The employee survey: benefits, problems in practice, and the relation with the high performance organization

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 227-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
André de Waal
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Employee Survey ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
The Past ◽  
Management Techniques ◽  
Complementary Techniques ◽  
High Performance Organization

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to discuss the role of the employee in the high performance organization. One of the management techniques which has gained much popularity the past 15 years is the employee satisfaction survey. Many organizations, both profit and non-profit, use a yearly questionnaire, which measures the satisfaction of employees with all sorts of things in the organization. Yet recently, dissenting opinions can be heard that are critical of what they call “the yearly employee survey ritual”. The criticism focuses on the results of the survey which are not dealt with adequately so that the employee survey gradually has become a dissatisfier for employees. Another phenomenon is that organizations that are considering to conduct a high performance organization (HPO) diagnosis renounce this using the justification that “we are already doing an employee survey.” Design/methodology/approach – In this article the purpose of the employee survey, its advantages, its problems in practice and its relation with the HPO Framework are discussed. Findings – It is shown how the employee survey can be improved. In addition, its is shown that the employee survey and the HPO Framework are two different but complementary techniques that can and should be used in conjunction with each other. Originality/value – This article is one of the first to discuss the relation between two important management improvement techniques: the employee survey and the HPO framework.

Longitudinal research into the effects of the high performance organisation framework

2018 ◽  
Vol 67 (6) ◽  
pp. 985-999 ◽  
Author(s):  
André de Waal ◽  
Jeroen de Haas
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Performance Models ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
Effective Performance ◽  
Organizational Results ◽  
High Performance Organization ◽  
Over Time

Purpose Many models for designing a high-performance organization (HPO) have been proposed in the past decades. However, not much information can be found in the extant literature on whether these models actually improve the results of an organization over time in a sustainable manner. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate whether de Waal’s (2012) HPO framework does help organizations increase their performance in a sustainable manner. Design/methodology/approach De Waal’s HPO framework was applied at Nader & Ebrahim S/O Hassan (NEH), a Philippine banana producer and exporter. In 2013, a first HPO diagnosis was conducted, in which the HPO status and possible improvements were identified. This application entailed conducting a questionnaire, holding interviews, and organizing a feedback workshop with management and employees. The aim was to identify possible improvements which the organization could implement in order to achieve high performance. Subsequently, NEH started to work on these improvements, and in 2015, a second diagnosis followed. Findings The second HPO diagnosis showed that both NEH’s HPO scores and organizational results had gone up considerably. The research results also showed which of the interventions, which NEH applied during working on the improvements, were most effective. Originality/value Virtually all of the HPO frameworks and models described in the literature have not been tested scientifically on their effectiveness. Thus, the research into the workings and effectiveness of de Waal’s framework belongs to an exclusive and limited set of longitudinal research studies which actually brings the study of effective performance models further.

scholarly journals Increasing customer loyalty and customer intimacy by improving the behavior of employees

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 492-510 ◽  
Author(s):  
André de Waal ◽  
Béatrice van der Heijden
Keyword(s):  
Customer Loyalty ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Behavioral Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Validated Questionnaire ◽  
Excellent Service ◽  
Item List ◽  
Customer Intimacy ◽  
High Performance Organization

Purpose One of the most important characteristics of high-performance organizations is that these organizations always aim at servicing their customers as best as possible. In practice, this means that the employees of these organizations have to behave toward customers in such a way that these customers are not only fully satisfied but also become loyal to the organization. The purpose of this paper is to look at the concrete behaviors that are needed to create this customer loyalty. Design/methodology/approach From a literature review the items that potentially are of influence on creating customer loyalty and customer intimacy were identified, based on a previous validated questionnaire while adding additional items. These items were subsequently validated in practice with a questionnaire distributed among people who are in daily life regular customers of organizations. Findings The research results show that there are eight behavioral factors of importance to create customer loyalty and customer intimacy: first, service quality delivered by employees; second, capability of employees to deliver high quality; third, empathy of employees toward customers’ wishes and needs; fourth, understanding of employees of customers’ needs; fifth, responsiveness of employees toward the needs of customers; sixth, courtesy of employees toward customers; seventh, service manner of employees; and finally, trust customers place in employees. Research limitations/implications The implication of this research is that, now that the behavioral factors are known, an organization can make sure its employees focus on displaying these behaviors toward customers consistently over time, in order to make sure customers will experience the organization as a high-performance organization and will feel loyalty toward the organization. Originality/value The research described in this paper adds to the literature in the sense that it encompasses previous research into once item list and specifically looks at behaviors that create excellent service and thereby customer loyalty and customer intimacy, both concepts that go beyond the much researched topic of customer satisfaction.

scholarly journals Operating without operations: how is technology changing the role of the firm?

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 809-833 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph Breidbach ◽  
Sunmee Choi ◽  
Benjamin Ellway ◽  
Byron W. Keating ◽  
Katerina Kormusheva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Operations Research ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Service Operations ◽  
Science Literature ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
The Future ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the history and future of service operations, with the goal to identify key theoretical and technological advances, as well as fundamental themes that can help to imagine the future of service operations in 2050. Design/methodology/approach A review of the service operations literature was undertaken to inform a discussion regarding the role that technology will play in the future of service operations. Findings The future of service operations is framed in terms of three key themes – complexity, orchestration, and elasticity. The paper makes three contributions to the service science literature by: reviewing key themes underpinning extant service operations research to frame future trajectories of service operations research; elaborating a vision of service operations in 2050 based on history and technology; and outlining a research agenda for future service operations. Practical implications The case of service automation is used to provide an illustration of how the three themes converge to define future service operations, and in particular, to show how technology is recasting the role of the firm. Originality/value Service operations in the next 30 years will be very different from what it was in the past 30 years. This paper differs from other review papers by identifying three key themes that will characterize and instill new insights into the future of service operations research.

Researchers in Ghana identify specific factors that “provide the seedbed for institutionalized bullying” in universities

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Strong Relationship ◽  
Individual Factors ◽  
Management Behavior ◽  
Content Type ◽  
State Sector ◽  
The Past ◽  
Specific Factors ◽  
Different Dimensions

Purpose The authors decided to study the causes of coercive management behavior (CMB) in universities because this area has been neglected in the past. There has been a lot of research into CMB in profit-oriented organizations, but it has been assumed that universities were unaffected. Design/methodology/approach The study was conducted at 10 universities, five from the private sector and five from the state sector out of the 100 accredited Ghanaian universities. The authors sent out 405 questionnaires and 371 were returned. Findings The results showed a strong relationship between specific causes and different dimensions of CMB. The authors said their analysis identified specific factors that “provide the seedbed for institutionalized bullying”. Originality/value The authors said the research provides the basis for designing policies for employees at any organization. A one-size-fits-all approach was not always appropriate, however, and their identification of the role of individual factors could help universities find their own solutions.

The effect of corporate political advocacy on brand perception: an event study analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Klostermann ◽  
Chris Hydock ◽  
Reinhold Decker
Keyword(s):  
Event Study ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Political Advocacy ◽  
Moderating Effects ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Brand Perception

Purpose In recent years, brands have increasingly engaged in corporate political advocacy (CPA; also termed brand activism or corporate sociopolitical activity) by taking positions on polarizing sociopolitical issues. Recent experimental research suggests that consumers respond to CPA based on its alignment with their own values, and that it typically induces an overall negative response. This study aims to provide additional insights by exploring consumer brand perceptions following CPA. Design/methodology/approach An event study of 106 CPA events and weekly consumer brand perception data was conducted. A regression model was used to investigate the moderating effects of CPA effort, concurrence and the strength of the online protests evoked by the CPA. Findings The results show that CPA had a negative effect on consumers’ brand perceptions and that the effect was stronger for customers relative to non-customers. The negative effect was attenuated by CPA concurrence and amplified by effort. Additionally, online protests were driven by the CPA effort and had a strong negative effect on brand perception. Online protests were stronger in the past, and, in turn, the negative effects of CPA on brand perceptions have slightly weakened in recent years. Originality/value This study contributes to the existing literature by highlighting the role of online protests following CPA and distinguishing consumer and customer responses. This study also provides converging evidence of the moderating effects of effort and concurrence identified in previous studies.

Identifying the characteristics of a high-performance finance function

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 352-377
Author(s):  
André de Waal ◽  
Eelco Bilstra ◽  
Peter De Roeck
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Role Clarity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
Strategic Role ◽  
People Development ◽  
High Performance Organization ◽  
Finance Function

Purpose The concept of the high-performance organization (HPO) receives much attention nowadays. To create and sustain an HPO, all parts of the organization must contribute, especially the finance function, whose relations with every part of the organization mean that it can be regarded as the spider in the organizational web. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach This study develops the high-performance finance function (HPFF) framework based on the HPO framework, a scientifically developed and validated approach to transforming organizations into HPOs. Based on an extensive literature review, potential characteristics of an HPFF were identified and subsequently linked to factors in the HPO framework. Subsequently, using a questionnaire and statistical analysis, these potential characteristics were clustered into five HPFF factors that showed a significant positive relation with the finance function’s performance. Findings The five HPFF factors are: Finance Function Improvement, IT Focus, People Development (of financial professionals working in the function), Role Clarity (for each of the various types of role in the function) and Strategic Role (of the finance function in the organization, especially in supporting management). Originality/value The HPFF framework is a practical improvement framework based on a solid scientific foundation. It also fills the current gap in the academic literature on how to develop HPFFs, thus giving the frameworks described in practitioner literature a robust scientific grounding.

Sales training and ICT: a literature review

2020 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-80
Author(s):  
Hector Augusto Torres ◽  
Andres Chiappe ◽  
Yasbley Segovia
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sales Training ◽  
The Past ◽  
Information And Communication

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify in the specialized literature published in the past 20 years about sales training, some elements or key factors that could be applied to the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) as a support for the learning of the detection of business opportunities. Design/methodology/approach This is a study of a documentary nature in which a method of systematic literature review was applied to 132 studies published in journals indexed in Scopus and Scielo on sales training processes. The analysis of the data combined a process of categorization and frequencies statistical analysis. Findings The results highlight the role of ICT and specifically the use of mobile devices to support the strengthening of training in sales in terms of relationship, opportunity and flexibility in communication with the client, the construction of positive emotional environments and experiential/situated training. Originality/value The originality of this study lies in the extraction and interpretation of key factors focused on addressing a guiding question about the relationships between the use of ICT and sales training.

The role of government in the tourism sector in developing countries: a perspective article

2020 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 203-206
Author(s):  
Carson Lewis Jenkins
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Regional Development ◽  
Foreign Exchange ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Role Of Government ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
Tourism Sector ◽  
Employment Generation

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a perspective on the role of government in the tourism sector in developing countries in the past 75 years. Design/methodology/approach A perspective article. Findings The main reasons that governments support development of tourism will remain: including foreign exchange earnings, contribution to government revenues, employment generation and regional development stimulus. Originality/value This paper provides a perspective from a senior academic who specialises in the field of tourism relating to the developing world.

Who benefits from benefits?

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 117-124
Author(s):  
John Gerard Fisher
Keyword(s):  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Employee Benefits ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Specific Research ◽  
Commercial Practice ◽  
Annual Basis ◽  
The Past ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to review the role of benefits within the employee engagement mix of activities and products and provide three areas for strategic improvement. Design/methodology/approach The paper examines surveys and some well-known models for the inclusion of benefits in employee remuneration and draws on any insights that study uncovers. Findings The findings are that employee benefits should be critically appraised on an annual basis, not simply added to because they seem popular or are “in the news”. Research limitations/implications No specific research was undertaken, as this was a viewpoint of current commercial practice. Practical implications Employers should recognize that spend-to-get benefits require participants to spend their own money and therefore represent a cost to employees rather than a benefit. Employers need to research benefits take-up and participant opinions if the value of introducing them is to be fully realized. Communicating the features of benefits is usually poorly done by internal HR teams. Social implications Better scrutiny of the benefits basket and a closer eye on their effectiveness are required. Originality/value This is a considered view taken from the experience of running a number of commercial engagement programmes in the past 12 months with a view to helping practitioners avoid costly mistakes in future.

Authorship trends and collaboration patterns in hospitality and tourism research

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio-Rafael Ramos-Rodriguez ◽  
María Paula Lechuga Sancho ◽  
Salustiano Martínez-Fierro
Keyword(s):  
Research Funding ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Collaborative Practices ◽  
The Past ◽  
Hospitality And Tourism ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Number Of Authors

Purpose Analyze patterns of co-authorship in hospitality and tourism (H&T) research using bibliometric methods. The purpose of this paper is to answer three questions related to collaborative practices, the number of authors, the order of signatures and the role of the corresponding author. Design/methodology/approach The methodology is based on the bibliometric techniques of authorship analyzes published in leading H&T journals. Evaluative techniques provide longitudinal evidence of the evolution of some indicators of authors’ collaboration: the percentage of alphabetized authorships; the percentage of articles were the most relevant author signs in the first, middle or last position; and the position of the corresponding author in the by-line. Findings First, the collaborative nature of H&T research is confirmed; almost 80% of articles in the sample are co-authored. Second, over the past 30 years, the alphabetized signature model has been in decline in this field. Today, about 20% of articles indexed in JCR journals are signed alphabetically. Third, the first author’s placement is less consistent than that of the corresponding author. Practical implications This work provides relevant information on researchers’ authorship habits that may help evaluators assign credit and accountability and avoid malpractice in the authorial assignment. Originality/value This study explores the habits of researchers who collaborate to improve their productivity, impact and reputation. This is often linked to facilitating access to research funding and obtaining recognition from incentive systems. Yet, no research specifically examines trends in signature order or the corresponding author’s role in the H&T field.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document