Christopher H. Thomas

Organizational Learning: Subprocess Identification, Construct Validation, and an Empirical Test of Cultural Antecedents

Organizational learning is key to an organization’s capability for continuous change and renewal. As a result, scholarly interest in identifying the antecedents of organizational learning has greatly increased over the past couple of decades. This study focuses on (1) identifying and measuring the distinct subprocesses that make up the organizational learning construct to obtain a more detailed understanding of the construct and (2) exploring the effect that organizational culture and, more particularly, four dimensions of culture—participative decision making, openness, learning orientation, and transformational leadership—have on each of the organizational learning subprocesses. The authors use two samples of subject matter experts and the responses of 631 managers to test their propositions. Their results yielded five independent but interrelated subprocesses—information acquisition, information distribution, information interpretation, knowledge integration, and organizational memory. Furthermore, their results indicate that the four different cultural antecedents studied have different kinds of significant relationships with each of the organizational learning subprocesses. This study contributes to the literature on organizational learning by identifying and validating the organizational learning subprocesses, and by offering a detailed picture of the relationship between key organizational antecedents to learning and the individual subprocesses of learning. In addition, since they use systematic and thorough methodological techniques to develop an instrument to test, measure, and validate those subprocesses of learning that constitute a common body of knowledge in this area, the authors’ instrument could prove to be a valuable tool for future research.

Stewardship Climate Scale: An Assessment of Reliability and Validity

While stewardship theory is often used to explain family business outcomes, no prior empirical study has used a validated measure of stewardship. We, therefore, surveyed 846 managers and subordinates from 221 family and nonfamily firms in the United States and Australia to develop a reliable and valid Stewardship Climate Scale. We found family firms have a stronger stewardship climate and the relationship between stewardship climate and performance is mediated by innovativeness, and the effects of stewardship are stronger in family firms, confirming the value of stewardship theory, and our scale, when explaining family business outcomes.

Integrated Moral Conviction Theory of Student Cheating: An Empirical Test:

In this article, we develop an integrated moral conviction theory of student cheating by integrating moral conviction with (a) the dual-process model of Hunt–Vitell’s theory that gives primacy to individual ethical philosophies when moral judgments are made and (b) the social cognitive conceptualization that gives primacy to moral identity. We found empirical support for our proposed model in a study with 311 business students where moral conviction predicted student moral disengagement and subsequent unethical decision making related to academic dishonesty not only directly but also indirectly through ethical philosophy and moral identity. Based on these results, we derive specific implications for teaching and learning practice.

Knowing is half the battle

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the idea that action makes knowledge more consequential for being deemed an emergent leader among peers. The authors hypothesized that mastery of teamwork knowledge has a stronger relationship with advancement potential when combined with a strong propensity to work toward collective success (i.e. greater action). Design/methodology/approach – The authors tested the hypothesized interaction with moderated path analysis of data from two field studies on team-based trainees in a military leadership-development program. Findings – The findings suggest that to be deemed an exceptional leader among one’s peers, an individual must have both relevant expertise and a propensity to use that expertise to the benefit of others. Either of these attributes matters more when combined with a great deal of the other, such that they are interdependent rather than independent. Practical implications – Informed by the findings, the authors discuss several ways for organizati...

Fluid leadership in dynamic contexts

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine an historical account of an effective leader who was able to draw from multiple styles of leadership, and choose a dominant style based upon contextual constraints and demands context, and subordinate behaviors associated with leadership styles not suited to the context. Design/methodology/approach – To identify his prominent style at each leadership episode, we critically analyzed Nehemiah’s leadership role transitions across 13 chapters of text using sociohistorical method and a quasi-repeated treatment design via qualitative comparative analysis. Findings – We found that Nehemiah adapted his behaviors such that his prominently displayed leadership style varied based on dynamic configurations of demands placed on him during his rebuilding efforts. As Nehemiah progressed through distinct stages of his mission, he differentially emphasized tactics associated with different styles of leadership in response to the contextual demands that were most salient du...

Exercise and work-family conflict: a field experiment

Purpose Recent research along with anecdotal evidence suggests that exercise may play a role in mitigating perceptions of work-family conflict (WFC). However, the temporal effects related to this relationship have been ignored. The purpose of this paper is to address this issue by testing for the effects of acute and long-term exercise on the work-family interface. Design/methodology/approach Employed females (N=46) were randomly assigned to a treatment (exercise) or control group (no exercise) and data were gathered at three points in time, over four weeks. Linear Mixed Model processes were conducted. Findings The authors found that there is a statistically significant long-term exercise effect on strain-based work interference with family and family interference with work. Research limitations/implications The sample was restricted to sedentary females, was predominantly white/Caucasian, and held white-collar jobs, limiting the generalizability of the findings. Practical implications Results from the current study suggest that exercise assists individuals in managing the work-family interface. While this is not a broad-sweeping call for all employers to offer on-site exercise facilities, the authors suggest that employers consider offering accommodations to individuals seeking to utilize exercise as a way to reduce WFC and general stress. Originality/value This is the first empirical study that examines the temporal impact of exercise on the work-family interface.

Social Cognition and Judgments of General Advancement Potential

General advancement potential (GAP) is an important phenomenon in the realms of succession planning and leadership development, yet not much is known about what forms of personal competence best ac...