Rajen K. Gupta

Innovation in Organizations

This article reviews the role of organizational learning and knowledge management in innovation. An extensive review of past literature hints that knowledge, although a very strategic resource, is not easy to manage. Explicit knowledge can be stored in databases or documents but implicit knowledge resides in peoples’, brains. It is the management of this knowledge which poses a bigger challenge for most organizations. Past research mentions that implicit knowledge can be managed indirectly by managing various factors which contribute to an organizations culture, structure, technology, and leadership. A preliminary model has been proposed highlighting the role of organizational learning and knowledge management in innovation. The model high-lights the importance of a flexible and adaptive organization structure, a culture of trust and knowledge sharing, a strong technological network and a committed leadership to promote knowledge development and learning in the organization which is a prerequisite for innovation and creation of new knowledge. The article in addition to providing a detailed narrative of literature highlighting the importance of the various factors identified in the model, also gives practical implications and directions for future research in the area.

Grounded theory research

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the phenomenon of work-to-family enrichment in totality. Using grounded theory, the study aims to understand antecedents, moderators, and consequences of work-to-family enrichment. This study also investigates strategies adopted by individuals to enhance their work-family enrichment experience. Design/methodology/approach – The paper opted for an exploratory study using the open-ended approach of grounded theory. This paper builds a model to understand the phenomenon by applying Strauss and Corbins (1990) “paradigm model” approach of grounded theory. The paper throws light on the key tenets of grounded theory research and explains use of grounded theory as a rigorous method for business research. Data were collected by taking 24 in-depth interviews with employees representing middle management segment of consulting, IT and FMCG firms in India. Findings – This study reports “perceived work-family culture” of an organization as an antecedent of “work-to-fam...

Strategies for software-based hybrid business models

The open source approach to software development has been used by software organizations in tandem with their existing business models, which are based on proprietary software licensing. This led to the creation of hybrid business models that merge open source and proprietary paradigms. This paper explores the practices used by software product vendors using hybrid business models and proposes strategies emerging out of these practices using interpretive, single case study research design.

Mapping Cultural Diversity within India: A Meta-analysis of Some Recent Studies

Cross-cultural comparative studies mostly have been based on the assumption of cultural homogeneity that equates culture with nation. This assumption overlooks the cultural diversity that might exist within a nation. This article is based on the review of four empirical studies conducted by J.B.P. Sinha and his associates focusing on cultural diversity within India. A review of these studies revealed seven pan-Indian cultural preferences: (a) collectivist orientation; (b) respect for status and power; (c) primacy of personalized relationship; (d) desire to be embedded in an in-group; (e) familism; (f) context-sensitive (situational) behaviour; and (g) cynical view about others. However, it also revealed location-specific cultural preferences. The authors have analyzed these preferences, extracted from the findings of these studies for those locations which have been covered in more than one study, to present an holistic picture of the culture of each location. Sinha and his associates view cultural differences among various locations as a consequence of different degrees of infrastructural development in those locations. The authors are inclined to argue that cultural change is context sensitive and depends on the historical and cultural legacy inherited by a location. They argue for an evolutionary-emic approach to study cultural diversity within India.

Spirituality in Management

This article presents a literature review and agenda for research in the field of spirituality in management. To understand the conceptual underpinning of spiritual aspects of the human self, this article covers the contemporary thoughts of humanistic psychology, human wellness and traditional thoughts from ancient Indian wisdom. In the later part, the mainstream ‘spirituality at workplace’ literature is reviewed and a conceptual convergence is identified in the form of three strands; harmony with self, harmony in work environment and experience or belief in transcendence. Potential contribution of the study is in conceptualizing spirituality in business organizations based on synthesis of both traditional and contemporary thoughts and a detailed agenda for research in this field.

Call for developing indigenous organisational theories in India: setting agenda for future

If we accept Virmanis (2005) argument that management in the organisations in India is somehow effected, by implication, we also agree that we have not understood how organisations in India are managed effectively. It calls for developing indigenous concepts in the organisational domain, which requires moving away from unimaginative replicative studies using quantitative methods towards carrying out contextually relevant studies using appropriate methods. On the basis of meta-review of organisational research (particularly in the area of organisational behaviour) in the past several decades, this paper analyses the reason why theory-building researches are not thriving in India to a desired extent and suggests some ways out of it. Academic scholars, academic institutions and corporate world can play significant and meaningful roles in creating a new breed of researchers focusing on exploring the indigenous understanding of organisations in India and management thereof. We have delineated their roles from that perspective. This paper also discusses about the possibilities of upgrading the quality of research in India, and the theoretical, methodological and situational challenges that researchers in India face while conducting organisationally relevant indigenous researches.

Marketing Theory and Practice: Evolving through Turbulent Times

The macro-environmental changes brought about by technological advances and globalization in the last decade had significant influences at all levels: the economy, industries, markets and the consumer. The article reviews developments in marketing theory and practice over the last two decades against the backdrop of these macro-influences which led to borderless, connected knowledge economy, globalizing, converging and consolidating industries, fragmenting and frictionless markets, active, connected, informed and demanding customers and a complex, distinctly different competitive scenario. Organizations’ attempts to adapt to these changing environmental realities have effected changes in the focus (value distribution to value creation), emphasis (customer acquisition to customer retention) and scope (immediate customer to value-chain) of marketing. Changes in marketing practice have brought about fundamental theoretical shifts in marketing. The shifts are from a goods-centred view to service-centred view and co-creating valued customer experience; attention to social processes in consumption/marketing than the economic processes alone; and from firm perspective to customer perspective in understanding marketing/consumption phenomena. The dominant marketing mix paradigm was found inadequate in incorporating these theoretical shifts and this led to the development of the relationship marketing paradigm in marketing. The research areas, relationship marketing, services marketing, market orientation and marketing productivity received increased attention from the research community during the last decade.

Why Mission Statements Become a Show Piece? Case of an Indo-American Joint Venture

This paper is based on a case study of an Indo-American joint venture in the satellite- based communication services. The objective of the study is to explore why an organization fails to elicit emotional commitment for its espoused mission statements which are viewed as critical to the long-term interests and survival of the organization. It is a qualitative study based on data gathered primarily through open-ended ethnographic interviews and non-participative observation. The study briefly enumerates the process of developing an effective mission statement. It also explores the prevailing organizational culture to find out how employees identify themselves with the espoused organizational mission by exploring their experiences in the organization through one-to-one interviews. The organization has a leader (Chairman and Managing Director) who has been inspiring, intellectually stimulating, and considerate. He has explicitly shown his personal commitment to the espoused organizational values, beliefs, and missions. His leadership style comes close to what is known as charismatic leader. Organizational members adore him. It seems that he has become a ‘cult figure’ rather than a leader for the organizational members. In spite of all these, the study found that he has failed to elicit emotional commitment of the employees. It could be because of inadequate efforts in translating the espoused values into organizational practices and systems or because of insufficient awareness or appreciation of the values desired by the organizational members. The study reveals that: There are gaps among the ‘espoused’ (by the top management of the organization), ‘prevailing’ (what is actually being practised), and ‘desired’ (what is preferred by the organizational members) organizational culture. Though the organization has developed vision, mission, values, and beliefs, organizational members are not emotionally committed to these. The weak emotional commitment could be because of (a) non-involvement of middle and junior level employees in the mission development process; (b) lack of or minimal involvement of senior executives in disseminating the espoused organizational missions throughout the organization; (c) actual organizational practices not always following the espoused ones; and (d) values desired by the employees being neither espoused nor followed. On the basis of these findings, the authors suggest that: Emotional commitment develops within organizational members when the espoused organizational values and practices match with their desired ones. Organizational values and practices as prescribed by the top management of the organization should match the socio-cultural values of the society in which the organization is located. A leader should do the following for eliciting emotional commitment of the employees for the espoused mission statement: (a) involve all the stakeholders including the employees in the mission development process; (b) develop a highly cohesive top management team, who should live by espoused organizational values; and (c) implement earnestly what they espouse in public for ensuring credibility.

Linking Technological Innovation, Technology Strategy and Organizational Factors

The essence of business growth is technological innovation and successful management lies in skilful allocation of resources to bring about the technological change. Seeing the increasing importance of technological innovation and strategy guiding the acquisition and deployment of technological resources for competitive growth, the article attempts to summarize research in the area of technological innovation and technology strategy. Literature brings out the importance of organizational factors supporting technological innovation and technology strategy. A preliminary model has been proposed, suggesting a possible relationship between the three. The article in addition to providing a narrative of literature, also gives practical implications and directions for future research.

Dimensions of the learning organization in an Indian context

Purpose – The primary purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between people‐level learning dimensions, structural level‐learning dimensions and performance outcomes. The paper proposes and tests the original classification of dimensions of learning organization as given by Watkins and Marsick.Design/methodology/approach – The Dimensions of the Learning Organization Questionnaire (DLOQ) by Watkins and Marsick was adopted to gauge the relationship between people‐level learning dimensions, structural‐level learning dimensions and performance outcomes. In a modified model, empowerment was tested as a structural level dimension in the Indian context, while in previous studies carried out by Yang and Yang et al., it was treated as a people‐level dimension. This study adopted the smaller form of DLOQ and data were collected from 292 executives working in different types of organizations: manufacturing, consultancy, KPO, BPO, financial services and others, representing mostly domestic private, publi...