Alessandra Lazazzara

HRM practices for an ageing Italian workforce: the role of training

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore ageing trends and age stereotypes about older workers, focusing primarily on the Italian employment context.Design/methodology/approach – Beginning from a review of the literature on ageing, the paper: outlines ageing trends and discriminatory behaviours against older workers in Italy; identifies patterns in the age discrimination phenomenon based on organisational characteristics; describes training‐based good practices for enhancing the employability of older workers, as implemented by an Italian energy company; presents a range of best practices for age management.Findings – Despite trends towards an ageing general population and an ageing workforce, there is overwhelming evidence of age discrimination against older workers. This paper reports that the age at which workers may be considered “old” is not clearly defined in the literature and that age discrimination does not follow the same pattern across work contexts. In particular, both organisational ...

Perceived Training Needs for Effective Virtual Teams: An Exploratory Study

The aim of this exploratory study was to identify the training needs of virtual team members and consequently the role of the HR function in supporting them. We investigated three main aspects: the needs, challenges and benefits associated with the early stages of virtual team membership; the factors likely to influence the effectiveness of virtual teams, with a specific focus on training requirements; the role of the HR function in helping virtual teams to develop the knowledge and skills they require to be effective. Specifically, our research questions were: What are the perceived needs, challenges and benefits experienced in the early stages of virtual collaboration? What training needs are perceived by virtual team members? How can the HR function contribute to making virtual teams more effective? We adopted a qualitative approach based on a model developed by Bal and Gundry, conducting interviews with five members of virtual teams at Nielsen TAM Italy. We present the results and suggest directions for future research.

Developing Social Leadership: Cultural and Technological Influences

The development of social leadership is triggered by the adoption of social media for internal purposes by organizations. It involves dynamics of collaborative and mutual influence between leaders and followers, and among followers themselves, mediated by social media. The aim of this paper is to analyze individual attitudes to social leadership as a function of cultural and technological factors. Using data collected from a sample (N = 178) of employees, we developed and adapted multiple item scales from a wide range of sources in the literature to assess organizational culture, information technology and social media adoption, in addition to other individual and organizational variables. Regression analysis was used to investigate the relationship between these variables. What emerged was a three-dimensional model of social leadership as a positive attitude towards: shared responsibility, social media usage and direction. In particular, organizational culture strongly influenced two of these three dimensions, while the use of social media for personal purposes predicted attitudes to the use of social media in organizations.

A Cross-National Analysis of E-HRM Configurations: Integrating the Information Technology and HRM Perspectives

This study is based on a configurational approach and aims to provide systematic knowledge on which configurations of e-HRM adoption actually exist at the global level. We operationalised e-HRM configuration as a combination of the actual degree of technological presence and the degree to which the technology is used to enable HRM activities. The core research questions addressed in this paper are: Which configurational types exist in e-HRM adoption? Which contextual factors explain the emergence of a certain configurational type of e-HRM? We adopted an exploratory cross-national research design and performed a cluster analysis among 5854 companies operating in 31 countries. According to our findings four types of e-HRM configurations can be identified named “non-usage”, “HR primacy”, “Integrated e-HRM”, and “IT primacy”. In particular, the lack of cooperation between IT and HR departments generates hybrid e-HRM configurations and unsuccessful adoption. Moreover, organizational size, SHRM and competing in international markets contribute more to determine the actual type of e-HRM configuration. Our results suggest also that the effect of national policies triggering innovation on e-HRM configurations should be considered rather than broader geographical clusters.

E-HRM Adoption and Usage: A Cross-National Analysis of Enabling Factors

The present study builds on diffusion of innovation (DOI) and institutional theories to address the current lack of cross-national studies on e-HRM adoption and usage. The core research question asks about the factors influencing e-HRM adoption and usage for HRM. We analysed direct effects related to country, organizational and HRM factors among 3815 organizations in 21 countries in a multilevel approach. The results largely supported the hypotheses. Specifically, national systems supporting innovative behaviours determine the extent of e-HRM adoption. The economic sector of activity, size, global competition and educational level were associated with e-HRM adoption and usage at the organizational level. Moreover, a strategic orientation of the HR function seems to be a prerequisite for e-HRM adoption and usage. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Disentangling workplace innovation: a systematic literature review

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to consolidate the state of extant academic research on workplace innovation (WI) by proposing a comprehensive conceptual framework and outlining research traditions on the phenomenon. Design/methodology/approach This paper systematically reviewed the literature published over the past 20 years, basing on a predefined research protocol. The dimensions of WI were explored with the help of thematic synthesis, while the research perspectives were studied by means of textual narrative synthesis. Findings The analysis suggests that there exist four research traditions on WI – built container, humanized landscape, socio-material macro-actor, and polyadic network – and each of them comprises its own set of assumptions, foci of study, and ontological bases. The findings suggest that WI is a heterogeneous process of renovation occurring in eight different dimensions, namely work system, workplace democracy, high-tech application, workplace boundaries, workspaces, people practices, workplace experience, and workplace culture. The analysis showed that over years the meaning of innovation within these dimensions changed, therefore it is argued that research should account for the variability of these categories. Practical implications The paper includes implications for developing and implementing WI programs. Moreover, it discusses the role of HR in the WI process. Originality/value This paper for the first time systematically reviews literature on the topic of WI, clarifies the concept and discusses directions and implications for the future research.

Rethinking Organizational Culture: The Role of Generational Subcultures

The construct of culture is receiving growing attention in the field of organizational studies due to its influence on many facets of the organizational life and several changes that are affecting nowadays organizations (e.g. internationalization, ageing, technology, etc.). Indeed culture is not static but it reflects the stages of the company development and changes occurring in the external environment. Moreover, there can be many subcultures within any organization each of them sharing different set of values and beliefs, expectations and patterns of appropriate behaviors. The simultaneous presence of these cultural groups have an impact on subsequent behaviors of firm members and can in turn influence the overall corporate culture. This is the case of the new generational mix that is characterizing the workforce with each generational group characterized by a different set of work values. The purposes of this essay are twofold. First, to provide a review of the concept of organizational culture by presenting the main theoretical frameworks and methodological issues involved in organizational culture research. The goal here is to relate organizational culture to other cultures simultaneously existing within companies such as national and generational culture. Second, to underline the importance of studying generation subcultures’ influence on organizational culture due to the expected shift in the prevailing set of work values.

Blurring the Boundaries Through Digital Innovation: Individual, Organizational, and Societal Challenges

This book examines the impact of digital innovation on organizations. It reveals how the digital revolution is redefining traditional levels of analysis while at the same time blurring the internal and external boundaries of the organizational environment. It presents a collection of research papers that examine the interaction between Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and behavior from a threefold perspective: First, they analyze individual behavior in terms of specific organizational practices like learning, collaboration and knowledge transfer, as well as the use of ICT within the organization. Second, they explore the dynamics at work on the border between the internal and the external environments by analyzing the organizational impact of ICT usage outside the company, as can be seen in employer branding, consumer behavior and organizational image. Third, they investigate how ICT is being adopted to help face societal challenges outside the company like waste and pollution, smart cities, and e-government. The diversity of views offered makes this book particularly relevant for users, companies, scientists and governments. The content is based on a selection of the best papers original double-blind peer reviewed contributions presented at the annual conference of the Italian chapter of AIS, which took place in Rome, Italy, in October 2015, or in other reputable international peer-refereed Information Systems conferences.

How Subjective Age and Age Similarity Foster Organizational Knowledge Sharing: A Conceptual Framework

The demographic changes occurring in the workforce and the risk of losing critical knowledge when older workers make the transition to retirement have turned knowledge sharing into a crucial asset for companies aiming to remain competitive. However, a failure to consider how individual or situational characteristics influence knowledge sharing has led to inconclusive research outcomes and pointed up the need for new lines of enquiry. In this paper, we review the literature on knowledge sharing, examining the influence of subjective age (how young or old people perceive themselves to be) and age-similarity within the work context. In conclusion, we propose a conceptual framework that highlights how subjective age and age similarity may affect (i) the extent to which the people in an organization are inclined to share and (ii) the knowledge-sharing route they prefer.

Blended learning for developing effective virtual teams: a proposed intervention format

The aim of this exploratory study was to develop a blended learning approach to fostering the skills and competencies required by leaders and members of international virtual teams. Three levels of analysis were brought to bear in designing the proposed intervention format: first, the factors likely to influence the effectiveness of a virtual team; second, the needs and challenges related to the early stages of the virtual team membership; third, the role of the human resource function in promoting – via training and development programmes – the knowledge and skills needed for virtual teams to be successful. The research questions included: What are the perceived benefits and challenges associated with the early stages of virtual collaboration? What factors must be carefully defined and managed when running a virtual team? What training needs are perceived by inexperienced virtual team members? How can training and development initiatives contribute to the effectiveness of virtual teams? A qualitative approach based on the model developed by Bal & Gundry was used to analyse data from five interviews with virtual team members at Nielsen TAM Italy. The outcomes informed the proposed blended training programme.