Jasmine Tata

Cultural and structural constraints on total quality management implementation

We present a model delineating the influence of national culture and organizational culture/structure on the eff ectiveness of total quality management (TQM) implementation. Researchers can use this model to examine further connections between contextual variables and TQM success. Practitioners can identify the expected success of TQM programmes in their company, and use the four-step proactive approach to diagnose and change the companys culture and structure.

Influence of Role and Gender on the Use of Distributive Versus Procedural Justice Principles

Abstract Differences in perceptions of fairness may result from differential emphasis on distributive and procedural justice. The author found that organizational role and gender influenced the extent to which distributive and procedural justice principles were used when participants allocated and evaluated pay raises. When participants took the role of a supervisor, they were more likely to use procedural justice principles; when they took the role of a subordinate, they were more likely to use distributive justice principles. Also, men were more likely to use distributive justice than procedural justice principles when allocating and evaluating raises. These findings suggest that organizations should become aware of individual and role-based differences in emphasis on justice-related factors that could potentially lead to perceptions of unfairness.

The role of socio‐cultural, political‐legal, economic, and educational dimensions in quality management

Quality management practices have recently flourished across the globe. In this research we review and integrate the literature by identifying and organizing significant research findings, and develop a conceptual model of the relationships between international environmental conditions (e.g. socio‐cultural, political‐legal, economic, and educational factors) and dimensions of quality management (e.g. strategic quality planning, customer focus and satisfaction, human resource development and management, information and analysis, management of process quality, and quality and operational results). The model developed here helps us move beyond examining the differences in quality practices across countries to an understanding of why such differences occur, and helps practitioners gain a better perspective on how quality management techniques can be adopted in different regions around the world.

Emphasis on Distributive, Procedural, and Interactional Justice: Differential Perceptions of Men and Women:

Differences in perceptions of justice may result from differential emphasis on distributive, procedural, and interactional justice. Correlations were significant between sex of participants and the likelihood of using distributive and interactional justice in the context of decisions about pay raises; men were more likely than women to consider distributive justice, whereas women were more likely than men to consider interactional justice.

The Influence of Managerial Accounts on Employees’ Reactions to Negative Feedback

Despite the prevalent assumption that feedback consistently improves performance, recent scholars have suggested that at times negative feedback can have an unfavorable effect on employees’ attitudes and behaviors. This study proposes that such detrimental effects can be minimized through the use of managerial accounts. The results indicated that the type of account can influence employees’ reactions. Concessions, excuses, and justifications reduced employees’ anger and increased perceived interpersonal fairness; concessions also increased intentions to change behavior. Refusals, in contrast, did not influence employees’ reactions. The influence of excuses was augmented when used in conjunction with concessions but attenuated when combined with refusals. These findings suggest that organizations could benefit from training managers to understand the impact of accounts in the negative feedback context.

Information investment in supply chain management

Organizations have been investing heavily in building information links with their suppliers and buyers in order to reduce costs, lead times and quality problems, and improve on time customized delivery. At present, many of these firms are unsure of the degree to which this investment is necessary. A dynamic model is presented which builds on the impact of the evolving interactions of competitors’ activities and the learning which emanates over time. This dynamic model can be used by organizations to determine the level of expenditure necessary to remain competitive. In addition, this model brings out the fact that the systems’ learning will always lead to greater automation in the management of materials; however, the cost would vary according to the interplay of these two factors. This model should also help logistics managers design more effective information systems for their supply chains.

She Said, He Said. The Influence of Remedial Accounts on Third-Party Judgments of Coworker Sexual Harassment:

Sexual harassment often consists of ambiguous behaviors subject to interpretation. Remedial accounts that clarify and explain such behaviors can play a major role in influencing organizational representatives’ perceptions of harassment. Data from 351 employees indicated that type of account, gender of participant, and type of harassing behavior influenced judgments of sexual harassment, perceived offensiveness, and perceived need for disciplinary action. Denials were the most mitigating type of account, followed by excuses, justifications, and concessions. Men and women differed in the extent to which their ratings were influenced by accounts; men’s ratings were more likely to be influenced by denials, whereas women’s ratings were more likely to be influenced by concessions. In addition, remedial accounts were found to be more effective for less severe types of harassing behavior (gender harassment and unwanted sexual attention) and less effective for more severe behavior (sexual coercion).

Publication patterns concerning the role of teams/groups in the information systems literature from 1990 to 1999

By reviewing 28 reputable journals that serve as outlets for information systems and operations management/research, 220 articles relating to information systems and teams/groups were identified over a 10-year period from 1990 through 1999. These articles were classified into 22 topic areas and subsequently cross-tabulated. The data indicate that the number of articles published in this area peaked in the mid 1990s, and that Communications of the ACM, Decision Support Systems, Information & Management, and Journal of Management Information Systems were the primary outlets. Key topic areas intersecting with teams/groups include: decision making, decision support systems, human factors, intra-organization systems, project management, telecommunications, and software. Also, connections between organizational behavior/social psychology and the current teams/groups research in information systems were discovered.

National cultural values, sustainability beliefs, and organizational initiatives

Purpose – Organizations are implementing sustainability initiatives in different countries with varied socio-cultural systems. The literature on sustainability, however, does not present a clear picture of how national culture can influence interpretations of the meaning of sustainability and how these differences in interpretation can result in different sustainability practices. The purpose of this paper is to build upon the current literature by identifying mechanisms (i.e. sustainability beliefs and perceptions) that mediate the relationship between national cultural values and organizational sustainability initiatives. Design/methodology/approach – The authors examine the literature on culture and sustainability practices, and develop a conceptual model that identifies how cultural values influence the sustainability initiatives of organizations. Several propositions are identified that specify relationships among the constructs, and guidelines are provided for testing the model in future research. F...

An empirical assessment of institutional and individual research productivity in international operations management

Assesses institutional and individual research productivity in the area of international operations management (IOM) by reviewing publications in 21 leading operations management (OM) journals over the 12‐year period from 1986 through 1997. Also assesses the IOM research output of the journals and the relative contributions of academicians and practitioners to IOM research appearing in these journals. Among the journals examined for the 12‐year period of this study, based on annual output and quality of published IOM research, Production and Operations Management, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, and European Journal of Operational Research served as the leading outlets for IOM research. The 21 journals published a total of 550 IOM articles over the 12‐year period with academicians authoring approximately 86 percent and practitioners 14 percent of this IOM research. The study provides insights on the IOM research productivity and quality of institutions and individuals and offers suggestions for furthering the cause of IOM research.