Exploring the remote work challenges in the era of COVID-19 pandemic: review and application model

PurposeRemote work (RW) literature is a megatrend in HRM literature, and the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of RW as a concept and an organisational practice. Given the large number of papers being published on remote work, there is a need for a critical review of the extant literature using bibliometric analysis. This paper examines the literature on remote working to identify the factors crucial for managing a remote workforce. This study uses the complex adaptive systems theory as a foundation to build a framework that organisations can use to manage their remote workforce, focusing on three outcomes: employee engagement, collaboration and organisational agility.Design/methodology/approachBibliometric analysis was conducted on the research published in Scopus journal in the area of remote work, followed by critical literature analysis.FindingsThe bibliometric analysis identified five clusters that reflect five organisational factors which the management can align to achieve the desired outcomes of engagement, collaboration and agility: technology orientation, leadership, HRM practices, external processes and organisational culture. The present findings have important implications for managing the remote workforce.Originality/valueThe five factors were mapped to propose a conceptual model on engaging individual employees, fostering team collaboration and building organisational agility while working remotely. We also propose an application model for using technology to achieve the outcomes of engagement, collaboration and agility in the organisation. Practitioners could use this framework to focus on the factors that can create a conducive environment to improve work efficiency in a remote workforce.

Technology orientation and innovation capability in the digital transformation process of SMEs: A review

From various reviews about innovation, this article will discuss technology orientation and innovation capabilities through digital transformation 4.0 in small businesses. There is a need to examine the relationship between the two from a useful perspective about see toward using various studies related to technology orientation and innovation capabilities in the industrial era 4.0. This study aims to increase understanding of technology orientation and innovation capabilities in the context of small businesses through Digital Transformation 4.0 by reviewing the empirical literature. The articles presented can guide further studies related to technology orientation with innovation capabilities so that it can be easily understood by researchers and entrepreneurs among small businesses.

Resource Reconfiguration During Technological Change

A central strategic imperative for surviving technological change requires firms to attenuate the inertia and rigidity imposed by its legacy technology orientation (defined as the relative emphasis placed on technological knowledge and products aligned to an incumbent technology) and successfully transition to a new technology. We theorize that resource reconfiguration through corporate scope decisions—alliances, acquisitions, divestitures, and different postacquisition integration approaches—enables firms to achieve the twin requirements of attenuation and transition. Initially, a legacy technology orientation exerts inertia due to legacy reinforcement—decreasing the likelihood of firms making new technology acquisitions and legacy technology divestitures. New technology alliances mitigate this inertia via legacy attenuation—increasing the likelihood of acquisitions and legacy divestitures. Finally, when firms make new technology acquisitions, we theorize that acquirers choosing partial acquisition integration approaches (partial integration and partial autonomy) are more likely to achieve a successful transition to the new technology-legacy transition and, thus, more likely to survive technological change relative to firms choosing full integration or full autonomy. Using a sample of firms from the digital camera product market over 1991–2006, we found strong empirical support for our predictions. We contribute to research on technological change by demonstrating that firms may overcome the inertia of a legacy technology orientation and adapt to an emerging new technology by employing corporate scope decisions and postacquisition integration as resource reconfiguration mechanisms. Specifically, we advance the novel finding that postacquisition integration is an important survival-enhancing mechanism that facilitates adaptation to technological change.

Facilitating Servitization in Manufacturing Firms: The Influence of Strategic Orientation

Servitization has significant implications for the sustainable development of manufacturing, the economy, and the environment. However, it does not always produce returns as the firms expect, which may discourage them from engaging in this transition. In this study, we examine the facilitating effects of two dimensions of strategic orientation (i.e., technology and market orientation) on two types of servitization (i.e., basic and advanced service provision), and further investigate the performance impacts of these servitization types contingent on firm size. By conducting an empirical study, using survey data comprising 210 samples, we confirm that both technology and market orientation are positively related to basic and advanced service provision. Moreover, while they have equal effects on basic services, market orientation is more important than technology orientation for providing advanced services. We also find that, for basic services, these two strategic orientations function independently, whereas they reinforce each other in the provision of advanced services. Finally, the relationship between servitization and firm performance is contingent on the size of the firm. Our results show that small firms can benefit from providing basic services, rather than advanced services, while only advanced services can improve the performance of large firms further.

Strategic Orientation, Digital Capabilities, and New Product Development in Emerging Market Firms: The Moderating Role of Corporate Social Responsibility

Strategic orientation represents an important antecedent condition for new product development (NPD) performance, which can help firms create competitive advantage and promote sustainable growth. This study aims to explore the role of strategic orientation (i.e., technology orientation, customer orientation) in promoting firms’ digital capabilities and NPD performance in the context of digital transformation. Using a resource-based view and its extended dynamic capabilities as a theoretical foundation, we provide a comprehensive framework by developing a set of hypotheses. In addition, we examine the moderating effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on the relationship between strategic orientation and NPD performance. Using data from a sample of 174 Chinese manufacturing firms, we perform structural equation modelling to empirically test our arguments. Our findings show that technology orientation and customer orientation play a critical role in driving firms’ digital capabilities. Moreover, we find that the two dimensions of strategic orientation tend to exert different effects on NPD performance, with technology orientation playing a more significant role than customer orientation in contributing to NPD performance. Finally, our findings strongly suggest that a firm’s CSR engagement moderates the relationship between its customer orientation and NPD performance, such that the higher the firm’s engagement in CSR, the greater the contribution of customer orientation to the firm’s NPD performance. Our findings provide new insights into non-market mechanisms such as CSR through which firms can compensate for their strategically oriented practices in the NPD process.

The Business and Accounting Technology Innovation for Better Firm Performance: A Case of Malaysian Firms

Business and Accounting Technology innovation can play a significant role in enhancing economic growth and has the potential to bring about change and create opportunities for every business Within the introduction of a wide variety of new technologies during the fourth industrial revolution, therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the impact of business innovation, technology orientation and Accounting technological innovation capabilities on firm performance in the Malaysian firms. To achieve this objective 337 sample responses were collected from the business managers of Malaysian firms related to technology and innovation using the purposive sampling technique. Furthermore, this study has used explanatory purpose because of the reason that it gives effective and enhanced understanding PLS-SEM was employed for data analysis using Smart-PLS version 3.2.8. The results have shown that business innovation and technology orientation have a significantly positive effect on technology innovation capability while accounting technology innovation capability has a positive significant effect on firm performance. Implications are the Managers needs to be more aware regarding OI and TICs and how these two processes simultaneously can affect the firm performance. In addition, managers can easily use OI to develop their skills, methods, and innovation aspects. The managers are recommended to provide employees a creative environment and motivate employees to work in an open environment so that it can increase the accounting technological innovation capabilities. Received: 3 August 2021 / Accepted: 7 October 2021 / Published: 5 November 2021

The Match Between Structural Attributes and Content-Based Orientation of Managerial Cognition: An Exploratory fsQCA Study of ‘Hidden Champions’

ABSTRACT Strategic decision makers interpret information and translate it into organizational action through the lens of strategic schemas. How should firms realize high performance with various strategic schemas? Cognitive content and structure have been shown to underlie strategic schemas, but few studies have considered them together. This study employs aggregation analysis to clarify the interaction between cognitive content (technology orientation, market orientation) and structure (complexity, centrality) in affecting the firm performance (FP) of ‘hidden champion’ companies, identified by the Economy and Information Technology Department of Zhejiang Province, China. The empirical method applies fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis to generate strategic schema profiles for high FP. This exploratory study fills a gap in the literature on managerial cognition and provides key lessons from ‘hidden champion’ companies in China and their paths for small- and medium-sized enterprises to grow.

Effects of Strategic Orientation on Performance of Telecommunication Sector in Nigeria

The study explores the potential influences of strategic orientation constructs of entrepreneurial, market and technology orientations on telecommunication firms’ performance using data obtained through structured questionnaires from 57 line managers and 300 customers of these firms. The data collected were subjected to the structural equation modeling technique. The results revealed that strategic orientation has a positive significant relationship with firm performance. Specifically, it showed that only technology orientation has a significant influence on telecommunication firms’ performance. The study contributes to the understanding of the rationale behind which set of strategic orientations should be implemented for improved level of performance in the telecommunication sector.

Orientasi Strategi yang Mempengaruhi Kinerja Organisasi Usaha Kecil Menengah di Jakarta

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of market orientation, technology orientation, and entrepreneurial orientation on the performance of small and medium enterprises in Jakarta. The sample was selected using the non-probability sampling method, amounting to 100 respondents who are entrepreneurs or entrepreneurs in the field of small and medium scale enterprises. Data processing techniques using the SmartPLS 3.0 program. The results of this study indicate that there is a significant influence between market orientation on organizational performance, there is a significant influence between technology orientation on organizational performance, and there is a significant influence between entrepreneurial orientation on organizational performance. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk menguji pengaruh orientasi pasar, orientasi teknologi dan orientasi kewirausahaan terhadap kinerja organisasi usaha kecil dan menengah di Jakarta. Sampel dipilih menggunakan metode non-probability sampling berjumlah 100 responden yang merupakan pelaku usaha atau wirausaha dalam bidang skala usaha kecil dan menengah. Teknik pengolahan data menggunakan program SmartPLS 3.0. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukan bahwa adanya pengaruh signifikan antara orientasi pasar terhadap kinerja organisasi, adanya pengaruh yang signifikan antara orientasi teknologi terhadap kinerja organisasi, dan adanya pengaruh yang signifikan antara orientasi kewirausahaan terhadap kinerja organisasi.

Effects of Strategic Orientation on Performance of Telecommunication Sector in Nigeria

The study explores the potential influences of strategic orientation constructs of entrepreneurial, market and technology orientations on telecommunication firms’ performance using data obtained through structured questionnaires from 57 line managers and 300 customers of these firms. The data collected were subjected to the structural equation modeling technique. The results revealed that strategic orientation has a positive significant relationship with firm performance. Specifically, it showed that only technology orientation has a significant influence on telecommunication firms’ performance. The study contributes to the understanding of the rationale behind which set of strategic orientations should be implemented for improved level of performance in the telecommunication sector.