and practice are presented, along with limitations of the research.

From a contingency perspective and by using the principles of self‐organization described by Morgan (1986), this essay relates the amount of variety in transactions and transformations to the requisite of self‐organization. Self‐organization is defined in terms of the local autonomy to make decisions on both the transactions to be realized and the way transformation processes are organized to achieve these transactions. Appropriate Human resource management (HRM) systems and policies can help to achieve the level of self‐organization aimed at. When the amount of variety in transactions is relatively low, an organization can easily standardize and control work processes. In this case, there is no need to develop self‐organization. The focus of HRM will be on standardization, behavioral control systems and the social needs of workers. In the case of a moderate level of variety in transactions, management may obtain responsiveness by creating self‐organizing teams which have the local autonomy to deal with variety in customer demand. HRM instruments can help these teams by supporting integrated management, the multifunctionality of workers, team development, and the introduction of a skill‐based assessment and reward system. When the amount of variety becomes high, it is more effective to assign responsibilities to individuals and to apply HRM practices aimed at the problemsolving capacity of workers and the commitment of workers to the organization.

This manuscript examines the use of corporate women's groups to achieve a more level organizational playing field. It first reviews the literature on the use of such groups to bring about change, considering such topics as the origins, purposes, membership, structure, and benefits of such groups to women and to their organizations. Then three ongoing case studies of such groups are summarized Corporate women's groups face some unique challenges in changing organizations as a result of their bottom‐up approach to change.

The relationship between diversification and organizational performance has been the subject of numerous studies over the years (Palepu, 1985; Rumelt, 1974). However, strategy scholars have universally defined diversification using a narrow definition, namely that corporate diversification is a function or reflection of the number of products/businesses in a firm's portfolio. The present study argues that such a definition has become outdated given the impact of international market diversification (Kim, Hwang, & Burgers, 1989; Rugman, 1979). Integrating these two views of corporate diversification, we investigate diversification‐performance differences using market‐ and product‐based measures of diversification and an international sample. Results suggest that the traditional model of diversification may not be applicable to all countries and that international differences exist.

Using a multi‐method approach, this paper presents both a qualitative and quantitative examination of workplace conflict, the emotional reactions to bullying and counterproductive behaviors. Three studies were undertaken for the present research. Data for Study 1 emerged from semi‐structured interviews conducted with 50 group leaders and members from six workgroups in two large organizations. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using systematic interpretative techniques. Findings from Study 1 showed that conflict induced a variety of emotional and behavioral responses. Data from Study 2 were collected from 660 employees from 7 public sector organizations using a structured open‐ended survey. Results from Study 2 revealed that the majority of respondents perceived their managers as bullies. Study 3 surveyed 510 staff in 122 workgroups from five organizations. Regression analysis revealed that differing conflict events were associated with bullying, emotional reactions and counterproductive behaviors. In particular, prolonged conflict increased incidents of bullying. Higher levels of bullying were predictive of workplace counterproductive behaviors such as purposely wasting company material and supplies, purposely doing one's work incorrectly and purposely damaging a valuable piece of property belonging to the employer.