Gabriele Morandin

Customer-Organization Relationships: Development and Test of a Theory of Extended Identities

We develop a theory of personal, relational, and collective identities that links organizations and consumers. Four targets of identity are studied: small friendship groups of aficionados of Ducati motorcycles, virtual communities centered on Ducatis, the Ducati brand, and Ducati the company. The interplay amongst the identities is shown to order affective, cognitive, and evaluative reactions toward each target. Hypotheses are tested on a sample of 210 Ducati aficionados, and implications of these multiple, extended identities for organizations are examined.

Brand Communities: Loyal to the Community or the Brand?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate empirically the relative emphasis accorded by members of a brand community to identification with that community and identification with the brand-owner, and thereby close a gap in the literature to date.Design/methodology/approach – Based on a review of the literature relating to identification, loyalty, and potentially mediating brand-related constructs, a cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey was carried out at a brandfest organised by a major European motorcycle manufacturer. Data collected from 256 respondents were analysed by structural equation modelling, testing seven hypothesised causal links.Findings – Brand loyalty is primarily influenced by identification with the brand community, through the mediating role of brand affect.Research limitations/implications – The findings require confirmation in other settings and industry sectors before they can be generalised with confidence, but point to several fruitful research directions.Practical implications – Brand strategists have new evidence to guide allocation of effort and resources to the effective cultivation and maintenance of brand loyalty.Originality/value – The study makes an original contribution, in a real-world setting, to the understanding of how members of a brand community relate to the brand, and of how their brand loyalty is activated.

The hierarchical cognitive structure of entrepreneur motivation toward private equity financing

Abstract This research investigates the motivation of 91 Italian entrepreneurs for engaging in private equity financing. The laddering methodology is used to uncover cognitive schemas of entrepreneurs consisting of a structure of interconnected motives organized in a hierarchy. Means – end chain theory, the laddering technique, and principles from network analysis are used to interpret the schemas. The individual motives and connections among motives provide insights into why entrepreneurs make the decisions that they do and suggest practical implications for strategic decisions, everyday management and policy. The overall approach and results of this study differ fundamentally from traditional financial and business strategy points of view on decision making by entrepreneurs in that actual thinking processes, values and goals of managers are investigated to explain their choices and actions.

Schema-Based Sensemaking of the Decision to Participate and its Effects on Job Performance

This paper describes the development and testing of an iterative framework, based on a situated cognition perspective, for uncovering cognitive schemas that people enact in sensemaking processes. The research investigated the cognitive schemas of 167 employees participating in a call center through the elicitation of interpretations and the justifications for those interpretations. Data were analyzed by using a laddering methodology based on means-end analysis in order to disclose declarative (i.e., concepts) and procedural (i.e., relations between concepts) knowledge. A cognitive cause map and its main indexes were derived, following principles from social network analysis. The results demonstrate how specific contents of cognitive schemas that arise during sensemaking (e.g., fulfillment) are related to job performance. In addition, the schema connecting skills development to improving career prospects and to personal growth was significant, revealing the prominent influence exerted by procedural knowledge in enacting sensemaking and motivating greater performance.

Put Down That Phone! Smart Use of Smartphones for Work and Beyond:

Although we use our smartphone for many important daily activities, overreliance on them can have some unintended and unfortunate consequences. Unlike the devices used by prior generations, smartphones are more than mere inanimate objects, and instead have become personally involved “subjects.” All of us—including individuals, organizations, families, and even societies—need to become more aware of the risks associated with such powerful communication devices. We acknowledge the myriad benefits and promises of smartphones, but also highlight their downsides. We identify a series of initiatives that could foster a greater awareness on the costs and benefits of such devices for the sake of employees, their employers, and many stakeholders outside of work.

Leadership in a Combination of Continuity and Strategic Change: Building a New Identity

Our interpretation of this success story attributes a very important role to leadership, above all the leaders’ ability to make far-reaching organizational changes and build a new identity. As Enel’s transformation from monopolistic public entity to leading company in the global energy market took place in a relatively short time it represents a model case for privatization.

The Motivation of Entrepreneurs Toward Private Equity Financing: A Laddering Approach

This highly accessible book brings together the insights of leading academics and researchers to promote a better understanding of the role of private equity providers in the development of growth-oriented start-ups and the management of growth processes.