Importance of women's political skill in male-dominated organizations

2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 206-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marla Baskerville Watkins ◽  
Alexis Nicole Smith

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to investigate whether or not political skill helps women working in a male-dominated environment to obtain positions with authority. Design/methodology/approach – Surveys were emailed to female lawyers working full-time in a variety of law firms across the USA. Participants were 140 lawyers with an average of ten years of practicing law. Findings – In support of their hypotheses, the authors found that when working in male-dominated organizations, women with high levels of political skill fared better than women with low levels of political skill in terms of obtaining positions with authority. Research limitations/implications – Because the research design was cross-sectional, direction of causality cannot be established. Second, common method bias may have affected the observed relationships. Practical implications – Given that women with political skill may be able to recognize and break down the barriers that are especially present in male-dominated organizations, women and managers alike should consider training to help women understand and enhance their political skill. Social implications – This research highlights the particular challenge of workplace politics for women and presents political skill as a potential solution. Originality/value – This research is the first to demonstrate the benefit of having political skill for women working in male-dominated organizations.

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rupali Singh ◽  
Ginni Chawla ◽  
Sonal Agarwal ◽  
Avani Desai

Purpose The purpose of the paper is to explore the antecedents of employability from the employer’s perspective to provide sustainable employment and to develop a measurement scale. Design/methodology/approach In the study, the survey-based approach has been adopted. The authors developed an instrument following extensive literature review and further pre-tested the instrument with experts drawn from the academics. The data collection was monitored following Dillman’s (2007) total design test method. Finally, 114 usable responses were collected. The data were further tested for normal assumptions. Orthogonal and parsimonious constructs were derived following exploratory factor analysis, and the construct validity was checked using confirmatory factor analysis. Findings The following antecedents of employability were obtained: innovative skills and innovative abilities along with the knowledge, innovative abilities, personality factors, career-building traits, emotional intelligence and efficacy beliefs. Research limitations/implications The authors observed that the present study like other survey-based research has its own limitations. Currently, cross-sectional data were used, which inherit some serious limitations like endogeneity and common method bias. However, utmost care was taken to minimize the effects of endogeneity and common method bias using some suggested measures in the existing literature. Social implications The findings and conclusions are expected to aid students, academicians and practitioners in developing an understanding of employability. Moreover, these antecedents can be developed in graduates along with their higher education as per the requirements of the industry. Originality/value This paper is an attempt to develop a scale for measurement of employability in the education sector.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anusha Sreeram ◽  
Ankit Kesharwani ◽  
Sneha Desai

PurposeThis paper aims to conceptualize and test an integrated model of online grocery buying intention by extending technology acceptance model by adding several antecedents of online grocery shopping behaviour such as physical effort, time pressure, entertainment value, product assortment, economic values, website design aesthetics, etc. The ultimate dependent variable was consumer’s satisfaction with buying process of grocery product via online platform. Design/methodology/approachThe model was tested over online grocery shoppers using structural equation modelling approach. To enhance the validity of the finding, common method bias and social desirability bias were also assessed. FindingsAs product assortment was found to have a significant impact on both perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness, it supports the notion of one-stop solution as a major driver to attract buyers to buy groceries online. Findings also highlight the importance of entertainment value and economic value as key variables which shape the buyer’s satisfaction and purchase loyalty behaviour. Overall, the results support the proposed model. Practical/implicationsThe findings of this study would be helpful for online marketers to get more website visits and to increase conversion rates, i.e. getting their visitors to spend more time on the website and to make purchase. Originality/valueThis integrated framework tested here is quite comprehensive in nature, as it includes the influence of time pressure, physical effort and product assortment on online buying behaviour. These basic yet important variables to study, especially when the industry (online grocery shopping) is still in its nascent stage, are missing from the literature. The present study also involves a rigorous data analysis process followed by assessment of common method bias and psychometric property test. Such approach is rare in existing body of knowledge. The study uses S-O-R framework for hypothesis and model development, which is also rare in context of online grocery shopping.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 789-809 ◽  
Author(s):  
Upasnaa A. Agarwal ◽  
James B. Avey

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the effects of abusive supervision on cyberloafing behavior, to test the mediating role of PsyCap in this relationship and the extent to which these relationships are moderated by psychological contract breach.Design/methodology/approachA total of 394 full-time managers across different Indian organizations served as the sample for this study.FindingsThe results revealed that the abusive supervision and PsyCap are significantly correlated with cyberloafing, the relationship between abusive supervision and cyberloafing is partially mediated by PsyCap and the impact of abusive supervision and PsyCap on cyberloafing is moderated by psychological contract breach such that the effects of abusive supervision and PsyCap on cyberloafing are stronger when employees perceive high psychological contract breach.Research limitations/implicationsA cross-sectional design and use of self-reported questionnaires are a few limitations of this study.Originality/valueThis is one of the first studies examining cyberloafing in response to abusive supervision and one of the few attempts to examine the effects of abusive supervision on individual resources (PsyCap) in response to workplace mistreatment. This study is also the first to examine these phenomena in the Indian context.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yeunjae Lee ◽  
Weiting Tao ◽  
Jo-Yun Queenie Li ◽  
Ruoyu Sun

Purpose This study aims to examine the effects of diversity-oriented leadership and strategic internal communication on employees’ knowledge-sharing behavior during a crisis situation, coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in particular. Integrating knowledge sharing research with internal crisis communication literature as well as self-determination theory, the mediating roles of employees’ intrinsic needs satisfaction are also identified. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was conducted with 490 full-time employees in the USA across industry sectors during the COVID-19 outbreak. Findings Results suggest that diversity-oriented leadership contributes to transparent internal communication during a crisis and increases employees’ satisfaction of autonomy, competence and relatedness needs. Transparent internal communication also increases employees’ intrinsic needs satisfaction, which in turn fosters their job engagement and knowledge-sharing behavior during the crisis. Originality/value This study is one of the earliest studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of diversity-oriented leadership and strategic internal crisis communication in enhancing employees’ knowledge-sharing behavior, especially in the context of COVID-19.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (8) ◽  
pp. 1287-1305
Author(s):  
Emre Burak Ekmekcioglu ◽  
Mahmure Yelda Erdogan ◽  
Alptekin Sokmen

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to test the moderating role of career-enhancing strategies (CESs) in the relationship between career commitment (CC) and subjective career success (CS).Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 217 full-time employees working for three different sectors in Ankara, Turkey. The participants were asked to respond to a self-reported survey. The hypotheses were tested using a hierarchical regression analysis.FindingsThe results indicated that CC had a significant and positive effect on subjective CS. Furthermore, the positive relationship between CC and subjective CS was stronger for employees with a high level of self-nomination and for employees with a high level of networking. However, creating career opportunities did not moderate the effects of CC on subjective CS.Research limitations/implicationsBecause this study had a cross-sectional research design, causality cannot be established among the study variables.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest a better understanding of the way CC is able to affect subjective CS through the networking and self-nomination CESs.Originality/valueThis study is original, in that no previous studies have investigated the moderating role of CESs in the relationship between CC and subjective CS.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-32
Author(s):  
Fang Hong ◽  
Yijing Lin ◽  
Mikyung Jang ◽  
Amanda Tarullo ◽  
Majed Ashy ◽  
...  

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine associations between fear of terrorism and several predictors (gender and nationality) and outcomes (moral disengagement, authoritarianism, aggression and social anxiety) in the USA and South Korean young adults. Of particular interest were the potential moderating and mediating roles of moral disengagement between fear of terrorism and the other outcomes. Design/methodology/approach Samples of 251 college students from the USA and 211 college students from South Korea completed survey packets including measures of fear of terrorism, moral disengagement, authoritarianism, aggression and social anxiety. Findings US participants expressed greater concern about a terrorist threat to their country, while South Koreans worried more about terrorist threats to their family or themselves. Females in both countries reported greater fear of terrorism and social anxiety. In both countries, fear of terrorism was associated with aggression, social anxiety and moral disengagement. Mediation analyses showed that fear of terrorism exerted a significant direct effect and an indirect effect via moral disengagement on aggression and authoritarianism in the US sample. Moderation analyses revealed that moral disengagement moderated the relationship between fear of terrorism and social anxiety in the Korean sample. Research limitations/implications This study has the common limitations of cross-sectional studies; i.e. it cannot prove causal relationships. Practical implications The findings support Albert Bandura’s view that efforts to address the excesses of counterterrorism and other negative outcomes of fear of terrorism, attending to issues of moral disengagement may be helpful. Originality/value The authors findings provide support for the view that fear of terrorism is associated with negative psychological and social outcomes and that moral disengagement can play an important role in those negative outcomes. Moreover, it adds to evidence that the negative role of moral disengagement shows considerable generalizability across gender and two very different cultures.


2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phuong Tran Huy ◽  
Kiyoshi Takahashi

Purpose This study aims to verify the entire process of psychological contract breach (PCB). It investigates organizational variables such as organizational performance, previous employee performance, participative performance appraisal systems and leader power as the antecedents of perceived unfulfilled promises. It then examines whether perceived failure to fulfill contracts leads to the perception of PCB, and the possible moderating impacts of perceived self-fulfillment and individual differences on the relationship. Design/methodology/approach The current study uses cross-sectional design. Data have been collected from 364 full-time employees who enrolled in evening MBA courses in Vietnamese universities. Multiple regression and moderation analyses were used. Findings Participative performance appraisal, past performance, perception of leader’s power and overall organizational performance influenced perceived failure to fulfill promises, which contributed to contract breach. Furthermore, perceived self-fulfillment, equity sensitivity and self-esteem moderated the relationship between perceived failure to fulfill promises and PCB. Research limitations/implications The limitations of the study include a sampling technique which only focuses on MBA students, and cross-sectional research design. Practical implications The study confirms the role of individual traits in the PCB development. Vietnamese companies should collect information concerning employees’ personalities to focus on fulfilling promises that matter most to each type of employees. Originality/value The study distinguishes between perception of unmet promises and PCB. Furthermore, the moderating impacts of perceived self-fulfillment on the relationship between unmet promises and breach were examined.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Stratton ◽  
Michael J. Player ◽  
Ariane Dahlheimer ◽  
Isabella Choi ◽  
Nicholas Glozier

PurposeDiscrimination and bullying contribute to mental ill-health in the workplace. At face value, they would seem linked but are often dealt with by different legislations. Workplace studies generally focus on bullying and population studies on discrimination. The authors aimed to evaluate the prevalence and relationship of discrimination and bullying in a male-dominated workforce, associated factors and relative impact on mental ill-health.Design/methodology/approachAn online cohort survey was conducted amongst employees of an Australian mining company, measuring discrimination, bullying, demographics and workplace and health factors over two months. Cross-sectional and prospective analyses assessed the prevalence of each, their association and their effects on depression and anxiety.FindingsA total of 580 employees (82% male) participated. There was no association between workplace bullying (n = 56, 9.7%) and discrimination (n = 160, 27.6%). Discrimination, but not bullying, was associated with higher depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation and lower well-being and resilience. After controlling for demographic, workplace and health and well-being factors, depression had the main effect on discrimination ß = 0.39, p = 0.003. Discrimination predicted an increase in depression scores at follow-up F (1, 129) = 4.88, p = 0.029.Originality/valueIn this male-dominated industry, discrimination was more prevalent than bullying. Discrimination, but not bullying, was associated with poorer mental health both cross sectionally and prospectively. Supporting the need to assess and manage discrimination and bullying in the workplace independently and the need for interventions to reduce a broader range of adverse interpersonal behaviours.


2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 445-451 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie M. Weidman ◽  
Daniel J. McFarland ◽  
Gulser Meric ◽  
Ilhan Meric

Purpose DuPont financial analysis is generally used in micro-economic studies to compare an individual firm’s financial performance with industry averages. The purpose of this paper is to undertake a macro-economic cross-sectional analysis of the determinants of return-on-equity (ROE) in USA, German and Japanese manufacturing firms. Design/methodology/approach The authors use cross-sectional log-linear multivariate regression analysis to determine the elasticity of ROE to changes in net profit margin (NPM), total assets turnover (TAT) and equity multiplier (EQM) in USA, German and Japanese manufacturing firms. The authors obtain the data for the analysis from the COMPUSTAT Research Insight/Global Vintage database. Findings With data for all manufacturing firms, the authors find that the most important determinant of ROE is NPM in all three countries. The least important determinant of ROE is TAT in the USA and Germany, and EQM in Japan. Electronics is the most important manufacturing industry in all three countries, the authors also apply the analysis to data for the electronics manufacturing firms in the three countries. The authors find that an increase of 10 percent in NPM increases ROE by about 9.8 percent in Germany, by about 8.3 percent in the USA, and by about 6.9 percent in Japan. An increase of 10 percent in TAT increases ROE by about 2.2 percent in Germany and by about 1.5 percent in Japan. An increase of 10 percent in EQM increases ROE by about 1.9 percent in Germany and by about 1.5 percent in the USA. Practical implications The empirical findings of this study can provide useful insights for financial managers regarding the determinants of ROE they should focus on to achieve the greatest impact on ROE. Originality/value DuPont analysis is generally used as a micro-economic tool at the firm level. This study is a macro-economic application of the tool to study the cross-sectional determinants of ROE at the industry level.


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 570-592
Author(s):  
Peter Ekman ◽  
Peter Thilenius ◽  
Steven Thompson ◽  
Jonathan Whitaker

Purpose While much existing research on multinational corporation (MNC) digital transformation has followed a linear design and implementation logic using cross-sectional data, the multiple and divergent needs of headquarters (HQ) and subsidiaries suggest that MNC digital transformation actually involves a more iterative journey. The purpose of this paper is to apply the theoretical perspective of embeddedness to better define the complexities of MNC digital transformation, and identify how HQ and subsidiaries can navigate the complexities. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents a longitudinal multi-case study of five Forbes Global 2000 firms that are HQ in Europe with large subsidiaries in the USA. The authors conducted in-depth interviews with 26 senior executives at HQ and subsidiaries over a 15-month period. Findings The process of digital transformation is significantly influenced by internal embeddedness (relationship of HQ with subsidiaries and across subsidiaries) and external embeddedness (relationship of subsidiaries with their local markets), and also by strategy, financial and technology considerations. While HQ and subsidiaries have different perspectives, an understanding of these influences can help HQ and subsidiaries navigate digital transformation. Research limitations/implications HQ and subsidiaries can apply insights from this research to navigate the complexities of digital transformation. Originality/value This paper demonstrates that embeddedness is a useful theory to understand the complexities of MNC digital transformation.


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