Holger Steinmetz

Gender effects on entrepreneurial intention: a meta‐analytical structural equation model

Purpose – Although the percentage of female entrepreneurs has increased over the past several years, it is far below the level of males. Drawing on the theory of planned behaviour and role congruity theory, the purpose of this paper is to specify a model in which the relationship between gender and entrepreneurial intention (EI) is mediated by three essential motivational constructs (i.e. attitude toward starting a business, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control (PBC)).Design/methodology/approach – The study specifies and tests a meta‐analytical structural equation model. The study aggregates the results of 30 studies (n=52,367).Findings – The study reveals a higher average EI for men compared to women. However, although significant, the gender differences in EI and the motivational constructs were small and cannot sufficiently explain the substantial differences in actually starting a business. Furthermore, moderator analyses show differences in the gender‐EI relationship between Europe and t...

Three Approaches to Estimate Latent Interaction Effects: Intention and Perceived Behavioral Control in the Theory of Planned Behavior:

Interaction effects between explanatory constructs are an important part of many social theories. Analyses of interaction effects between variables using regression techniques have low power because they do not control for measurement errors. Therefore, latent interaction modeling using structural equation modeling (SEM) has been proposed as a better alternative to test for interaction effects. In contrast to traditional and complicated ‘constrained’ SEM approaches, two recent developments, the unconstrained approach and the residual centering approach, are especially attractive for applied researchers as they are much easier to implement. However, applied researchers still seem to be unsure about how to apply these approaches. In this study, we illustrate the use of the unconstrained and the residual centering approach and compare these approaches with the constrained approach of Algina and Moulder (2001) using data from a field study of 1,442 students. Theoretical background is the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1991) in which we test the proposed interaction between an individuals intention to perform a behavior and perceived behavioral control (PBC) on behavior. The illustration should assist researchers interested in testing interaction effects using structural equation modeling.

Age diversity and team outcomes: a quantitative review

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to synthesize the literature on the relationship between age diversity (AD) and the essential team outcomes (i.e. performance quality, financial performance, innovation and creativity, effectiveness, satisfaction, and turnover). Design/methodology/approach – The authors conduct a meta-analysis of the relationship between AD and team outcomes using a sample of 74 studies. Furthermore, the authors investigate the role of contextual factors (task complexity, type of performance evaluation, study setting, team size, age cohort) as moderators of the AD-team outcome relationship. Findings – The results show no significant overall relationships between AD and team outcomes, except for turnover (r=0.11, p < 0.05). Moderator analyses reveal significant albeit weak differences regarding task complexity, team size, and age cohort. Originality/value – The authors extend previous research by quantitatively reviewing the AD-team outcome relationship. By showing that AD is only rel...

The relationship between needs and job attitudes in South Korea and Germany

Purpose – The present study aims to analyze the predictive value of three motivational dispositions (need for achievement, need for affiliation, and need for power) for job involvement and organizational commitment and to investigate cross‐cultural differences between Germany and South Korea between these predictions.Design/methodology/approach – A sample of South‐Korean (N=209) and German (n=198) executive MBA students was surveyed. Using multi‐group structural equation modeling, the associations between the three needs and JI and OC and cross‐cultural differences in these associations are investigated. In addition, a test is conductedd for cross‐cultural equivalence of the measures as an important prerequisite of quantitative analyses.Findings – The results reveal that need for achievement and need for power are related to JI but that only need for achievement is related to OC. In addition, significant differences were not found across either country in these relationships. Tests of cross‐cultural equiv...

Subjective health and its relationship with working time variables and job stressors: sequence or general factor model?

Abstract This study compares two theoretical models that make different assumptions about the structure of subjective health constructs and about the effects of job stressors and working time variables on health. The first model, the sequence model, is based on sequential models of the development of ill-health and posits that chronic fatigue and sleep problems mediate the effects of job stressors and working time variables on depression and somatic complaints. The second model, the general strain factor model, posits that specific health constructs (e.g. fatigue, depression, and somatic complaints) are reflections of a common general strain factor (i.e. detrimental job conditions increase the individuals sensitization to strain). In this way the study expands traditional models of stress-related effects on health. The analyses were carried out in a sample of 365 individuals in Germany. Although both models fitted the data, the general strain factor model was found to be superior. Furthermore, the effects of job stressors and working time on the health constructs fatigue and sleep quality were mediated by the general strain factor. Also, a negative relationship emerged between working time duration and general strain. It is suggested that the general strain model could be useful in future health psychology research.

Linking transaction cost and social exchange theory to explain strategic alliance performance: a meta-analytic structural equation model

Drawing on transaction cost economics (TCE) and social exchange theory (SET), we develop and test an integrative model of strategic alliance performance using meta-analytic structural equation modelling. Results reveal that TCEs key constructs (e.g., relationship specific investments, opportunism, and environmental uncertainty) influence SETs key constructs (e.g., trust and commitment) which in turn increase different strategic alliance performance outcomes (e.g., satisfaction, goal fulfilment, profitability, and stability). Further, our results show that the different outcome variables are distinct constructs, which measure different facets of strategic alliance performance.

Growth and Internationalization: Renewable Energy and New Technology-Based Firms

Due to changing market conditions, a lowering of trade-barriers, and new technological developments, the competitive environment of firms has changed dramatically over the past decade. Consequently, even small firms face increasing international competition from the beginning of their organizational life. The increasing importance of trans-national and multi-national economic activities exposes the firm to a number of opportunities and challenges alike (Schwens, 2008). On the one hand, internationalization offers fundamental market opportunities that help to realize economies of scale and scope; on the other hand, firms experience liabilities of foreignness such as legal, cultural, linguistic or political barriers while internationalizing. Due to the increased international integration of markets, firms have to develop strategies that allow them to develop the domestic market as well as to venture into foreign markets in order to achieve a sustainable firm development.

Trust in Politicians and Satisfaction with Government – A Reciprocal Causation Approach for European Countries

ABSTRACT Trust and satisfaction with the government are the most important indicators of a functioning democratic system. Scholars diverge in their opinions of whether satisfaction causes trust or vice versa or whether both variables reinforce each other simultaneously. This study applies an instrumental variable approach to shed light on this discussion. We employ a sample of 7166 individuals in 3 European countries (i.e., Germany, France, and Great Britain) obtained from the European Social Survey to test this reciprocal relationship. By comparing these three countries with fundamentally different political systems, we investigate the contingency of the reciprocal effect with regard to the political context. The results confirm the reciprocal relationship but reveal differences between the three investigated countries.

Does National Culture Explain Differences in Organizational Communication? A Multilevel Analysis

The impact of national culture on organizational practices is often discussed by researchers. To contribute to the discussion, this paper examines the relationship between national culture and organizational communication practices. In particular, we investigate the impact of power distance, uncertainty avoidance, humane orientation, and assertiveness on the degree of formality of general communication practices (i.e., communication between an organization and its employees) and the degree of directness in personal communication practices (i.e., communication between supervisors and subordinates). We further investigate the role of culture in establishing advanced communication channels for personal communication (i.e., team briefing, electronic communication, and feedback programs). We conduct a multilevel analysis with 5,094 organizations from various industries in 23 countries. The results show that humane orientation is the cultural dimension most significantly associated with general communication. T...

Organizational Commitment und Job Involvement in Deutschland und Südkorea

Job Involvement (JI) und Organizational Commitment (OC) sind zentrale Variablen fur das Verhalten in Organisationen und den Organisationserfolg. Wahrend die Forschung bisher vorwiegend kontextuelle Pradiktoren von JI und OC betrachtet und diese Studien meist Stichproben aus nur einem Kulturkreis verwenden, analysiert die vorliegende Studie die Beziehungen zwischen drei motivationalen Dispositionen (Leistungsmotiv, Anschlussmotiv und Machtmotiv) und JI und OC in einer deutschen (N=464) und einer sudkoreanischen (N=395) Stichprobe von Studierenden. Mit linearen Strukturgleichungsmodellen werden die Effekte der drei Motive auf JI und OC und ihre kreuzkulturellen Unterschiede als auch die kreuzkulturelle aquivalenz der Konstrukte und Messungen untersucht. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass das Leistungsmotiv und das Anschlussmotiv signifikante Effekte auf JI und OC haben. Unterschiede in den Effekten uber beide Stichproben zeigen sich in Bezug auf das Leistungsmotiv. Hier gibt es in der sudkoreanischen Stichprobe einen deutlich hoheren Zusammenhang mit JI. Die Analysen zur kreuzkulturellen aquivalenz ergeben Unterschiede in der Konnotation von JI in beiden Landern.