Ahmed S. Ashour

Human capital and organizational performance: a study of Egyptian software companies

Purpose – The paper seeks to test empirically a variety of hypotheses related to human capital and organizational performance within software companies in Egypt.Design/methodology/approach – A valid research instrument was utilized to conduct a survey of 38 software companies who are representative of the 107 members of the Software Industry Chamber of Egypt. A correlation analysis and stepwise regression were conducted to ascertain the validity of the hypotheses.Findings – Statistical support was found for six of the nine hypotheses tested.Research limitations/implications – One of the limitations of this study is that human capital metrics were based on CEO self‐reported scores. Thus, the ability to generalize is limited to this context.Practical implications – Of all the human capital metrics collected, the number of superstar developers seems to be the most critical variable in predicting export intensity. Superstar developers are those individuals whose productivity equals four times that of the othe...

Intellectual Capital in Egyptian Software Firms.

The distribution of knowledge around the world varies significantly with developed countries possessing most of the worlds current intellectual capital (IC) compared to developing countries. Most IC research has been conducted in a variety of international settings such as the UK, Scandinavia, Australia, Canada, Austria, Malaysia, the USA, and Ireland. However, no empirical research has been conducted at the organizational level in the field of IC in Arab countries. These nations are socially, economically, and culturally different from most countries in the aforementioned list. This study describes the IC in Egyptian software firms. The studys objective is to contribute to the IC theory development by building a measurement system in an unique context. This paper highlights the key IC indicators as reported by Egyptian CEOs. Ultimately, the resultant report provides them with a direction for building a strong knowledge base for future IC development.

The Relationship of Some Organizational Factors to Information Systems Effectiveness: A Contingency Analysis of Egyptian Data

Most of the empirical evidence on the effectiveness of information systems and their determinants is confined to the use of data from Western countries. Evidence from other environments, where the social, economic, and cultural characteristics vary, is needed before generalizations can be made. This paper reports on an investigation designed to explore the relationship of three organizational factors—top management support, user involvement, and the maturity of the IS function—to systems effectiveness in an Egyptian setting. Data was collected from 214 managers, and the results indicate that the three organizational variables positively associate with systems effectiveness, measured by user information satisfaction and system use in improving decision making. Also, user’s tenure in the organization and ownership type were found to affect the relationships between the system’s effectiveness measures and the three organizational variables. These findings are discussed and implications are offered. The findings of this study suggest that the positive relationships of top management support, user involvement, and IS maturity to systems effectiveness may transcend cultural differences. This empirical evidence contributes to the external and international validity of the similar Western-based findings, which, in turn, add to the efforts toward building a general theory of trans-national global information systems (GISs).

Leader Influence Through Operant Principles: A Theoretical and Methodological Framework

Leader influence is analyzed in terms of operant theory. The characteristics of leader-mediated stimuli and the way they are tied to the subordinates newly exhibited and already acquired behavior are proposed as critical determinants of leader influence. Dependent parameters of leader influence on subordinate motivation and behavior acquisition are identified. The relevant literature on learning and leadership is reviewed and a number of hypotheses are suggested. Constraints on leader influence through the manipulation of reinforcement and punishment are discussed. Requirements of the operant methodology are examined. These suggest that future research on the effects of leader reinforcement should use rigorous experimentation and the procedures of behavior observation.

A framework of a cognitive—behavioral theory of leader influence and effectiveness

Abstract A theoretical framework in which leader influence is analyzed in terms of factors and processes underlying subordinate work behavior is proposed, and a scheme in which critical hypothesized determinants and paths influencing the work behavior of a subordinate are identified is suggested. Specific behaviors of leader influence are deduced from the scheme and are identified in terms of experiential, cognitive, and mixed approaches to influence. The effects of these behaviors on motivational, learning, and environmental determinants of behavior are examined in light of the operant, cognitive, and social learning literature and the leadership literature. A number of moderator variables determining the boundaries of leader influence are identified. Discussion of the research implications of the proposed framework suggests some new directions for future research regarding the choice of predictor and effectiveness variables and the research procedure most appropriate to tap their relationships.

Knowledge Acquisitions and Transfer in Egyptian Software Firms

This investigation explored knowledge acquisition and transfer practice in the Egyptian software firms. It used a combination of a cross-sectional field survey of 38 firms and an in-depth qualitative analysis of 14 firms. Although most of the firms in the sample recognized the importance of knowledge, their idiosyncrasies appeared to affect the way knowledge is acquired and transferred. The firms were found to have a limited use of their software developers’ initiatives, R&D, and the academic and research institutions as sources for knowledge acquisition. They were also found to have limited capabilities in transferring and sharing knowledge. The Egyptian culture is rich in the social and emotional capital, which can play an important role in building relationships, facilitating the exchange of knowledge, and sharing of experience. Egyptian software firms should develop and implement KM strategies that attract expert software developers, capitalize on trust and social relationships, and build IT-based KM systems in order to enable knowledge acquisition and transfer.

Knowledge Documentation and Application in Egyptian Software Firms

Employing an in-depth qualitative analysis research method, this investigation explored knowledge documentation and application practices in 14 Egyptian software firms. Although they appear to document and apply knowledge variably, the firms generally have limited capabilities in documenting and applying their knowledge. Knowledge that is not captured and documented cannot be reused effectively. To cope with the knowledge documentation problems, the firms have adopted techniques such as having multiple developers possess the same project-related knowledge, using multiple-year appointment contracts, leveraging their emotional capital and improving loyalty. Also, the firms have no formal strategies that determine and guide knowledge application in software development, which may leave the firms with significant portions of their knowledge capital inactive. Software firms need to leverage the Egyptian culture, which is rich in social and emotional capital, and develop strategies and systems in order to tap the knowledge that is distributed, scattered and embedded within their routines and the skills of their software developers into organisational knowledge bases and active knowledge capitals.