Michael G. Harvey

Family Business and Multiple Levels of Conflict

Family businesses are fertile fields for conflict. The influence of the founding families on the basic tenets and culture of the company may be unparalleled in business. When attempts are made to modify the family business as it progresses to another stage of development, conflict may arise. Due to the verlay of the company culture and individual family units, the means to resolve conflict becomes a very intricate process. This article examines a means to predict conflict relative to the phases of development of a family business. In addition, multiple levels of conflict are examined as well as the appropriate resolution process for the differing levels of conflict.

Global supply chain management: The selection of globally competent managers

The ability of organizations to effectively compete in the global marketplace is contingent on identifying and selecting an adequate number of qualified global managers. Nowhere is the shortage of managerial talent more evident than in the management of global supply chains. The complex and vexing set of problems facing global supply chain managers makes the task of selecting an adequate supply of managers much more daunting. Given the historic perspective of manning supply chain positions (i.e., managers with a operation and functional orientation), human resource managers are modifying and updating the profile of the global supply chain managers position to encompass political, cultural/social, network, and an awareness of the significant differences to be found in global markets. In an effort to develop a criteria for the selection of global supply chain managers, a competency-based theoretical perspective is used and eight intelligences are examined that can be used in the selection of global supply chain managers.

An Investigation into the Dimensions of Unethical Behavior.

Abstract The influence on unethical behavior of (a) the probability of being caught and penalized, (b) level of self-esteem, (c) high time urgency, (d) hostility/aggression, (e) type A personality, (f) gender, and (g) GPA were explored to determine their impact on predispositions of students to cheat in a classroom situation. The most effective predictors of students cheating were the probability of being caught and penalized, high hostility/aggression characteristics, and gender, with male students reporting a higher propensity to engage in unethical behavior.

Selecting expatriates for increasingly complex global assignments

As organizations globalize their operations, there is a heightened need to identify and select qualified managers for overseas assignments. The increased complexity of these foreign assignments necessitates a recalibration of the traditional selection procedures and processes used in the past. In particular, there is some evidence that expatriation becomes strategic as organizations increasingly grow and compete globally. Therefore, the critical issues, which arise as expatriates’ assignments evolve into a global assignment scope, must be viewed in a systematic manner. This paper develops a unique theory‐based expatriation selection process based upon a systemic assessment of potential expatriate candidates’ multiple IQs, learning styles, thinking styles, and the nature of the expatriate assignment. In addition, a practical step‐by‐step managerial process is developed that can be used in the selection of expatriate managers for global assignments.

Managing inpatriates: Building a global core competency

The core competency of an organization is a unique signature composed of tangible and intangible assets that are used to differentiate a company from its competitors. As organization has moved into the global marketplace, many have attempted to simply extend their domestic core competency to compete with global competitors. The cultural imprint of the core competency is a western, United States orientation. To effectively differentiate U.S. M.N.Cs in the global competitive arena, these organizations must become more multicultural. One means of accomplishing this diversity of strategic perspective is to inpatriate foreign managers into the domestic management team to a permanent basis. The purpose of this paper is to outline the need for inpatriation while presenting the issues which will arise in the inpatriation process. A step-by-step process to accomplish inpatriation is also presented. While this process is not free of difficulties, It may be a cost-effective way of globalizing the core competency of an organization in a permanent way.

Workplace bullying: a cross‐level assessment

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine and develop a cross‐level model of the phenomenon of bullying at three levels (e.g. individual, group, and organizational).Design/methodology/approach – This is a theory‐based paper operationalizing transactional coping theory across three levels of an organization relative to bullying activities.Findings – There can be spillover from bullying from the dyadic level to other levels in the organization. While bullying is frequently discussed as an individual‐to‐individual phenomenon, the conflict can reverberate up to the group and organizational level. The interaction between the three levels needs to be taken into consideration when developing effective managerial plans to address the negative consequences of bullying.Research limitations/implications – Additional research is needed to address the interaction effect between all three levels that can be impacted by bullying acts. Without addressing the spillover from one level to another, remediation progra...

Inpatriate managers: how to increase the probability of success

Abstract Developing multicultural management teams has gained increasing importance in many global organizations. One global staffing option — inpatriate managers — has the potential to provide a more multicultural management frame-of-reference when developing global strategies. Inpatriates have social knowledge of global operations and countries facilitating the modification of organizational strategies to local competitive/market conditions while ensuring their consistency and coordination with the existing global strategic thrust. This paper addresses the need to provide an effective mechanism for increasing the success rate of inpatriate managers thus improving the global performance of the organization. To achieve enhanced organizational performance the need for a proactive inpatriate program is critical to engender long-term commitment and loyalty of inpatriate managers.

“Inpatriation” training: The next challenge for international human resource management

Abstract The growth of international business among United States based companies will continue to expand and become a more important element in their overall sales. The International Human Resource Management [IHRM] function will be integral to any strategic plans as these organizations prepare for this expansion. One key element of IHRM will involve selecting and training employees for assignments in foreign countries. At the same time, training foreign managers to become effective managers in the domestic environment will constitute a new responsibility for IHRM. This paper explores the needs and means to train host country nationals and third country managers for assignments within an organizations home market—“inpatriation”.

Strategic Global Human Resource Management: The Role of Inpatriate Managers

Abstract The need for highly qualified multicultural managers will increase as more organizations globalize their operations. These global managers may be perceived as organizational resources and, therefore, a resource-based view of human resource management is utilized. At the same time, relational view of human capital provides insight into the value of managers who have unique local market knowledge (i.e., social knowledge). By integrating the two aspects of the resource-based view, one can develop a dynamic capabilities approach to staffing global assignments. Within this integrative theoretical perspective, inpatriate managers (i.e., host or third country managers who are transferred into the home country organization on a semi-permanent to permanent basis) can be explored as a potential pool of uniquely qualified global managers to be utilized in global organizations. It is envisioned that through this unique building of managerial talents, organizations can develop/maintain a distinct competitive advantage in the markets they enter. This article explores inpatriation as an innovative means to develop managers as strategic resources to be used in formulating and implementing a global strategic plan.

Life After Succession in the Family Business: Is It Really the End of Problems?:

The succession processes in family business are well chronicled in the business literature. Most of the research focuses on the process of transferring power within the business-family. What has not been as closely examined is the after-succession environment that exists when the management and leadership of the family business are passed on to the next generation. This article addresses that organizational climate and the potential for additional problems in the business-family if post-succession issues are not identified and addressed and suggests some steps that will be helpful in producing complete succession success.