Leadership role and employee acceptance of change

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lara Johannsdottir ◽  
Snjolfur Olafsson ◽  
Brynhildur Davidsdottir
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Resistance To Change ◽  
Insurance Industry ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Leadership Role ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Simple Strategy ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Sustainability Strategies ◽  
Employee Acceptance

Purpose – The change management literature on strategy implementation identifies different dimensions of resistance to change. The contrary view – that of dimensions of acceptance of change when implementing strategy – has received less attention. The purpose of this paper is to explore the implementation of environmental sustainability strategies by Nordic insurers, the role of leadership in implementing these changes, and employee acceptance of change. Design/methodology/approach – For achieving this purpose, this paper reports on an explanatory case study of Nordic non-life insurers, where interviews with insurance executives and specialists were the primary source of data. Findings – The authors have developed simple strategy maps, focusing on insurers’ own operations, product offerings, loss prevention and claims settlements, investments and influence on stakeholders, to show how common elements of environmental strategies are implemented within the insurance industry. The importance of leadership in organizational change is evident in the data, as well as in employees’ positive attitudes towards implementation of environmental sustainability strategies. Originality/value – The scientific contribution of this paper is the empirical mapping of a hitherto unexplored area of the implementation of environmental sustainability strategies within the Nordic insurance industry, highlighting the leadership role in implementing environmental sustainability strategies and the elements shaping employee acceptance of change when implementing environmental sustainability strategies.

Explaining implementation difficulties associated with activity-based costing through system uses

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 181-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elodie Allain ◽  
Claude Laurin
Keyword(s):  
Resistance To Change ◽  
Insurance Industry ◽  
Insurance Company ◽  
Activity Based Costing ◽  
General Applicability ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cost System ◽  
Scope Of Application ◽  
Costing System

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how and why the uses (enabling or controlling) of an activity-based costing system could cause difficulties in implementing such a cost system. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted a case study in a French insurance company. Three successive research periods were undertaken: from March to August 2005, between October 2008 and June 2009, and in 2012. In total, 51 interviews were conducted during these periods. Other useful information was also collected through conversations, observation, and through the consultation of internal documents. Findings The results show that designing a cost system aimed at being simultaneously used in controlling and enabling ways can generate important difficulties. Furthermore, the results show that attempting to get around these difficulties could result in investing significant amounts of resources with no guarantee of success. Research limitations/implications Beyond the difficulties of extending the scope of application of case studies, the study was conducted in an organization involved in the insurance industry which could further limit its general applicability. Practical implications Based on the experience at Rassura, the authors argue that managers should be aware that designing and implementing a cost system that can simultaneously be used in both controlling and enabling ways is a very difficult, if not an insurmountable challenge. Originality/value The results highlight that one important characteristic of a cost system, how it is used, could explain, at least partially, implementation difficulties related to technical challenges, resistance to change and lack of resources.

Prioritizing sustainability strategies for global extractive sector firms

2012 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 615-629 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip R. Walsh
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
Performance Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainability Strategies ◽  
Extractive Sector ◽  
Social Environmental ◽  
Social And Environmental Performance ◽  
Corporate Social

PurposeThis paper seeks to examine the importance of corporate social and environmental initiatives to extractive sector firms and by measuring the level of social, environmental and economic sustainability in 128 countries around the world and applying these measures to a framework comprised of a sustainability indices matrix, and identifying certain strategic approaches to social and environmental practices.Design/methodology/approachThe matrix contains eight categories of sustainability attainment and a k‐means cluster analysis is employed to identify what countries belong to each of these categories and to what extent these clusters identify countries with similar characteristics that may impact the focus of corporate social and environmental performance practices for extractive sector firms wishing to pursue projects in those countries.FindingsThe study finds that, in those jurisdictions where social and environmental sustainability is well established, extractive sector firms are required to deal with established rules and regulations that require a more reactive strategic approach. The various combinations of sustainability levels amongst the many countries around the globe require various combinations of strategies related to corporate social and environmental performance.Practical implicationsThe realization that, today, extractive sector firms who choose to ignore the need for appropriate corporate social and environmental performance are risking increased costs arising from social and environmental damage created by their projects supports the need to create pro‐active strategies for addressing social and environmental responsibility.Originality/valueThis paper's contribution is the development of a framework for measuring the component levels of sustainable development and clustering a large number of countries into specific categories with recommended approaches to social and environmental sustainability strategies.

Leader perceptions and student achievement

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (7) ◽  
pp. 1103-1118
Author(s):  
Seon-Hi Shin ◽  
Charles L. Slater ◽  
Steve Ortiz
Keyword(s):  
Student Achievement ◽  
Resistance To Change ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Leadership Role ◽  
Content Type ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
The Usa ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Quantile Regression Method ◽  
Reading And Mathematics

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine what factors affect student achievement in reading and mathematics. The research questions addressed the perceptions of school principals and background characteristics related to student achievement in Korea and the USA with respect to differences among students in low, middle and high quantiles. Design/methodology/approach Data were taken from the Program for International Student Assessment 2012. Scores in the reading and mathematics were analyzed in conjunction with a principal survey. The Quantile Regression method was used for data analysis with three quantile points. T-statistics were used to test for significance. The predictor set consisted of seven school-leadership variables, and four to six additional covariates. Findings The most important finding for the USA was a relationship between organizational hindrance (HND) and low student achievement for the middle and upper quantiles in mathematics and for all quantiles in reading. The (HND) variable included poor teacher-student relations, low expectation of students, overly strict enforcement of rules, lack of attention to student needs, resistance to change, lateness to class, and lack of preparation. The most important finding for Korea was that there were significant associations across all groups between teacher attitude (TCHATT) and student reading achievement and with the low group in mathematics. Research limitations/implications This study adds to knowledge about school capacity and suggests that the leadership role of the principal is to overcome negative environmental factors and create a positive organization. Originality/value The non-Gaussian approach of regression analysis allowed us to identify significant differences that we otherwise might not have found.

Environmental sustainability out of the loop in Lebanese universities

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (01) ◽  
pp. 49-67
Author(s):  
Mireille Chidiac El Hajj ◽  
Richard Abou Moussa ◽  
May Chidiac
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Leadership Role ◽  
Educational Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Good ◽  
Out Of The Loop ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Right

Purpose Education is foundational for creating caring sustainable leaders and organizations. This paper aims to investigate whether historically eminent Lebanese universities are integrating sustainability courses and practices in their curriculum, and to discern whether these universities’ administrators are currently providing, or plan to provide, positive educational experience through addressing sustainability concepts and tools in their respective universities. Design/methodology/approach The authors based their qualitative study on a multimodal design for explorative and recommendation purposes. The review of literature and online search facilitated setting standards and benchmarking. Face-to-face interviews and observation corroborated the findings and provided insight. The information was systematically ordered to tackle sustainability as a product and as a process on different campuses. All research was subject to ethical clearance from the studied subjects. Findings Compiling the input from all participants revealed that there is an urgent need to reform universities’ products and processes, in addition to a necessary call for support from governmental entities. The seeds of environmental sustainability are present in varying degrees in universities that have been continuously functional in the service of higher education in Lebanon for a period of 50 years or more. Research limitations/implications The lack of contextual, comprehensive models, toward which change can be geared, presents a limitation to this work. Another limitation is that this study was restricted to historically prominent universities with the valid assumption that they play a leadership role in higher education. More universities should be investigated to further validate the findings, to complement this project and to allow for generalizability and comparison with initial findings. Practical implications More focus is needed to prepare present students and the future community to rely on available resources. The paper outlines the need to change the educational approach in Lebanese universities. It addresses a call to the administrators of all universities to provide the right policies, tools, materials and other resources to help sustainability. Social implications Universities are called to play a major role especially in inspiring and teaching sustainability concepts. It is worth noting that education can be seen as a social good. If education is well served, it can create jobs, generate high revenues and raise standards of living. But serving the education “well” may require disruption of the status quo, which, if done creatively, will lead to novel approaches and solutions that outweigh the disruption itself. Originality/value This paper has exposed the status quo of universities vis-à-vis sustainability, but it has also challenged “what is”, and opened up possibilities of what “could be”. Educational projects should be adapted with the participation of the private sector to stimulate innovation, and experience the lived dimension of sustainability. Implementing such a change represents the bridge between current and needed ways of thinking required by the new environment.

Larger and better

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 178-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathalie Spielmann
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Foreign Direct Investments ◽  
Competitive Advantages ◽  
Firm Characteristics ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
Attitudes And Practices ◽  
Telephone Interviews ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Sustainability Practices

Purpose Wineries today are faced with the prospect of having to include environmental sustainability into their practices but implementation can be hard, complicated or even undesired. This research aims to examine firm features, specifically winery size and foreign direct investment, as potential sources of variability regarding environmental sustainability attitudes and practices. Design/methodology/approach Questionnaires were administered via telephone interviews with 63 wineries in France. Production surface and wine activities in other countries were the independent variables examined as potentially predicting environmental sustainability attitudes and practices, leading to competitive positioning and perceived firm success. Findings The findings clearly show that bigger wineries are more likely to practice environmental sustainability, but they do not necessarily have more positive attitudes toward environmental sustainability. For winery managers, firm size and environmental sustainability practices interact because they are perceived to lead to competitive advantages such as augmented product quality and better innovations. Larger firms are also more sensitive to micro pressures emanating from customers, competitors and distributors regarding environmental sustainability. Finally, wineries engaging in foreign direct investments have more positive attitudes toward and engage in more environmental sustainability practices than firms that remain domestic. Originality/value Rather than comparing firms that are environmentally sustainable versus firms that are not, this research examined actual firm characteristics that may influence management’s propensity to engage in environmental sustainability practices. This research provides explanations for why there are augmented environmental sustainability practices by larger wineries and the sources of subjective norms encouraging larger wineries, versus smaller wineries, to practice environmental sustainability.

scholarly journals Evaluating the environmental sustainability strategies of the housekeeping department: the case of an international hotel chain in Hong Kong

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Choy ◽  
Justin Cheng ◽  
Karl Yu
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Environmentally Friendly ◽  
Policy Enforcement ◽  
Frontline Employees ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainability Strategies ◽  
Luxury Hotel ◽  
Employment Equality ◽  
Hotel Chain

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to use the case of an international luxury hotel chain in Hong Kong to present the general environmentally-friendly practices in housekeeping. Six in-depth interviews were conducted with the housekeeping department staff to evaluate the effectiveness of the Hotel’s environmental sustainability practices by analysing their benefits and limitations. Results reveal that all informants acknowledged the environmental sustainability strategies adopted by the Hotel, which can benefit stakeholders. Despite multiple green practices in hotel housekeeping, several strategies may not be as significant as expected with misaligned expectations from the management and the actual practices may create excessive workload for frontline room attendants with a lack of policy enforcement and supportive policies. Therefore, hotels should keep a mutual communication between the management and frontline employees prior to conducting environmentally- and employee-friendly practices. Given the labour-intensive nature of the hotel industry, the housekeeping department should ensure employment equality policy is in place with adequate environmentally friendly support for employees.

Gift of the gab

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 10-13
Keyword(s):  
Resistance To Change ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Competitive Edge ◽  
Sustainability Strategies ◽  
Sustainability Strategy ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
Sustainability Initiatives ◽  
Societal Expectations ◽  
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 Sustainability is growing in importance. Firms have to comply with societal expectations and become more sustainable as a means of gaining a competitive edge. Resistance to change within the organization is common though. Key individuals can, however, gain support for sustainability initiatives through the use of various discursive practices. By deploying certain rhetorical devices, it is possible to persuade company decision-makers of the merits of pursuing specific sustainability strategies. In addition, a manager’s background should be considered, as this might increase their attraction toward a specific sustainability strategy. 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.

Environmental sustainability of off-site manufacturing: a literature review

2019 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Hu ◽  
Heap-Yih Chong
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainability Strategies ◽  
Research Themes ◽  
Holistic Understanding ◽  
The Future

Purpose Off-site manufacturing (OSM) is a modern method of construction that brings various environmental sustainability benefits for stakeholders. The increasing take-up of OSM in practice has attracted much research interest in its environmental sustainability. However, a holistic understanding of these previous research studies is still lacking. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to critically review the existing body of knowledge regarding the environmental sustainability of OSM. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative content analysis was adopted to systematically and objectively review 55 related historical studies. Findings Three research themes were identified, including environmental sustainability assessment and performance, environmental sustainability strategies and critical environmental sustainability factors. A detailed discussion of the three themes was conducted to depict a whole picture of the current explorations in the research field. Additionally, a research framework was developed to articulate the interrelationship between the research themes and their specific research topics. Scientific research gaps were identified together with the future research directions in terms of sustainability strategies, performance impacting factors, sustainability indicators and drawbacks resulted from OSM application. Originality/value The literature review promotes construction stakeholders’ in-depth understanding about the environmental sustainability of OSM, which offers valuable implications for green industry practice. Additionally, it highlights the future research trends, which facilitates further explorations in the research area.

The content of the nurses in the lead programme for empowering community nurse leadership in implementing evidence

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth Vogel ◽  
Gerrie Bours ◽  
Petra Erkens ◽  
Silke Metzelthin ◽  
Sandra Zwakhalen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Resistance To Change ◽  
Quality Care ◽  
Leadership Role ◽  
Community Nurse ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Functional Activities ◽  
Nurse Leadership ◽  
Background Theory

Purpose This study aims to provide a detailed description of the nurses in the lead (NitL) programme for empowering community nurse leadership in implementing evidence. Design/methodology/approach The NitL programme is described using the template for intervention description and replication-checklist. Findings The NitL programme consists of two components. The first component is a systematic approach with implementation steps and tools to empower community nurses in implementing evidence targeted at encouraging functional activities of older adults offered via a Web-based eLearning programme. The second component is training to empower community nurses in enabling team members to change their practice, which focussed on motivational interviewing, influencing behaviour, dealing with resistance to change and coaching delivered as a combination of group training in practice and background theory via a web-based eLearning programme. Research limitations/implications Further research is needed to evaluate the feasibility and effects of the NitL programme. Practical implications The NitL programme has been developed in cooperation with community nurses to meet their needs in practice and has the potential to develop leadership for the core tasks of community nurses. Originality/value The NitL programme has been developed to empower the leadership of community nurses in implementing evidence targeted at encouraging functional activities of older adults. The leadership role of community nurses is key for delivering high-quality care and implementing evidence within the community care setting for encouraging functional activities of older adults to preserve their independence.

The 2016 Police and Crime Commissioner elections

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 41-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Joyce
Keyword(s):  
Public Awareness ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Source Material ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Social ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Government

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the 2016 elections for Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and to compare them with those that took place in 2012. It seeks to evaluate the background of the candidates who stood for office in 2016, the policies that they put forward, the results of the contests and the implications of the 2016 experience for future PCC elections. Design/methodology/approach This paper is based around several key themes – the profile of candidates who stood for election, preparations conducted prior to the contests taking place, the election campaign and issues raised during the contests, the results and the profile of elected candidates. The paper is based upon documentary research, making particular use of primary source material. Findings The research establishes that affiliation to a political party became the main route for successful candidates in 2016 and that local issues related to low-level criminality will dominate the future policing agenda. It establishes that although turnout was higher than in 2012, it remains low and that further consideration needs to be devoted to initiatives to address this for future PCC election contests. Research limitations/implications The research focusses on the 2016 elections and identifies a number of key issues that emerged during the campaign affecting the conduct of the contests which have a bearing on future PCC elections. It treats these elections as a bespoke topic and does not seek to place them within the broader context of the development of the office of PCC. Practical implications The research suggests that in order to boost voter participation in future PCC election contests, PCCs need to consider further means to advertise the importance of the role they perform and that the government should play a larger financial role in funding publicity for these elections and consider changing the method of election. Social implications The rationale for introducing PCCs was to empower the public in each police force area. However, issues that include the enhanced importance of political affiliation as a criteria for election in 2016 and the social unrepresentative nature of those who stood for election and those who secured election to this office in these contests coupled with shortcomings related to public awareness of both the role of PCCs and the timing of election contests threaten to undermine this objective. Originality/value The extensive use of primary source material ensures that the subject matter is original and its interpretation is informed by an academic perspective.

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