Gender differences in innovation: the role of ambidextrous leadership of the team leads

2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (7) ◽  
pp. 1475-1495 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdelrahman Zuraik ◽  
Louise Kelly ◽  
Vernita Perkins

PurposeThis study explores the impact of gender on team leadership style and how it impacts team innovation outcomes using the ambidexterity theory (opening and closing behaviors) of leadership for innovation.Design/methodology/approachA total of 215 self-report surveys of team members were collected for hypothesis testing. This study tests whether team leader gender moderates the relationship between ambidextrous team leadership and team innovation.FindingsFemale team leaders are engaged in less opening behaviors of ideation, risk-taking and exploration than their male counterparts. Additionally, when female leaders engaged in closing behaviors, which include assigning roles and timelines, they had less impact than the closing behaviors of their male colleagues. Female team leaders were perceived as less effective in leading innovation than males.Research limitations/implicationsThis study examines the influence of gender on team leadership and innovation outcomes. There are drawbacks of cross-sectional data, sample selection issues and potential problems of percept–percept relationships.Practical implicationsThese findings suggest that female team leads may need greater organizational support and organizational senior leadership support to take risks (opening behavior) to produce greater team innovation and increase leader visibility.Social implicationsSociety can achieve even greater innovation outcomes by understanding and addressing the unique obstacles woman team leaders face with innovation. Organizations can benefit from innovation and resilience by supporting women team leaders in their diverse delivery of innovation.Originality/valueThis is the first study to look at the influence of gender and leadership on team innovation outcomes. Ambidextrous leadership theory provides insights into the specific challenges woman team leaders experience; however, so far no research has addressed the innovation outcome challenges female team leaders encounter. Since innovation and leadership can be a key component of visibility, compensation and promotion, it is necessary to investigate the challenges female team leads face in the innovation process.

Author(s):  
Rabia Imran ◽  
Raghad Ezzeldin Aldaas

PurposeThe current research is aimed at exploring entrepreneurial leadership (EL) as a mediator in perceived organizational support (POS) and organizational performance (OP) relationship. Furthermore, it also examined the impact of POS and entrepreneurial leadership on the performance of an organization.Design/methodology/approachA purposively selected sample of 216 respondents from the SME sector of Oman was chosen for the study.FindingsThe results revealed that POS and entrepreneurial leadership positively and significantly have an effect on organizational performance. Moreover, the hypothesized role of entrepreneurial leadership as a mediator between POS and OP relationship was also supported.Research limitations/implicationsIn spite of the novelty of the research, it was limited due to a few reasons. First, the research design is cross-sectional. Second, the research only focused SME sector. This research only focused on entrepreneurial leadership as a mediator, whereas, other mediators could have been explored as well.Originality/valueThe research on POS and organizational performance relationship is still in its exploration stage. Past research indicate that POS has an effect on different outcomes within an organization, including its performance. However, still, the research on the entrepreneurial leadership process is quite scarce. The current research will explore it in the context of Oman, where there is a dire need to establish SME sector performance. The unique combination between POS, entrepreneurial leadership and performance in the SME sector of Oman marks the novelty of the current research. This study contributes to the SME’s literature and it is among the pioneer studies exploring the mediating role of entrepreneurial leadership in the relationship between POS and OP.


Author(s):  
Kristin S. Williams

Purpose Cyber incivility is a form of unsociable speech and a common daily workplace stressor. The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of cyber incivility on non-profit leaders in Canada and share an intimate portrait of their personal experiences and perceptions. Design/methodology/approach The study advances our understanding of how qualitative methods can be introduced into the study of a phenomenon which has been broadly examined in a positivist tradition. The paper draws epistemologically and methodologically on a fusion of critical discourse analysis and auto-ethnography to present emic and experiential insights. Findings The findings offer three conceptual contributions: to introduce a novel qualitative method to a dynamic field of study; to advance a critical dimension to our understanding of cyber incivility; and to explore the challenges which emerge when qualitative research must draw largely on positivist, quantitative literature. Additionally, this paper makes three contributions to our understanding of cyber incivility: by introducing organizational context conditions which encourage incivility; by identifying commonalities between incivility and bullying, by challenging the existing taxonomy; and by examining the personal experiences of non-profit leaders in Canada (in operationalized settings). Originality/value Quantitative analysis has been limited to the relationship between supervisor and employee and consisted mostly of cross-sectional self-report designs, online surveys and experimental manipulation in simulated workplace environments. This study serves up a deeper analysis from within organizational environments.


2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 750-766 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yvonne Brunetto ◽  
Stephen T.T. Teo ◽  
Rodney Farr-Wharton ◽  
Kate Shacklock ◽  
Art Shriberg

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine whether management supports police officers adequately, or whether police have to rely on their individual attributes, specifically psychological capital (PsyCap), to cope with red tape and stress. Work outcomes/consequences examined were discretionary power, affective commitment and turnover intentions. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional design using a survey-based, self-report strategy was used to collect data from 588 police officers from USA, who are most engaged with the public. The data were analysed using AMOS and a structural model to undertake structural equation modelling. Findings Two significant paths were identified Path 1: management support to red tape to discretionary power to affective commitment and turnover intentions; and Path 2: supervisor relationships to PsyCap to stress to affective commitment and turnover intentions. Further, management support predicted PsyCap, red tape and police stressors. Red tape increased police stressors and turnover intentions. Research limitations/implications The use of self-report surveys is a limitation, causing common methods bias. Using Harmon’s one-factor post hoc test, the authors were able to provide some assurance that common method bias was of no major concern. Originality/value As far as is known, this study is the first to examine, for police officers, how PsyCap impacts upon negative factors (stress and red tape) and enhances positive drivers for employees. Examining the impact of an individual attribute – PsyCap – provides an important piece of the organizational puzzle in explaining the commitment and turnover intentions of police officers. By examining the impact of both organizational and individual factors, there is now more knowledge about the antecedents of police outcomes.


2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 540-554 ◽  
Author(s):  
Panagiotis Gkorezis ◽  
Eugenia Petridou ◽  
Katerina Lioliou

Purpose – Substantial research has examined the pivotal role of supervisor positive humor in generating employee outcomes. To date, though, little is known about the relationship between supervisor humor and newcomers’ adjustment. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to this gap by examining the effect of supervisor positive humor on newcomers’ adjustment. In doing so, the authors highlighted relational identification with the supervisor as a mediating mechanism that explains the aforementioned association. Design/methodology/approach – Data were drawn from 117 newcomers. In order to collect the data the authors used the snowball method. Also, hierarchical regression analysis was conducted. Findings – The results demonstrated that supervisor positive humor affects employees’ relational identification with the supervisor which, in turn, positively relates to newcomers’ adjustment. Research limitations/implications – Data were collected using a cross-sectional design and, therefore, the authors cannot directly assess causality. Moreover, the authors used self-report measures which may strengthen the causal relationships. Originality/value – To the best of the knowledge, this is the first study that illustrates the role of supervisor humor in enhancing both newcomers’ relational identification and adjustment.


2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannes Zacher ◽  
Kathrin Rosing

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report the first empirical test of the recently proposed ambidexterity theory of leadership for innovation (Rosing et al., 2011). This theory proposes that the interaction between two complementary leadership behaviors – opening and closing – predicts team innovation, such that team innovation is highest when both opening and closing leadership behaviors are high. Design/methodology/approach – Multi-source survey data came from 33 team leaders of architectural and interior design firms and 90 of their employees. Findings – Results supported the interaction hypothesis, even after controlling for leaders’ transformational leadership behavior and general team success. Research limitations/implications – The relatively small sample size and the cross-sectional design are potential limitations of the study. The findings provide initial support for the central hypothesis of the ambidexterity theory of leadership for innovation. Practical implications – The results suggest that organizations could train team leaders’ ambidextrous leadership behaviors to increase team innovation. Social implications – Identifying ways to facilitate organizational innovation is important, as it contributes to employment and company growth as well as individual and societal well-being. Originality/value – This multi-source study contributes to the literatures on leadership and innovation in organizations by showing that ambidextrous leadership behaviors predict team innovation above and beyond transformational leadership behavior.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasia Miller ◽  
Sara A. Jahnke ◽  
Karan P. Singh

PurposeThe purpose of this article was to identify factors impacting burnout, resilience and quality of life in rural career firefighters. In addition, sources of stress and the impact of generational differences were explored.Design/methodology/approachAn exploratory cross-sectional survey was conducted at a rural career fire department.FindingsThe findings of the project indicate that the firefighters had high levels of compassion satisfaction (CS) and relatively low levels of secondary traumatic stress and burnout; displayed moderate to high psychological resilience and the majority felt moderate to high organizational support, but there was a noticeable minority who did not feel supported by the department. Findings indicate that organizational support is significantly related to both burnout and resilience. The majority of the men (88.3%) reported moderate to high risk for alcohol-related problems and over three-quarters (78.6%) reported binge drinking behavior in the past year. Qualitative findings highlight generational differences and chain of command challenges as primary stressors.Originality/valueThis is a unique study in that it focuses on a rural career department. What was found were issues similar to those facing urban career fire departments.


2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 106-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Ziek ◽  
Stacy Smulowitz

Purpose – The research on virtual team leadership does well to describe the skills that are needed to guide and direct effective teams. However, what is presupposed in the previous research is that virtual teams have assigned leaders. That is, leaders were either management, appointed by management or were chosen by the team itself. Yet in today's global economy not all virtual teams have assigned leaders, instead many virtual team leaders emerge on their own to direct the group's actions. The purpose of this paper is to examine which emergent leadership competencies most impact virtual team effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach – This is a mixed method study where both a participant survey and content analysis of actual participant messages are used to determine the competencies of emergent virtual team leaders. The research participants for the current study were required to work in assigned teams on organizational case analyses. At the end of each case, teams presented their solutions in the form of final recommendations designed to fix the problem present in the case. Findings – Results indicate that not only do leaders emerge in virtual teams, but in most cases multiple leaders emerge. Results also show that the model that best describes team effectiveness includes the competencies of asking questions, cognitive and creative ability and vision setting. Originality/value – The contribution of the current study is that it extends the research on emergent virtual team leadership by introducing the idea that this type of leadership is often a collective action among individuals. It also advances a model of emergent virtual team leadership as a practice of communication. The better emergent virtual team leaders are at communicating to team members the more effective the team will be in completing tasks and projects, which in turn can lead to a more effectively functioning business unit.


Author(s):  
Lorenzo Avanzi ◽  
Franco Fraccaroli ◽  
Guido Sarchielli ◽  
Johannes Ullrich ◽  
Rolf van Dick

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to combine social identity and social exchange theories into a model explaining turnover intentions. Design/methodology/approach – Questionnaires measuring the constructs of organizational identification, perceived organizational support, emotional exhaustion, and turnover intentions were completed by 195 employees. Findings – Results supported our hypotheses: social identification increased the perception of organizational support which in turn reduced emotional exhaustion which was finally related to turnover intentions. Furthermore, social identification moderated the relation between organizational support and turnover intentions. Research limitations/implications – The study design was cross-sectional and data were collected using self-report with no assessment of objective data. Practical implications – To reduce turnover, managers should focus on both support and employees’ identification with teams and organizations. Originality/value – This study combines two theoretical perspectives into an integrative framework and simultaneous moderated-mediation was used to test the model.


2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 691-706 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Meglich ◽  
Sean Valentine ◽  
Dale Eesley

Purpose In response to the call for deeper investigation of abusive supervision (Martinko et al., 2013), the purpose of this paper is to examine perceived supervisor competence and perceived employee mobility (an individual’s perception of his/her ability to obtain new employment) to better understand contextual and individual factors that potentially influence the degree of harmful supervisory behaviors experienced by employees. Design/methodology/approach Responses from 749 survey participants were analyzed to determine the impact of perceived supervisor competence and perceived employee mobility on perceptions of abusive supervisory conduct. A bootstrapping-based mediation analysis (Hayes, 2012) was used to test for mediation by the variables of interest. Findings The authors found that perceived supervisor competence is associated with weakened perceptions of abusive supervision, and that this relationship is partially mediated by respondents’ perceived occupational mobility. Research limitations/implications The data are cross-sectional and were collected with a self-report questionnaire and compiled utilizing student-enumerators. The sample was also regional in scope and lacked information that would indicate if respondents were also supervisors. Practical implications These results imply that perceptions of abusive supervision can be mitigated by building stronger competencies in supervisors, which translates into greater individual employee perceived mobility. Human resource (HR) professionals can implement practices to decrease the likelihood of abusive supervisory conduct by ensuring that supervisors are competent in their jobs, facilitating a coaching/mentoring process between supervisors and subordinates and establishing/maintaining an effective developmental performance feedback process for supervisors. Social implications Since perceived supervisor competence is one element of reducing abusive conduct, while also enhancing subordinate perceived mobility, selection and training efforts should focus on hiring and preparing individuals to be effective work supervisors. Enhancing worker capabilities and marketability may result in greater perceived occupational mobility and reduced perceptions of abuse by supervisors. Originality/value These results lend support to the argument that perceptions of abusive supervision can be mitigated by building stronger competencies in supervisors, which translates into greater perceived mobility among employees. Organizations may benefit through lowered employee turnover, employees may enjoy more harmonious, supportive relationships with their supervisors and HR staff may benefit by having competent supervisors who do not generate employee complaints and intentions to quit.


2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (7) ◽  
pp. 1414-1433 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tui McKeown ◽  
Robyn Cochrane

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine “black box” links between HRM innovations and organizational performance by investigating the perspective of a workforce often excluded from the HR realm. Professional Independent Contractors (IPros) play a vital role in achieving workforce flexibility and innovation. While the use of such arrangements has been examined often using a compliance-oriented lens, the authors explore the value of adding a commitment aspect. Design/methodology/approach In total, 375 IPros working in Australian organizations completed an online questionnaire distributed by a national business support services provider. Findings Results show organizational support significantly predicted work engagement and affective commitment. Self-efficacy, age and gender were also significant predictors. Research limitations/implications The cross-sectional nature of this study and reliance on self-reported data limit the reliability of the findings. In addition, the findings may be specific to the Australian labor market. Practical implications The study present the views of a difficult to reach population and the findings suggest by adopting an innovative hybrid commitment-compliance HR configuration, practitioners may positively increase desirable contractor outcomes. Social implications Concerns that organizational imperatives for efficiency, quality and high performance will be compromised by considering the human side of non-employee work arrangements are not supported. Indeed, as previously outlined, much of the concern with the employee/non-employee dichotomy is legally based and an artefact of a system of labor law that in many settings has failed to move with the times. Originality/value Few investigations of the impact of high commitment HRM practices have incorporated the perspective of professional, non-employees. While IPros are recipients of compliance focused contractor management practices, carefully integrated commitment-based HRM aspects have the potential to deliver positive outcomes for both individuals and organizations.


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