Jing A. Zhang

INNOVATION CAPABILITY AND MARKET PERFORMANCE: THE MODERATING EFFECT OF INDUSTRY DYNAMISM

Based on the resource-based view of the firm (RBV) and the resource/capability perspective of innovation, this study explores the independent and complementary effects of two types of innovation capability (namely product development capability and operational capability) on market performance in a sample of 2971 Chinese industrial firms. Product development capability and operational capability have different degrees of firm specificity in terms of the technological complexity of underlying resources. We further explore industry dynamism as an important moderating effect on the relationship between different types of innovation capability and market performance. Our findings suggest that,in the Chinese firms surveyed, both product development and operational capability in innovation positively contribute to market performance. The effect of operational capability is notably stronger than that of product development capability. We also confirm the complementary effect of operational capability with product development capability in enhancing market performance. Our findings further suggest that product development capability tends to have a stronger effect on market performance when the level of industry dynamism is low, while the impact of operational capability on market performance is stronger in industries with a relatively high level of dynamism.

Mutual gains or conflicting outcomes? How HRM benefits professionals

Purpose - – Using the mutual gains model as a framework, the purpose of this paper is to explore the important issue of mutuality in employment relationships. Design/methodology/approach - – This study uses a sample of 215 New Zealand professionals to assess the relationships between commitment-oriented HRM practice, work intensification, work-life balance (WLB) and task and contextual performance. Findings - – The authors find commitment-oriented HRM practice does not intensify the work experiences of professionals, but nor does it contribute positively to the achievement of WLB. Both these well-being types do, however, contribute to explaining professionals’ task and contextual performance outcomes. Research limitations/implications - – The findings suggest current narrow interpretations of well-being need to be revisited, with the meaning of well-being, its measurement and its role in delivering performance outcomes afforded greater attention within HRM studies. Practical implications - – A primary goal of managers is to deliver optimum performance outcomes. For professionals, the research suggests an important means to achieving this is by promoting positive well-being. Originality/value - – This study offers some important insights into the role mutuality plays in influencing performance outcomes. In addition, by exploring two contrasting facets of well-being, one health- and one happiness-related, the authors provide some empirical insights into how employees’ well-being affects performance outcomes.

What factors inhibit publicly funded principal investigators’ commercialization activities?

ABSTRACT This paper examines what factors publicly funded principal investigators (PIs) perceive as inhibiting their involvement in commercialization activities. PIs are important knowledge brokers in public science but while the emerging literature on PIs has primarily focused on identifying their multitude of roles and responsibilities, much less is known about their experiences in commercialization specifically. It remains unknown what challenges inhibit PIs from pursuing commercialization when shaping their competitive research proposals. To begin to address this topic, this study draws on semi-structured interviews with 24 funded health science PIs in New Zealand. The study found that a lack of confidence in the expectations and consistency of funding body review processes, as well as a lack of appropriate support and resources within the university, can deter PIs from incorporating commercialization activities in their research agendas. The implications of these findings for the literature and practice are also discussed.

IN SEARCH OF THE EFFECTS OF BUSINESS AND POLITICAL TIES ON INNOVATION AMBIDEXTERITY

There has been a lack of empirical research on how firms integrate different types of network benefits to facilitate innovation ambidexterity. This study examines how different types of network ties (business and political) influence innovation ambidexterity. Using a sample of 264 Chinese industrial firms, we find that business ties are significantly associated with innovation ambidexterity. The results also show that although the direct effect of political ties on innovation ambidexterity is insignificant, political ties interact significantly with business ties to foster innovation ambidexterity.

Accentuating the positive: The mediating role of positive emotions in the HRM–contextual performance relationship

The positive psychology movement suggests organisational behaviourists should accentuate the positive by increasing the attention paid to the enhancement of employee wellness. This fits comfortably with the ethos of human resource management which is rooted in notions of social exchange, reciprocity and mutual gain. The purpose of this paper is to inject some positivity into HRM research by examining the mediating role of positive emotions in the HRM–performance relationship.,To examine the role played by positive emotions in the relationship between HRM and citizenship behaviours, the authors surveyed a sample of 250 employees from 14 organisations in New Zealand service industries. Sobel and bootstrapping tests were used to examine the mediation model.,Results show positive emotional states, both personal and job-related, to positively and partially mediate the HRM–contextual performance relationship.,Theoretically, this finding opens up HRM’s black box affording support for the inclusion of a wider range of psychological states than those presently studied.,Support is provided for HRM approaches which are more progressive than remedial in nature.,Emotions are malleable and this study suggests that fostering positive emotional states might hold the key to performance, unlocking desirable employee behaviours.

A comprehensive concomitant analysis of service employees’ well-being and performance

Purpose The connection between employees’ well-being and performance, although widely studied in organizational psychology, has received much less attention from HRM scholars. The purpose of this paper is to extend the literature by examining the impacts of the multidimensional structure of well-being consisting of psychological, social and health dimensions on employees’ task and contextual performance. Design/methodology/approach The authors collected data from 281 employees from the New Zealand service sector using a questionnaire survey. Factor analysis was used to determine items that form various facets of well-being and performance constructs. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to test the well-being – performance relationship. Findings The findings show that different facets of well-being differentially contribute to employees’ task and contextual performance. Specifically, the facets of happiness and trust were positively associated with both task and contextual performance, while the effects of life satisfaction and work life balance on task and contextual performance were insignificant. Moreover, work intensification was only associated with task performance, in contrast, job satisfaction and over commitment were only related to contextual performance. Practical implications The implications of these findings are two-fold. For researchers, a review and overhaul of the conceptualization and operationalization of well-being in HRM studies is long overdue. For managers, improvements to employees’ job performance and the organization’s health can result from simultaneously enhancing multiple dimensions of employees’ well-being. Originality/value This study provides new insights into the complex relationship between well-being and performance by incorporating a multidimensional and multifaceted perspective of well-being and highlighting the distinctive effects of various facets of well-being on different types of employees’ performance.