Steven A. Murphy

The front end of new product development: a Canadian survey

Despite the importance of the early stages of a products life, very little attention has been paid to empirically testing the activities performed in the front end of new product development. This article presents the results of a survey of 53 individuals from fifteen high technology firms in the integrated circuit board industry. Our study adopts Coopers (1988) ‘predevelopment’ model consisting of idea generation, product definition and project evaluation stages, and probes the activities undertaken in each stage. Particular activities were found to play pivotal roles in achieving the objectives of each stage. The results present a clarified view of front end activities that can be used as a starting point for adequately preparing products for development and market success.

The top team: examining board composition and firm performance

Purpose – This paper seeks to argue that boards can be playing a more proactive role in contributing to organizational effectiveness and that their composition requires greater research attention. By integrating the organizational behaviour literature on teams with the governance literature, the paper empirically examines the relationship between key board composition variables and firm performance.Design/methodology/approach – At this stage in the development of the approach, the focus is on a sub‐set of the elements proposed in the group dynamics literature. The population for this study comprises all companies included in the Canadian TSE 300 Composite Index (renamed the S&P/TSX Composite Index). This study uses cross‐sectional regression analyses to examine the nature of the relationships between board composition and firm performance.Findings – The data analyses revealed that high levels of experience, appropriate team size, moderate levels of variation in age and team tenure were correlated with fir...

European Foundation for Quality Management Business Excellence Model: An integrative review and research agenda

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the nature of the research topics and methodologies used in the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Business Excellence Model studies, as well as to suggest a future research agenda.Design/methodology/approach – An integrative literature review methodology was used to explore the diversity of studies being conducted concerning the EFQM model.Findings – Results of the review indicate that the majority of papers are focused on too few research topics (e.g. performance measurement) with limited methodologies (e.g. case study).Research limitations/implications – The paper enables researchers and practitioners to recognize the missing avenues of current studies and how these avenues could be improved. It provides ideas to stimulate researchers to take divergent and multiple methodological facts. It will be helpful to enhance both the quality and volume of the EFQM model studies.Originality/value – This paper identifies the current status of the EF...

Board of director performance: a group dynamics perspective

Purpose – This paper proposes mainly that boards of directors (BOD) are teams that share characteristics with many other kinds of teams. As a consequence, some of the factors that lead to board effectiveness are the same factors that lead to team effectiveness in general. By integrating the organizational behaviour literature on teams with the governance literature, a comprehensive model of BOD performance is proposed.Design/methodology/approach – This conceptual paper proposes a model to assess the performance of a board and situates board performance as one input into firm performance.Findings – This paper outlines the dynamic interplay between board characteristics, functionality and performance and proposes a comprehensive model, based largely on the group dynamics literature.Research limitations/implications – Suggests that future research attempt to empirically address some (or all) of the items in the conceptual model. Acknowledges that operationalizing certain variables will prove challenging, but...

The Four I's of Police Leadership: A Case Study Heuristic

In this paper we attempt to shed light on police leadership by telling the story of leadership at a particular Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) detachment. The case study is based upon interviews with 28 police officers and participant observations at the case site. The framework provided by transformational leadership theory proved meaningful in describing police leadership within a convenient heuristic comprised of four Is: individualised consideration, idealised influence, inspirational motivation, and intellectual stimulation. We concluded that transformational leaders have particular relational strengths that serve to elevate levels of commitment, work satisfaction, and motivation. The paper also points out that transformational leaders turn constraints into opportunities in the pursuit of their shared vision. The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

The role of predevelopment activities and firm attributes in new product success

Abstract The product development literature focuses largely on improving the efficiency and success rates of the development process, while largely neglecting the activities that comprise the predevelopment stages. The result is that little is known about how or why predevelopment practices differ among firms. Our study of fifteen firms in Ontarios integrated circuit board industry revealed interesting differences in predevelopment practices that directly affected the likelihood of new product success. It was revealed that firm size, age, and R&D intensity were significant predictors of predevelopment practices. In addition, activities were identified that serve as a prescriptive guide for the successful development and market launch of new products.

Expatriate adjustment from the inside out: an autoethnographic account

This paper identifies some of the dynamics of expatriate adjustment using an autoethnographic account of situations experienced by the first author during her first year of work at a financial services company in Hong Kong. Success in this cross-cultural assignment is dependent on the expatriates ability to adjust to and master the new culture. Our theoretical analysis of the autoethnographic account suggests that culture shock may be a discontinuous process. Further, the analysis suggests that cultural acceptance can play a critical role in expatriate adjustment.

The problem-solving service worker: Appraisal mechanisms and positive affective experiences during customer interactions

Affective Events Theory suggests customer interactions elicit event appraisals that, in turn, prompt affective reactions in employees. A qualitative diary study was used to examine the daily events and cognitive appraisals that elicit positive emotions during customer service interactions. Thematic analysis of the diary contents of 276 sales employees from a variety of industries (874 positive events) showed helping customers solve their problem was the event most likely to trigger positive emotions. The data and resulting model revealed that particular configurations of employees’ appraisals predicted particular emotion(s). Within-person differences in cognitive appraisals also helped explain why some initially negative events may ultimately become a positive experience. Emotional contagion was found, where the positive emotions of the sales employees, or those of the customer, influenced the emotion of the other. The implications of the study for employees’ happiness and well-being, and for enhanced customer service relations, are discussed.

An investment decision process: the case of advanced manufacturing technologies in Canadian manufacturing firms

This article presents a model for analysing advanced manufacturing technology (AMT) investment decisions. An analysis of the decision processes of 22 manufacturing firms, who have adopted AMT, revealed consistent decision making patterns. These patterns, viewed in light of the decision making literature, led to the development of an AMT investment decision model. The derived model consists of stimulus, solution identification, detailing evaluation and authorization stages. The research revealed that the intermediary stages of the model were not performed by all firms, but were dependent upon the scope of the AMT investment, the size and managerial style of the firm, and the degree of experience in AMT investments. The model attempts to illustrate the entire investment decision process, and can be used as a tool for managers and researchers in assessing the thoroughness of AMT investment decisions.

The Role of Emotions and Transformational Leadership on Police Culture: An Autoethnographic Account:

This paper explores the potential of leaders whose vision can capture the minds and hearts of followers on the culture of a large metropolitan police organisation. The paper is based upon an autoethnographic account, and is infused with the authors own emotional reactions to being immersed in the business of metropolitan policing, with all of its associated challenges and opportunities. Police officers were found to connect emotionally with transformational leaders. Transformational leaders were found to be able to challenge dominant paradigms until such leaders invoked the emotions of fear and insecurity in upper management.