Clinton O. Longenecker

The Behavioral Expression of Organizational Commitment.

Abstract The complexity of the organizational commitment construct and respondent-generated behavioral manifestations of the job attitude are explored within the context of an empirical study. Findings reveal that each dimension of commitment relates differently to work outcomes and that none of the dimensions is able to predict the commonly studied presence behaviors (absenteeism and tardiness). The study emphasizes the need to use respondent-generated behaviors and to examine how appropriate expressions of commitment are developed and communicated.

Improving management performance in rapidly changing organizations

This article reports the results of a study on management development practices in US service and manufacturing organizations. Data and statistical analyses from a sample of 433 middle and front‐line managers from 59 different US service and manufacturing organizations are reported which examined: What specific management development practices are most important from a manager’s perspective to improving their performance in rapidly changing organizations; and, are managers actually getting the development experiences they need to be effective in these organizations? Among the top ten important practices identified by managers as improving their performance, focus, feedback, and learning (e.g. problem solving, new communication and leadership) by experience are re‐occurring themes. The results also point to startling differences between the management development experiences they want and what they are actually getting from their organizations. Based on the data a series of lessons for improving the effectiveness of managers is provided.

Creating competitive advantage through effective management education

States that the twenty‐first century has brought with it the global marketplace, and with it unparalleled business opportunities which have competitive pressures. Discusses how organizations can use management education to create competitive advantage. Concludes that management education and development is essential in order for an organization to remain competitive.

Delving into the dark side: The politics of executive appraisal

t is a well-worn axiom that politics often I plays a dominant role in important organizational decisions and actions. Both mainstream and specialized writers have offered descriptions of, explanations for, and recommendations concerning politics in the corporate environment. Yet much of this work tends to come across as superficial, especially to those who have been victims of politically motivated decisions. Certainly, little of this writing captures the wrenching impact that political actions have on managers’ careers. This article explores the use and abuse of politics as it affects executives. We focus on a key recurring event in the executive experience: the performance appraisal, whether formally or informally rendered. Organizational politics often has a significant influence over the executive appraisal process. Thus, our discussion uncovers one of the little-discussed dark sides of organizational life.

Public Sector Performance Appraisal Effectiveness: A Case Study:

Performance appraisal usage is expanding in public sector organizations across the U.S. Organizations employ the formal appraisal process with the belief that it provides them with a host of potential human resource benefits. In this study, 254 members of a large public sector organization were surveyed to assess the degree to which the organizations formal performance appraisal system was perceived as being effective in serving functions typically associated with the appraisal process. In addition, differences in manager/subordinate perceptions were analyzed and suggestions for improving the appraisal process were solicited. This research demonstrates that a properly developed appraisal process can serve both managers and subordinates in a number of important areas. At the same time, several critical functions of the appraisal process were found to be less than effective. A discussion of the implications of these findings to both academics and practitioners is included.

Why organizations fail: the view from the front‐line

The purpose of this research is to review the perceptions of 359 front‐line management personnel as to why their organizations fail to achieve desired results and to draw lessons for organizational practice on how to prevent failure and improve organizational performance. Managers from 30 organizations were asked to rate the impact that 25 different performance factors have on their ability to get desired results. The results of the study identified a variety of people and leadership factors as the primary causes of poor performance, while factors such as technology, finances, and government regulations ranked significantly lower in the rankings.

Total Quality Management from Theory to Practice: A Case Study

Most quality professionals recommend a core set of attributes as the nucleus of any quality improvement process. These attributes include: (1) clarifying job expectations; (2) setting quality standards; (3) measuring quality improvement; (4) effective super‐vision; (5) listening by management; (6) feedback by management; and (7) effective training. Based on a survey of employees at a medium‐sized manufacturing firm in the United States, it was found that management philosophy and actions can undermine even a proven total quality management (TQM) programme. For the many firms which hire outside consultants to set up a TQM programme, makes recommendations to management to ensure its successful implementation.

Why managerial performance appraisals are ineffective: causes and lessons

Claims that, in the quest for competitive advantage, modern organizations are making increasing demands on their change managers. Questions what organizations are doing to help managers develop the skills necessary to operate in a rapidly changing work environment. Suggests that systematic management development efforts at organizational level are vital to accelerate and sustain management change. Seeks to identify why managerial appraisals frequently fail and are ineffective as a management development tool. Proposes that, if an organization is going to rely heavily on the use of formal performance appraisals as a vehicle to foster managerial development (which many do) they had better employ an effective appraisal system.

Quality Improvement through Team Goal Setting, Feedback, and Problem Solving

Describes a field experiment conducted in a US automotive parts manufacturing plant to explore the impact of team goal setting, feedback and problem‐solving activities on product defect rates. Two manufacturing cells were randomly selected, with one cell serving as the treatment group and the other as the control group. The treatment group employed a team defect‐reduction goal‐setting approach, received daily performance feedback, and developed a group problem‐solving mechanism as part of the experimental treatment. The control group was physically isolated from the treatment group and performed their work under the organization’s traditional operating structure. The treatment group achieved a statistically significant reduction in product defect rates compared to the control group over the 15‐month period of this study. Discusses the implications of this study and suggests that a combination of team goal setting, feedback and problem‐solving practices can improve product quality and can be used as a star...

The Executive Appraisal Paradox

Executive Overview Executives perform the most uncertain, unstructured, ill-defined, and often the most important work in organizations. Common wisdom would suggest that people doing such jobs should be the ones supplied with the most effective feedback about their performance, simply because good, informative feedback helps them cope with the acknowledged demands of executive work. Therefore, one would expect the level of performance feedback to rise as one progresses up the organizational hierarchy. We found almost exactly the opposite to be true in many companies. Paradoxically, the higher one rises in an organization the less likely one is to receive quality feedback about job performance. In particular, we found that the executive review and appraisal process was often infrequently and haphazardly done, and that the underlying reasons for the poorly-conducted appraisals were traceable to a number of fallacious assumptions or myths about the nature of executives and their work. These myths not only hi...