scholarly journals An Exploratory Study of Middle Manager’s Roles in Continuous Improvement

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
Freek J. A. Hermkens ◽  
A. Georges L. Romme ◽  
Sharon A. M. Dolmans
Keyword(s):  
Continuous Improvement ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Middle Managers ◽  
Strategic Change ◽  
Middle Management ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Highly Dispersed ◽  
Management Roles ◽  
Extensive Body

Floyd and Wooldridge have developed a widely used model regarding the middle managers’ contribution to strategic change, in which four strategic roles for middle managers are considered: championing, synthesizing, facilitating and implementing. Although there is an extensive body of knowledge about the roles and influence of middle managers in implementing strategy, insight in which roles are activated in continuous improvement (CI) initiatives is underdeveloped and highly dispersed. Therefore, in this study we seek to understand which middle management roles (i.e. championing, synthesizing, facilitating, implementing) contribute to accomplishing CI. To explore which of these roles are activated when middle managers are confronted with a CI initiative, we developed a scenario experiment. Our findings indicate that the implementing and synthesizing roles appear to be of key importance in the context of CI initiatives, while the facilitating and championing roles appear to be less relevant.

scholarly journals The microfoundations of physicians’ managerial attitude

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fausto Di Vincenzo ◽  
Daria Angelozzi ◽  
Federica Morandi
Keyword(s):  
Middle Managers ◽  
Health Care Organizations ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Organizational Models ◽  
Managerial Skills ◽  
Strategic Approach ◽  
Italian National Health Service ◽  
Management Roles ◽  
Italian National Health ◽  
The Right

Abstract Background Accountable care has profoundly changed the organizational models adopted by health care organizations and, consequently, the skill set required for doctor-managers who have become middle managers and must deal with the operational management of their units. The aim of this study was to identify the psychological microfoundations (i.e., traits) of physicians’ managerial attitude. Specifically, we analysed the roles played by narcissism, specialization choices and identification with the organization. Methods We collected primary data on a population of ward unit heads in the Italian National Health Service. A logistic regression model predicting the levels of managerial attitude was employed. Results The results indicate that high levels of narcissism and identification with the organization are related to higher managerial attitude (instead of clinical attitude). Additionally, we found that physicians with a technique-oriented specialization present a higher probability of manifesting managerial attitude (in comparison to clinical attitude). Conclusions Hospital managers can benefit from the use of these findings by developing a strategic approach to human resource management that allows them to identify, train and select the right mix of technical knowledge and managerial skills for middle-management roles.

scholarly journals The new National Atlas of Hungary – volume Society

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Gábor Gercsák ◽  
Károly Kocsis ◽  
Zsombor Nemerkényi ◽  
László Zentai
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Structure ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Historical Perspective ◽  
Spatial Diversity ◽  
Social Processes ◽  
Great Benefit ◽  
Present Volume ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Hungarian Society ◽  
Extensive Body

Abstract. The current volume, National Atlas of Hungary – Society, is Part 3 of the series. It presents the special world of Hungarian society and, according to the availability of data, also that of the Carpatho–Pannonian Area. By combining the tools of statistics, geography and cartography, the maps present the spatial structure accompanied by numerous graphs, photos, texts and infographics.The present volume of the National Atlas, Society, contributes to a much deeper understanding of processes and a better understanding of the relationships between phenomena through the presentation of the spatial diversity of demographic and social processes in historical perspective. This is a significant record of the period also showing the challenges that Hungarian society faces at the end of the second decade of the 21st century. This addition to the National Atlas of Hungary – with its extensive body of knowledge presented in this work – is an important document of great benefit not only togeographers but also to historians, economists, politicians, and all other interested parties.

Motivations, barriers and readiness factors for Quality 4.0 implementation: an exploratory study

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Sony ◽  
Jiju Antony ◽  
Jacqueline Ann Douglas ◽  
Olivia McDermott
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Study ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Practical Relevance ◽  
Theoretical Base ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeQuality 4.0 is the new buzzword among quality professionals. There has been no empirical study of Quality 4.0 yet. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to investigate what are the motivations, barriers and readiness factors for Quality 4.0 implementation.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses an online survey on senior quality professionals working in leading companies in Europe and America. In total, 50 participants participated in this study.FindingsThis study finds the top five motivating, barriers and readiness factors for Quality 4.0 implementation. These factors are ranked in terms of the order of importance as perceived by senior quality professionals.Research limitations/implicationsThis is the first empirical study on Quality 4.0 that investigates the motivation, barriers and readiness factors of Quality 4.0. This study provides a theoretical base of Quality 4.0 body of knowledge in terms of its practical relevance and adoption in modern-day organizations.Practical implicationsOrganizations can use this study to understand what the motivation and barriers for implementing Quality 4.0. In addition, before implementation of Quality 4.0, the readiness factor for Quality 4.0 can be used by organizations to evaluate their preparedness before the actual implementation of the initiative.Originality/valueThis is the first empirical study on Quality 4.0 that captures the viewpoints of senior quality professionals on the motivation, barriers and readiness factors of Quality 4.0.

The influence of an interactive use of management control on individual performance: mediating roles of psychological empowerment and proactive behavior

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Makoto Matsuo ◽  
Takami Matsuo ◽  
Kohei Arai
Keyword(s):  
Middle Managers ◽  
Psychological Empowerment ◽  
Middle Management ◽  
Behavioral Outcomes ◽  
Individual Performance ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Management Control ◽  
Proactive Behavior ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Management Level

Purpose Although middle managers play important roles in forming strategies and generating innovation, few studies have explored the influence of management control systems (MCS) on employees’ behaviors or performance at the middle-management level. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect an interactive use of MCS has on individual performance at the unit level. Design/methodology/approach A longitudinal, multisource and multilevel survey was conducted among 373 nurses in 20 units at a Japanese public hospital. Findings The multi-level analyzes indicate that middle managers’ interactive use of MCS has a direct and indirect positive influence on individual performance, through proactive behavior, as well as through psychological empowerment and, subsequently, through proactive behavior. Research limitations/implications As the present study collected data from nurses at a Japanese hospital, it is necessary to conduct research in other countries using different occupations to verify the findings. Practical implications Organizations need to be aware that the interactive use of MCS can be an effective tool for empowering and motivating employees. Originality/value The present study contributes to the literature by clarifying the mechanisms of how the interactive use of MCS influences employees’ psychological and behavioral outcomes at the middle-management level.

Constructive eHealth Evaluation

2016 ◽  
pp. 44-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Marie Balling Høstgaard
Keyword(s):  
Evaluation Method ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
User Participation ◽  
Success Factor ◽  
End User ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Adoption And Implementation ◽  
Extensive Body ◽  
First Time

Despite the existence of an extensive body of knowledge about best practices and factors that contribute to the successful development and adoption of eHealth, many eHealth development-projects still face a number of problems - many of them of an organizational nature. This chapter presents a new method: “The Constructive eHealth evaluation method” aimed at supporting real end-user participation - a well-known success factor in eHealth development. It provides an analytical framework for achieving real end-user participation during the different phases in the eHealth lifecycle. The method was developed and used for the first time during the evaluation of an EHR planning process in a Danish region. It has proven effective for providing management at more levels on-going information and feedback from end-users, allowing management to change direction during eHealth development in order to achieve the most successful adoption and implementation of eHealth in healthcare environments.

Constructive eHealth Evaluation

2016 ◽  
pp. 2141-2174
Author(s):  
Anna Marie Balling Høstgaard
Keyword(s):  
Evaluation Method ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
User Participation ◽  
Success Factor ◽  
End User ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Adoption And Implementation ◽  
Extensive Body ◽  
First Time

Despite the existence of an extensive body of knowledge about best practices and factors that contribute to the successful development and adoption of eHealth, many eHealth development-projects still face a number of problems - many of them of an organizational nature. This chapter presents a new method: “The Constructive eHealth evaluation method” aimed at supporting real end-user participation - a well-known success factor in eHealth development. It provides an analytical framework for achieving real end-user participation during the different phases in the eHealth lifecycle. The method was developed and used for the first time during the evaluation of an EHR planning process in a Danish region. It has proven effective for providing management at more levels on-going information and feedback from end-users, allowing management to change direction during eHealth development in order to achieve the most successful adoption and implementation of eHealth in healthcare environments.

Key middle manager trustworthy behaviours that enhance operator participation in continuous improvement systems

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 229-245
Author(s):  
Alvaro Lleo ◽  
Elisabeth Viles ◽  
Daniel Jurburg ◽  
Javier Santos
Keyword(s):  
Continuous Improvement ◽  
Middle Managers ◽  
Team Building ◽  
Training And Development ◽  
Middle Manager ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Managerial Competencies ◽  
Industrial Management ◽  
Points Of View

Purpose This paper aims to identify key middle manager trustworthy behaviours that encourage employees’ participation in continuous improvement activities in industrial contexts. Design/methodology/approach The list of behaviours has been developed in two different phases. First, the authors conducted two concept mappings with operators and middle managers and, subsequently, the authors combined and integrated both points of view. Second, the authors developed an expert panel with researchers, consultants and experienced practitioners of industrial management for debugging and reducing the results, presenting the final list of behaviours. Findings This work presents 55 different middle manager trustworthy behaviours divided into four different categories: human qualities; training and development; technical and managerial competencies; and team building. Research limitations/implications This paper contributes to existing literature about sustainable continuous improvement systems highlighting the role of middle managers and proposes a set of specific middle manager trustworthy behaviours for increasing supervisors’ influence on operator participation. Originality/value After extracting the knowledge of different stakeholders, the list of behaviours identified can serve as a useful tool for recruiting, training, evaluating and developing a supervisors’ managerial style that enhances operator participation in continuous improvement activities.

Methodologies for Investment Evaluation

2001 ◽  
pp. 78-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Egon Berghout ◽  
Theo-Jan Renkema
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Strategy ◽  
Problem Area ◽  
Future Research ◽  
It Investment ◽  
It Investments ◽  
Investment Evaluation ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
New Business ◽  
Extensive Body ◽  
Basic Approaches

The evaluation of information technology (IT) investments has been a recognised problem area for the last four decades, but has recently been fuelled by rising IT budgets, intangible benefits and considerable risks and gained renewed interest of both management and academics. IT investments already constitute a large and increasing portion of the capital expenditures of many organizations, and are bound to absorb a large part of future funding of new business initiatives. However, for virtually all firms, it is difficult to evaluate the business contribution of an IT investment to current operations or corporate strategy. Consequently, there is a great call for methods and techniques that can be of help in evaluating IT investments, preferably at the proposal and decision-making stages. The contribution of this chapter to the problem area is twofold. First, the different concepts, which are used in evaluation are discussed and more narrowly defined. When speaking about IT investments, concepts are used that originate from different disciplines. In many cases there is not much agreement on the precise meaning of the different concepts used. However, a common language is a prerequisite for the successful communication between the different organizational stakeholders in evaluation. In addition to this, the chapter reviews the current methods for IT investment evaluation and puts them into a frame of reference. All too often new methods and guidelines for investment evaluation are introduced, without building on the extensive body of knowledge that is already incorporated in the available methods. Four basic approaches are discerned: the financial approach, the multi-criteria approach, the ratio approach and the portfolio approach. These approaches are subsequently compared on a number of characteristics on the basis of methods that serve as examples for the different approaches. The chapter concludes with a review of key limitations of evaluations, suggestions on how to improve evaluation practice and recommendations for future research. This chapter draws on earlier work as published in Renkema and Berghout (1997), Berghout (1997), and Renkema (1996; 2000).

From Intended Strategies to Unintended Outcomes: The Impact of Change Recipient Sensemaking

2005 ◽  
Vol 26 (11) ◽  
pp. 1573-1601 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Balogun ◽  
Gerry Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Middle Managers ◽  
Strategic Change ◽  
Social Processes ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Planned Change ◽  
Change Implementation ◽  
Time Analysis ◽  
Real Time Analysis ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact

The tendency for intended strategies to lead to unintended consequences is well documented. This longitudinal, real-time analysis of planned change implementation provides an explanation for this phenomenon. We focus on the social processes of interaction between middle managers as change recipients as they try to make sense of the change interventions. We show the extent to which lateral, informal processes of inter-recipient sensemaking contribute to both intended and unintended change outcomes, and therefore the unpredictable, emergent nature of strategic change. The findings raise the issue of the extent to which it is possible to manage evolving recipient interpretations during change implementation.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document