Patrick Flood

Top management team diversity, group process, and strategic consensus

This study integrated concepts from upper echelons, group process and social cognition theories to investigate how demographic diversity and group processes influence strategic consensus within the top management team (TMT), where strategic consensus is defined as the degree to which individual mental models of strategy overlap. Data from 76 high-technology firms in the United States and Ireland were used to examine three alternative models. The results showed that while demographic diversity alone did have effects on strategic consensus the overall fit of the model was not strong. Adding two intervening group process variables, interpersonal conflict and agreement-seeking, to the model greatly improved the overall relationship with strategic consensus. For the most part, TMT diversity had negative effects on strategic consensus. The model with superior fit showed both direct and indirect effects of diversity on strategic consensus. Copyright

Causes and consequences of psychological contracts among knowledge workers in the high technology and financial services industries

As organizations shift the central focus of their competitive strategy away from value appropriation towards value creation it is to knowledge workers that they will look to provide the innovation to fuel their continued development. The state of the relationship between the knowledge worker and the employer - the psychological contract - will determine whether this source of innovation and creativity is released. In this study, we developed and tested a causal model of the causes and consequences of psychological contract. Over four hundred participants who were knowledge employees drawn from eleven leading edge companies in the high-technology software, manufacturing and financial services sector participated in the study. We found support for the hypothesis that the psychological contract and those organizational processes relating to procedural justice would have a direct effect on two critical organizational outcomes, namely, employee commitment and intention to remain with the organization. We also found support for the hypothesis that psychological contract variables mediated the relationship between organizational processes and employee commitment and intention to stay with the organization.

High performance work systems in Ireland: human resource and organizational outcomes

From the perspective of the resource based view (RBV), although traditional sources of competitive advantage such as natural resources, technology, economies of scales, and so forth, create value, these resources are increasingly easy to imitate. As such, human capital and human resource management may be an especially important source of sustainable competitive advantage. Over the past few years, there has been growing research interest in the competitive advantage associated with high performance work systems (HPWS), a set of management policies and practices thought to endow employees with greater levels of skill, information, motivation and discretion. In this study, we describe a study examining the relative effectiveness of HPWS in the Irish context. Results suggest that greater use of high performance work systems is associated with positive human resource and organizational outcomes. Specifically, firms utilizing higher levels of HPWS tend to have lower rates of employee absenteeism and voluntary turnover along with higher labor productivity and lower labor costs.

Individualism/Collectivism, Perceived Task Interdependence and Teamwork Attitudes among Irish Blue-Collar Employees: a Test of the Main and Moderating Effects?

Two-hundred and four blue-collar employees participated in a study in which we tested for the effects of individualism/collectivism (I/C) orientations (solitary work preference, supremacy of individual goals, competitiveness, and self-reliance dimensions) and perceived task interdependence on two employee attitudes: team loyalty and prosocial behavior. We found support for the hypothesis that perceived task interdependence had positive effects on team loyalty and prosocial behavior. Further, solitary work preference, supremacy of individual goals, and self-reliance dimensions of I/C had main effects on loyalty to the team. The supremacy of individual goals dimension of I/C also had a main effect on pro-social behavior. We also found that task interdependence moderated the relationships between solitary work preference and pro-social behavior. The implications of our findings are discussed.

An exploration of the relationships between the adoption of managerial competencies, organisational characteristics, human resource sophistication and performance in Irish organisations

This paper is developed from research conducted with the Irish Management Institute. A model is presented to illustrate the relationships between the adoption of competency‐based human resource management and a range of other variables. These include HRM sophistication and several organisational characteristics. The linkages to business performance are also explored. The empirical evidence to validate this model was derived from a 114‐company respondent survey. Key findings are that organisational characteristics impact on the adoption of competencies, particularly company size and length of time in operation. Another finding is the effect of HR sophistication on the incidence of competency frameworks at company level. Organisations which already have sophisticated and well resourced HR processes in place are more likely to use competencies. The final finding relates to organisational performance. Organisations which are performing well are more likely to adopt competencies. This might also be interpreted as meaning that organisations which adopt competencies are more superior performers, although the cross‐sectional evidence presented here does not allow us to make this assertion with full confidence.

Employee Attitudes and Behavioral Intentions: A Test of the Main and Moderating Effects of Individualism-Collectivism Orientations

In this study, we examine whether individualism/collectivism (I/C) orientations predict employee attitudes and behavioral intentions, and also consider whether I/C orientation moderates the relationship between equity perceptions and these variables. Four hundred and two employees from 11 high technology and financial services companies participated in this study. Results indicated that the competitiveness dimension of I/C moderated the relationships between equity perceptions and effort, and equity perceptions and obligations towards teamwork. Similarly, the solitary work preference dimension of I/C moderated the relationships between equity perceptions and career intent, and equity perceptions and obligations towards teamwork. The interactions between equity perceptions and I/C dimensions produced interesting effects. The results suggest that varying levels of equity perceptions are associated with different effects on employee attitudes and behavioral intentions depending on the level of employee individualism or collectivism orientations. Also, the solitary work preference dimension of I/C was positively related to organizational commitment contrary to the hypothesized direction. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Chief executive leadership style, consensus decision making, and top management team effectiveness

Using data from 79 high technology firms in the US and Ireland this study concludes that leadership style has both direct and indirect relationships with consensus decision making and with the reported effectiveness of top management teams. It focuses on what effective leaders do rather than the individual traits they possess and distinguishes between four styles of leadership: authoritarian (characterized by the use of instruction and non-contingent reprimand), transactional (influence via exchange of valued rewards for services/behaviours), transformational (inspiring followers to do more than originally expected), and laissez faire (avoiding decision making and supervisory responsibility). The transformational style of leadership was significantly and positively related, and the laissez faire style was significantly negatively related to reported team

The Top Management Team, Reflexivity, Knowledge Sharing and New Product Performance: A Study of the Irish Software Industry

In the present study, we develop a model to predict new product performance incorporating the literature on top management team (TMT) composition, trustworthiness, knowledge sharing and task reflexivity in organizations. We hypothesize that diversity and trustworthiness in the TMT should influence knowledge sharing and reflexivity and reflexivity and knowledge sharing would be positively associated with new product performance. We test the model using data collected from 39 indigenous software firms in Ireland. Results indicate that age diversity was positively related to knowledge sharing ability while educational level, tenure and functional diversity of the TMT did not have any direct effect on reflexivity or knowledge sharing ability or motivation. However, educational level of TMT, tenure and age diversity had indirect effects on reflexivity and knowledge sharing through the intervening variable of TMT trustworthiness. Further, knowledge sharing and task reflexivity had direct effects on market new product performance. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Unions and the Adoption of High Performance Work Systems: Does Employment Security Play a Role?

Previous research on the association between unionization and the adoption of high performance work systems (HPWSs) has yielded inconsistent results. Using data from a 2004 multi-industry survey of firms operating in the Republic of Ireland, the authors examine the relationship between employee union membership rates and relative use of HPWSs. They also test arguments that employment security may affect the receptiveness of unions to such HR practices. The results indicate that as union representation increased, there was a significant decrease in the use of high performance work systems. Evidence also suggests that providing employment security significantly ameliorated this negative impact.

How do high performance work systems influence organizational innovation in professional service firms

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how a system of human resource management (HRM) practices, labelled high-performance work systems (HPWS), influences organizational innovation in professional service firms (PSFs). In this study, innovation in PSFs is seen as an indicator of firm performance and is calculated as the revenue per person generated from new clients and new services, respectively. Design/methodology/approach – Quantitative data were collected from 195 managing partners, HR managers or experienced Partners in 120 Irish accounting firms. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses. Findings – The analysis results indicate strong support for the mediating role of employees’ innovative work behaviours in the relationship between HPWS and two types of PSFs’ innovation performance. Practical implications – Managers need to effectively adopt and implement innovation-based HRM practices to encourage and support employees’ creative thinking and innovation. Through the adoption and utilization of these practices managers can enhance the firm’s innovation and its performance. Originality/value – This study contributes to our understanding of the link between HRM and firm innovation by explicating a pathway between these variables. This study also generalizes consistent findings on the HRM-firm innovation relationship to a different context, i.e. PSFs.