Halit Keskin

Market orientation, learning orientation, and innovation capabilities in SMEs

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the nomological relations among market‐orientation, learning‐orientation and innovativeness in medium‐sized business (SMEs) of developing countries.Design/methodology/approach – The study involves a questionnaire‐based survey of managers from small‐sized‐firms operating in Turkey. A total of 157 usable questionnaires were received from managers. These were subjected to a structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis.Findings – The results show that firm innovativeness positively affects firm performance; firm learning‐orientation positively influences firm innovativeness; firm market‐orientation positively impacts firm learning orientation; firm learning‐orientation mediates the relationship between firm market‐orientation and firm innovativeness; and firm market‐orientation indirectly impacts firm performance via firm innovativeness and learning.Practical implications – This study has implications for SEMs aiming at increasing their performance and innovati...

Knowledge networks in new product development projects: a transactive memory perspective

Even though an individuals knowledge network is known to contribute to the effectiveness and efficiency of his or her work in groups, the way that network building occurs has not been carefully investigated. In our study, activities of new product development teams were analyzed to determine the antecedents and consequences on the transactive memory systems, the moderating affect of task complexity was also considered. We examined 69 new product development projects and found that team stability, team member familiarity, and interpersonal trust had a positive impact on the transactive memory system and also had a positive influence on team learning, speed-to-market, and new product success. Further, we found that the impact of the transactive memory system on team learning, speed-to-market, and new product success was higher when there was a higher task complexity. Theoretical and managerial implications of the study findings are discussed.

Organizational unlearning as changes in beliefs and routines in organizations

Purpose – Organizational learning and unlearning is a popular and important topic in business as well as academia. Even though there is a plethora of studies on organizational learning, surprisingly little is known about the conceptualization and operationalization of organizational unlearning. The purpose of this paper is to discuss organizational unlearning based on the organizational change and memory literature enhancing the organizational learning and change scholarship.Design/methodology/approach – It is argued that unlearning is conceptualized as organizational memory eliminating, and is operationalized as changing beliefs and routines covariates in organizations. This is followed with a discussion of unlearning types, specifically, reinventive, formative, operative and adjustive, which are contingent on the environmental conditions. Finally, future research suggestions are proposed to leverage understanding on unlearning in the literature.Findings – Shows that organizations first need to unlearn e...

Antecedents and consequences of team potency in software development projects

Developing new software quickly, successfully, and at low cost is critical in organizations. Ways of assessing the effectiveness of development teams has highlighted measures of factors, such as teamwork, group cohesiveness, and team integration, but the use of group potency theory (the collective belief of a group that it can be effective) is rare. In our study, we investigated antecedents of and consequences to group potency in software development project teams. By examining 53 software development project teams collected from small and medium-sized software firms in Turkey, we found, that team potency positively affected speed-to-market, development cost, and market success of the product. We also found that trust among project team members, past experiences of the members, and team empowerment had a positive impact on the team potency during the project. Managerial and theoretical implications are discussed.

Organizational Intelligence: A Structuration View

Organizational intelligence is a popular topic in business and academia and attracts many researchers and practitioners from different fields. Even though organizational intelligence scholarship is still growing, there are a few studies that unify the fragmented views on organizational intelligence. In this conceptual paper, we investigate organizational intelligence from the perspective of Giddens’s structuration theory. We argue that a structuration view of organization intelligence removes the individual/organization level intelligence dichotomy, and integrates fragmented studies on the epistemology of intelligence, e.g., cognitive, behavioral and social/emotional. Furthermore, we propose a few hypotheses to show on how structuration theory forms a more comprehensive understanding of intelligence in organizations. Finally, we discuss the managerial applications of structuration theory on organizational intelligence.

The mediator role of learning capability and business innovativeness between total quality management and financial performance

The concept of total quality management (TQM) has attracted many researchers from a variety of disciplines. In particular, the literature has addressed the impact of TQM on a firm’s operations and performance. However, disparate perspectives on the relationship between TQM and a firm’s financial performance have emerged. In this paper, we suggest an interconnected relationship among TQM, organisational learning capability (OLC), business innovativeness, and a firm’s financial performance and propose that OLC and business innovativeness mediate the relationship between TQM and a firm’s financial performance. By studying 193 firms in Turkey, we found that: (1) TQM affects OLC and a firm’s business innovativeness, (2) OLC influences a firm’s business innovativeness and (3) a firm’s business innovativeness affects its financial performance. Also, we found that OLC and business innovativeness in a firm mediate the relationship between TQM and the firm’s financial performance.

Organizational emotional memory

Purpose – As a fascinating concept, the term of organizational memory attracted many researchers from a variety of disciplines. In particular, the content of organizational memory, which involves declarative and procedural memory, found broad research interest in the management literature. Nevertheless, there is sparse research in the management literature on the emotional content aspect of organizational memory. Emotional memory is a less obvious aspect of the organizational memory and should be conceptualized, defined and investigated to enhance the literature on the organizational memory. The purpose of this study is to: define and establish the characteristics of organizational emotional memory; discuss the process of emotional memory in organizations such as how emotional memory can be developed and retrieved, and where it can be stored in organizations; and develop arguments regarding the roles of emotional memory in organizations to enhance the current theory on organizational memory.Design/methodo...

Accelerated learning in new product development teams

Learning in new‐product development teams is cited as being vital in todays competitive, uncertain, and turbulent environments. However, studies on accelerated learning in product‐development teams are, surprisingly, lacking. This study proposes a model for accelerated team learning in new‐product development based on constructs borrowed from accelerated learning models (or “suggestopedy”) in the individual learning scholarship. It is argued that fast‐learning teams launch new products more quickly, and with increased probability of success. Moreover, specific mechanisms to help teams learn more quickly are within the control of teams. These include vision clarity, learning from customers and competitors, information coding, top management support, past product review, aggressive deadlines and daily meetings.

Antecedents and Consequences of Team Sensemaking Capability in Product Development Projects

With the increasing popularity of organizational sensemaking in the literature, sensemaking capability of firms attracts many researchers and practitioners from different fields. Nevertheless, sensemaking capability is rarely addressed in the new product development (NPD) project teams in the technology and innovation management literature. Specifically, we know little about what team sensemaking capability is, its ingredients and benefits, and how it works in NPD projects (e.g., its antecedents and consequences). By investigating 92 NPD project teams, we found that (1) team sensemaking capability, which is composed of internal and external communication, information gathering, information classification, building shared mental models, and taking experimental actions, has a positive impact on the information implementation and speed-to-market; (2) information implementation and speed-to-market mediate the relationship between team sensemaking capability and new product success; and (3) team sensemaking capability mediates the relationship between team processes and information implementation and partially mediates the relationship between team processes and speed-to-market. We also found that team autonomy, interpersonal trust among team members, and open-mindedness of team members positively influence the development of team sensemaking capability. Theoretical and managerial implications of the study findings are discussed.

Organisational resilience capacity and firm product innovativeness and performance

The term resilience has attracted the attention of many researchers from a variety of disciplines; however, an organisation’s resilience capacity has rarely been addressed in the new product development literature. In this study, we empirically tested the role of organisational resilience capacity-related variables on firm product innovativeness and performance. By studying 112 firms, we found that competence orientation and original/unscripted agility are positively related to firm product innovativeness. We also found that with increasing levels of technological turbulence, original/unscripted agility, practical habits and behavioural preparedness are positively associated with product innovativeness, whereas competency orientation is negatively related. Furthermore, we found that product innovativeness mediates the relationship between resilience capacity and firm performance.