A.H.J. Nijhof

Innovation through exemptions: building upon the existing creativity of employees

In the literature on continuous improvement and innovation management, the role of employees in the innovation process is thoroughly discussed. A widely accepted starting-point in this literature is that the generation of ideas has to be organised and initiated by the senior management of an organisation. In this paper we develop another method that builds upon the already existing creativity within organisations. Recognising potential, trust, result responsibility and exempting employees from their regular tasks are important features of this method.

Partnerships for corporate social responsibility: a review of concepts and strategic options

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to conceptualise the extent to which partnerships with non‐governmental organisations (NGOs) are a necessity for successful efforts of businesses in the area of corporate social responsibility (CSR).Design/methodology/approach – The main findings are based on an analysis of existing literature on NGO typologies and strategies for CSR and illustrated with examples from the Dutch National Research Program on CSR.Findings – Based on three different strategies towards CSR, the suggestion is that NGOs tend to become involved in partnerships with companies that have an interest in postponing concrete results, while partnerships with companies that have the potential for the biggest contribution to the ambitions of NGOs have the highest risk of diminishing NGO‐legitimacy.Research limitations/implications – This is a conceptual paper. Suggestions are given to test the hypotheses put forward as well as the actual results associated with each of the strategies towards corporat...

Looking Through the Eyes of Others: Assessing Mutual Expectations and Experiences in Order to Shape Dialogue and Collaboration Between Business and NGOs With Respect to CSR

What are the main differences in expectations between NGOs and companies who interact with each other with respect to corporate social responsibility (CSR)? This is the leading question for a research project within the framework of the Dutch National Research Program on CSR (2003–2004). The research starts with the observation that companies and NGOs are increasingly interacting regarding CSR. Exploring the mutual expectations in the early stages of an interaction can deliver valuable information about the possibilities for cooperation. In order to study these expectations and experiences, a web-based tool is developed. The application of this tool results in the relevant gaps between mutual expectations and the comparison of expectations expressed in the beginning of the interaction with the actual experiences.

Beyond codes of ethics: an integrated framework for stimulating morally responsible behaviour in organisations

This paper contributes to the study of ethics programmes by the building of a theoretical model for implementing an ethics programme and examining the application of this model to an actual implementation case study. Ethics programmes aim at stimulating ethical behaviour in the organisation and assisting employees to act in a morally responsible way. It is proposed that for an organisational ethics programme to be effective, five dominant conditions are necessary: awareness of formal organisational goals and corresponding informal norms; suitable procedures for decision making; correct distribution of resources; presence of necessary skills; and personal intentions for ethical behaviour. Following detailed discussion of each condition, and with reference to an actual case example, the conditions will be further developed and supplemented with suggested organisational activities that could be used to support these conditions.

The glass ceiling of corporate social responsibility: Consequences of a business case approach towards CSR

Purpose – This paper aims to clarify that corporate social responsibility (CSR) has come a long way by the prevailing business case approach, but increasingly hits a glass ceiling. The glass ceiling metaphor refers to the inherent limitations created by a business case approach towards CSR.Design/methodology/approach – The main findings are based on an analysis of existing literature on strategies for CSR. The findings are illustrated with a case from the Dutch National Research Program on CSR.Findings – The very term corporate social responsibility suggests that the debate about CSR is all about responsibilities of corporations. Maybe it once was, but nowadays it is much more about new market opportunities and a business‐wise approach to ecological and social problems. CSR has evolved into a marketable asset of companies, in which profit‐oriented managers and entrepreneurs are willing to invest. This “commodification” of CSR has helped to make it acceptable in the business world, but this comes at a cons...

An ABC-analysis of Ethical Organizational Behavior

The Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence (ABC)-analysis is a tool for analyzing behavior and stems from the field of psychology where it is used as a tool for the understanding of behavior in general and organizational behavior in particular. In this paper the ABC-analysis is implemented as a tool to understand why people behave ethically in organizations, through the identification of key environmental factors that cause such behavior. This analysis can be the first step to recognizing the complexity of circumstances determining ethical behavior, as well as trigger for changing that behavior. This will be elaborated in the implementation process of an ethical code. The working of the ABC-analysis will be illustrated with an example derived from field research concerning the reorganization of a department of a chemical company.

Human Value Management. The Influence of the Contemporary Developments of Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Capital on HRM

In both practice-oriented and academic discourses the concepts of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and human resource management (HRM) are often treated separately. It is argued here that this is an outdated approach. Starting from the observation that organisations develop towards open systems, it becomes obvious that CSR and HRM are intertwined. In open systems cooperative action is based on the willingness of humans to bring in and develop their talents as part of communities of work. The proper functioning of organisations becomes dependent on shared values between networks of people. At the same time these networks broaden the perception of what (new) roles and functions organisation should fulfil. This brings in the notion of CSR. Organisations are expected to encompass a broadening range of responsibilities combining the delivery of added value in the market place with broadening responsibilities. These developments require a repositioning of the role and perception of HRM towards a new strategic approach labelled here as Human Value Management. This paper offers an exploration of this HVM approach by comparing it to HRM and linking it to CSR. As such it offers a conceptual framework enabling the formulation of a series of questions for future research.

Implications of business ethics for quality management

In the academic world research in the fields of quality management and business ethics are often separated. One reason for this is that the origins are very different; business ethics stemming from philosophy while quality management has developed from management studies. With the present developments in both fields there are strong reasons to link the disciplines. In both quality management and business ethics it is common practice to discuss issues of responsibility. Does this imply that both disciplines are reflecting the same topics? This article is an attempt to clarify the links between quality management and business ethics in order to show what quality management can learn from insights out of the field of business ethics.

Dynamics in Responsible Behaviour In Search of Mechanisms for Coping with Responsibility

In this article the authors focus on the emergence, or disappearance, of notions of responsibility in social dynamic processes. Hence, the starting point in this article is concrete behavior within organisational settings. This article presents a systematic overview of mechanisms related to acting upon a sense of moral responsibility. Some of these mechanisms are based on individual characteristics, others are embedded in the social context wherein responsible behaviour emerges or disappears. In this article, various mechanisms are identified and labelled in order to analyse what types of processes are behind the mechanisms. In this way, the article yields important understandings for the conscious use of these mechanisms to strengthen responsible behavior within organisations.

The Myth of Self-Managing Teams: A Reflection on the Allocation of Responsibilities between Individuals, Teams and the Organisation

Concepts that include the participation and empowerment of workers are becoming increasingly important nowadays. In many of these concepts, the formal responsibility is delegated to teams. Does this imply that the normative responsibility for the actions of teams is also delegated? In this article we will reflect on the difference between holding a person accountable and bearing responsibility. A framework is elaborated in order to analyse the accountability and responsibility of teams. In this framework, the emergence of a collective mind, and the organisational factors that influence the extent to which teams have the possibility of acting in a responsible way play an important role. It shows that teams can bear responsibilities that could never be carried by a group of individuals. The framework is used to analyse two sample cases with self-managing teams in production facilities. The authors discuss the implications for the theory and practice of self-managing teams and the allocation of responsibility between individuals, teams and the organisation.