Samir Ranjan Chatterjee

Asian management in transition : emerging themes

PART ONE: OVERVIEW - Asian Management in a Changing World S.Chatterjee& A.Nankervis - Convergence and Divergence: A Model of Management in Asia S.Chatterjee& A.Nankervis - PART TWO: THE MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES OF LARGE ASIAN NATIONS - Managing Global Integration, National Values and Local Developments in China A.Nankervis& L.Ngok - Bridging the Gap Between Potential and Performance: Challenges of Indian Management S.Chatterjee - Managing Long Traditions and Innovations for Sustainable Development in Japan R.Grainger& T.Miyamoto - PART THREE: THE MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES OF SMALL AND DYNAMIC ASIAN NATIONS - Managing Industrial Development Through Learning, the Family and Competition in South Korea R.Grainger& S.Ananthram - Managing Pluralism, Development and Modernisation in Malaysia H.Singleton - Managing the Entrepreneurial Culture in Singapore S.Choo - PART FOUR: THE MANAGEMENT CHALLENGE OF COMPLEX ASIAN NATIONS - Managing the Process of Continuity-in-Change in Thailand B.Sheehan& V.Egan - Managing Complexity, Paradox and Transformation in Indonesia H.Singleton& A.Nankervis - CONCLUSION - Dynamic and Divergent Asian Management Responses to Convergent Global Imperatives S.Chatterjee& A.Nankervis - Glossary of Terms

Managerial work roles in Asia: An empirical study of Mintzberg's role formulation in four Asian countries

In an increasingly competitive global environment, impacted by a myriad of social, economic and technological forces, managerial roles have, over the past two decades, undergone dramatic transformation. Indeed, managers around the world are struggling to redefine their roles and responsibilities against a backdrop of the classic ten roles of managers espoused by Mintzberg in the 1970s, which were based on research in the US context. Yet these traditional roles are still widely taught in universities and training programs, and particularly all over Asia with the spread of Western business education literature. The relevance of the Mintzberg formulation in the Asian context was the aim of this four country study. The study reports the importance and degree of use of the ten Mintzberg managerial roles in the contemporary Asian context. The findings suggest although the roles overlap considerably, they are acted out in a very different manner. Implications for the findings in an international market arena are discussed.

Expectations and Values of University Students in Transition: Evidence from an Australian Classroom.

Reforms in the functioning and purpose of higher education during the past 2 decades have created profound changes in the expectations and values of university students worldwide. Indeed, the values of entrepreneurship, vocational relevance, and commercial success have considerably displaced the traditional expectations of knowledge acquisition and dissemination. These sea changes in the role and functioning of universities have brought about significant stress at the classroom level, where the expectation gap between instructors and students has been widening. This article explores the expectations and value gaps of students in an Australian university during a period of 2 years in two different cycles by gathering evidence in an auto-reflective postcourse narrative survey. The key findings of the study indicate an overwhelming indication toward utilitarian and pragmatic outcomes. The article suggests some pedagogical reconceptualizations in response to the inevitable conflict between what is delivered and what is valued and expected.

Work goals and societal value orientations of senior Indian managers – An empirical analysis

Outlines the impact of economic reform in India at the organisational level by exploring relationships between the societal priorities of the new reform context and espoused work goal priorities of very senior Indian managers in key economic sectors. The paper attempts to capture the shift in work goals of senior managers during the period of current reform. Empirical evidence gathered through a survey of 421 senior Indian managers sponsored by the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, forms the basis of this paper. The empirical analysis points to an increasing convergence in reform values amongst senior managers, on the one hand, while demonstrating an absence of wider social vision, on the other.

Ethical perceptions of Asian managers: evidence of trends in six divergent national contexts

Global link building is having a substantial impact in every sphere of Asian managerial activity. The economic upheavals of the Asian ?nancial crisis have cast a long shadow, and ethical clarity has become a social issue. For instance, corporate performance in terms of long-term survival, growth and global competency is seen to depend to a considerable extent upon the ethical infrastructur of managers and emerging managerial culture in Asia. One ?eld in which Asian managers and their managerial practices are often considered weak is the area of ethical clarity. Corporate managerial leaders in Asia need to develop new responses to the ethical complexities arising out of the increasing global interfaces. In spite of a growing awareness of the importance of ethical centrality in an intensely competitive international business arena, very little empirical work has been conducted to strengthen the relevant management literatures. The purpose of the research reported in this paper was to examine the perceptions of ethical probity among managers in six Asian countries. The results of the study indicate interesting convergences and divergences across countries and organisational demographies. The ?ndings lead to observations of the apparent similarities of ethical conceptualisation in global, societal and often in the organisational arena while revealing noticeable divergences in the domain of individual ethical perceptions.

Managerial ethos of the Indian tradition: relevance of a wisdom model

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a broad historical review of critical wisdom literature of ancient Indian tradition and examine how these precepts can complement and enrich the contemporary managerial frames.Design/methodology/approach – The paper attempts to critically review remarkably deep religious and secular traditions of India and integrate them in a conceptual model.Findings – The paper findings point towards the need for a holistic frame in overcoming fragmented viewpoints of contemporary management by strengthening the reflective domains of the managerial world.Research limitations/implications – The limitation of the paper lies in its didactic nature and the specificity of the contextual boundary limiting its ready transferability.Practical implications – The paper provides a pointer in extending horizons of business or non‐business organizations in opening up their possibilities for achieving holistic managerial perspectives by combining economic, social and other higher orde...

Access flexibility, trust and performance in achieving competitiveness: An empirical study of Chinese suppliers and distributors

Purpose - This paper aims to advance research in the challenging area of achieving competitiveness through supply chain flexibility fit and trust development. Design/methodology/approach - A structured survey questionnaire was administered to a potential list of 773 participants resulting in 348 valid responses. An empirical study was conducted on these responses. Findings - Leveraging of flexibility in supply chain access structures and improving of trust relationships can ensure significant performance improvement. Research limitations/implications - The research relies on the use of cross sectional data instead of longitudinal data, thereby limiting the generalisibility of the findings. Practical implications - The strong evidence of relationship between improved performance and capability of supply chain linkages provides Chinese business managers with practical guidelines for improving competitive edge. Originality/value - The value of the paper lies in the originality of the data and context-relevant findings. No previous study of this nature had been undertaken in China.

Weaving the Threads of a Global Mindset in Work Organizations: Managerial Roles and Responsibilities

How can a manager or an organization refine and enrich its global mindset orientation? A radically different frame of aligning people, strategy and purpose may be through the extension and enrichment of a global mindset rather than strategy or structure. This article explores the concept of global mindset from a new perspective and forwards a number of specific action frames for managers to reflect on. The article contends that the negative effects of contemporary globalization can only be overcome through the enrichment of global vision of managers everywhere. As for applicability, the article argues that mindset development can only contribute to the sustainability of organizations and societies.How can a manager or an organization refine and enrich its global mindset orientation? A radically different frame of aligning people, strategy and purpose may be through the extension and enrichment of a global mindset rather than strategy or structure. This article explores the concept of global mindset from a new perspective and forwards a number of specific action frames for managers to reflect on. The article contends that the negative effects of contemporary globalization can only be overcome through the enrichment of global vision of managers everywhere. As for applicability, the article argues that mindset development can only contribute to the sustainability of organizations and societies.

Differences And Similarities Of Entrepreneurial Characteristics In A Diverse Social Setting-Evidence From Australian And Singaporean Managers

Despite the growing acceptance that entrepreneurship facilitates national economic growth there has been a lack of research in diverse international contexts. This paper assesses relationships between contextual work setting properties and three personality characteristics that have been identified in the Western literature as being associated with entrepreneurial motivation. Responses from 410 Australian and Singaporean entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurs demonstrate on the one hand there was systematic entrepreneurial variation between the two countries, but on the other hand, the influence of personal attributes on entrepreneurship were not hampered by geographic boundaries. The findings are discussed in terms of challenges for international entrepreneurship.

Do organisational reform measures impact on global mindset intensity of managers?: Empirical evidence from Indian and Chinese service industry managers

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the strength of organisational strategy, technology intensity and entrepreneurial orientation as predictors of managerial global mindset intensity in the Indian and Chinese service industry. Design/methodology/approach - A pluralist research design that captured quantitative and qualitative data from 239 Indian and 210 Chinese indigenous managers was evaluated to test the hypothesised relationships of a conceptual model that was developed from the contemporary relevant literature. Findings - The results of the investigation demonstrate that technological intensity and entrepreneurial orientation were significant determinants of managerial global mindset intensity. Qualitative information that revealed technological intensity and entrepreneurial orientation were dominant drivers from developing and nurturing managerial global mindset intensity. Research limitations/implications - In spite of both study countries having large populations, the evaluated sample sizes were of reasonable magnitude. The evidence of indicators that strongly reform the domain of global managerial mindsets has considerable application for corporations operating in the international marketplace. Originality/value - The rising dominance of the service sector as well as the changing economic, political and social landscape are compelling organisations to more fully understand the dynamics of the dramatic shifts in managerial thinking.