Marko Jaklič

Authentic leadership, creativity, and innovation: A multilevel perspective

This study aims to propose and empirically test a multilevel model of cross-level interactions between authentic leadership and innovation at the team level, and perception of support for innovation and creativity at the individual level. We use data from 23 team leaders and 289 team members in a Slovenian manufacturing and processing firm engaged in producing innovative products and customer solutions and conduct a multilevel analysis using hierarchical linear modelling (HLM). The results indicate that whereas perceived team leaders’ authentic leadership directly influences team members’ individual creativity and team innovation, the impact of self-ascribed team leaders’ authentic leadership was not significant. In addition to that, the relationship between team leaders’ authenticity and creativity is mediated by perception of support for innovation. Using a multilevel approach, this is the first study to our knowledge to quantitatively examine the relationship between authentic leadership and creativity and innovation. In addition, unlike previous research on related topics that relied solely on one source of information, we examine authentic leadership with empirical data gathered from both team leaders and their employees.

Comparing leadership practices between the United States, Nigeria, and Slovenia: does culture matter?

The article explores the impact of culture on leadership practices in three countries in culturally and economically different regions: the United States, Slovenia, and Nigeria. It uses the visionary approach to leadership as developed by Kouzes and Posner (1987), who have identified five leadership practices (actions or behaviors) employed by effective leaders. Hypotheses about expected differences in the usage of those practices were developed on the basis of Hofstede’s (1980) country score. The Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI: Kouzes & Posner, 1993) was used to collect self‐ratings from 351 MBA students in the respective countries. Contrary to expectations, the data reveals that there are not many significant differences between the leadership practices of American, Nigerian, and Slovenian MBA students, suggesting that some charismatic leadership behaviors may be universally practiced. Some differences to occur in the leadership practices of Modeling the Way and Enabling Others Act. Culture seems to affect gender differences in leadership practices. These differences are greatest for Nigerian respondents and smallest for Slovenian MBA students.

Internationalization Strategies, Networking and Functional Discretion

International networking seems to be a very useful concept especially for internationalization of small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) in (small) catching-up economies, since it is possible to overcome some of the problems of knowledge and technology as well as capital accumulation. However, an important set of questions pertains to the position of a partner within a network of relationships. I will argue that a functional discretion or a “freedom of business functions” and their development, especially the marketing and R&D functions, should be a strategic goal for a company striving to be well positioned in a network. For introductory purposes three models describing internationalization strategies of firms are distinguished: the theory of internalization, the model of the internationalization process, and the network approach to internationalization.1 The latter describes industrial markets as networks of relationships between companies. Then I describe the nature of cooperation and competition in networks, discuss problems and management of networks and introduce the concept of the positioning of companies in networks. Based on internationalization and networking concepts I develop a “3-Phase Internationalization” model, which helps to develop a pattern of thinking about the functional discretion of a company in various stages of the internationalization process. In effect, this model may be seen as a means of integrating the main theories of internationalization. In the last part of the article we present two Slovenian cases of networks in internationalization as illustrations of the theoretical discussion. I conclude that functional discretion may well be a development issue for states or regional economies as well as a critical strategic issue for companies.

Organizational Learning Culture and Innovativeness in Turkish Firms

The aim of this paper is to present and test a model that examines the relationship between organizational learning cul- ture and innovativeness. Organizational learning culture consists of the organizational learning process and of different culture types that can be placed within the competing values framework. It is defi ned as a set of norms and values within an organization that support systematic, in-depth approaches aimed at achieving higher-level organizational learning. Innovativeness consists of both innovative culture and innovations. Innovations, the process or outcome of innovating, are more likely to occur and be more successful if there is a strong innovative culture, meaning that the behavioral patterns of the employees are directed towards innovating. We used data from 112 Turkish fi rms employing more than 50 people. The relationship between organizational learning culture and innovativeness is empirically tested via structural equa- tion modeling (SEM). We found support for a very strong positive relationship between organizational learning culture and innovative culture, as well as for the indirect relation between organizational learning culture and innovations via innovative culture.

Antecedents and evolution of the Bartlett and Ghoshal transnational typology

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to systematically describe the evolution of Bartlett and Ghoshals transnational typology within an appropriate historical context, and to additionally review key antecedent works of other authors who contributed to its evolutionary nature.Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents a comprehensive review of the literature by combining an evolutionary perspective with a Chandlerian business history approach.Findings – The paper shows how Bartlett and Ghoshals transnational solution concept was developed in light of the global economic changes of the 1970s and 1980s, as well as the managerial and strategic challenges faced by US MNCs. It shows how the transnational solution concept should not be seen as a single work, but rather the outcome of an academic discourse which lasted over a decade. The review of Bartlett and Ghoshals stream of work since the mid 1980s also shows how the transnational solution concept developed gradually into its present form and thro...

Management innovation enters the game: Re-considering the link between technological innovation and financial performance

The aim of this study is to investigate the innovation–performance relationship at the organizational level by empirically examining the role of management innovation in the link between technological innovation and financial performance. We adopt a view that is less present in the innovation literature and examine how technological innovations spur the need for new managerial solutions, which in turn result in improved firm performance. We apply a research methodology of testing our model via structural equation modeling on data gathered from 604 firms in three countries: Slovenia, Spain, and South Korea. The findings indicate that management innovation is the mechanism that enables firms to fully benefit from their technological discoveries in order to result in superior financial performance. The conclusions of the paper are related to shifting the view that presumes the crucial and almost exclusive importance of technological innovation for enhancing firm performance.

The Structure of Policy-Induced Innovation Networks in Slovenia

Purpose – The recent economic crisis has significantly slowed Slovenia’s recent social and economic progress and exposed some important long-term problems such as a reliance on low value added industries and lagging labor productivity. The Slovenian government has taken steps to create research partnerships between public science and the private sector and among multiple private sector companies. The purpose of this paper is to conduct a social network analysis (SNA) of the research partnerships and examine whether public funding has created the desired partnerships. Design/methodology/approach – The authors employed a SNA in two stages. In the first stage, the authors treated the founding partners of government-funded 32 research centers as a single two-mode network and investigated how each of the members was bound to the network. In the second stage of the analysis the authors used project data from ten of the centers to characterize a project network based on collaborations on specific projects. Thus,...

The Shadow Economy and Its Impact on National Competitiveness: The Case of Slovenia

The Shadow Economy and Its Impact on National Competitiveness: The Case of Slovenia The paper presents a socioeconomic analysis of the phenomena of informal economic activity. It is argued that the shadow economy has been beneficial for Slovenian society since the 19th century and has significantly contributed to the success of the Slovenian economy under the socialist regime. During Slovenias transitional phase it has stimulated the formal economy, soothed social tensions and allowed export-oriented enterprises to remain internationally competitive by paying lower wages and obtaining cheaper inputs. However, it hinders innovation, impedes entrepreneurship and maintains the status quo, and thus represents an obstacle for future economic development in Slovenia.

Antecedents and determinants of high-tech SMEs’ commercialisation enablers: opening the black box of open innovation practices

Abstract Innovation activities have become globalised and open in ways that were unimaginable 20 years ago. These changes have brought new insight into research on innovation activities and specific innovation practices in organisations, including that previous research largely ignored small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This paper tests a variance-based structural equation model (SEM) for selected antecedents and determinants of commercialisation enablers on a sample of 105 SMEs from Slovenia – a small, open, post-transition economy with a dominant SME sector. The main contribution of the paper lies in testing how two specific open innovation practices (open innovation information exchange and open innovation collaboration) impact the commercialisation enablers of high-tech SMEs through their innovation activities (antecedent) and their innovativeness (determinant). Both open innovation practices show statistically significant effect on high-tech SMEs’ innovativeness, thus supporting the idea that both collaboration and information exchange lead to more innovativeness in high-tech SMEs. They also show a high impact of internal (organisational) factors on innovation activities of and a high impact of innovativeness on the commercialisation enablers of high-tech SMEs.