Agile, adaptive leaders

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blair McPherson
Keyword(s):  
Business Environment ◽  
County Council ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Content Type ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Public Sector Organization ◽  
Large Complex ◽  
Complex Organization ◽  
Changing Role

Purpose – This paper aims to illustrate what agile management looks like, why it is increasingly necessary and how it can be developed and supported. Design/methodology/approach – This is a case study from a large complex organization (Lancashire County Council) showing how management restructuring increased managers ' spans of responsibility, moving them out of their professional comfort zones, and how in response, the organization identified, supported and developed agile leadership. Findings – Agile, adaptive leaders are able to move quickly and easily from one area of management to another, able to manage a diverse range of complex services and able to quickly and smoothly adapt to a fast-changing business environment. Research limitations/implications – This is a case study from a large complex public sector organization, but the need for agile and adaptive leaders applies equally to the private and not-for-profit sectors. Originality/value – This paper offers insights into the changing role of management across a diverse range of services and provides an example of how organizations can successfully respond.

Knowledge acquisition via internet-enabled platforms

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charmaine Glavas ◽  
Shane Mathews ◽  
Rebekah Russell-Bennett
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Acquisition ◽  
International Business ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Study Methodology ◽  
Flow Of Information

Purpose Technology has profoundly transformed the international business environment, particularly regarding the flow of information and the way in which knowledge is acquired and shared. Yet, the extent of this transformation is still underappreciated. The purpose of this paper is to examine how small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) owner/founders acquire and utilize knowledge for internationalization via internet-enabled platforms. Design/methodology/approach The empirical analysis draws on multiple case study methodology to examine 13 Australian SME owner/founders and the knowledge they acquire from utilization of internet-enabled platforms. Findings The analysis reveals four differing types of internet-enabled experiences: “technical internet-enabled experiences,” “operational internet-enabled experiences,” “functional internet-enabled experiences,” and “immersive internet-enabled experiences.” The findings indicate that internet-enabled experiences can generate both explicit and tacit forms of knowledge for the pre, early and later phases of internationalization. Practical implications The findings provide a structured approach by allowing SMEs to “plot” themselves against the classification of internet-enabled experiences to denote their level of technological involvement, and for discerning the types of knowledge that can be acquired. The findings are particularly helpful for owner/founders, highlighting that internet-enabled platforms are affecting the ways in which knowledge can be acquired and applied to international businesses processes. Originality/value The findings extend the conventional notion of knowledge acquisition for international business by highlighting how information and knowledge can be acquired via internet-enabled platforms. The findings lay the necessary groundwork for building an evidence base and theoretically extending the concept of knowledge acquisition via internet-enabled platforms.

scholarly journals How performance measurement influences stakeholders in not-for-profit organizations

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (9) ◽  
pp. 1164-1184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haley Allison Beer ◽  
Pietro Micheli
Keyword(s):  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Institutional Logics ◽  
Performance Goals ◽  
Content Type ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Not For Profit ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Uk

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the influences of performance measurement (PM) on not-for-profit (NFP) organizations’ stakeholders by studying how PM practices interact with understandings of legitimate performance goals. This study invokes institutional logics theory to explain interactions between PM and stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach An in-depth case study is conducted in a large NFP organization in the UK. Managers, employees, and external partners are interviewed and observed, and performance-related documents analyzed. Findings Both stakeholders and PM practices are found to have dominant institutional logics that portray certain goals as legitimate. PM practices can reinforce, reconcile, or inhibit stakeholders’ understandings and propensity to act toward goals, depending on the extent to which practices share the dominant logic of the stakeholders they interact with. Research limitations/implications A theoretical framework is proposed for how PM practices first interact with stakeholders at a cognitive level and second influence action. This research is based on a single case study, which limits generalizability of findings; however, results may be transferable to other environments where PM is aimed at balancing competing stakeholder objectives and organizational priorities. Practical implications PM affects the experience of stakeholders by interacting with their understanding of legitimate performance goals. PM systems should be designed and implemented on the basis of both their formal ability to represent organizational aims and objectives, and their influence on stakeholders. Originality/value Findings advance PM theory by offering an explanation for how PM influences attention and actions at an individual micro level.

Networks as systems

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allan Best ◽  
Alex Berland ◽  
Trisha Greenhalgh ◽  
Ivy L. Bourgeault ◽  
Jessie E. Saul ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Network Theory ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Human Resources For Health ◽  
Flexible Structures ◽  
Communication Strategy ◽  
Global Network ◽  
World Health ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Large Complex

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a case study of the World Health Organization’s Global Healthcare Workforce Alliance (GHWA). Based on a commissioned evaluation of GHWA, it applies network theory and key concepts from systems thinking to explore network emergence, effectiveness, and evolution to over a ten-year period. The research was designed to provide high-level strategic guidance for further evolution of global governance in human resources for health (HRH). Design/methodology/approach Methods included a review of published literature on HRH governance and current practice in the field and an in-depth case study whose main data sources were relevant GHWA background documents and key informant interviews with GHWA leaders, staff, and stakeholders. Sampling was purposive and at a senior level, focusing on board members, executive directors, funders, and academics. Data were analyzed thematically with reference to systems theory and Shiffman’s theory of network development. Findings Five key lessons emerged: effective management and leadership are critical; networks need to balance “tight” and “loose” approaches to their structure and processes; an active communication strategy is key to create and maintain support; the goals, priorities, and membership must be carefully focused; and the network needs to support shared measurement of progress on agreed-upon goals. Shiffman’s middle-range network theory is a useful tool when guided by the principles of complex systems that illuminate dynamic situations and shifting interests as global alliances evolve. Research limitations/implications This study was implemented at the end of the ten-year funding cycle. A more continuous evaluation throughout the term would have provided richer understanding of issues. Experience and perspectives at the country level were not assessed. Practical implications Design and management of large, complex networks requires ongoing attention to key issues like leadership, and flexible structures and processes to accommodate the dynamic reality of these networks. Originality/value This case study builds on growing interest in the role of networks to foster large-scale change. The particular value rests on the longitudinal perspective on the evolution of a large, complex global network, and the use of theory to guide understanding.

Developing internationalisation strategies, University of Winchester, UK

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 171-184
Author(s):  
Richard Hugh Neale ◽  
Alasdair Spark ◽  
Joy Carter
Keyword(s):  
Common Good ◽  
Student Mobility ◽  
Institutional Development ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Global Issues ◽  
Comprehensive Survey ◽  
Internationalisation Strategies ◽  
International Engagement

Purpose Internationalisation has been a theme in UK higher education for a decade or more. The review of this paper, a practice-based case study, is to find how Winchester formulated two successive internationalisation strategies. Design/methodology/approach The strategies were developed using a research-oriented method: grounded in the literature and an institutional development model, the work included a comprehensive survey of the university’s existing international engagement, two rounds of structured discussions with senior staff, and a formal organisational development process. Findings The survey of the university’s international engagement was a most useful exercise. It revealed a substantial and diverse range of engagement which provided confidence that the aim to be a “fully internationalised university” was realistic. There was general agreement that Winchester must demonstrate strong levels of engagement through five strategic priorities related to: curriculum and student mobility; European Union/international staff and students; collaboration with international organisations; academic and social integration of students and staff; coordination of practices and processes. Research limitations/implications This is a case study of one UK university. Practical implications The process by which the strategies were developed should be relevant to other universities. Social implications Winchester is “Values Driven University”: “We value freedom, justice, truth, human rights and collective effort for the common good”. Internationalisation is consistent with these values, fostering an understanding of diverse cultures and an awareness of global issues. Originality/value The authors found no published work describing such a structured and participative process for developing internationalisation strategies within a university.

Leveraging resource ecologies for sustainability transitions – a waste management case

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rumy Narayan ◽  
Annika Tidström
Keyword(s):  
Waste Management ◽  
Social Intelligence ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Continuous Process ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Management Program ◽  
Single Case Study ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Content Type

Purpose Addressing fundamental sustainability challenges has now become strategic for multi-national corporations. However, such challenges by their very nature are complex and require resources that are frequently beyond those that are traditionally accepted as relevant and crucial to a firm’s core business operations. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how firms identify and integrate diverse groups of actors using social intelligence to build an ecology of resources to tackle these complex challenges. Design/methodology/approach The empirical part is based on qualitative single case study research of a packaging company and its waste management program. Findings Organizing for sustainability requires business activities to be conceptualized as a continuous process of project building, involving actors in diverse settings and responsibilities divided thematically and spatially forming nets within a network to solve problems, collectively. There is a fundamental analytical problem of integrating a diversity of value spheres, and society has a set of rational methods for planning and action where decisions are made to privilege one aspect to the exclusion of others. Artificial separation of activities that are interdependent and failure to allow these activities to evolve through interactions in time and space could threaten sustainability. Research limitations/implications This is a single case study within a certain context, therefore ways for orchestrating resource ecologies need further investigation. Practical implications For managers, it is very important to recognize and appreciate the interconnectedness of resource ecologies but also that interactions resulting in joint actions can often have different rewards and benefits for the diverse range of actors implicated in such networks. This kind of social intelligence offers managers options to experiment with transitional pathways that match the objectives of diverse network actors and provide unique resource combinations for building competitive advantage. There is only so much that is under the control of managers or even firms, which means both must embrace uncertainty and the phenomenon of emergence. Social implications From a societal perspective, the findings of the study show how the open and transparent activities for the sustainability of one firm spread through different layers of the society through connecting, sharing and developing resources. Therefore, it is important for societies to enable and support the open sharing of resources for sustainability. Investments in large programs for transitions to sustainability tend to spread from a focal company into various projects for sustainability involving several layers of actors within society. This ensures that awareness, behaviors and attitudes related with sustainability become rooted in society and give rise to valuable innovations. Originality/value This study illustrates how resources are created and shaped through nets during transitions toward sustainability using social intelligence.

Employee resource groups as learning communities

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (7) ◽  
pp. 634-648 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy M. Green
Keyword(s):  
Learning Communities ◽  
Learning And Development ◽  
Content Type ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Employee Resource Groups ◽  
Executive Level

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of employee resource groups (ERGs) in a multi-national, for-profit corporation. The paper focuses on how ERGs facilitate learning. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative case study approach was used to examine six social identity based ERGs in one multi-national for-profit organization headquartered in the USA. Findings The study found that ERGs facilitate learning and development activities in order to support their membership. ERGs, operating as communities of practice, also engaged in informal learning opportunities that were designed to shift perspectives of non-members and executive-level leaders in the organization. Originality/value There is a growing body of literature on ERGs across organizations and higher education that examine how these groups engage in activism, advocacy, recruitment, retention and education. This study examines the processes by which these groups facilitate learning and development activities and the benefits perceived by the membership. The paper provides value to human resources professionals and others who are interested in how ERGs function as learning communities and outcomes the membership perceive as most important.

scholarly journals Succeeding in international competition by making use of home-country institutions

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eli Moen
Keyword(s):  
International Business ◽  
Home Country ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Industrial Relations ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Successful Case ◽  
Low Cost Carrier ◽  
Present Case Study

Purpose – This paper aims to addresses the question how a low-cost carrier (LCC) embedded in a coordinated market economy is succeeding in a highly competitive industry with a strong cost focus. Design/methodology/approach – This paper reports the results of a case study of a LCC (Norwegian Air Shuttle). The case study draws on both organizational and institutional theory as to how the international business environment and the national institutional framework continuously impact on its strategies. Findings – It is found that home-country high wage levels and strong labour regulation have been overcome by developing firm-specific capabilities based on active employee involvement which aligns with the tradition of the national system of industrial relations. Research limitations/implications – The present case study provides an input for further research on how actors deal with conflicting pressures. It supports the varieties of capitalism (VOC) argument that national institutional arrangements influence firms and actors’ strategies and practices, but it also supports the call within institutional theories for a more malleable conceptualizing of the link between actors and institutions than is the case in the VOC models. Originality/value – The paper provides an account of a successful case in a highly competitive international business despite disadvantages linked with home-country institutions.

scholarly journals Socio-business responsibility in the Gulf Arab states: the case of the Pearl Initiative

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (8) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Linzi J. Kemp ◽  
Imelda Dunlop
Keyword(s):  
Private Sector ◽  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Business Leaders ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Business And Society ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Arab States ◽  
Gulf Arab

Subject area Leadership, international business, financial reporting, entrepreneurship Study level/applicability The case study is aimed at undergraduate students at a 300 level. Case overview Mr Badr Jafar, co-founder of the Pearl Initiative (PI), is the chief protagonist in this case study set in the Gulf Arab states. He launched this company at the United Nations in September 2010, and the launch was timely, as business leaders were looking to rebuild the global economy following the economic downturn. The Initiative was originally the idea of a number of leading company owners in the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The company vision is to improve business practices for the benefit of business and society in the future, but the context is one of a highly competitive and secretive business environment. The mission of the PI is to improve private sector corporate culture to one of transparency and accountability. The PI approaches that mission through building a network of business leaders in the GCC, particularly those from the family-owned companies in the private sector. A biography of the founder and the background to the founding of the PI is given, followed by a rationale of the company structure. The potential influence of the network of companies and leaders on the socio-business climate is considered. The specific activities are outlined within the strategy of the PI to address four key business areas: anti-bribery and corruption; corporate governance; corporate reporting; and women in leadership The PI focuses on raising awareness about the potential benefits of social entrepreneurship for business and society. To what extent this relatively new model of business can be successful in the context of the GCC is a case dilemma. Key issues: There are two main issues raised in the case study: the rationale for the relatively new business model of social entrepreneurship and the extent to which PI can modify the past and current GCC business environment by addressing the four business areas. Expected learning outcomes Students will be able to: analyze the business case for social entrepreneurship and explain the contribution of PI activities for changing the business environment. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes.

M-Pesa: an evolution in organisational strategy

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (8) ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Mariam Cassim ◽  
Linda Ronnie
Keyword(s):  
Change Management ◽  
Business Model ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Successful Business

Subject area Change Management. Study level/applicability Postgraduate business courses, including MBA courses in change management and human resource management. Case overview This case study emphasises how important it is for organisations operating in today's turbulent and rapidly changing business environment to have an emergent approach to change. It focuses on the dilemmas faced by Hemmanth Singh, the newly appointed Managing Executive responsible for Mobile Commerce at Vodacom South Africa. Singh is responsible for the execution of the new strategy into financial services, the relaunch of M-Pesa into the South African market being the immediate task. The case sets the context for the relaunch of M-Pesa, and the reader is introduced to some of the limitations and challenges experienced by the company when trying to replicate a successful business model from one market to another, especially after an unsuccessful initial launch. Expected learning outcomes After reading and analysing the information contained in the case study and appendices, students should be able to evaluate the critical role that leadership needs to play when introducing and implementing a change initiative at an organisation that is stimulated by evolving external market conditions; understand the importance of adopting an emergent approach to change in current operating conditions; identify the factors that contribute to or hinder the creation and sustainability of an adaptive culture within an organisation; and appreciate the challenges of attempting to replicate a successful business model from one market into another. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes.

Balanced scorecard and emerging strategies

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 25-27
Keyword(s):  
Balanced Scorecard ◽  
Good Deal ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Balanced Scorecard ◽  
Business Change ◽  
Complex Organization ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
Multiple Levels ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings The article “Multi-level strategic alignment within a complex organisation” by Laurie et al. (2016) provides an in-depth look at how a large, complex organization was able to implement the balanced scorecard in multiple levels and phases. Such a case study can teach business change managers a good deal about the theoretical as well as the practical considerations of such an implementation, particularly in the context of the Middle East. Practical implications The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

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