Diether Gebert

Fostering Team Innovation: Why Is It Important to Combine Opposing Action Strategies?

We develop a framework that provides a general theoretical rationale for the claim made by several authors that combining opposing action strategies fosters team innovation. We distinguish between open and closed strategies and posit that these are opposing but complementary in that each fosters one of two processes necessary for team innovation: open action strategies (e.g., delegative leadership) promote knowledge generation, and closed action strategies (e.g., directive leadership) enhance knowledge integration. We argue that each pole of a pair of opposing action strategies both energizes and detracts from elements of innovation. Thus, it could be expected that combining opposing action strategies leads to an impasse, as the negative effects of each strategy might offset the positive effects of the opposite strategy. There is currently no viable explanation in the literature for why this mutual neutralization may not occur. We aim to fill this gap by explicating why and how opposing action strategies, when implemented simultaneously, do not countervail each others positive effects, but rather yield positive synergies that fuel team innovation.

Cross-functionality and innovation in new product development teams: A dilemmatic structure and its consequences for the management of diversity

The ubiquitous hope among managers of new product development (NPD) teams that a cross-functional team composition may be a royal road to enhancing team innovations appears to be an illusion. Empirical analyses show positive as well as negative or nonsignificant relationships between cross-functionality and team innovations. In this article, we integrate the extant literature and develop a process model that explains the contradictory empirical findings. We propose that introducing specific mediators and moderators enables improved predictions of the effects of cross-functionality on team innovations. In developing our model, which is primarily based on a conflict-theoretical perspective, we address theories of social categorization, identity and self verification, information/decision making, group problem solving, and innovativeness, respectively. Our process model explicates how (i.e., via what mediators) and when (i.e., in the presence of what moderators) cross-functionality enhances or impedes synergistic communication among team members, which in turn fosters team innovations. On the basis of this new model we discuss strategies for managing cross-functionality in NPD teams.

The Risks of Autonomy: Empirical Evidence for the Necessity of a Balance Management in Promoting Organizational Innovativeness

For the purpose of promoting innovativeness in organizations, the literature recommends more decentralization of power and more participative leadership as one dimension of empowerment and thus greater situation control for employees. In fact, however, increasing situation control involves specific risks (including co-ordination problems). Without concurrent integration to cushion these risks through orientation, consensus and trust, increasing situation control therefore leads not to a further increase in innovativeness but to a decline. This first empirical demonstration of the covert curvilinear relationship between situation control and innovativeness in n 101 organizations reveals these risks. At the same time, it calls into question the widespread recommendations in the literature for action on innovation-friendly organization and leadership.

The Open and the Closed Corporation as Conflicting forms of Organization

Organizational change is discussed in the context of a conceptual model resting on philosophical, sociological, and anthropological foundations. Distinguishing between an open and a closed form of organization, the authors focus on two theses. The first is that organizations as societal systems are marked by the simultaneous existence of two forms of organization that are mutually exclusive in part, with the resulting combinations or mixes of the two forms having the character of a compromise. The second thesis is that these combinations or mixes of open and closed organizational elements tend to be in flux, giving organizational change a partly cyclical structure. The authors’goal is to draw on these two theses to develop the theory of organizational change and elaborate the implications that this interpretation has for organizational change in daily practice.

Implementing Process Innovations The Benefits of Combining Delegative-Participative With Consultative-Advisory Leadership

Previous research leaves open which facets of leadership foster the implementation of process innovations. In this study, the authors analyze the effects of delegative-participative and consultative-advisory leadership, respectively, on the implementation success of process innovations. They argue that each of these leadership behaviors entails specific advantages and risks and that therefore the two patterns complement each other. The sample consisted of managers from different organizations. Although the posited main effects of both delegative-participative and consultative-advisory leadership are confirmed, the significant interaction between these two leadership styles has a different direction than the authors hypothesized.

Leadership and co-operation in orchestras

The leadership of musicians by the conductor of an orchestra is a combination of authority and charisma. It is a special case of directive-charismatic leadership that needs to be explained because it involves substantive restriction of freedom for the led, whereas in other creative fields (e.g. research and development) a non-directive style of leadership is considered functional to success. Current theory on leadership (e.g. contingency theory) is not able to explain this phenomenon. We develop a model of leadership in the orchestra, from which a specific (directive-charismatic) leader behavior is to be derived from the singularities of this leadership goal and the behavior required of followers. On the basis of a sample of n=334 musicians from thirty German orchestras, we show empirically that directive-charismatic leadership in the orchestra has a positive impact on the quality of ensemble playing, thus promoting artistic quality as leadership success. Conclusions are drawn both for leadership theory and for the selection and training of orchestral musicians and conductors.

Expressing religious identities in the workplace : Analyzing a neglected diversity dimension

Responding to Jackson and Joshi’s (2011) call for specific models of the effects of particular diversity types and against the backdrop of the rising desire for the public expression of religious identities in the workplace (Hicks, 2003), we develop a framework that systematically explores when and how the expression of diverse religious identities induces relational conflicts in organizational units. In developing this framework, we integrate the respective literatures on religion studies (e.g. Hicks, 2003), identity-disclosure (e.g. Ragins, 2008) and diversity within organizational groups (Jackson and Joshi, 2011). Our framework specifies three paths whereby the public expression of diverse religious identities can engender relational conflicts. As mediators, we discuss perceivers’ attribution of proselytism and religious discrimination, as well as identity threats. Moreover, we examine the moderating roles of actors’ and perceivers’ religious fundamentalism, perceivers’ religious identity salience and minority members’ attribution of majority members’ religious hegemonial claims. At the theoretical level, we delineate particularities of religious identity diversity that distinguish this diversity type from other deep-level diversity attributes. Concerning practical implications, we argue that it is important to not only foster self-expression, but also to be cognizant of the risks that the public expression of religious identities entails.

Leadership and cooperation as success factors in innovative R&D projects on electronic platforms

Purpose – This study examines 56 R&D projects, in each of which several organizations cooperate via an electronic system platform. The aim was to examine the relationships among leadership, cooperation, and project success (product improvements).Design/methodology/approach – The paper investigates to what degree the relative importance of different aspects of leadership and cooperation in R&D projects on electronic platforms differs depending upon situational conditions.Findings – Given a low level of electronic system and process integration, the frequency of personal contacts makes a significant contribution to explaining success variance. The quality of communication (team trust) is particularly important in the case of a high degree of electronic linkage. Enhancement of team spirit is more conductive to success in larger groups. Ensuring frequent personal contacts and clarifying goals, tasks, and responsibilities, respectively, contributes significantly to explaining success variance in large projects...

The more situation control, the more innovation? - Putting the linearity thesis to the test

For the purpose of promoting innovativeness in organisations, the literature recommends more decentralisation of power and more participative leadership as one dimension of empowerment and, thus, greater situation control for employees. In fact, however, increasing situation control involves specific risks (including coordination problems). Without concurrent integration to cushion these risks through orientation, consensus and trust, increasing situation control leads not to a further increase in innovativeness but to a decline. This first empirical demonstration of the covert curvilinear relationship between situation control and innovativeness in N = 101 organisations reveals these risks. At the same time, it calls into question the widespread recommendations in the literature for action on innovation friendly organisations and leadership. Conclusions are drawn from the findings with regard to the theory of innovation promotion and the methodology of innovation research.

Empowerment in the Context of Transformational Change: A Study of Acquisitions and Privatizations in Eastern Europe

This paper examines conditions under which empowerment (decision autonomy, dialogic leadership) is connected with positive and negative effects, respectively, in regard to managing transformational change in Eastern Europe. Acquisitions by foreign investors in Poland and Russia (N = 45 companies) and privatizations through employee buy-out in Romania (N = 5 companies) are contrasted in this study. It is shown that empowerment within these two variants of transformational change is connected in different ways with success indicators of crisis management. From these findings, we deduce practical consequences for empowerment and transformational change, along with suggestions for future research.