Do Bosses Get Bullied Too? A Qualitative Investigation of Causes, Impacts, and Treatments of Upward Workplace Bullying

Workplace bullying is an emerging problem in the organizational setting, that if not properly managed can deteriorate the normal functioning of an organization and consequently may harm the achievements of organizational goals. Aim of this research study is to explore the causes, impacts, and treatments of upward workplace bullying where subordinate behave in an inhumane way against supervisor. Data was collected by using semi-structured interviews with 10 persons employed at senior supervisory levels in the city of Faisalabad, Pakistan. A thematic analysis indicates that unclear managerial boundaries, absurd job descriptions, and weak interpersonal skills of the employees are the major causes of upward bullying. Individual impacts of bullying on the aggrieved parties and organizational treatments to mitigate and control the phenomenon are discussed.

The differential effects of integral pride and gratitude on divergent moral judgment for the self versus others

Individuals tend to have divergent moral judgment when judging oneself versus others, which is termed moral hypocrisy. While prior research has examined different factors that might influence moral hypocrisy, there are limited insights on the influences of different, discrete emotions. The present research seeks to address this gap and examines the differential influences of pride and gratitude on moral hypocrisy. Results of a pilot study and three main studies demonstrate that pride (but not gratitude) leads to moral hypocrisy. These effects are replicated across different cases of questionable behaviors and prosocial behaviors in a team setting. More importantly, this research identifies one mechanism that potentially explains this effect—the appraisal of self-other similarity. The findings of this research thus provide empirical evidence that distinct emotions arising from an organizational setting can differentially influence moral hypocrisy and offer practical implications. JEL Classification: C91, D23, D91

Implementation of Transitional Care Innovations: Considering the Organizational Context and Process is Key

Many transitional care innovations (TCI) are implemented to improve long-term care services for older persons during the transition between various care settings. Nevertheless, multiple contextual factors (barriers; facilitators) influence the implementation of TCI at different levels such as but not limited to the organizational environment, outer setting, or innovation’s characteristics. By conducting a modified Delphi study involving 29 international experts from 10 countries, eleven influencing factors were prioritized and agreed upon (with ≥ 85% consensus level) as the most important for implementing TCI. These top factors were linked mostly to the organizational setting (e.g. resources, financing) or the implementation process (e.g. engaging key stakeholders). Moreover, the feasibility to address the majority of these factors with implementation strategies was rated as difficult. Our work concludes a compilation of major factors to be aware of and aim to tackle when preparing to implement a new TCI in any long-term care setting.

How Follower Contribute to Team Success, Leadership Transformation and Organizational Excellence

Followers have typically been overlooked compared to leaders in an organizational setting but are a huge component of team success. A coach would not get “100 career wins” without the hard work of the team members on the field playing the game. A performer would not have the prosperity of a sold-out tour without the dedication of his fans. Followers are present in every group setting and are integral to the success of the team. They also play a part beyond supporting and following the leader. Followers’ engagement, relationships, and well-being directly affect the organization and leader. This paper will further explore the meaning of a follower and leader, examine the follower-leader interaction and its effectiveness in a team, and the overall value followers contribute to team success. In addition, this paper will reveal the critical success factors to maintain healthy follower-leader dynamics, it emphasizes the important role of practicing mindfulness, creating assertive communication and engagement channels, creating a motivating, and learning organizational culture, and boosting critical thinking and brainstorming activities to generate new pathways to boost organizational innovation. This case analysis will further help illustrate how the behaviors of the followers can shape leadership style and exhibit the importance of team recognition to create a healthy follower-leader relationship. Keywords: Team leadership, Team dynamics, Followership qualities, Transformational leadership, Organization culture, Motivation, Organization change

Institutional entrepreneurship: collaborative change in a complex Canadian organization

PurposeThis study adopts an institutional entrepreneurship perspective in the context of public–private partnerships (P3s) to highlight the role of social actors in enacting institutional change in a complex organizational setting. By studying the actions of two prominent social actors, the authors argue that successful institutional change is the result of dynamic managerial activity supported by political clout, organizational authority and the social positioning of actors.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a field-based case study in a complex institutional and organizational setting in Alberta, Canada. The authors employed an institutional entrepreneurship perspective to identify and analyze the activities of two allied actors motivated to transform the institutional environment for public infrastructure delivery.FindingsThe empirical study suggests that the implementation of institutional change is both individualistic and collaborative. Moreover, it is grounded in everyday organizational practices and activities and involves a coalition of allies invested in enacting lasting change in organizational practice(s), even when maintaining the status quo seems advantageous.Originality/valueThe authors critique the structural explanations that dominate the literature on public–private partnership implementation, which downplays the role of agency and minimizes its interplay with institutional logics in effecting institutional change. Rather, the authors demonstrate that, given the observed impact of social actors, public–private partnership adoption and implementation can be theorized as a social phenomenon.

Increasing the Capacity of Youth-Serving Professionals: Evaluation of the Online Social Justice Approach to Youth Engagement Course

There has been increased commitment to youth engagement in public health. However, those seeking to engage youth often lack the knowledge and skills to sustain meaningful youth engagement, constraining the potential positive impacts. Unfortunately, there is a paucity of training programs for practitioners who seek to increase their capacity to engage youth authentically. Given the need to train adults who work with youth, we developed and evaluated an online course to support public health and social service professionals in a social justice approach to youth engagement. During this 7-week course, grounded in social justice youth development theory, participants analyzed how power, privilege, and oppression operated in their own lives and engaged in conversations about disrupting systems of power that oppress young people. Fifty-eight participants completed the course as part of four cohorts, and 41 participants completed a survey (71% response rate) at all four time points (pre, post, 3-month, and 6-month follow-up). Paired t tests showed that participants experienced significant changes ( p < .0001) in their confidence to implement practices and curricula associated with social justice youth development, critique and provide evidence-informed recommendations to their organizational setting, and describe and disrupt adultism—the systematic subordination of youth by adults. Effects were sustained 6 months post course. Qualitative responses to survey items further supported the positive benefit of the course on their professional youth work. This course provides a promising model for training public health and social service professionals on how to authentically work with youth through a social justice lens.

Development and validation of multi-factor employee engagement measuring instrument: a formative measurement model

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to bring about an exhaustive measurement instrument of employee engagement and validate the same in Indian settings.Design/methodology/approachThis descriptive and cross-sectional study initiates with reviewing the available literature in the field of employee engagement to identify factors affecting and the corresponding items defining them. Following the discussion with experts and industry professionals, an instrument was, thus, obtained to administer the primary data from employees working in public and private power companies in India. The study used Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) 3 to demonstrate employee engagement as a first-order reflective and second-order formative construct. Thereafter, reliability and convergent validity were assessed to validate the instrument.FindingsThis paper conceptualized employee engagement as a multi-factor construct (nine in numbers). The factors are “Respect”, “Supervisor's support and recognition”, “Growth and development”, “Creative and challenging job”, “Job significance”, “Perceived self-worth”, “performance evaluation and recognition” and “Organizational bureaucracy”. These factors are exhaustive and collectively define employee engagement. Distortion or omission in any of these items may distort the nature of construct as well.Originality/valuePrevious studies have defined the concept of employee engagement as unidimensional and thus observe serious lacunas. This study identified employee engagement as a multi-factor construct that incorporates the exhaustive nature of the organizational setting. Not only this study adds value to the existing body of knowledge in the field of employee engagement but also specify the measurement model as a formative one concerning employee engagement.

Blockchain technology, inter-organizational relationships and management accounting: a synthesis and a research agenda

Blockchain is a technology intended for sharing data across a broad network of untrusted entities in a decentralized manner. It first gained recognition as the technology behind Bitcoin, but is seeing fast adoption in other areas including supply chain, insurance, and banking. Our aim is to investigate the potential of blockchain technology, when applied in an inter-organizational setting. To this end, the paper provides a review of management accounting literature on inter-organizational relationships (IORs), and identifies areas that may be significantly impacted by blockchain technology. The objective is not to present an exhaustive review of this field, but instead to outline and scrutinize topics and issues related to IORs where capabilities of blockchain may have the most significant impact. Based on the synthesis of the reviewed literatures, we offer several propositions, which may provide a starting point for future research intended to explore blockchain in the context of IORs.

Learning from difference and similarity: Identities and relational reflexive learning

Within organizations there is reciprocal interplay between identity construction and learning. Processes of learning are enabled and constrained by identity practices; concomitantly, the possibilities for learning are shaped by the identity positions available to individuals. There is a dynamic between the impositions of organizations and people’s freedom to shape their identities and learning plays a crucial role in this. Our purpose in this special issue is to contribute to the understanding of the intersection of identity work and learning as a response to experiences of being different. Experiences of difference include moving into a new role, encountering a disjuncture with others while in a role or a difference in broader life which is reacted to as if it were a problem in an organizational setting. Being different produces a variety of challenges and the papers in this special issue trace how people cope with vulnerabilities, develop resilience and often collaborate in their learning. We focus on how people reflect on their own identity and learn and how, by learning together with people who have similar experiences, micro-communities can support, develop and enhance their insight and identity-positions.

Artificial Intelligence and Business Value: a Literature Review

Artificial Intelligence (AI) are a wide-ranging set of technologies that promise several advantages for organizations in terms off added business value. Over the past few years, organizations are increasingly turning to AI in order to gain business value following a deluge of data and a strong increase in computational capacity. Nevertheless, organizations are still struggling to adopt and leverage AI in their operations. The lack of a coherent understanding of how AI technologies create business value, and what type of business value is expected, therefore necessitates a holistic understanding. This study provides a systematic literature review that attempts to explain how organizations can leverage AI technologies in their operations and elucidate the value-generating mechanisms. Our analysis synthesizes the current literature and highlights: (1) the key enablers and inhibitors of AI adoption and use; (2) the typologies of AI use in the organizational setting; and (3) the first- and second-order effects of AI. The paper concludes with an identification of the gaps in the literature and develops a research agenda that identifies areas that need to be addressed by future studies.