How does contingent reward affect enterprise resource planning continuance intention? The role of contingent reward transactional leadership

During the past decade, an increased focus on charismatic and transformational leadership has led to a diminished recognition of the importance of transactional leadership behaviours for successful information systems. We say that this is important because recent studies have shown that transactional leadership, in the form of contingent reward behaviour, can have substantial effects on employee attitudes, perceptions and behaviour. Therefore, in this study we discuss how contingent reward transactional leadership behaviour influences enterprise resource planning (ERP) users’ continuance intention by proposing a research model that explains how contingent reward has a positive effect on ERP users’ satisfaction and perceived usefulness which leads to ERP continuance intention. We further argue that distributive justice mediates this relationship. This study calls for managers to pay attention to the importance of contingent reward leadership behaviour in continuous intention of ERP.

The associations between attachment style and leadership behaviours

Research has suggested that effective leadership, specifically the use of transformational and transactional leadership behaviours is heavily embedded in a leader’s interpersonal abilities. However, few studies have investigated the interpersonal factors that drive the appropriate use of transformational and transactional leadership behaviour in leader-follower settings. Attachment theory provides an appropriate framework in which to understand the epigenesis of leadership behaviours and the impact of these behaviours on followers. In this preliminary study, 31 manager-non manager dyads recruited from a Victorian education institution and a national telecommunications company (managers – Mean age = 48.32 years, SD = 7.59; non-managers –Mean age = 44.44 years, SD = 9.56) took part in an online questionnaire. As part of the online questionnaire, participants completed self-report measures of attachment, leadership behaviour and employee outcomes. Analyses revealed that managers’ attachment style made a significant contribution to their use of transformational and transactional leadership, which in turn, was associated with follower’s satisfaction and effectiveness ratings of their managers. Correlations between leader and follower ratings revealed that managers and non-managers held distinct perceptions of leadership performance. These findings are discussed within the context of attachment theory and the personal relationships literature.

Attachment as a predictor of leadership and follower outcomes

Research has suggested that effective leadership, specifically the utilisation of transformational leadership behaviours, is heavily entrenched in a leader’s interpersonal skills. However, few studies have investigated the interpersonal factors that drive appropriate use of transformational and transactional leadership in leader-follower settings. Attachment theory provides a robust framework in which to chart the developmental precursors of effective leadership that underpin positive leader-follower relationships and potential organisational outcomes. In this study, 46 manager-non manager dyads recruited from a Victorian education institution, a national telecommunications company and a Victorian real-estate business (managers – Mean age = 48.5 years, SD = 7.78, non-managers – Mean age 43.92 years, SD = 8.72) took part in an online questionnaire. Participants completed measures of attachment, leadership behaviour and organisational citizenship behaviour. Path analysis revealed that manager’s attachment style significantly predicted follower ratings of transformational and transactional leadership behaviours. Additionally, follower ratings of leadership were associated with organisational citizenship behaviour. Thus, it is concluded that attachment theory provides a valid framework in which to understand follower perceptions of leadership behaviour and subsequent organisational outcomes. These findings are discussed within the context of attachment theory and the leadership literature.

Culturally-linked leadership styles

Purpose – This paper seeks to examine whether cultural context facilitates the emergence of different leadership styles. The key objective of the paper is to consider whether leadership styles are
culturally-linked and/or culturally-biased.
Design/methodology/approach – A multifactor leadership questionnaire was utilised to measure differences in leadership styles and to offer explanations as to why the “one size fits all” view is not appropriate. Analysis of variance and t-tests were utilised to compare means for more than two managerial groups.
Findings – The analysis found significant differences between leadership styles and cultural groups, hence, supporting the argument that culture and leadership interact in different ways in diverse
contexts. Transactional leadership was found to be strongly aligned with the ratings of managers from Malaysia, and transformational leadership scales correlated with the Australian respondents’ mean
ratings.
Practical implications – Variations in leadership styles are due to cultural influences because people have different beliefs and assumptions about characteristics that are deemed effective for leadership. Therefore, it is fundamental to know what leadership skills and knowledge are valued most by managers on a global level. This information is critical as it offers insight into developing competencies in different workplaces, especially as organisations expand their geographical boundaries into international markets.
Originality/value – The findings of the study provide empirical understanding for culturally-linked leadership styles. The paper contributes to understanding the importance of workforce diversity and attention to other cultures and, thus, enhances our appreciation of today’s “global village”.

Leadership and culture in Asia : the case of Malaysia

This study advances prior theoretical research by investigating the influence of cultural forces in our understanding of leadership. The research provides new insights by linking transformational and transactional leadership to the Malaysian cultural environment. Using a quantitative approach by administering the multifactor leadership questionnaire MLQ-5x-short, 138 usable responses were analysed. Findings indicate that cultural foundations contribute significantly to transformational leadership behaviours to facilitate the creation of a harmonious leader–subordinate relationship. Furthermore, this study contributes to an understanding of how specific leaders' behaviours are affected by cultural forces, and reveals leadership attributes that are contingent upon dynamic environmental conditions. The study extends beyond the obvious, and reveals subtle yet important culture-specific differences. The Malaysian managers, regardless of gender, show a preference for leading within the transformational leadership framework. This has led us to infer that cultural forces do indeed play an important role in determining leadership styles.

The influence of follower cultural orientation on attitudinal responses towards transformational leadership: evidence from the Chinese hospitality industry

In addition to extending the empirical investigation of the relationship between transformational leadership and follower affective commitment to the Chinese hospitality industry, this study makes a theoretical contribution by investigating the influence of individually held cultural values on this relationship. Building on previous research which has examined whether collectivism moderates the transformational leadership/affective commitment relationship, this study investigates the moderating effects of two additional cultural value orientations, namely power distance and uncertainty avoidance. Hierarchical regression analysis was utilized to analyse survey data from 398 employees of four Chinese hotels in Zhejiang Province. In addition to finding a positive relationship between transformational leadership and affective commitment, data analysis revealed that followers low in power distance exhibited higher levels of affective commitment when working under a transformational leader than those high in power distance. In addition, followers high in uncertainty avoidance and collectivism exhibited greater commitment when working under a transformational leader than those low in uncertainty avoidance and collectivism. These findings clearly indicate the importance of within-country cultural differences to the effectiveness of leaders in the workplace. © 2014 © 2013 Taylor & Francis.

The impact of participative leadership on job performance and organizational citizenship behavior: distinguishing between the mediating effects of affective and cognitive trust

This study examines the mediating effects of cognitive trust and affective trust on the relationship between supervisors' participative leadership behavior and subordinate work outcomes, using data obtained from 247 dyads in a manufacturing organization located in mainland China. Structural equation modeling revealed that while affective trust fully mediated the relationships between participative leadership of supervisor and subordinate job performance and organizational citizenship behavior, cognitive trust had non-significant effects. These findings underscore the importance of interpersonal interactions between the supervisor and subordinate for engendering subordinate work outcomes. They also lend support to the exchange (relationship)-based explanation as to how trust enhances the response of subordinates to the participative leadership behavior of their immediate supervisor, given that affective trust involves a process of social exchange between both parties over an extended period of time. © 2014 © 2014 Taylor & Francis.

Revisiting the mediating role of trust in transformational leadership effects: Do different types of trust make a difference?

This study examines the mediating effects of cognitive and affective trust on the relationship between follower perceptions of transformational leadership behavior and their work outcomes. Using data obtained from 318 supervisor-subordinate dyads from a manufacturing organization located in mainland China, structural equation modeling results revealed that affective trust fully mediated the relationships between transformational leadership and the work outcomes of followers, including their affective organizational commitment, organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs), and job performance. In contrast, cognitive trust negatively mediated the relationship between transformational leadership and follower job performance, and had insignificant effects on their affective organizational commitment and organizational citizenship behaviors. These findings highlight the importance of affective trust as a mechanism which translates transformational leadership into positive work outcomes for the organization. © 2012 Elsevier Inc.

Profiling contemporary marketing practices in Bangladesh

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how different types of firms relate to their markets in
terms of contemporary marketing practices (CMP) in an emerging country, Bangladesh. Additionally,
the paper also examines the various marketing performance measures used by Bangladeshi firms.
Design/methodology/approach – The CMP survey was used on 165 marketing managers chosen from
a range of industrial sectors as a basis for data collection. Data were analyzed using cluster analysis and other descriptive statistics.
Findings – The study found that a pluralistic marketing approach is predominant among the majority of
the Bangladeshi firms, while few other firms also practise transactional marketing. Results also reveal
that Bangladeshi firms apply a blend of performance indicators rather than relying on specific financialor
client-based measures to evaluate business success.
Research limitations/implications – The present study provides a benchmark for future studies on
CMP in emerging/developing countries and inspires further research designed to deepen
understanding about how marketing is practised in emerging markets and how they may differ from
developed markets.
Originality/value – Since very few studies have been conducted regarding CMP by incorporating both
business-to-business and consumer goods/services firms for a specific country into an emerging
market, this study adds a new dimension to the horizon of CMPs.

The role of leadership theory in raising the profile of women in management

Purpose: To consider how leadership theories have helped or hindered raising the profile of women in management and leadership roles.

Design/methodology/approach: This paper traces the earlier leadership theories through to the contemporary research on transactional and transformational leadership styles and offers a viewpoint on how each theory has contributed, or otherwise, to an awareness and acceptance of women in management and leadership roles.

Findings:  In 1990, research began to report gender differences in leadership styles with female managers being seen in positive terms as participative, democratic leaders. More recent work reports that women are believed to exhibit more transformational leadership style than their male colleagues, and this is equated with effective leadership.

Research limitations/implications:  All of the earlier theories on leadership excluded women and this exacerbated the problem of women not being seen as an appropriate fit in a management or leadership role. Recent findings clearly describe that the transformational qualities of leadership that women exhibit are required by the flatter organisational structures of today. Therefore, a more positive outcome for women advancing to senior roles of management or leadership may be observed in the future.

Originality/value:  The paper reviews the major leadership theories, and links these to a timeframe to illustrate how women were not visible in a management context until relatively recently. Such an omission may have contributed to the continuing low numbers of women who advance to senior management and leadership roles.

Acceptance and leadership-hegemonies of e-commerce policy perspectives

This paper presents an analysis of the e-Commerce policies developed and implemented in the USA, Canada, Australia, Victoria, Finland, Norway, the UK, Ireland, the EU (by the OECD), Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand and Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region). The paper shows that e-Commerce policy adopted is generally trying to achieve two fundamental aims:

1. to minimize regulatory environments for e-Commerce; and
2. to ease logistical problems in doing e-Commerce—i.e. in paying electronically, in deliver y of goods and in customs, tariffs and duties.

These strategies are designed to create an environment where e-Commerce is adopted by business and government in these countries to achieve ‘best practice’, to become ‘modern’, to gain ‘efficiencies’, because ‘it is the way to go’, because ‘we must have it, because everybody has it’, and because they ‘perceive the benefits of it’. In essence it is being used to gain hegemony in the economic competitiveness of the geopolitical environment created by the Internet. This paper argues that differentiating types of policy is related to ideology and hegemony in the various countries.

Leadership for socially just schooling: more substance and less style in high-risk, low-trust times?

This article argues that radical shifts in school governance arising from wider social, political, and economic relations toward what are described as high-risk and low-trust societies challenge past notions of leadership. I explore the tensions between the pluralism of postmodernist thinking and modernist notions of social justice that produce "predicaments" for school leaders through a series of paradoxes of educational management around centralized decentralization, markets and management, new educational professionalism, parental choice and community participation, and between the substance and style of leadership. The values underpinning the corporatization of public and private life most evident in education do not provide a satisfactory grounding for effective school leadership.