Enhancing the impact of transformational leadership and team-building on project success: the moderating role of empowerment climate

PurposeThis study examines the mechanisms and conditions that influence how transformational leadership affects project success through the lens of social information processing theory.Design/methodology/approachA dual-stage moderated mediation model was proposed wherein the effect of transformational leadership on project success is mediated by team building, and empowering climate moderates the direct and indirect effects at both the first and second stages. The model was tested based on 370 survey responses of project management practitioners from Pakistan's IT industry. The measurement model was analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Moderated mediation analyses were conducted using Hayes' PROCESS macro.FindingsThe findings suggest that team-building partially mediates the effect of transformational leadership on project success. Furthermore, the conditional indirect effect of transformational leadership on project success via team-building is strengthened at both the first and second stages at higher levels of empowerment climate.Practical implicationsIt is recommended that project managers and project-intensive organizations should strive to cultivate an empowerment climate to fully realize the beneficial effects of transformational leadership behaviors in enhancing positive team outcomes and, consequently, overall project performance.Originality/valueThis study broadly contributes to the literature on the influence of project managers' leadership styles on project outcomes. Specifically, we elucidate the role of empowerment climate as an important boundary condition that enhances the beneficial effects of transformational leadership. Furthermore, we extend the application of social information processing theory to the context of projects.

Developmental Human Resource Configuration, Unique Human Capital, and Employee Innovative Work Behavior: A Multilevel Moderated Mediation Model

Drawing on social exchange theory (SET), the purposes of this research are to investigate the effect that developmental human resource configuration (DHRC) has on employee innovative work behavior (IWB) and to examine the role that an empowerment climate plays in the relationship. The study assumes that knowledge workers perform IWB if they perceive the application of DHRC and the empowerment climate to support autonomy, information sharing, and team accountability. The data were collected from 37 R&D managers and 370 full-time R&D engineers, constituting 37 different high-tech companies in Guangdong province, China. Results show that a positive relationship between DHRC and IWB was found and was partially mediated by unique human capital. Findings also demonstrate that empowerment climates strengthen this relationship. The implications of the findings and future directions for research are further discussed.

Understanding Organisational Effectiveness Through Sustainable Human Relations Approach

Organisational effectiveness undoubtedly depends on well-designed human resource practices which embrace vibrant industrial relations. The relations that exist between superior and subordinates in industrial establishments are mostly contingent upon the degree of autonomy in the decision-making process. As autonomous decision making is an integral part overall empowerment strategy, the climate that fosters trust, creativity, competitiveness, and proactive problem-solving intention tend to influence the employee perception towards improved organisational effectiveness. Earlier studies have established the direct relationship between psychological empowerment and to a certain extent in combination with structural empowerment variables and organisational effectiveness in a specific context. But the present research seeks to study the role of empowerment climate as a moderating variable for the aforesaid relationship which would ultimately bring about the effectiveness in the selected industrial establishments.

Exchange of new ideas: towards a more open, cooperative and sustainable world

Aim: Provide a summary of the expressed views, presentations and discussions during the ISINI14 (2020) online conference. Design: Next to rather traditional but this time online presentations, the discussions not only took place by way of oral communication, but also via an online tool. The administrators of the conference prepared in a word-processing programme a framework, where the participants could enter issues, questions and comments in real time, and react to each others writings. These issues, questions and comments were also discussed orally. The results of the exchange of new ideas are presented below, and should provide an impulse for further discussion at ISINI online meetings in the future. Findings: In order to achieve sustainable development, protect democratic values and empower citizens in different countries with a different institutional setting, a sound balance between open markets and sound regulation should be struck at various levels. Global and regional (EU) cooperationis needed for solving challenges to sustainable development – e.g. in relation to unexpected events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate (change) as a kind of public good. Keywords: new ideas, empowerment, climate change, COVID-19, European Union, decision making process, risk management, sustainable development JEL: D70, D81, F02, Q01, Q54

Does Inclusive Leadership Reduce Emotional Dissonance Among Teachers? – Investigating the Mediating Role of Psychological Empowerment Climate and Organizational Justice

The role of teachers is of utmost significance in the education system. The emotions of teachers play a vital role in determining their development and wellbeing. Emotional dissonance leads to several negative consequences for both the teachers and the institution and will affect their commitment and overall well-being. Several factors affect the emotions of teachers in the institution. This emotional exhaustion of the teachers can be reduced if the organization has inclusive leaders, provides them a climate of empowerment and follows justice. The present study focuses on the importance of inclusive leadership, psychological empowerment climate and organizational justice in reducing the emotional dissonance of teachers. The study was conducted among 510 school teachers. The result of the study proved that inclusive leadership has a significant role in reducing emotional dissonance of teachers.

How Empowerment and Innovation Climates Influence Employees' Innovative IS Use

The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of empowerment and innovation climates on employees' innovative use of information systems (IS) and the mechanisms through which the climates affect employees' innovative IS use. Drawing on the thriving theory, this study proposes a hierarchical research model that links team-level climates, individual-level thriving, and employees' innovative IS use in an integral model. In total, 174 copies of questionnaires from 38 teams were collected from ERP users of nine firms in China. The empirical results suggest that team innovation climate and team empowerment climate are positively related to innovative IS use. Thriving plays a fully mediating role between team empowerment climate and innovative IS use and a partially mediating role between the team innovation climate and innovative IS use. The findings of this study could provide guidelines for managers on how to promote IS users' innovative use from the perspectives of team climates.

Contextualizing Senior Executive Advice Seeking: The Role of Decision Process Comprehensiveness and Empowerment Climate

Senior executives can seek advice both inside and outside the boundaries of the organization and that can affect the choices made and the overall direction of the organization. Perceived environmental dynamism is a primary antecedent of this behaviour as it substantially increases the information-processing demands when solving strategic decision problems. We drew on two ‘fit’ perspectives to theorize about the organizational contingencies of this relationship. First, fit as mediation develops when executive advice seeking takes place after a comprehensive decision process has been used in response to an increase in perceived environmental dynamism. Decision process comprehensiveness fully mediates the relationship between perceived environmental dynamism and internal advice seeking and partially mediates the relationship between perceived environmental dynamism and external advice seeking. Second, fit as moderation develops when empowerment climate weakens this indirect relationship. Decision process comprehensiveness and empowerment climate function as Edgeworth–Pareto substitutes showing that, with regard to senior executive advice seeking, there is negative synergy between decision process comprehensiveness and empowerment climate. The results of our study support the notion that there is a link between information processing at the individual and organizational level, and, more importantly, suggest that power sharing within organizations can reduce the need for senior executive advice seeking when there is decision process comprehensiveness. By elaborating the information-processing perspective on advice seeking and introducing theory on organizational structural power interdependencies, we take the first steps towards a more contextualized and realistic understanding of this phenomenon.