Kim T. Hinrichs

Follower Propensity to Commit Crimes of Obedience: The Role of Leadership Beliefs

Organizations and society are concerned about unethical behavior. One type of unethical behavior is crimes of obedience, where followers are influenced by a leader to engage in behavior they would otherwise consider unethical. In this article, the author proposes that people who see themselves as leadership material and hold leaders in high esteem are more likely to view leaders as having more responsibility for ethical decisions and behaviors than followers. Consequently, such persons when placed in a follower position may be more susceptible to commit crimes of obedience through the process of moral disengagement by displacing responsibility for their behavior onto the leader.

Regional humor differences in the United States: Implications for management

Abstract This paper is an exploratory study examining humor differences among four regions of the United States and the managerial implications of such differences. The results indicate significant differences between the regions regarding affiliative and self-defeating humor, the creation and performance of humor, the use of humor in coping and in social situations, and attitudes toward humor. Managerial implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed.

A cross‐cultural study of motivation for self‐employment

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relative levels of multiple individual and environmental factors that influence self‐employment motivation in China, Mexico, and the USA and the effect of each factor on motivation for self‐employment in each country.Design/methodology/approach – A survey was administered to 987 students at universities in the USA (n=535), Mexico (n=195), and China (n=257). Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to assure measurement model fit. Hypotheses were tested using ANOVA tests and regression analyses.Findings – Results indicate that: the USA has the individual and environmental factors most favorable to self‐employment; Mexico has the highest level of motivation for self‐employment; independence and risk taking are the best predictors of motivation for self‐employment in all three countries; the predictive capability of independence, risk taking, and social networks appears similar for China and the USA; and the predictive capability of informal institutio...

Propensity for self‐employment: contrasting the USA and Mexico

Purpose – The paper aims to test the direct and mediating effects of a set of environmental (family self‐employment background, social networks, legal system support, governmental support, and social norms) and individual (entrepreneurial self‐efficacy and risk propensity) factors on the propensity for self‐employment in the USA and Mexico.Design/methodology/approach – A survey was administrated among students in three universities in the USA and in two universities in Mexico. Factor, reliability, t‐tests, and regression analyses were carried out. Mediation was assessed following Baron and Kenny.Findings – Most direct and mediating effects were higher for the USA than for Mexico. Entrepreneurial self‐efficacy fully mediated several factor relationships in both countries. Results suggest a pattern of a strong formal institutions‐individual nexus in the USA, and a strong informal institutions‐individual nexus as well as a significant impact of the individual in Mexico.Research limitations/implications – The...

Organizational Citizenship Behavior: The Role of Value/Identity-Based Motivation

This study is one of the very limited empirical research efforts on the value/identity-based motivation (VIM) theory proposed by Shamir. In this research, the authors tested the relationships between VIM and the five dimensions of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) as well as the moderating effects of individualistic/collectivistic orientation on the relationships between VIM and OCB dimensions. Data were collected from employees and their immediate supervisors in organizations located in the Midwestern and Southwestern United States. The results supported the hypothesized relationships between VIM and sportsmanship, civic virtue, courtesy, and altruism but failed to support the expected relationship between VIM and conscientiousness and the moderating effects. The findings of this study provide evidence for the validity of VIM as a theory of motivation for organizational behaviors, particularly in “weak situations,” and contribute to the body of knowledge regarding the antecedents of OCB.

FRACTALS, STORIES AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF COHERENCE IN STRATEGIC LOGIC

In this paper, we look at how understanding the basic rules governing the iterative mathematical generation of fractals might be translated into understanding a mathematics of social systems. In particular, we will apply the fractal metaphor to illustrate the creation of a coherent strategic orientation in a nonprofit organization. We believe that the use of “stories” in prominent organizational publications is an integral part of the generation of a coherent strategic orientation.