Support for diversity initiatives in organisations: An intergroup perspective

Despite institutional commitment to diversity initiatives (e.g., affirmative action), employees often harbour negative attitudes towards such initiatives and their beneficiaries. Dispositional variables (e.g., neo-sexism), have often been implicated in these negative reactions. We reason that more immediate group-based beliefs (e.g., subjective beliefs about the intergroup context), also shape attitudinal and behavioural reactions and that individual and group-based beliefs are rationalised through appeals to justice and fairness concerns. In this study using early career academics we examined the role of individual differences and socio-structural beliefs (about the stability, legitimacy and permeability of the intergroup situation), to feelings of relative deprivation, perceived justice and attitudes towards gender equity initiatives. Results provided support for the role of group-based beliefs and for the mediating role of justice concerns.

The effect of human resource management policies on organisational performance in Greek manufacturing

This paper investigates if HRM policies have an impact on organisational performance. The research is based on a sample of 178 organisations operating in the Greek manufacturing sector. The 'universalistic model’ of HRM is adopted to conduct the investigation. The results show strong support for the model, indicating that the HRM policies of recruitment, training, promotion, incentives, benefits, involvement, and health and safety are positively related with organisational performance. The study contributes to both HRM theory and has important messages for practitioners.

Organisational learning - a critical systems thinking discipline

Original Paper European Journal of Information Systems (2001) 10, 135–146; doi:10.1057/palgrave.ejis.3000394 Organisational learning—a critical systems thinking discipline P Panagiotidis1,3 and J S Edwards2,4 1Deloitte and Touche, Athens, Greece 2Aston Business School, Aston University, Aston Triangle, Birmingham, B4 7ET, UK Correspondence: Dr J S Edwards, Aston Business School, Aston University, Aston Triangle, Birmingham, B4 7ET, UK. E-mail: j.s.edwards@aston.ac.uk 3Petros Panagiotidis is Manager responsible for the Process and Systems Integrity Services of Deloitte and Touche in Athens, Greece. He has a BSc in Business Administration and an MSc in Management Information Systems from Western International University, Phoenix, Arizona, USA; an MSc in Business Systems Analysis and Design from City University, London, UK; and a PhD degree from Aston University, Birmingham, UK. His doctorate was in Business Systems Analysis and Design. His principal interests now are in the ERP/DSS field, where he serves as project leader and project risk managment leader in the implementation of SAP and JD Edwards/Cognos in various major clients in the telecommunications and manufacturing sectors. In addition, he is responsible for the development and application of knowledge management systems and activity-based costing systems. 4John S Edwards is Senior Lecturer in Operational Research and Systems at Aston Business School, Birmingham, UK. He holds MA and PhD degrees (in mathematics and operational research respectively) from Cambridge University. His principal research interests are in knowledge management and decision support, especially methods and processes for system development. He has written more than 30 research papers on these topics, and two books, Building Knowledge-based Systems and Decision Making with Computers, both published by Pitman. Current research work includes the effect of scale of operations on knowledge management, interfacing expert systems with simulation models, process modelling in law and legal services, and a study of the use of artifical intelligence techniques in management accounting. Top of pageAbstract This paper deals with the application of critical systems thinking in the domain of organisational learning and knowledge management. Its viewpoint is that deep organisational learning only takes place when the business systems' stakeholders reflect on their actions and thus inquire about their purpose(s) in relation to the business system and the other stakeholders they perceive to exist. This is done by reflecting both on the sources of motivation and/or deception that are contained in their purpose, and also on the sources of collective motivation and/or deception that are contained in the business system's purpose. The development of an organisational information system that captures, manages and institutionalises meaningful information—a knowledge management system—cannot be separated from organisational learning practices, since it should be the result of these very practices. Although Senge's five disciplines provide a useful starting-point in looking at organisational learning, we argue for a critical systems approach, instead of an uncritical Systems Dynamics one that concentrates only on the organisational learning practices. We proceed to outline a methodology called Business Systems Purpose Analysis (BSPA) that offers a participatory structure for team and organisational learning, upon which the stakeholders can take legitimate action that is based on the force of the better argument. In addition, the organisational learning process in BSPA leads to the development of an intrinsically motivated information organisational system that allows for the institutionalisation of the learning process itself in the form of an organisational knowledge management system. This could be a specific application, or something as wide-ranging as an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation. Examples of the use of BSPA in two ERP implementations are presented.

Differential gains from Business Link support and advice:a treatment effects approach

The provision of advisory support to small firms is almost ubiquitous in OECD countries, although it is organised in different ways and is justified on slightly different grounds. In England publicly supported advisory services are provided through the Business Link (BL) network. Here, we consider two questions: what sort of companies receive advisory support from BL; and, what types of firms benefit most from that support? Our analysis is based on a telephone survey of 2000 firms, around half of which had received intensive assistance from BL between April and October 2003. Probit analysis suggests that the probability of receiving assistance was greater among younger businesses, those with larger numbers of directors in the firm, and those with more gender diversity among the firm's leadership team. Our business-growth models suggest that BL intensive assistance was having a positive effect on employment growth in 2003. BL had a positive but insignificant impact on sales growth over the period. Employment growth effects tend to be larger where firms have a management and organisational structure, which is more conducive to absorbing and making use of external advice. The analysis suggests that BL might increase its impact through targeting these larger, more export-orientated, businesses. Employment growth effects differ little, however, depending on either the ethnic or the gender diversity of the leadership team.

Development of performance models for co-operative information systems in an organisational context

The thesis reports of a study into the effect upon organisations of co-operative information systems (CIS) incorporating flexible communications, group support and group working technologies. A review of the literature leads to the development of a model of effect based upon co-operative business tasks. CIS have the potential to change how co-operative business tasks are carried out and their principal effect (or performance) may therefore be evaluated by determining to what extent they are being employed to perform these tasks. A significant feature of CIS use identified is the extent to which they may be designed to fulfil particular tasks, or by contrast, may be applied creatively by users in an emergent fashion to perform tasks. A research instrument is developed using a survey questionnaire to elicit users judgements of the extent to which a CIS is employed to fulfil a range of co-operative tasks. This research instrument is applied to a longitudinal study of Novell GroupWise introduction at Northamptonshire County Council during which qualitative as well as quantitative data were gathered. A method of analysis of questionnaire results using principles from fuzzy mathematics and artificial intelligence is developed and demonstrated. Conclusions from the longitudinal study include the importance of early experiences in setting patterns for use for CIS, the persistence of patterns of use over time and the dominance of designed usage of the technology over emergent use.

Profit sharing in a manufacturing plant in a developing country : communication and organisational dynamics

The adaptation of profit sharing creates a fundamental change in employee compensation by making a portion of total compensation directly dependent upon the total profits of the firm and the performance of the employee. The major goal of this study is to test for and measure the impact of the independent variable, a profit sharing plan implemented at Shahvand Industrial Company, upon communication behaviour, communication outcomes, and organisational outcomes as dependent variables. A quasi-experimental non-equivalent control group design with pre and posttest was the research design used to test the effects of profit sharing participation on permanent-part-time operative employees implemented by SIC. Several conclusions were reached as a result of the statistical analysis of the data collected in this study. Overall, few of the hypothesised effects of profit sharing participation appeared to have been realised according to the empirical results of this study. The finding that certain communication behaviours were more favourable for profit sharing participants than for non-participants support the general hypothesis of the integrated profit sharing model. The observed changes in communication behaviours indicate that information sharing and idea generation are important components of the profit sharing process. The results of this study did not reveal any changes in either communication or organisational outcomes. A significant finding of this study is that the implementation of profit sharing plans require a relatively long period of time. Patience is required to achieve high levels of success and management must make long-term commitment to profit sharing. Findings of this study should be interpreted with caution, taking into consideration that most of the previo.us researches on profit sharing have been conducted in Western European or American countries, while the current study was based on data collected from an organisation in a developing country. This implies that the findings reported in this thesis may not be comparable in certain respects to results derived from companies in major industrialised economies.

Teamwork and well-being:the role of social support

This thesis explores, in a team context, using the Michigan Model, the relationship between social support, stress and well-being outcomes. The studies reported were carried out in Post Office Ltd. Study one examines differences in social support source and type for employees working in teams and quasi teams. Analysis was carried out at the individual level. The results supported previous work on well-being in teams: individuals working in teams report significantly higher levels of well-being, job satisfaction and organisational commitment than those individuals in quasi teams. Members of teams reported greater satisfaction with support from their manager and colleagues, and all types of support compared to members of quasi teams. Manager support and specific types of support mediated the relationship between team working and well-being outcomes. In terms of stressors, satisfaction with manager support and emotional challenge predicted greater influence which was positively related to the well-being outcomes. Study two conducted at the team level builds on relationships established in study one. Stage one explored teamness, the extent to which, along a continuum the team was well-defined. Stage two explored teamness agreement, the extent to which the team agreed on their teamness. The extent to which the Branch Office were a well-defined team had a positive effect on team functioning; participation, innovation and commitment to task excellence. Team functioning was associated with higher levels of satisfaction with manager and team support and all types of support. Working in a well-defined team was associated with job satisfaction, mediated by positive team functioning and social support. Teamness agreement predicted team well-being, clarity of objectives, work demands and satisfaction with reality check. Working in a team was not associated with performance. This thesis advances understanding in the area of team working and processes within teams, advancing understanding of the specifics of social support from different so urces and types of support. The studies reveal the key role of team functional characteri stics in creating the vehicle through which supportive interactions take place. which contribute to positive outcomes associated with working in a well-defined team.

Managing careers and managing fairness : an organisational justice theory perspective on employee evaluations of, and reactions to, organisational career management practices

This thesis presents the results of a multi-method investigation of employee perceptions of fairness in relation to their career management experiences. Organisational justice theory (OJT) was developed as a theoretical framework and data were gathered via 325 quantitative questionnaires, 20 semi-structured interviews and the analysis of a variety of company documents and materials. The results of the questionnaire survey provided strong support for the salience of employee perceptions of justice in regard to their evaluations of organisational career management (OCM) practices, with statistical support emerging for both an agent-systems and interaction model of organisational justice. The qualitative semi-structured interviews provided more detailed analysis of how fairness was experienced in practice, and confirmed the importance of the OJT constructs of fairness within this career management context. Fairness themes to emerge from this analysis included, equity, needs, voice, bias suppression, consistency, ethicality, respect and feedback drawing on many of the central tenants of distributive, procedural, interpersonal and information justice. For the career management literature there is empirical confirmation of a new theoretical framework for understanding employee evaluations of, and reactions to, OCM practices. For the justice literatures a new contextual domain is explored and confirmed, thus extending further the influence and applicability of the theory. For practitioners a new framework for developing, delivering and evaluating their own OCM policies and systems is presented.

An exploration of the determinants of innovation:the top management team, organisational climate and organisational learning

Some researchers argue that the top team, rather than the CEO, is a better predictor of an organisation’s fate (Finkelstein & Hambrick, 1996; Knight et al., 1999). However, others suggest that the importance of the top management team (TMT) composition literature is exaggerated (West & Schwenk, 1996). This has stimulated a need for further research on TMTs. While the importance of TMT is well documented in the innovation literature, the organisational environment also plays a key role in determining organisational outcomes. Therefore, the inclusion of both TMT characteristics and organisational variables (climate and organisational learning) in this study provides a more holistic picture of innovation. The research methodologies employed includes (i) interviews with TMT members in 35 Irish software companies (ii) a survey completed by managerial respondents and core workers in these companies (iii) in-depth interviews with TMT members from five companies. Data were gathered in two phases, time 1 (1998-2000) and time 2 (2003). The TMT played an important part in fostering innovation. However, it was a group process, rather than team demography, that was most strongly associated with innovation. Task reflexivity was an important predictor of innovation time 1, time 2). Only one measure of TMT diversity was associated with innovation - tenure diversity -in time 2 only. Organisational context played an important role in determining innovation. This was positively associated with innovation - but with one dimension of organisational learning only. The ability to share information (access to information) was not associated with innovation but the motivation to share information was (perceiving the sharing of information to be valuable). Innovative climate was also associated with innovation. This study suggests that this will lead to innovative outcomes if employees perceive the organisation to support risk, experimentation and other innovative behaviours.

Study of management decision making by ward sisters in a hospital and the effects on decision making after the implementation of a decision support sytem

This thesis considers management decision making at the ward level in hospitals especially by ward sisters, and the effectiveness of the intervention of a decision support system. Nursing practice theories were related to organisation and management theories in order to conceptualise a decision making framework for nurse manpower planning and deployment at the ward level. Decision and systems theories were explored to understand the concepts of decision making and the realities of power in an organisation. In essence, the hypothesis was concerned with changes in patterns of decision making that could occur with the intervention of a decision support system and that the degree of change would be governed by a set of `difficulty' factors within wards in a hospital. During the course of the study, a classification of ward management decision making was created, together with the development and validation of measuring instruments to test the research hypothesis. The decision support system used was rigorously evaluated to test whether benefits did accrue from its implementation. Quantitative results from sample wards together with qualitative information collected, were used to test this hypothesis and the outcomes postulated were supported by these findings. The main conclusion from this research is that a more rational approach to management decision making is feasible, using information from a decision support system. However, wards and ward sisters that need the most assistance, where the `difficulty' factors in the organisation are highest, benefit the least from this type of system. Organisational reviews are needed on these identified wards, involving managers and doctors, to reduce the levels of un-coordinated activities and disruption.

A methodology for implementing a decision support system:a small company case study

The importance of non-technical factors in the design and implementation of information systems has been increasingly recognised by both researchers and practitioners, and recent literature highlights the need for new tools and techniques with an organisational, rather than technical, focus. The gap between what is technically possible and what is generally practised, is particularly wide in the sales and marketing field. This research describes the design and implementation of a decision support system (DSS) for marketing planning and control in a small, but complex company and examines the nature of the difficulties encountered. An intermediary with functional, rather than technical, expertise is used as a strategy for overcoming these by taking control of the whole of the systems design and implementation cycle. Given the practical nature of the research, an action research approach is adopted with the researcher undertaking this role. This approach provides a detailed case study of what actually happens during the DSS development cycle, allowing the influence of organisational factors to be captured. The findings of the research show how the main focus of the intermediary's role needs to be adapted over the systems development cycle; from coordination and liaison in the pre-design and design stages, to systems champion during the first part of the implementation stage, and finally to catalyst to ensure that the DSS is integrated into the decision-making process. Two practical marketing exercises are undertaken which illustrate the nature of the gap between the provision of information and its use. The lack of a formal approach to planning and control is shown to have a significant effect on the way the DSS is used and the role of the intermediary is extended successfully to accommodate this factor. This leads to the conclusion that for the DSS to play a fully effective role, small firms may need to introduce more structure into their marketing planning, and that the role of the intermediary, or Information Coordinator, should include the responsibility for introducing new techniques and ideas to aid with this.

An investigation into the antecedents of organisational citizenship behaviours

The recent marketing literature reflects a growing interest in organisational citizenship behaviours (OCBs). In particular, several recent studies have drawn attention to administrative mechanisms including leadership support to examine how OCBs are managed. The general premise is that explicit administrative mechanisms can be deployed by an organisation to influence employees’ OCBs. Previous research has shown that OCBs can be influenced by different mechanisms and employee responses. However, the tendency has been to examine OCBs as a unidimensional construct and to examine employee responses in isolation. The authors develop hypotheses about interdependences between administrative mechanisms, employee responses and OCBs. They also examine the effects of administrative mechanisms and employees responses on separate dimensions of OCBs. The results generally support the premise that OCBs can be influenced by selectively deploying administrative mechanisms. However, the effect of administrative mechanisms on OCBs is mediated by employee responses including oganisational commitment. These results have significant implications for managing customer-contract employees and further research in this field.

Ties that bind:understanding why and how diversity management relates to black and ethnic minority employees’ experience of organisational life

Despite much anecdotal and oftentimes empirical evidence that black and ethnic minority employees do not feel integrated into organisational life and the implications of this lack of integration for their career progression, there is a dearth of research on the nature of the relationship black and ethnic minority employees have with their employing organisations. Additionally, research examining the relationship between diversity management and work outcomes has returned mixed findings. Scholars have attributed this to the lack of an empirically validated measure of workforce diversity management. Accordingly, I sought to address these gaps in the extant literature in a two-part study grounded in social exchange theory. In Study 1, I developed and validated a measure of workforce diversity management practices. Data obtained from a sample of ethnic minority employees from a cross section of organisations provided support for the validity of the scale. In Study 2, I proposed and tested a social-exchange-based model of the relationship between black and ethnic minority employees’ and their employing organisations, as well as assessed the implications of this relationship for their work outcomes. Specifically, I hypothesised: (i) perception of support for diversity, perception of overall justice, and developmental experiences (indicators of integration into organisational life) as mediators of the relationship between diversity management and social exchange with organisation; (ii) the moderating influence of diversity climate on the relationship between diversity management and these indicators of integration; and (iii) the work outcomes of social exchange with organisation defined in terms of career satisfaction, turnover intention and strain. SEM results provide support for most of the hypothesised relationships. The findings of the study contribute to the literature on workforce diversity management in a number of ways. First, the development and validation of a diversity management practice scale constitutes a first step in resolving the difficulty in operationalising and measuring the diversity management construct. Second, it explicates how and why diversity management practices influence a social exchange relationship with an employing organisation, and the implications of this relationship for the work outcomes of black and ethnic minority employees. My study’s focus on employee work outcomes is an important corrective to the predominant focus on organisational-level outcomes of diversity management. Lastly, by focusing on ethno-racial diversity my research complements the extant research on such workforce diversity indicators as age and gender.

Managing enterprise resource planning and multi-organisational enterprise governance:a new contingency framework for the enterprisation of operations

This research has been undertaken to determine how successful multi-organisational enterprise strategy is reliant on the correct type of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) information systems being used. However there appears to be a dearth of research as regards strategic alignment between ERP systems development and multi-organisational enterprise governance as guidelines and frameworks to assist practitioners in making decision for multi-organisational collaboration supported by different types of ERP systems are still missing from theoretical and empirical perspectives. This calls for this research which investigates ERP systems development and emerging practices in the management of multi-organisational enterprises (i.e. parts of companies working with parts of other companies to deliver complex product-service systems) and identify how different ERP systems fit into different multi-organisational enterprise structures, in order to achieve sustainable competitive success. An empirical inductive study was conducted using the Grounded Theory-based methodological approach based on successful manufacturing and service companies in the UK and China. This involved an initial pre-study literature review, data collection via 48 semi-structured interviews with 8 companies delivering complex products and services across organisational boundaries whilst adopting ERP systems to support their collaborative business strategies – 4 cases cover printing, semiconductor manufacturing, and parcel distribution industries in the UK and 4 cases cover crane manufacturing, concrete production, and banking industries in China in order to form a set of 29 tentative propositions that have been validated via a questionnaire receiving 116 responses from 16 companies. The research has resulted in the consolidation of the validated propositions into a novel concept referred to as the ‘Dynamic Enterprise Reference Grid for ERP’ (DERG-ERP) which draws from multiple theoretical perspectives. The core of the DERG-ERP concept is a contingency management framework which indicates that different multi-organisational enterprise paradigms and the supporting ERP information systems are not the result of different strategies, but are best considered part of a strategic continuum with the same overall business purpose of multi-organisational cooperation. At different times and circumstances in a partnership lifecycle firms may prefer particular multi-organisational enterprise structures and the use of different types of ERP systems to satisfy business requirements. Thus the DERG-ERP concept helps decision makers in selecting, managing and co-developing the most appropriate multi-organistional enterprise strategy and its corresponding ERP systems by drawing on core competence, expected competitiveness, and information systems strategic capabilities as the main contingency factors. Specifically, this research suggests that traditional ERP(I) systems are associated with Vertically Integrated Enterprise (VIE); whilst ERPIIsystems can be correlated to Extended Enterprise (EE) requirements and ERPIII systems can best support the operations of Virtual Enterprise (VE). The contribution of this thesis is threefold. Firstly, this work contributes to a gap in the extant literature about the best fit between ERP system types and multi-organisational enterprise structure types; and proposes a new contingency framework – the DERG-ERP, which can be used to explain how and why enterprise managers need to change and adapt their ERP information systems in response to changing business and operational requirements. Secondly, with respect to a priori theoretical models, the new DERG-ERP has furthered multi-organisational enterprise management thinking by incorporating information system strategy, rather than purely focusing on strategy, structural, and operational aspects of enterprise design and management. Simultaneously, the DERG-ERP makes theoretical contributions to the current IS Strategy Formulation Model which does not explicitly address multi-organisational enterprise governance. Thirdly, this research clarifies and emphasises the new concept and ideas of future ERP systems (referred to as ERPIII) that are inadequately covered in the extant literature. The novel DERG-ERP concept and its elements have also been applied to 8 empirical cases to serve as a practical guide for ERP vendors, information systems management, and operations managers hoping to grow and sustain their competitive advantage with respect to effective enterprise strategy, enterprise structures, and ERP systems use; referred to in this thesis as the “enterprisation of operations”.