Antecedents of Innovativeness in Technology-Based Services (TBS): Peering into the Black Box of Entrepreneurial Orientation

Leader knowledge hiding and employee organizational identification in the Egyptian service industry

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between leader-signaled knowledge-hiding behavior (LSKH) and employee organizational identification (OI) with self-interest climate perceptions (SIC) as a mediator. This study also takes into consideration the impact of individual differences (i.e. employee trait of agreeableness) in shaping these relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

Two-wave data were collected from a sample of employees working in service industry companies in Egypt (N = 305). The mediation model (model 4) and the moderated mediation model (model 14) were tested using the statistical package for the social sciences PROCESS macro. The indirect effect of LSKH behavior on employee OI was examined using the bootstrapping approach (n = 5,000) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the indices.

Findings

Findings show that LSKH behavior has a negative impact on employee OI through SIC perceptions. Additionally, a moderation analysis indicates that the employee trait agreeableness strengthens the negative relationship between SIC and OI as well as the indirect relationship between LSKH behavior and employee OI.

Originality/value

While previous studies mainly focused on employee knowledge-hiding behavior, this study extends this nascent stream of literature by investigating the impact of this behavior at the leader’s level in the Egyptian cultural context. The results provide insights into the consequences of this type of behavior on important outcomes, namely, SIC and OI.

Does technology orientation predict firm performance through firm innovativeness?

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of technology orientation (TO) on firm performance (FP). This study also aims to identify the mediating role of firm innovativeness (FI) in the relation between TO and FP.

Design/methodology/approach

Quantitative approach has been adopted for analyzing the impact of TO on FP in software houses located in two big cities of Pakistan. Mean, standard deviation, correlation and regression analysis were used.

Findings

Results proved that of TO predicts FP and FI mediate the relationship between TO and FP.

Practical implications

This study used cross-sectional further studies may be conducted using longitudinal research design for achieving in-depth insights.

Social implications

Software houses should focus on TO and innovativeness for improving their performance.

Originality/value

This research guides the way to improve performance TO and innovativeness of software houses based on the empirical results.

Entrepreneurially oriented employees and firm performance: mediating effects

Purpose

This paper aims to contribute to the literature on entrepreneurial orientation (EO) with a focus on the interplay between the individual and firm level for embedding EO pervasively within organisations.

Design/methodology/approach

Comprising 356 individual employees from five companies collected from June to September 2015, this investigation uses structural equation modelling.

Findings

The results show significant indirect effects from individuals’ EO on firm’s performance, mediated by both individuals’ performance and firm’s EO.

Research limitations/implications

While the construct of EO is strengthened with a multi-level approach, the authors also stress the organisational homogeneity of EO.

Practical implications

Consequently, the EO instrument can be used as a strategic tool to evaluate an individual’s orientation towards entrepreneurship to facilitate firm performance.

Originality/value

Finally, the EO instrument can be used as a strategic tool to evaluate an individual’s orientation towards entrepreneurship to facilitate firm performance.

Obtaining global certification

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine predictors of obtaining global certification (ISO 9000) in an emerging market by focusing on ownership structure and total quality management (TQM) commitment.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper adapts the theory of planned behavior to explain organizations that obtain global certification in an emerging market (China). Using 269 service firms at different stages of ISO 9000 certification (a proxy for goal-directed behavior/excellence by organizations), the study examines the influence of ownership structures (a proxy for perceived behavioral control) and TQM commitment (a proxy for attitude toward a behavior), using a probit model.

Findings

The results showed that ownership structures that were state-owned enterprises, privately owned enterprises and township-village enterprises (TVEs) had a lower probability of obtaining global certification. However, TQM commitment moderates the relationship between ownership structure and obtaining ISO 9000 certification for POEs and TVEs. The study found stronger results for a subsample of organizations that intended to obtain ISO 9000 certification. Among organizations without ISO 9000 certification, we examined organizations that began the learning process for ISO 9000 and those that had not, and found differences based on competitive pressures, ownership structures, and the moderating effect of TQM commitment.

Research limitations/implications

Future research may consider manufacturing organizations and other countries to further validate the findings of our study.

Practical implications

Creating strong TQM commitment can be an effective means for POEs and TVEs to obtain ISO 9000 certification.

Originality/value

This study is the first to adapt the theory of planned behavior for an organization-level analysis of ISO 9000 certification, especially in the service operations setting. The study found that TQM commitment selectively moderates ownership structures in explaining the probability that an organization obtained ISO 9000 certification.

Choice of an authoritative style when implementing a survival urgency-based strategic change

Purpose

Extant research suggests that managing strategic change has become a key managerial function and this duty encompasses changes in organizational product-market boundaries and organizational structure among many related organizational activities. The need to achieve strategic change arises because of major shifts in the external environment and the subsequent need for the organization to remain viable and competitive in the changed environment. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate if middle managers are likely to adopt authoritative style while implementing strategic change when they sense organizational survival.

Design/methodology/approach

“Sensemaking” literature led to development of the authors’ hypotheses and these were tested using the responses of 117 middle managers. The authors used survey-based instrument to collect data and used regression analysis to explicate the responses of the middle managers.

Findings

Results indicate that when middle managers sense that the survival of the organization is at stake, they are likely to choose an authoritative style. The authors also investigated the moderating role of organizational commitment, strategic posture of the top management team, and hostile business environment on the relationship between perception of survival urgency and the choice of authoritative implementation style. Only organizational commitment moderates this relationship.

Research limitations/implications

The authors’ data collection was survey based and the authors used a single source for each questionnaire and this process may lead to possibilities of mono-method bias. However, steps were taken to reduce the resultant mono-method bias. The respondents are from a variety of industries and future research may focus on one specific industry.

Practical implications

The first implication of this study allows us to expand research focus on the adoption of authoritative style, a research area that is not explored very much. The second implication of the study is that middle managers tend to focus on their emotions when it comes to implementing strategic changes. Using arguments from sensemaking the authors show that the perception of need for survival or the perception that business environment is hostile will determine how strategic change could be implemented. Middle managers must be treated as more than just the implementers of the directives/fiats/orders/edicts that originate from the top.

Social implications

Role of middle managers in strategic change management is critical and the authors suggest that the perception of organizational survival at risk leads to choice managerial style by middle managers.

Originality/value

The authors have combined ideas from both the strategic management and organizational development fields to understand successfully the implementation of strategic change in a survival urgency situation. In the past, the strategic management literature focused primarily on understanding strategy formulation process, and the process of implementation was generally neglected. The respondents are from a variety of industries. The analysis indicate that membership to any one firm was not impacting the results obtained by the authors and as such allows for results to generalized.