Knowledge management strategies and organizational improvisation: what changed after the emergence of technological turbulence caused by artificial intelligence?

PurposeThis paper aims to analyze the moderating effect of technological turbulence caused by artificial intelligence on the relationship between the traditional knowledge management strategies of personalization (tacit knowledge) and codification (explicit knowledge), and organizational improvisation, which refers to the firm's ability to generate ideas and respond to changes in the technological environment in real time. Until now, individuals have played a key and indispensable role in organizational improvisation since they are the owners of tacit knowledge and users of explicit knowledge.Design/methodology/approachThe research model was tested in a sample of firms from sectors in which the adoption of intelligent robots is growing.FindingsBoth personalization and codification have a positive and significant influence on improvisation, the former to a greater extent. Nevertheless, when technological turbulence caused by artificial intelligence occurs, the relationship between personalization and improvisation is weakened, whereas the link between codification and improvisation is strengthened.Originality/valueContrary to the pre-digital literature consensus, explicit knowledge is becoming the new major driver of organizational improvisation, while tacit knowledge sharing is losing strength and relevance. This finding may be a first indication that intelligent robots are the new exponents of improvisation for their ability to respond to changes in the environment in real time because of a combination of explicit knowledge, beyond being a mere support tool for humans.

Platform riders' occupational stigma consciousness and workplace deviant behavior: the mediating role of self-depletion

PurposeThe study aims to analyze how occupational stigma consciousness affects workplace deviant behavior.Design/methodology/approachThe authors used a time-lagged research design. Data from 354 riders working on the platform were gathered, and multiple regression and bootstrapping were used to test the hypotheses.FindingsBased on the ego depletion theory and resource perspective, the study explores the relationship between the occupational stigma consciousness and workplace deviant behavior of platform riders in China. Occupational stigma consciousness promotes workplace deviant behavior; self-depletion mediates the positive relationship between occupational stigma consciousness and workplace deviant behavior and workplace mindfulness exerts a negative moderating effect on the relationship between occupational stigma consciousness and self-depletion.Originality/valueThe study provides a resource perspective to understand how occupational stigma consciousness is related to workplace deviant behavior and how workplace mindfulness alleviates resource depletion caused by occupational stigma consciousness. The research results provide practical information for managers to reduce deviant behavior, which helps to promote riders' performance on the platform.

Ambidextrous leadership: a narrative literature review for theory development and directions for future research

PurposeThis study seeks to provide a narrative literature review of existing empirical research, in order to better understand the processes and theory of ambidextrous leadership, as well as its influence on followers, employees and organizations.Design/methodology/approachData from 26 studies were extracted and synthesied providing a critical discussion about the methodological and theoretical aspects of the studies identified in the review.FindingsIt was revealed the attributes for an effective ambidextrous leader, it was presented the recently proposed concept of ambidextrous leadership theory and it was noticed the main criticisms against the findings of the extant ambidextrous leadership literature. It was also identified many research gaps in the literature which in turn can guide academics in the development of ambidextrous leadership.Research limitations/implicationsThe ambidextrous leadership theory represents a novel and unique approach to the domain of leadership for creativity and innovation. It is shared across hierarchical levels throughout the organization. Leaders have a significant effect on employees' behaviors and should determine its applicability to different situations. Organizations require ambidextrous managers who combine flexible, situational and versatile leadership styles developing ever increasingly new and divergent ideas. Many research gaps in the literature were also identified that can guide academics in the development of ambidextrous leadership.Practical implicationsUnderstanding that ambidextrous leadership is required to significantly influence ambidexterity and innovation allows organizations to direct their leadership selection and development.Originality/valueThis review contributes to the ambidextrous leadership literature by creating a holistic picture of where it has been and where it should go.

Career satisfaction, subjective well-being and turnover intention: an attachment style perspective

PurposeOn the basis of an attachment style perspective, the authors explored a moderated mediation model in which career satisfaction reduces employees' turnover intention by enhancing subjective well-being; this mediated relationship would be moderated by three dimensions of attachment style as follows: secure, counterdependent and overdependent.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 192 employees in South Korea and hypotheses were tested using multiple regression analysis and the PROCESS macro for SPSS.FindingsSubjective well-being mediated the relationship between career satisfaction and turnover intention. The indirect relationship between career satisfaction and turnover intention through subjective well-being was significant only when employees had high-secure attachment and low-counterdependent and -overdependent attachment styles.Practical implicationsOn the basis of the authors' findings that not all employees' subjective well-being translates into a lower level of turnover intention despite being satisfied with their career, the study suggests that organizations should pay more attention to how the subjective well-being of employees can be enhanced in relation to their career by considering their attachment styles.Originality/valueThe study contributes to deepening the understanding of the mechanism of when and how career satisfaction reduces turnover intention by integrating subjective well-being and attachment styles that have been neglected in prior research.

Inclusive leadership and employee work engagement: a moderated mediation model

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between inclusive leadership and employee work engagement by identifying person-job fit as a mediator, and employee felt responsibility as a moderator.Design/methodology/approachEmploying a two-wave survey from 261 employees across various industries in China, the study tests hypotheses using hierarchical regression analysis with the PROCESS procedure developed by Hayes.FindingsThe results show that inclusive leadership is positively related to employee work engagement through person-job fit. The results further demonstrate that employees’ felt responsibility moderates the positive direct relationship between inclusive leadership and person-job fit as well as the indirect relationship between inclusive leadership and work engagement via person-job fit.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough two-wave data were used to test the model, issues of common method bias cannot be excluded because the data were collected from a single source (the employee).Practical implicationsOrganizations should promote and develop inclusive leaders in the workplace to enhance employee work engagement, and pay attention to employees' felt responsibility for their work to ensure effectiveness of inclusive leadership.Originality/valueIntegrating social information processing theory and person-environment fit theory, this study enriches the theoretical foundation of inclusive leadership scholarship. This study deepens the understanding of the mechanism underlying the link between inclusive leadership and work engagement, as well as an important boundary condition of this relationship, by examining the mediating role of person-job fit and the moderating role of felt responsibility.

Board gender diversity and firms' internationalization speed: the role of female directors' characteristics

PurposeDrawing on the gender self-schema theory, upper echelons theory and the literature on international business, this study aims to examine the impact of board gender diversity on firms' internationalization speed.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, secondary data of 886 listed Chinese manufacturing firms from 2009 to 2018 are studied using the ordinary least squares regression model as the baseline method, an instrumental variable method is adopted for endogeneity control and both fixed and random effect models are adopted for the robustness test.FindingsBoard gender diversity reduces firms' internationalization speed, and the negative effect between board gender diversity and internationalization speed is stronger when the average age of female directors is older and weaker when female directors have international experience or financial background.Practical implicationsFirst, Chinese firms need to increase or decrease board gender diversity to match the board to firms' internationalization strategy. Increasing board gender diversity may be a more appropriate choice for firms that are expanding rapidly internationally, and vice versa. Second, when introducing female directors to international firms, it is essential to address other characteristics of these directors beyond their gender.Originality/valueFirst, the authors contribute to the literature on board gender diversity using Chinese manufacturing firms as our research sample, which provides new insights into the economic consequences of increasing the number of female directors. Second, this research contributes to the literature on firms' internationalization speed. Third, the authors capture in more detail the economic consequences of increasing board gender diversity in the context of China.

The impact of the CEO's financial literacy on family SMEs' growth: the moderating role of generational stage

PurposeThis study investigates the impact of the CEO's financial literacy on family SMEs' growth, as well as the moderating role of the generational stage on this relationship.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on survey data of Spanish private family firms and utilizes a second source of data, the SABI database by Bureau Van Dijk. The authors run ordinary least squares regressions and use both the base and the partition approaches to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe analysis reveals a positive association between the CEO's financial literacy and firm growth. However, this relationship is not uniform across generations. The CEO's financial literacy-firm growth relationship becomes weaker for first- and third or subsequent-generation family firms while becoming stronger for second-generation family firms.Originality/valueThis study adds the financial literacy of the CEO as a novel individual-level determinant of family firm growth. It also shows that CEOs do not always use their financial literacy to its full potential to foster growth. More specifically, the extent to which financial literacy leads to firm growth is found to be conditional on the generational stage of the family SME. The obtained findings are valuable for family SMEs intending to hire a new CEO, encouraging the financial literacy of the current CEO and educating the next generation of family members.

Fostering individual-level absorptive capacity and adaptive performance through leadership context

PurposeThis study aims to examine the effects of trait goal orientations (mastery, performance-prove and performance-avoid goals) on individual-level absorptive capacity (AC), ultimately adaptive performance. This study also explores the cross-level moderating effects of transformational leadership climate on these mediated relationships.Design/methodology/approachData from 480 participants in 76 teams from accounting firms in Northeast Thailand were analyzed using the multilevel method.FindingsFindings showed support for positive indirect effects from approach-related goal orientations (mastery and performance-prove) to adaptive performance via AC and a negative indirect effect from avoid goal orientation to adaptive performance via AC. Results showed that a transformational leadership climate strengthens the relationship between goal orientations and AC, but only when team members have a high level of approach-related goals.Originality/valueThis study extends previous work by providing an understanding of how a transformational leadership context and the differences in goal orientations interact to promote or impede an individual's AC. It also extends our understanding of the mechanism of how AC mediated the effects of trait goal orientations and transformational leadership climate on adaptive performance.

Determinants of the online purchase intention: hedonic motivations, prices, information and trust

PurposeThe Internet has changed the nature of purchasing, proof of this being the proliferation of e-commerce sites which have seen their activity grow more quickly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the authors aim to investigate the impact of the consumer's hedonic motivations, price, access to information and trust on the online purchase intention.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative, transversal study of a conclusive nature was carried out. Based on information gathered through a questionnaire administered to a sample of 750 online purchasers, a structural equation model was estimated.FindingsThe results showed that the intention to continue purchasing in online shops is partly explained by access to information online, hedonic motivations and trust in e-commerce sites. It stands out that online information generates trust, and the perception of online prices does not influence loyalty but has a positive influence on hedonic motivations.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough some constructs were ignored, for example, the integration of channels, experiential marketing and the fear of fraud, including unauthorised use of personal details, the study shows that easy access to useful information about products, prices, promotions is an important antecedent of online purchase.Practical implicationsOnline shop managers should pay special attention to e-commerce websites, and the information provided there should explore consumer's hedonic motivations for adventure. Furthermore, it is fundamental to create trust in order to maintain the interest in online shopping.Originality/valueThe estimation of the structural model in the context of online shopping includes the influence of utilitarian motivations (price and access to information), which offer a rational experience and also include emotional motivations (hedonic adventure motivations) on the intention to buy online. The results also revealed that it plays an important role to promote online trust and online loyalty.

Managing international professional service firms: a review and future research agenda

PurposeResearch on international professional service firms (PSFs) has grown in recent years, reflecting the increasing relevance of these firms in the global economy. However, to date, no attempt has been made to systematically examine and integrate this literature. This study reviews the body of knowledge on the international management of PSFs and proposes a future research agenda that aims to strengthen the research on international PSFs, by applying the conceptual lens of PSF characteristics.Design/methodology/approachA systematic review of 108 empirical articles on the management of international PSFs was carried out.FindingsThe authors analyse where, how and what research was carried out on the international management of PSFs, and find that currently the field offers few opportunities to integrate findings or explain differences across different types of international PSFs. In recommendations for future research, the authors show how the lens of PSF characteristics can help overcome these issues and unveil promising avenues for future research that will lead to a more fine-grained theorising and understanding of the international management of PSFs.Originality/valueThe study provides a comprehensive state of the art of research on the international management of PSFs and a future research agenda, which builds on PSF characteristics to explore and better understand the heterogeneity of international PSFs, in order to develop more robust explanations of their behaviour and open new research avenues.