Steven H. Appelbaum

The case for case studies in management research

It is commonly asserted that qualitative research in the organizational sciences lacks the rigor and objectivity of the quantitative approach. Case studies, while commonly used for educational purposes, have been viewed in a less favorable light in terms of research. This paper suggests that case studies represent an important research track in organizational science, not only as a method of generating hypotheses for quantitative studies, but for generating and testing theory. The paper will develop arguments in support of case study research, will highlight particular issues and constraints relating to case study research, and will offer recommendations for the use of this method.

The relationship of ethical climate to deviant workplace behaviour

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to perform a literature review of the existing body of empirically‐based studies relating to the causes and implications of how the ethical climate of a company ultimately affects the incidence of workplace deviance.Design/methodology/approach – The article examines the issue of ethical contexts and climates within organizations, as measured by the Ethical Climate Questionnaire developed in 1987 by Victor and Cullen , and their implications in the daily work lives of participants. The causes of unethical behaviour, including the presence of counter norms, the environment in which a firm operates, and organizational commitment, as well as the manifestation of this behaviour in the form of workplace deviance, are reviewed. Finally, current trends in preventing workplace deviance are investigated, including promoting a strong culture of ethics, and the use of “toxic handlers”, individuals who take it upon themselves to handle the frustrations of fellow employees.Findi...

Anatomy of a merger: behavior of organizational factors and processes throughout the pre‐ during‐ post‐ stages (part 2)

The multiple organizational factors impacting upon a merger as well as those processes being impacted upon throughout the merger process will be examined. Part 1 of this article examined corporate culture and its affects on employees when two companies merge and considered the importance of lucid communication throughout the process. Part 2 of the article addresses the critical issue of stress, which is an outcome within the new and uncertain environment. Finally, the article concludes with the process of managing and strategy throughout the phases, giving guidelines that managers and CEOs should follow in the event of an MA during the merger; post‐merger. This is intended to further assist managers and CEOs distinguish the important issues facing employees at each of the three junctures of the M&A process.

Gender and leadership? Leadership and gender? A journey through the landscape of theories

The purpose of this article was to examine the following three questions: Are women’s leadership styles truly different from men’s? Are these styles less likely to be effective? Is the determination of women’s effectiveness as a leaders fact‐based or a perception that has become a reality? Conclusions revealed: Question one: Yes, women’s leadership style is, at this point, different from men’s but men can learn from and adopt “women’s” style and use it effectively as well. In other words, effective leadership is not the exclusive domain of either gender and both can learn from the other. Question two: No, women’s styles are not at all likely to be less effective; in fact, they are more effective within the context of team‐based, consensually driven organizational structures that are more prevalent in today’s world. Question three: The assessment that a woman’s leadership style is less effective than a man’s is not fact‐based but rather driven, by socialization, to a perception that certainly persists. The inescapable reality is that, within the senior ranks of corporate north America (and elsewhere), women remain conspicuous by their absence.

Positive and negative deviant workplace behaviors: causes, impacts, and solutions

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact on organizations of both negative deviant workplace behaviors – those that violate organizational norms, policies or internal rules – and positive deviant workplace behaviors – those that honorably violate them. The reasons why people engage in such behaviors are explored, along with some of the reasons why organizations allow such behaviors to thrive within their walls. A typology of positive workplace behavior is determined and is compared with other pro‐social behaviors such as: whistleblowing, corporate social responsibility, organizational citizenship behavior and innovation. Possible solutions to overcome problems associated with negative deviant behavior in the workplace are examined, along with how to promote positive deviant behavior in the workplace.Design/methodology/approach – A literature review on current positive and negative deviant workplace behavior was conducted.Findings – Regardless of whether negative deviance is overt or im...

Organizational citizenship behavior: a case study of culture, leadership and trust

The case will test two hypotheses regarding three variables influencing the level of employee satisfaction and organizational citizenship at GAMMA, a manufacturer of plastics. Two hypotheses were developed from a review of the literature and initial results from exploratory research ( H1: low employee satisfaction at GAMMA is a direct result of an autocratic leadership style, low trust environment and weak corporate culture; H2: low employee citizenship is a direct result of low employee satisfaction). Results suggest that although the perception was that employee satisfaction and organizational citizenship were low (from the exploratory research); both quantitative and descriptive data indicated these were not. Moreover, the hypotheses were not conclusively supported quantitatively. High trust was not obtained. Also a specific high leadership style and a specific culture resulting in high employee satisfaction were also questionable. Moreover, it was not observed that a strong correlation existed statist...

Socio‐technical systems theory: an intervention strategy for organizational development

Integrating organizational development (OD) and technological intervention into a total system is one of the more difficult tasks for an executive or consultant to execute. Organizations are profoundly affected by technological advancements and require a flexible customized change model to fit the social network of the specific organization into which technology is being introduced. Examines sociotechnical systems (STS) theory and presents classical organization theories of Burns and Stalker, Woodward, Perrow, Thompson and Trist to develop a contemporary OD intervention in terms of self‐regulating work groups (self‐leading or self‐managing teams) performing interrelated technological tasks. Finally, presents some pointers for executives and consultants in assessing STS interventions via 31 diagnostic questions intended to identify interactions among elements of the system.

Strategic organizational change: the role of leadership, learning, motivation and productivity

Presents an overview of strategic organizational change (SOC) and its managerial impact on leadership, learning, motivation and productivity. Theoretical and empirical data presented are: the sources and determinants of strategic organizational change; the management implications of SOC; organizational leadership within the context of SOC; learning aspects of SOC; the impact of SOC on organizational and individual productivity; a model that explains the relationships between SOC, leadership, learning, motivation and productivity. Depicts strategic organizational change as an integrative process with all organizational elements such as human resources, systems and technologies being considered for successful change to occur. The proposed model for strategic organizational change is an attempt to link the software and hardware components of organizations. In view of the pressures being expected from the external environment and the critical vision of organizations, research suggests that top management needs to establish a flexible and adaptive infrastructure that should lead contemporary and complex organizations to optimum levels of performance. The largest barrier to “change” is not changes to technologies and work processes but changes involving people.

The critical success factors in the client‐consulting relationship

Purpose – The primary intent of this study is to examine recent projects involving external management consultants at a North American telecommunications firm, from the employees’ point of view, to measure the extent to which the aforementioned “critical success factors” were perceived as being evident. A secondary purpose was to examine which, if any, of these factors differ between more or less successful consulting projects with a view to building a model to predict employees’ perceptions of the level of the projects’ success. A third objective was to gather employee opinions on the use of management consultancy and other factors that might contribute to the success of consulting projects.Design/methodology/approach – A total of 102 employees responded to a questionnaire consisting of 59 questions. A model including six independent variables was able to predict overall rating of project success, with an adjusted R2=0.68, F=27.81 (p<0.0001). The significant variables, in order of importance, were: the s...

Strategic downsizing: critical success factors

Aims to review the literature pertaining to downsizing with an emphasis on the organization level, and establish the critical success factors of downsizing, that is, guidelines to the successful implementation of downsizing activities. Addresses these objectives by examining first, how downsizing is defined in the literature reviewed, then discusses the different ways in which or measures by which organizations carry out downsizing activities and the reasons that prompt companies to downsize. Addresses the rationale utilized by firms to downsize, the expected outcomes in terms of economic and human consequences, the approaches to downsizing (reorientation and convergence) and specific strategies such as workforce reduction, work redesign and systemic strategy. Also downsizing tactics, human resources as assets vs costs, planning, participation, leadership, communications, and support to victims/survivors are examined. Both laboratory experiments and empirical research concerning survivors’ reactions are explored. The role of trust as well as the human resource professional in the process are included. Conclusions and recommendations complete the article.