Laurence G. Weinzimmer

Measuring Organizational Growth: Issues, Consequences and Guidelines

Although the literature contains an impressive volume of studies attempting to identify determinants of organizational growth, researchers have recently noted important inconsistencies in findings. They may be explained, in part, by the variety of approaches used to measure growth. Our study provides a critical review of the literature to identify issues regarding the measurement of growth. We examine alternative approaches in order to assess the consequences of using inappropriate measures. Consequently, we consider three concepts as well as three different measurement formulas. Based on comprehensive data from 193 firms in 48 industries for 20 periods, results from comparative regression analyses reveal that the significance of relationships between determinants and organizational growth, as well as amount of explained variance, depend on the specific approaches used to measure growth. Finally, we provide some guidelines to help researchers select appropriate techniques for measuring organizational growth.

A Replication and Extension of Organizational Growth Determinants

Abstract Although the management literature contains an impressive volume of studies attempting to identify factors that precipitate organizational growth, fragmented theory has developed because of the absence of replicative studies that integrate multiple levels of determinants. Previous studies have shown that exclusive use of either industry, strategy, or top management determinants can individually influence sales growth, but no existing research has empirically demonstrated the simultaneous effects of all three levels of determinants. Using a representative sample of 193 firms from 48 industries, this study replicated findings from several tangentially related studies to provide empirical support for the simultaneous influence of all three levels of determinants. Relative comparisons among the three levels of determinants showed organization strategies to be most significant, followed by top management characteristics and industry attributes. Interactions between industry/strategy determinants and strategy/top management determinants were also found to be significant.

Effects of Cultural Context on the Antecedents, Correlates, and Consequences of Organizational Commitment: A Study of Russian Workers

Abstract Organizational commitment theories developed in the United States have been assumed to have universal relevance. Presently no research exists to challenge this universalistic assumption in Russian organizations. Using a sample of 180 workers from a privatized Russian organization, this study finds that U.S.-based theories regarding antecedents, correlates, and consequences of organizational commitment are generally applicable to Russian workers.

Relating marketing expertise on the top management team and strategic market aggressiveness to financial performance and shareholder value

Understanding the impact of marketing on firm performance has received considerable attention in recent years. To further explore this issue, the authors explore top management team composition and strategic market aggressiveness in a conceptual model that integrates research in marketing and strategic management. The model is tested using 20 quarters of objective data on 173 firms across 47 industries. Path analysis indicates that inclusion of marketing expertise on the top management team and aggressive deployment of strategic resources for addressing markets contribute uniquely to sales growth which, in turn, contributes substantially to firm profitability and shareholder value.

Learning From Mistakes: How Mistake Tolerance Positively Affects Organizational Learning and Performance:

Organizational learning has been shown to affect performance. This study offers a fine-grained view regarding different types of learning opportunities. Specifically, opportunities to learn from mistakes are examined. Using three separate samples, we first establish statistically reliable and unidimensional measures of both organizational learning and mistake tolerance. Second, we empirically demonstrate the mediating role of organizational learning on the mistake tolerance–performance relationship. Our results offer findings that will generalize to other organizational contexts. We conclude with a dialogue suggesting prescriptive advice for managers and provide a discussion of how learning from mistakes can be an important catalyst in organizational change. Using specific items from our survey, we stress that managers need to make a conscious effort to communicate to employees the value in learning from mistakes as an important part of improving and changing existing organizational practices.

Emotional intelligence and job performance: The mediating role of work-family balance.

ABSTRACT In this study, we examine the dynamics between emotional intelligence, work-family balance, and job performance. A review of the literature to date has shown distinct relationships between emotional intelligence to job performance and work-family balance to job performance. We utilize a sample of 233 respondents to empirically test our set of hypotheses that contend work-family balance mediates the relationship between emotional intelligence and job performance. Our results support these hypotheses. Practical implications and directions for future research are discussed.