From transactional to transformational

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (7) ◽  
pp. 815-827 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joana Kuntz ◽  
Brendan Davies ◽  
Katharina Naswall

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore whether Chief Executive Officers’ (CEOs) discrepant leadership styles are reflected on CEO succession outcomes, operationalised as changes to employee views of the organisation following the succession. Design/methodology/approach Hypotheses were tested in a sample of 230 employees who completed an online survey at four time points over a three-year period. Linear mixed models analyses tested for significant changes to alignment, participation, learning culture, organisational commitment and engagement perceptions over time. Qualitative data were content-analysed to ascertain the CEOs’ leadership styles and explore employee views of the organisation. Findings While alignment and participation scores did not significantly increase following the CEO succession, learning culture, organisational commitment and engagement increased significantly. Research limitations/implications This study adds to the limited research on CEO succession. It suggests that what renders a succession adaptive or disruptive may be contingent on the leadership styles of outgoing and incoming CEOs. Practical implications The transition from a transactional to a transformational CEO may have a stronger impact on motivational and attitudinal outcomes (e.g. engagement) than on operational outcomes (e.g. alignment). Originality/value This study is the first to longitudinally examine a range employee outcomes of CEO succession considering the incoming and outgoing CEOs’ discrepant leadership styles. It extends the leadership literature by empirically showing that, despite the disruption underlying a succession event, employee views of the organisation improve significantly following the transition from a transactional to a transformational leader.

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ansgar Zerfass ◽  
Dejan Verčič ◽  
Markus Wiesenberg

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the practices of positioning Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and other top executives in the public sphere and approaches to manage their communication activities. Design/methodology/approach – A neo-institutional framework is used to explain the growth of CEO positioning in mediatisated societies. Research questions are derived from previous research and tested in a quantitative online survey with 512 heads of corporate communication in 21 countries across Europe and a qualitative survey with 42 communication leaders in 12 countries. Findings – The majority of companies position their CEOs and/or other top executives, but only a minority guide these activities through a sound management process. European CEOs are primarily presented based on their functional and ethical competencies. A minority of communication leaders prefer the uniform positioning of their CEOs in different markets; others argue for localised approaches. More companies in high-power distance countries have a specific communication strategy for their CEOs, compared to companies in low-power distance countries. Significant differences were also identified between listed and privately owned companies. Research limitations/implications – The study indicates the importance of CEO positioning from the perspective of corporate communication leaders. Investigating the expectations and experiences of CEOs themselves might provide additional insights. Originality/value – The paper presents the first large-scale study on CEO positioning, informs practitioners on the state of practice in Europe and identifies knowledge that can be integrated into education of business and communications students alike.


2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 26-35
Author(s):  
Saul Berman ◽  
Steven Davidson ◽  
Kazuaki Ikeda ◽  
Anthony Marshall

PurposeThe IBM Institute for Business Value, which has been conducting Global Chief Executive Officers studies for 15 years, has been reporting on CEO concerns about business and economic disruption and described their efforts to respond to it. But surprisingly, in the 2018 study CEOs also indicate that the shock of disruption is waning. Only 26 percent of the CEOs say new entrants are actually taking market share. 10; 10; 10; Design/methodology/approachThis report is based on input from 2,148 Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), who were interviewed as part of the 19th IBM Global C-suite Study. Both quantitative and qualitative responses were collected from 346 face-to-face meetings and 1,802 in-person phone interviews. To understand how top-performing organizations navigate disruption differently, IBM researchers applied cluster analysis to examine the approaches of three groups of CEOs – Reinventors,. Practitioners and Aspirationals. 10; FindingsMost CEOs see the emergence of platforms and the growing importance of network economics – both scale and scope – as the crucial drivers of future growth. Practical implicationsAlmost six in ten Reinventors co-create new products, services or experiences with their customers. Originality/valueToday’s CEOs have learned to not only accommodate but embrace disruption. Anticipating and responding to sudden and dramatic change has become standard operating procedure. Chief executives from top performing businesses understand that success requires collaboration with partners within ecosystems and on platforms. Indeed, Checklists for leaders are included.


2014 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 447-460 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Fisher ◽  
Jim Gilsinan ◽  
Muhammed Islam ◽  
Neil Seitz

Purpose – This paper aims to address the question of who gained and who lost in the financial crisis of 2008. Design/methodology/approach – Gains and losses were identified by groups ranging from bankers to homeowners to taxpayers. Findings – Gains and losses are not neatly split by a main street/Wall street dichotomy. Major financial institutions and their chief executive officers made huge gains followed by bigger losses, a substantial portion of which were shared by taxpayers. Homeowners and taxpayers consistently lost. Workers and real estate developers experienced a mixture of gains and losses. Practical implications – Financial legislation is affected by questions of who won and who lost. The complex mixture of gains and losses must be fully grasped if winners and losers are an important consideration in the design of legislation. Originality/value – The detailed analysis and model of winners and losers provide important lessons for legislators and regulators in all countries.


2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 268-291 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erno Vanhala ◽  
Jussi Kasurinen ◽  
Kari Smolander

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the peculiarity of computer game organizations and their human resources. It presents a stage model including four phases covering the growth from demo group to full business. This study extends the research on how computer game organizations are formed and what it takes them to grow to financially self-sufficient. The study also broadens the understanding of the beginning phase of an organization. Design/methodology/approach – The paper utilizes the grounded theory research method with 34 interview sessions among 11 computer game organizations. The interviewed persons include chief executive officers, designers and developers. Findings – This paper presents empirical findings on what a computer game organization go through when they evolve from demo group phase, which is not discussed in existing literature, to full business. The authors observed that the core team is formed over a game designer and one or more developers. The team fortifies as the organization moves onwards to next phases. At the same time its reliance on partners and outsourcing changes to need based. Research limitations/implications – As this is a qualitative study the observations are directly applicable only in the context of observed organizations. In the other context they are merely suggestions. Practical implications – The study presents concrete growth model that can be utilized when building a computer game organization. Originality/value – This paper illustrates the specialty of computer game organizations and their growth process. It also presents discussion of the beginning phase of organizations.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Viktor Elliot ◽  
Jonas Floden ◽  
Conny Overland ◽  
Zeeshan Raza ◽  
Miroslaw Staron ◽  
...  

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study current practices in adopting blockchain technology amongst export companies in West Sweden and to capture their CEOs’ knowledge of and attitudes towards blockchains. Design/methodology/approach Factors enabling or hindering the adoption of blockchains were identified from a comprehensive literature review and a survey of 72 chief executive officers (CEOs) of export-oriented firms in West Sweden, all with turnovers exceeding €2m, regarding their knowledge of and attitudes towards blockchains. Findings Blockchain technology is not currently perceived to provide benefits that would outweigh the costs of introducing it into West Sweden’s export firms. Nevertheless, the findings suggest that such technology, though currently too immature to meet today’s industrial requirements, could experience more widespread use if certain key factors (i.e. lower cost, traceability, improved security or trustworthiness and new blockchain-enabled business models) are prioritised. Research limitations/implications Answered by 72 CEOs, the survey achieved a response rate of 6%, meaning that the findings are only exploratory. Even so, they offer new insights into CEOs’ attitudes towards blockchain technology. Practical implications The CEOs reported comparatively limited knowledge of and experience with implementing blockchains, the lack of which has hampered their large-scale implementation in multi-actor supply chains. Social implications Negative sentiment amongst CEOs towards blockchain technology may lower on-the-job satisfaction amongst tech personnel aspiring to develop and implement blockchain applications in their firms. Originality/value Knowledge of and attitudes towards blockchain technology amongst top-level managers, as well as about factors enabling or hindering its adoption, guide managers in crafting strategies for implementing blockchains in their organisations and maximising the benefits therein. Unlike past studies focussing on technological aspects or views of experts and middle-management, the study was designed to capture the views of CEOs.


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (9) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Karwan Hamasalih Qadir ◽  
Mehmet Yeşiltaş

Since 2003 the number of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has increased exponentially in Iraqi Kurdistan. To facilitate further growth the owners and chief executive officers of these enterprises have sought to improve their leadership skills. This study examined the effect of transactional and transformational leadership styles on organizational commitment and performance in Iraqi Kurdistan SMEs, and the mediating effect of organizational commitment in these relationships. We distributed 530 questionnaires and collected 400 valid responses (75% response rate) from 115 SME owners/chief executive officers and 285 employees. The results demonstrate there were positive effects of both types of leadership style on organizational performance. Further, the significant mediating effect of organizational commitment in both relationships shows the importance of this variable for leader effectiveness among entrepreneurs in Iraqi Kurdistan, and foreign entrepreneurs engaging in new businesses in the region.


2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 670-694 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Voss ◽  
Mayoor Mohan

Purpose The purpose of the this paper is to correct a deficiency in the published literature by examining the share price performance of firms that own high-value brands in uptrending, downtrending and sideways markets. Design/methodology/approach The authors examined stock price performance for an index of firms that owned brands in the Interbrand list of the “Best Global Brands” from 2001 through 2009 using the Fama-French method. Findings The authors’ index outperformed the Standard & Poor’s 500 when the market was up or downtrending, but not when it moved sideways. Research limitations/implications The authors find that an index of firms that own the produced better returns than the Standard & Poor’s 500 market index. Owning highly valued brands may be a marketplace signal to the investing community regarding the firm’s management acumen. Practical implications Owning high-value brands seems to influence share price performance, a metric used to judge chief executive officers. Thus, brand investments align with the shareholders’ interest. The authors help alleviate the perception (Challagalla et al., 2014) that marketing managers make investments on an ad hoc basis. Originality/value For the first time, the authors evaluate the effect of owning one or more of the world’s most valuable brands on the market value of common stock using data from downtrending, uptrending and no-trend periods. This research is also among the first to introduce volatility into the Fama-French method and it is an important explanatory variable. This paper’s approach has interesting comparisons to other papers taking a similar analytical approach.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Mary Meldrum

PurposeThe overwhelming frequency of failure in trying to bring a safe and effective biotech, pharmaceutical or medical device product to market is truly astounding. This research synthesizes industry leaders' insights on lessons learned from reflecting on professional disappointments.Design/methodology/approachThis research used a qualitative approach to learning from the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), Chief Scientific Officers (CSOs) and Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) of the most successful life science firms in the USA. A total of 45 industry leaders were interviewed regarding their lingering regrets about their career misadventures.FindingsRegrets were unavoidable because there were opportunity costs for every choice each leader made. Commentary about wisdom gained comprised themes regarding valuable time lost, strategies that could have been enacted, products that failed and essential personnel who were not managed optimally. Contrary to expectations, there was little mention of money that was squandered.Originality/valueNot felt as a solely negative emotion, regrets were recognized by these leaders as a potentially positive influence on their future decisions. Not felt as a solely negative emotion, regret was recognized by these leaders as a potentially positive influence on their future decisions. This exploratory study suggests that learning from retrospective and anticipated regrets benefits life science leaders in gaining clarity of thought regarding their current business challenges. Because prior research on the value of psychological regrets has mostly relied on limited samples, this inquiry contributes a new vantage point by examining a unique population of senior business leaders, thus providing broader applicability to the organizational literature.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pyemo Afego ◽  
Imhotep Alagidede

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore how citizen protests against perceived acts of racial injustice impact on share prices of companies who weigh in on the protests. In particular, corporate statements that directly address the issues around the protests are identified and possible mechanisms underlying how these may impact shareholder value are discussed. Design/methodology/approach The authors first use a qualitative research approach of content and sentiment analysis to track how companies or their chief executive officers (CEOs) present their stance against racial injustice, as represented by their use of linguistic markers. Then, the authors use an event study methodology to assess the response from stock market participants. Findings The findings suggest that CEOs primarily convey their stance using language that is emotive and empathic. In addition, shareholders earn a significant abnormal return of 2.13%, on average, in the three days following the release of the statements. Research limitations/implications This study considered only US-listed companies. The sample size, also, is relatively small. Institutional and cultural differences across countries may also vary. Thus, future research could explore the extent to which the findings generalize to other contexts. Practical implications Results provide insights to top managers who communicate with various stakeholders on emotionally charged social issues. Findings also offer insights on the timing of trades for investors and arbitrageurs. Social implications Findings contribute to the understanding of corporate behaviour in times of social upheaval. Insights from the study may also be used to inform corporate communication decisions about important social issues. Originality/value This study brings into focus the role that affective appeal and moral emotion can play in evoking motivation for corporate activism, and the impact that this has on investor opinions’ formation process.


2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 417-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luqman Oyekunle Oyewobi ◽  
Abimbola Oluwakemi Windapo ◽  
Rotimi Olabode Bamidele James

Purpose – The essence of strategy formulation is to assist an organisation obtain a strategic fit with its environment and help enhance organisational continuous improvement in achieving performance excellence. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the type of competitive strategies used by construction organisations in attaining their strategic goals in South Africa. Design/methodology/approach – The study employs an inductive research approach using a well-structured questionnaire to elicit information from large construction organisations based in South Africa. Findings – The research identifies five strategic attributes that could assist organisations to grow their businesses and enhance their returns. It reveals that all Porters’ generic competitive strategies are significantly related to organisational financial performance measures except focus strategy. The research found that three generic competitive strategies are positively related to non-financial performance and that differentiation and cost-leadership strategies are capable of assisting organisations’ achieve their financial performance goals. Practical implications – The study results will be of immense benefit to chief executive officers as well as managers of construction organisations in growing their businesses and enhancing their corporate performance. Originality/value – The paper contributes both theoretically and empirically to the current discussion and findings on competitive strategy and its relationship with organisational performance. The results presented in the paper have important implications for the implementation of competitive strategies in construction companies and future studies in the area of strategic management.


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