L. Entrekin

Examining the effects of internal and external team learning on team performance

The effectiveness of using team learning to improve team performance has been well documented in the literature, and this notion makes intuitive sense. However, little empirical research has been dedicated to the relationship between team learning and team performance, probably owing to the lack of a widely acceptable instrument for assessing team learning. In this study, a psychometric (validity and reliability) examination of Edmondson’s Team Learning Survey (TLS) is undertaken. This instrument was then used to examine the effects of internal and external team learning on team performance. Implications and limitations of the study findings are discussed.

Attitudes towards different sources of executive appraisal: a comparison of Hong Kong Chinese and American managers in Hong Kong

This study examines the attitudes of three groups of managers in Hong Kong, namely, Hong Kong Chinese managers in local Chinese firms (HK/HK), Hong Kong Chinese managers in US firms (HK/US) and American managers in US firms (US/US), towards supervisory, peer, subordinate and multi-source appraisal of executive performance. The more recent perspective of crossvergence, within the convergence-divergence debate, provides the theoretical foundation for formulating the hypotheses. The findings indicate support for this new perspective of crossvergence. There is also evidence of the coexistence of all the three perspectives of convergence, divergence and crossvergence. The study found that the practice of supervisory appraisal is supported more by HK/US and US/US managers than by HK/HK managers. Furthermore, both HK/US and US/US managers are more supportive of subordinate evaluation than peer evaluation. Overall, the findings indicate that the traditional Chinese values may be more congruent with the notion of supervisory appraisal than with peer and subordinate evaluation. The study thus points out the importance of the compatibility of norms and beliefs regarding a management practice such as performance appraisal with the local national cultures in determining the acceptance and hence the transferability of that practice across countries.

Structural Properties, Work Practices, and Control in Asian Businesses: Some Evidence from Singapore and Malaysia

This study explored the level of adoption of Western style management practices in two South East Asian communities. A sample of 203 managers from Malaysian and Singaporean organizations responded to a survey that was designed to capture demographic as well as organizational data in terms of structural dimensions, and employed work setting processes and practices. A strong inference of the findings is that Western assumptions about managerial ideology were not fully endorsed in the study organizations. These findings, which are discussed, were interpreted in conjunction with contributions from Asian managers. The approach outlined in this paper demonstrates the value of qualitative and quantitative procedures for interpreting the results of cross-cultural studies.

Chinese cultural values and the Asian meltdown

Despite the continuing interest in a concern for relationships between culture, management values and economic activity, there is a lack of empirical evidence about these relationships during the unprecedented economic transformations in Asian nations in the 1990s. This study evaluated variations in values that tapped concerns fundamental to the Chinese world view during the period of the Asian financial crisis of 1997. Data were provided by ethnic Chinese managers from Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore prior to and after the meltdown. The study findings demonstrate a number of the values changed significantly, which questions assumptions of the longevity of these values, which were identified in earlier periods of relative economic stability. These findings suggest the emergence of distinct managerial styles in each country, rather than the continuance of more common “Asian” or a Chinese way of doing business.

Cross‐cultural value sets of Asian managers: The comparative cases of Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore

An important debate in the field of cross-cultural management research has been the universality of managerial values. One view is that exposure to a capitalistic system, technology and industrialization will shape a common set of managerial values, while another is that underlying values and beliefs, which are moulded by cultural-social factors, will ensure the development of diverse expectations and work attitudes. In this paper are reported values indigenous to Chinese culture of 444 managers who were employed in Hong Kong, Malaysian and Singaporean organizations. The findings demonstrate that within a business ideology, which was influenced by political intervention, unique sets of managerial values were espoused. Implications for human resources management practices in the aftermath of the Asian financial meltdown are discussed.

A comparison of values espoused by quality and other managers

An acknowledged need to improve the competitiveness of Australian industry has heightened interest in the effective use of Total Quality Management (TQM). Inevitably, this quality revolution will require a reorientation of work relevant values, attitudes and behaviours. An exploratory study, which compared the personal value systems of some 231 Western Australian general managers and Australian quality managers, found significant differences between their value orientations in terms of key TQM components. These findings have implications for human resource management, which has the onerous responsibility of providing guidance for the successful generation and sustenance of quality cultures.

Age, and midcareer crisis: An empirical study of academics

This study develops an empirical basis for examining the midcareer crisis/ transition period of academic staff surveyed by questionnaire in four Australian Universities and Colleges. A total of 672 usable returns were obtained, representing a response rate of 52% of the academic staff. Principal components and factor analysis were used to establish latent social-role variables. Analysis of variance and covariance was applied using the latent social-role variables as dependent variables and occupational attributes such as age, sex, etc., as independent variables. The variable age was isolated from the larger study in this paper to illustrate empirically a midcareer crisis period for the population studied which is consistent with the general literature on midcareer crisis/transition.

Managerial and organizational trends in a BOT treatment: A study in the Indonesian telecommunications sector

Despite considerable interest in assessing work dimensions and managerial practices that may enhance organizational vitality, seldom have these features been examined in Build Operate Transfer (BOT) arrange ments which have been frequently used in large-scale infrastructure and development in emerging economies. This study examined job design dimensions and management practice in regional divisions of TELKOM Indonesia, four operating under foreign-partnered BOT arrangements and two operating under the Indo nesian public sector. Surveys were administered to employees at management, functional and lower levels in the telecommunications divisions. Analysis of variance was used to compare private BOT and public sector divisions for staff training, perceived job dimensions and productivity. The results show that BOT divisions with a centralized, pyramidal structure and autocratic management style achieved the greatest infrastructure development and revenue. This was particularly evident in the French BOT division that was associated with the greatest job scope, reasonable investment in training and the highest rates of productivity. The host nation, Indonesia used training and autonomy in work design and reported the greatest spending on human resources and the fewest service complaints. Implications are discussed in terms of executive development and management practices in developing countries.