scholarly journals Integration through cross-functional teams in a service company

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 405-430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eider Arantes de Oliveira ◽  
Márcio Lopes Pimenta ◽  
Per Hilletofth ◽  
David Eriksson
Keyword(s):  
Portfolio Management ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Service Industry ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Strategy Development ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Organizational Processes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Company ◽  
Functional Teams

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to characterize the internal dynamics of cross-functional teams (CFTs) in different organizational processes in a service company. Design/methodology/approach A case study from a Brazilian service company was conducted. CFTs in five different organizational processes (strategy development, product development, portfolio management, sales channels management and business analysis) were analyzed through in-depth interviews, documents and non-participant observation. Findings A framework with four pillars was constructed: constitution of the CFT, task drivers, behavior and attitudes of the team and personal motivators. It was possible to analyze the process of how a group acts and reacts under changing circumstances based on the pillars included in the framework. Research limitations/implications The study is focused on creating analytical generalizability. Several insights in the 12 propositions presented in this study may be investigated in future research to validate the identified relationships among the pillars included in the framework. Moreover, the proposed framework allows the teams to be analyzed through a multidimensional view: structure, processes and impacts. Practical implications If the semantic boundaries of the communication are not well delineated, the differences in understanding can generate manifest conflicts. Moreover, the workload in a CFT seems to be larger and more complex than working in a functional activity; however, members perceive that it reduces the risk of unemployment and increases motivation. Originality/value The present study contributes to the extant literature with the proposal of a set of new exploratory propositions that can support future quantitative research about the use of CFTs in the service industry context.

Learning in multi-team systems: a qualitative study of learning triggers, readiness to learn and learning processes

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Valerie I. Sessa ◽  
Jessica L. Francavilla ◽  
Manuel London ◽  
Marlee Wanamaker
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Adaptive Learning ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Learning Processes ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
First Case ◽  
Readiness To Learn

Purpose Multi-team systems (MTSs) are expected to respond effectively to complex challenges while remaining responsive and adaptable and preserving inter-team linking mechanisms. The leadership team of an MTS is expected to configure and reconfigure component teams to meet the unique needs of each situation and perform. How do they learn to do this? This paper, using a recent MTS learning theory as a basis, aims to begin to understand how MTSs learn and stimulate ideas for future research. Design/methodology/approach The authors use two case studies to address research questions. The first case was a snapshot in time, while the second case occurred over several months. Interviews, documents and participant observation were the data sources. Findings As suggested by theory, findings support the idea that learning triggers, the timing of the triggers and readiness to learn (RtL) affect the type of learning process that emerges. The cases showed examples of adaptive and generative team learning. Strong and clear triggers, occurring during performance episodes, led to adaptive learning. When RtL was high and triggers occurred during hiatus periods, the associated learning process was generative. Originality/value Using an available theoretical model and case studies, the research describes how MTS readiness to learn and triggers for learning affect MTS learning processes and how learning outcomes became codified in the knowledge base or structure of the MTS. This provides a framework for subsequent qualitative and quantitative research.

scholarly journals Innovation and cross-functional teams

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 84-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Marasquini Stipp ◽  
Márcio Lopes Pimenta ◽  
Daniel Jugend
Keyword(s):  
Single Case ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Incremental Innovation ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Tax Management ◽  
Functional Teams ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The aim of this paper is to characterize how innovation may happen through cross-functional teams (CFT) in an organization of the public sector. Design/methodology/approach A case study helped to characterize several behavior patterns, team structures and respective links with generating innovation in internal processes and public answering contexts. Findings The results highlight that formal-temporary teams present a higher capacity to generate incremental innovation in products, whereas permanent-informal teams have a higher capacity to generate innovation in the internal processes and public answering contexts. Research limitations/implications The limitations of this research relate to the fact that this is a single case study, and although it is an important case to examine innovation and CFTs, by its very nature, it is not possible to extend and generalize the obtained data to other organizations. The evaluation of its propositions was merely qualitative, and future research is needed to validate its characteristics. Practical implications Several settings of CFTs are presented, as well as their ability to generate different types of innovation, such as the computerization of documents, petitions and papers, which decreases the time to answer the taxpayer. Moreover, CFTs can help to create products, such as computer programs that can be used not only locally but also in several public organizations related to tax management. Originality/value The field research provides the perceptions of the respondents regarding CFT characteristics that can lead to specific types of innovation, as well as the types of products or services that can be generated by these processes.

Persons with disability perception of facilities management service quality: hospital buildings in Malaysia

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nuratiqah Aisyah Awang ◽  
Shirley Jin Lin Chua ◽  
Azlan Shah Ali ◽  
Cheong Peng Au-Yong ◽  
Amaramalar Selvi Naicker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Strategy Development ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Facilities Management ◽  
Management Service ◽  
Management Activity ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Quality Aspect ◽  
The Right

PurposeThis study aims to discover the perception of persons with disabilities (PWDs) towards facilities management (FM) service quality at hospital buildings in Malaysia.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire survey was conducted with 99 respondents in selected hospitals in Selangor, Malaysia.FindingsThis study aims to discover the perception of PWDs towards FM service quality, and it has found a gap for improvement. The area that requires the highest attention includes the importance of (1) assurance on accessibility despite maintenance activity being conducted (2) criticality of facilities maintenance itself, (3) assurance on comfort and safety, (4) reliable medium to ask for assistance or giving feedback, (5) signage that is clearly seen and easily understood and (6) staff responsiveness.Research limitations/implicationsThis instrument is validated by PWDs under the physical disability category only, specifically in the hospital context. Future research is recommended to identify the FM service quality aspect for different categories of disability (sensory, mental or intellectual impairment).Practical implicationsThe findings provide evidence for FM to consider PWDs' perceptions in FM strategy development. Even FM provides a healthcare support system. FM service quality partly reflects healthcare service quality.Social implicationsAccommodating the need of PWDs through the improvement of FM service quality aspect will partly fulfil the right of PWDs for equality of access to healthcare.Originality/valueThis SERVQUAL tools can be improvised and used to measure the perception of PWDs on FM service quality systematically and holistically. Understanding the service quality aspect is important for a facility manager to precisely measure and prioritise what is truly important to the building users with special needs and try to accommodate this need in the management activity.

Does deal size moderate the effects of board faultlines? Evidence from acquisitions

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Tidbury ◽  
Steven F. Cahan ◽  
Li Chen
Keyword(s):  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Strategic Decisions ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Instrumental Variable Analysis

Purpose Board faultlines, which reflect intrinsic divisions of board members into relatively homogeneous subgroups, are associated with poor firm performance. This paper aims to extend the existing board faultline research by examining how acquisition deal size moderates the negative implications of board faultlines. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses a sample of acquisitions and a quantitative research approach to conduct statistical analysis. Findings Using a sample of acquisitions announced between 2007 and 2016, this paper finds evidence suggesting that strong faultlines are associated with poorer acquisition outcomes in the long-term, but not in the short term. Further, this paper finds that the effect of faultline strength on long-term acquisition outcomes is weaker for larger acquisition deals than smaller acquisition deals. The findings are consistent with deal size moderating the relation between faultlines and acquisition outcomes. Research limitations/implications This paper addresses possible endogeneity through firm fixed effects and instrumental variable analysis. Although this paper provides evidence on the moderating role of deal size in the context of faultlines, future research could examine the role of additional moderators, such as pro-diversity, trust, board leadership and board and task characteristics. Practical implications The findings suggest that boards need to be aware of situations where the negative effects of faultlines are more likely to come to the fore. For example, faultlines are more likely to play a role in more routine, obscure monitoring than for high-profile strategic decisions. Originality/value The study is multidisciplinary as it draws on the management, organizational behaviour and psychology and finance literature. It contributes to the developing literature on faultlines in several important ways. First, this paper supports their view that faultlines have adverse effects on board performance by showing that faultlines negatively impact discrete strategic investment decisions. Second, this paper provides evidence that deals size moderates the faultline-acquisition performance relation, indicating that the role of faultlines is contextual. Third, this paper finds evidence that suggests investors do not factor in board faultlines when responding to acquisition announcements.

Artisan entrepreneurship: a systematic literature review and research agenda

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 592-614 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Pret ◽  
Aviel Cogan
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Reciprocal Relationship ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Entrepreneurship Research ◽  
Holistic Treatment ◽  
Entrepreneurial Behaviour

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review and critique the extant body of literature on artisan entrepreneurship and to develop a research agenda for future studies based on the identified trends and themes. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review (SLR) was undertaken across 96 journals ranked by the Association of Business Schools. The initial search yielded 86 papers. Further scrutiny of these studies led to the development of exclusion criteria, resulting in a refined list of 32 articles which advance understanding of artisan entrepreneurship. Using an open coding approach, this SLR then identified seven core themes and 16 sub-themes which the extant literature examines. Findings This SLR finds that artisan entrepreneurship research contributes to understanding of entrepreneurial behaviour, context, motivation, development, resources, diversity and classification. It provides timely insights into coopetition practices, the reciprocal relationship between place and entrepreneurship and the coexistence of social and economic goals. It also reveals characteristics which facilitate venture development, discovers the mutability of various forms of capital, highlights the necessity of studying diverse experiences and identifies benefits and limits of typologies. Main elements of the resulting research agenda include calls for more quantitative research, further attention to context and more holistic treatment of a wider variety of stories. Originality/value This paper presents the first SLR of craft and artisan entrepreneurship research. It not only identifies, analyses and critiques the main streams in the literature, therefore providing an overview of the state of the field, but also highlights areas where this scholarship contributes to understanding of entrepreneurship and upon which future research can build. Artisan entrepreneurship is thus established as worthy of investigation in its own right and as an appropriate context in which to explore entrepreneurial processes. Furthermore, this SLR presents an agenda for future research to advance understanding of artisan entrepreneurship.

When and why organizational cynicism leads to CWBs

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saima Naseer ◽  
Usman Raja ◽  
Fauzia Syed ◽  
Muhammad Usman Anwar Baig
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Exhaustion ◽  
Service Industry ◽  
Psychological Capital ◽  
Counterproductive Work Behaviors ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Conservation Of Resources ◽  
Work Behaviors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Cynicism ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeUsing conservation of resources theory (COR), the authors test the combined effects of cynicism and psychological capital on counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs) mediated through emotional exhaustion.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use a time-lagged independent source sample (N = 181) consisting of employee–peer dyads from service industry in Pakistan.FindingsModerated mediated regression analyses indicated that emotional exhaustion mediates the relationship between organizational cynicism and counterproductive work behaviors. Psychological capital moderates the relationship between organizational cynicism and emotional exhaustion such that organizational cynicism is positively related to exhaustion when psychological capital is low. Furthermore, conditional indirect effects show that emotional exhaustion mediates the relationship between organizational cynicism and counterproductive work behaviors only when employees' psychological capital is low.Originality/valueThe study suggests new mechanisms and boundary conditions through which cynicism triggers CWBs. The authors discuss the implications of the study’s findings and suggest possible directions for future research.

scholarly journals Cannabis festivals and their attendees in four European cities with different national cannabis policies

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 138-154
Author(s):  
Kostas Skliamis ◽  
Dirk J. Korf
Keyword(s):  
High Frequency ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Cannabis Use ◽  
Social Constructions ◽  
Music Festivals ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Capital Cities ◽  
Music Festival ◽  
The Social

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to: describe and contextualize the aims and distinctive and common characteristics of cannabis festivals in countries with different cannabis policies; assess characteristics of participants; identify reasons to attend cannabis festivals; explore to which extent cannabis festivals contribute to the social and cultural acceptance of cannabis, as perceived by attendees. Design/methodology/approach The approach incorporates three methods of data collection in the research design; quantitative research among 1,355 participants, participant observation and interviews with the organizers. Findings Cannabis festivals in Amsterdam, Berlin, Rome and Athens have common features but also maintain and reproduce local, social and cultural characteristics. Cannabis festivals, as well as their attendees, represent heterogeneous categories. The style of the festival – music festival or march combined with music – affects the main reason for attendance by the participants. In cannabis festivals more similar to music festivals the majority of the respondents attended for entertainment while at the cannabis festivals in the form of a march combined with music the majority attended for protest. Furthermore, increasing age, residency and the high frequency of cannabis use are factors that led the participants to attend for protest. Originality/value The research on cannabis festivals is limited. This paper not only explores the aims of cannabis festivals in four capital cities of Europe and the characteristics of their attendees including motivations, but also offers interesting insights for understanding the ways in which political and social constructions like cannabis festivals shape attitudes, perception and behaviors around cannabis use.

Research challenges for the use of big data in policy-making

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 593-604
Author(s):  
Francesco Mureddu ◽  
Juliane Schmeling ◽  
Eleni Kanellou
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Public Governance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Challenges ◽  
Data Informed

Purpose This paper aims to present pertinent research challenges in the field of (big) data-informed policy-making based on the research, undertaken within the course of the European Union-funded project Big Policy Canvas. Technological advancements, especially in the past decade, have revolutionised the way that both every day and complex activities are conducted. It is, thus, expected that a particularly important actor such as the public sector, should constitute a successful disruption paradigm through the adoption of novel approaches and state-of-the-art information and communication technologies. Design The research challenges stem from a need, trend and asset assessment based on qualitative and quantitative research, as well as from the identification of gaps and external framework factors that hinder the rapid and effective uptake of data-driven policy-making approaches. Findings The current paper presents a set of research challenges categorised in six main clusters, namely, public governance framework, privacy, transparency, trust, data acquisition, cleaning and representativeness, data clustering, integration and fusion, modelling and analysis with big data and data visualisation. Originality/value The paper provides a holistic overview of the interdisciplinary research challenges in the field of data-informed policy-making at a glance and shall serve as a foundation for the discussion of future research directions in a broader scientific community. It, furthermore, underlines the necessity to overcome isolated scientific views and treatments because of a high complex multi-layered environment.

Retail shopper marketing: the future of promotional flyers

2015 ◽  
Vol 43 (6) ◽  
pp. 488-502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina Ziliani ◽  
Marco Ieva
Keyword(s):  
Planning Process ◽  
Functional Integration ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Management Process ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Shopper Marketing ◽  
Electronic Intermediaries ◽  
Functional Teams

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the recent evolution of store flyers to illustrate how a tool of traditional marketing can be applied to generate insight on customer “couch-to-cart” behaviour thus supporting an innovating shopper marketing approach. The authors support this position by elaborating on three themes: first, the recent evolution of flyers, driven by incorporation of customer insight derived from loyalty data and by new features enabled by flyer digitalization; second, the evolution of the flyer planning and management process, related to opportunities and challenges in the retailer organisational structure; and third, the rise of online flyer aggregators. Design/methodology/approach – The authors used field interviews. The authors included the perspectives of different subjects involved in planning and delivering flyer-based promotions. Secondary data were also collected regarding flyer activities of a sample of 67 retail groups across 15 countries and four industries. Findings – Critical aspects of flyers as retail marketing tools emerged. The authors found that there are changes taking place in flyer-based promotion caused by “fertilisation” by loyalty data and digital that have not been captured by research so far. Retailers are experimenting with flyer aggregators. These infomediaries generate new insight on various aspects of the shopping cycle. Retailers can use these metrics to improve flyer strategy and negotiation with suppliers. The authors shed light on obstacles that prevent exploitation of shopper marketing benefits and value. Among the managerial challenges the authors found retailer organisation and management and functional integration. Research limitations/implications – The paper points to four areas for future research: promotion innovation, electronic intermediaries, marketing organisation and competition. Research questions are suggested. Practical implications – This study contributes to retail management by identifying best practices that support promotional campaign development in a shopper marketing perspective. The authors provide suggestions around the incorporation of loyalty data in the flyer planning process and the creation of inter-functional teams. Originality/value – Academic research has long addressed flyer-based promotion, but has not linked it to innovation or shopper marketing. Little or no attention has been paid to the flyer management process and its organisational dimensions, nor to digital flyers.

The role of work authenticity in linking strengths use to career satisfaction and proactive behavior: a two-wave study

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 617-630
Author(s):  
Makoto Matsuo
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Career Satisfaction ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Proactive Behavior ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Strengths Use

PurposeAlthough positive psychology asserts that authenticity comes from identifying and using our strengths, no quantitative research has been conducted to test that relationship. This study aims to examine the mediating role of work authenticity in linking strengths use to career satisfaction and proactive behavior.Design/methodology/approachUsing a two-wave survey with nurses in two large, acute hospitals in Japan (n = 298), a structural equation model was produced.FindingsThe results show that work authenticity fully mediated between strengths use and career satisfaction, and that work authenticity partially mediated between strengths use and proactive behavior.Research limitations/implicationsAs work authenticity, career satisfaction and proactive behavior were measured at time 2, it is desirable to conduct a three-wave survey to measure these variables separately in future research.Practical implicationsIt may be imperative to recognize that employees who use their strengths are satisfied with their careers only by enhancing authenticity at work.Originality/valueThe main contribution of this study was to identify the mediating role of work authenticity in linking strengths use to both career-related well-being and proactive work behaviors.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document