K.B. Akhilesh

Global virtual teams: what impacts their design and performance?

This paper examines the aspect of designing global virtual teams and the key factors that impact team design. Examines how design impacts team performance. Proposes a conceptual model for designing such teams to deliver optimal performance. The model contains four major elements: virtual team structure, strategic objectives, work characteristics and situational constraints. The impact of the last three elements on team structure and their relationship to team performance are examined. Proposes a multi‐dimensional measure for virtual team structure, and considers how situational demands and performance constraints can impact team design. Highlights the fact that performance of teams too is multi‐dimensional and design has to consider the tradeoff involved in these factors. Proposes that global virtual teams be designed with a holistic approach considering an optimal fit between the team structure and the key impacting factors like objectives, work characteristics and situational constraints to deliver performance.

Interplay among innovativeness, cognitive intelligence, emotional intelligence and social capital of work teams

Purpose – The paper seeks to highlight the key value changes in the current economy, which is shifting towards intangible assets such as innovativeness, cognitive intelligence, emotional intelligence, social capital, and also a shift from individual to team working.Design/methodology/approach – The paper takes the form of an examination of the relevant literature and divergent thinking.Findings – On the basis of a critical analysis of the literature it is found that the outcome of all factors (internal as well as external) influencing the functioning of a team/group would lead to a “general ability” which can be conceived as composed of three different and interrelated abilities, termed the “cognitive intelligence”, “emotional intelligence” and “social capital” of the team/group. These three abilities could explain a wide range of group behaviors. A conceptual model is developed to explain the innovativeness of work teams in terms of these three group abilities.Research limitations/implications – The gene...

Functionally Dependent Stress among Managers

Reports a study of managerial stress and its dependence on the functional area of the manager. Nine stressors were identified through (a) a literature search and (b) interviews with managers of the different functional areas as well as with academicians as being “functionally dependent”. Data were obtained from questionnaires completed by 128 managers. Analysis revealed that eight of the nine stressors (role ambiguity, pressure for performance, travel as part of the job, being on the interface, responsibility for people, responsibility for things, status of the functional area, and crisis situations) were dependent on the functional area and not on age of the manager, hierarchical level or tenure in the organization. Discusses the managerial and organizational implications.

An attempt to redefine organizational justice: in the rightsizing environment

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify just rightsizing practices in a manufacturing organization in an attempt to redefine organizational justice.Design/methodology/approach – A total of 177 individuals were interviewed in an Indian manufacturing organization and their perspectives of the rightsizing processes are outlined, compared and contrasted to identify just rightsizing practices in the organization.Findings – A number of practices at the initial stage of rightsizing are seen as being implemented to the same extent by all the three categories of individuals – implementers, stayers and separated. Therefore, justice is seen to be maximized. Practices concerning the actual process of separation and afterwards, such as communication, arranging for graceful exits, leadership, evaluation of the processes and assistance programmes for the stayers and separated, need to be improved upon.Research limitations/implications – The model is used to study already implemented rightsizing processes. The...

Emerging dimensions of technology management

1. Emerging Issues in Technology Management: Global Perspectives: The Need for and Understanding of a Technology Commercialization Framework.- 2. Innovation Valuation: Guesswork or Formalized Framework? A Literature Review.- 3. Drivers of Intraregional M&As within Developing Asia.- 4.Technology management in Indias Plantations Sector: Structural Infirmities Perspective.- 5. Good Urban Governance and Smart Technologies - a German City as a Best Practice Case of e-Government.- 6. An Overview on Technology Nurturing and Incubation from a Lifescience Perspective.- 7. An Integrated Talent Management System for Maintaining an Up-to-date Technical Workforce.- 8. Designing and Operating Communities of Practice for Managing Knowledge: Lessons from a Comprehensive Global Knowledge Management Survey.- 9. Airport Technology Management.- 10. Innovation and Implementation of Climate Related Energy Efficient Building Design in India.- 11. Between Collaboration and Competition in Modern Technology Management and Innovation.- 12. Understanding social business.- 13. Technologies for Sustainable Development - Korean Experience.- 14. Multiagent Coordination Enabling Autonomous Logistics.- 15. Managing Technology for Defence.

Impact of Integrated Yoga Module (IYM) on Decision-Making Style of Managers-Randomised Controlled Trial Study

Decision-making by managers in the technology-driven, information-rich business world today is crucial as human beings have cognitive and thinking process anomaly evolved to make them systemically unpredictable. Training modules are not available that can be used to develop the effective decision-making style in managers addressing cognitive and physiological aspects. In this paper, we studied that respective human variable that are relevant to business organisations indicate decision-making style of manager and that are improved through regulation of energies in body-mind-complex based on willpower and self-control. We conducted the 90-day randomised controlled trial and introduced the intervention for the two groups. One group joined integrated yoga module-IYM (Yoga) (n = 63) and other group practised physical exercise (PhyEx) (n = 63). Repeated measures (RM) analysis of variance, conducted at the interval of every 30 days, show significant main effect of IYM intervention on decision-making domains (p < 0.001), whereas PhyEx did not show any significant main effects (p < 0.066). IYM has more reliable and consistent with long-term effect on decision-making style than PhyEx, though both are effective in short term.

Effect of Integrated Yoga on Emotional Stability and Performance of Employees: An Action Research Study

Development of the performance of employees is an important concern for employees, employers, and the society at large. In this study, an important personality trait, that is, emotional stability, its importance in the performance of an employee, and the impact of the practice of Integrated Yoga on emotional stability and performance of an employee were studied; 51 employees were given Integrated Yoga intervention and another 51 employees, who comprised of the control group, were not given any intervention for 4 months. Using the Big Five Personality Questionnaire, data about emotional stability was collected from the yoga intervention group and control group before the study, in the middle of the study, and at the end of the study. The data was analyzed using SPSS, and a significant increase (p - value <0.001) in emotional stability among the subjects in the yoga intervention group was found (it was not found in the control group). So, it is concluded that the practice of Integrated Yoga improves the emotional stability, and thus the performance of the employees.

Time-Bound Formalization and its Role in Building Team Flexibility in Product Development Organizations

In this chapter, we explore the nature of a new factor named ‘time-bound formalization’ (TBF) in building flexibility into product development (PD) teams. This new factor was derived from the study of 108 PD teams in public and private sector organizations. Conceptually, TBF appears to be a subset of formalization, with a focus on procedures that are associated with a time bound. We observed that TBF plays a vital role in facilitating team flexibility. In the case of large teams, it helps in balancing team flexibility and team performance. A deeper understanding of TBF can provide clues for formulating better PD practices to promote team flexibility.