Farhad Analoui

CEOs and development of the meaningful mission statement

Developing a mission statement has been considered a crucial factor in the formulation of business strategy in organisations. The mission statement promotes a sense of shared expectations in employees and, not surprisingly, it has recently been regarded as increasingly important in small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in the electronic industry. One major reasons for this is the growing complexity and dynamic competitive environments in which these enterprises have operated and managed to find themselves. Mission statements have become a management tool most commonly used by chief executive officers (CEOs) over the last decade. One exercise that both academics and practitioners have deemed strategically critical to the success of an enterprise is the development of a meaningful mission statement. This article explores the perceptions of CEOs of their mission statement in SMEs. It is based on the findings of recent research in 508 firms in the electrical and electronic industry in the UK. The study, amongst other things, investigated the existence and content of the mission statements and, accordingly, it determines the relationships (if any) between a SME’s development of a meaningful mission statement and selected performance outcomes of the firm.

Workplace sabotage: its styles, motives and management

Argues that there is a dark side to organizations which is difficult to observe, yet it gives rise to the most spectacular, destructive, least manageable, unconventional forms of behaviour. Despite its common occurrence, workplace sabotage has hitherto remained relatively unknown and little understood. Because of its often covert and taboo characteristics, sabotage has not been the subject of a thorough investigation. A six‐year long empirical study of unconventional behaviours, through participant observation in industry has shed light on these practices, including sabotage. Identifies the main dimensions of these unconventional practices, their dominant styles and the meanings and motives for their occurrences. Since the decision to resort to sabotage to express discontent is primarily a response to the prevailing managerial philosophy and practices, asserts here that effective supervision, increased communication and proper motivation will minimize the occurrence of these practices at work. Concludes b...

How chief executives’ perception of the environment impacts on company performance

Environmental scanning is a key factor to sustained competitive advantage of the firm and it is becoming increasingly important in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) theory and practice. Not surprisingly, it is widely viewed as the first step in the process of strategic management. The main debate in strategy and environment management is nowadays concerned with the primary importance of environmental scanning to strategy formulation and implementation. Moreover, effective scanning of the environment is seen as necessary to the successful alignment of competitive strategies with environmental requirements and the achievement of outstanding performance in SMEs. This paper explores the above relationship in the context of the British electrical and electronic industry. It is based on the empirical evidence and the findings of a survey of 132 chief executive officers (CEO) and their perception of environmental scanning and strategy in SMEs. It is concluded that there is a significant relationship between increasing the environmental scanning of the firm, and the success of the firm’s performance in small and medium sized enterprises.

What motivates senior managers

While a great deal of understanding has been gained about senior managers’ motivation in the West, very little has been done in the Eastern European countries to understand what motivates senior managers. This article is based on the results of a first time study that was recently carried out in 23 Romanian organisations. It aims at gaining a better understanding of senior managers’ motivation for improved performance and effectiveness at work. The methodology employed, consisting of survey questionnaire and sample interviews, led to the emergence of a group of factors including “recognition and appreciation”, “salary and remuneration”, “promotional status”, and “job satisfaction”. Moreover, although there are similarities between what motivates senior managers in both Western and Eastern European countries, the differences point to the need for better understanding of senior managers, their perception and their views as well as organisational and the wider contexts in which they work.

Strategic human resource management and resource‐based approach: the evidence from the british manufacturing industry

The notion, that people management can be a key source of sustained competitive advantage, calls for the integration of Human Resource Management (HRM) and business strategy. Not surprisingly, the main debate in HRM is nowadays concerned with the relationship between strategic management and employee relations in the firm and therefore strategic HRM focuses on the overall direction of the organisation in pursuit of its stated goals and objectives. This paper explores the above relationship in the electronic manufacturing industry. It is based on empirical evidence and the findings of a survey of senior managers’ perception and views on strategic HRM.It is concluded that increasing core competencies of the firm, in particular HR, is one of the key elements to the success of the firm performance and that HR involvement in the development and implementation of business strategy leads to organisational effectiveness in this industry.

Eight parameters of managerial effectiveness

Despite the considerable attention given to managers and their effectiveness in the last few decades, a great deal of confusion and concern still surrounds the subject. Recently, attention has been drawn to the importance of the role of the public sector to the realisation of the growth and development of the developing world. This paper is based on the findings of a research project which was funded by ESCOR, The Department of International Development, and was carried out in the Ministry of Environment and Science and Technology in Ghana. The study aimed to identify the causal and behavioural influences which determine the managerial effectiveness of senior managers in the public sector. The results point to the presence of factors which constitute “parameters” of effectiveness at work. It concludes that a better understanding of the subject requires attention to the senior managers’ “choice” and “meaningful actions”, within an open system context.

UNCONVENTIONAL PRACTICES AT WORK: INSIGHT AND ANALYSIS THROUGH PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION

Analyses the special difficulties encountered by an undercover worker researching unconventional behaviour in the workplace. Posits that the problems of such behaviour cannot be solved without accepting that it is meaningful to the actors. Reports qualitative participant‐observer research in the entertainments industry, in the course of which 451 cases of unconventional practices were collected and analysed with respect to: forms of behaviour, styles (modus operandi – covert and overt) and motives and meanings. Presents a three‐dimensional model and offers recommendations in the form of guidelines for management on how to deal with these practices effectively.

Management skills and senior management effectiveness

Traditionally, the effectiveness of the senior officials within the public sector has been disproportionately associated with task instead of people‐related skills. A study of 74 senior managers within Indian Railways, over three years, has revealed that managers, in order to become effective, not only require task and people skills but also self‐development knowledge and skills. Moreover, the above broad categories of managerial skills form a hierarchy which suggests that the more senior positions which managers occupy, the greater the need for people and self‐development. Explores the implications of the above for senior management training and development in public sector briefly.

Innovative management model for performance appraisal: the case of the Palestinian public universities

Appraisal is recognised as a crucial step towards the development of human resources and their performance. This article proposes an integrated, innovative model for managing the performance appraisal process of full‐time faculty members at the Palestinian public universities in the West Bank. The integrated model SOFIA is a result of an empirical study of the impact of performance appraisal process on faculty members in five major universities. In constructing this model, several issues including setting a clear institution’s strategy, participation in goal setting, coaching, two‐way communication between faculty members and their superiors, feedback, developing and rewarding faculty members have been emphasised. Also, it is recommended that external factors that may influence faculty members’ performance, appraisers’ training and top management support and ownership of the process must be seriously considered. The obstacles to the application of the proposed performance model and possible solutions have been explored. In light of the above, relevant conclusions have been reached.

Managerial skills and SMEs’ development in Palestine

In recent years management training development has secured an increasingly important place in the life of the business managers. In the Arab countries, the management and development efforts have largely been found to be somewhat inadequate and ineffective. Many management‐training programmes (MTPs), of an off‐the‐job nature, have been established in the Palestinian territories (PT), after the peace agreement, in order to find a solution for the apparent lack of managerial strength, especially amongst the small and micro‐enterprises (SMEs). Discusses the contribution of these programmes towards the development of these managers by dividing the managerial skills offered into three main categories. The primary data have been generated through a survey of the SME managers who have participated in management development training programmes in Palestine. The results of the study highlighted the question of the importance, interrelationship and interaction of managerial skills used for developing SMEs.