Todd Dewett

Linking Intrinsic Motivation, Risk Taking, and Employee Creativity in an R&D Environment

Intrinsic motivation is thought to spur risk taking and creativity. Nonetheless, the relationship between common creativity antecedents and intrinsic motivation is seldom clarified and the assertion that intrinsic motivation spurs risk taking and creativity has rarely been addressed. The current study adopts an individual level of analysis and attempts to link several common creativity antecedents, intrinsic motivation, and ones willingness to take risks to employee creativity. Using survey data collected from 165 research and development personnel and their supervisors, evidence is provided showing that intrinsic motivation mediates the relationship between certain antecedents and ones willingness to take risks and that this willingness mediates the effect of intrinsic motivation on employee creativity. However, starkly different findings emerge when using subjective versus objective indicators of employee creativity, suggesting that further theoretical development is in order to explain the differences.

A General Theory of Organizational Stigma

In recent years, the term stigma has been widely applied to organizations. However, scholars have yet to advance a theoretically consistent definition or comprehensive theory of organizational stigma. The purpose of this paper is to define the construct of organizational stigma and provide a general theory that explains the conditions under which organizational stigmas are likely to arise, how this process unfolds, and the initial effects stigmas inflict on organizations. In doing so, we distinguish organizational stigma from both individual-level stigma and the organizational-level constructs of reputation, status, celebrity, and legitimacy. We then build upon multiple streams of research to develop a richer theoretical explanation of the roles social context, social processes, and social actors play in the origination and effects of an organizational stigma.

Yes, You Can Teach Business Ethics: A Review and Research Agenda

In the face of continuing doubt as to the value of teaching business ethics, evidence is reviewed suggesting that the endeavor is a worthy one. Specifically, we examine three common concerns raised by various stakeholders as to the viability of teaching business ethics. We conclude that these concerns are not well founded. Next, we describe three major goals from the literature related to teaching ethics: enhancing ethical awareness and sensitivity, promoting moral development, and appreciation of and skill handling complex ethical decision making. Third, we consider the empirical evidence to date addressing these goals. Finally, we consider directions for future research and offer several testable research propositions.

Employee creativity and the role of risk

Creative efforts and creative outcomes are identified as distinct in employee creative performance. It is argued that an employees willingness to take risks is an important antecedent of creative efforts. Behavioral consequences experienced by employees following creative efforts are discussed in relation to future creative efforts considered and the subsequent willingness to take risks. A model and propositions are developed to guide future research and are considered in light of the current creativity literature.

Exploring scholarly reputation: It's more than just productivity

We explore perceived creativity in scholarship as it relates to scholarly reputation in the field of management. The effects of quantity (total refereed publications, national paper presentations) and quality (proportion of articles in premier journals, editorial activity, research awards) dimensions of scholarly activity are also considered. Our results suggest that the quality dimensions are positively associated with reputation, but that the perceived creativity of a scholars work further influences reputation, and partially mediates the relationship between some quality measures and reputation. These results suggest that quality, creativity in particular, is more important than quantity for the accumulation of reputation.

What motivates organizational citizenship behaviours? Exploring the role of regulatory focus theory

We develop a theoretical rationale and research propositions describing the relationship between employee self-regulation and the likelihood of performing organizational citizenship behaviours. Regulatory Focus Theory is used to describe the underlying motivation for the exhibition of these behaviours. Specifically, we contend that the exhibition of organizational citizenship behaviours is influenced by the employees regulatory state, the type of behaviour being considered, and the match or lack thereof between employee regulatory focus and how the behaviour is perceived (i.e., whether or not regulatory focus is consistent with employee perceptions of the behaviour). We close by considering several implications of Regulatory Focus Theory for future research on organizational citizenship behaviours.

Creativity and strategic management

This paper explores an important aspect of creativity within the top management team (TMT). Specifically, prior research has not addressed the relationship between alternatives generated and alternatives realized within the TMT as a part of the decision‐making process, choosing instead to address only alternatives realized or TMT correlates of organizational outcomes. It is argued that a framing perceptual bias exists within individual TMT members and among TMT members as a group such that threat frames may decrease creativity and opportunity frames may increase creativity. In addition, the strategic issue array and TMT power structures are examined as influences on alternative generation and it is suggested that excessive issue array size or highly imbalanced power structures both negatively impact creativity within the TMT. Implications for research and practice are considered.

Evaluating ethical decision‐making models: a review and application

Purpose – The paper seeks to evaluate the prescriptive value of ethical decision‐making models.Design/methodology/approach – The paper explores various types of models in the ethics literature in concert with knowledge from the decision sciences literature to develop a tentative list of evaluative criteria that might be applied to prescriptive models. It then applies these criteria to one prescriptive model from the ethics literature, developed by Petrick and Quinn, in an attempt to demonstrate the value of more comprehensive evaluation. It closes by considering future research aimed at the evaluation of ethical decision‐making models as well as research needed to validate the Petrick and Quinn model.Findings – This critique finds that the Petrick‐Quinn judgment integrity model satisfies most of the criteria discussed in the ethical decision‐making literature. The primary opportunities for refining the Petrick‐Quinn model as a prescriptive framework for ethical decision making are: articulating the operat...

Internal diffusion: the conceptualizing innovation implementation

Purpose – The management literature has extensively discussed innovation diffusion as an essential part of corporate and economic competitiveness. However, most work centers on diffusion external to the organization. The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework for understanding post adoption innovation implementation.Design/methodology/approach – Research concerning diffusion inside the firm has focused almost exclusively on innovation creation as opposed to implementation. Although current definitions of innovation often make clear the internal/external distinction, the authors propose that it could be made more meaningful by further delineating the components of internal innovation diffusion. To that end, prominent innovation research is synthesized to explore innovation implementation.Findings – A systematic review of the literature suggests three main types of influences on implementation: organizational, innovation, and human. Each represents unique challenges for innovation implementation.Pr...

Innovators and Imitators in Novelty-Intensive Markets: A Research Agenda

The phenomenon of demand for novelty is defined and explored as a unique and under-examined aspect of certain markets. Demand for novelty is the portion of demand not explained by practical utility or marketing effects - it is the demand for the new and unique. We explore markets characterized by high demand for novelty and how they differ from typical markets. Primarily, this involves the central role of novelty in the product or service value proposition as well as rapid growth rates and product or service obsolescence. Within this context, we consider the dynamics of innovating and imitating and suggest several ways that first mover competition is unique in markets with high demand for novelty. From the perspective of the knowledge-based theory of the firm, we consider the implications of organizational learning and knowledge and decision making as they relate to new product development routines, improvisation, and top management team decision making. We conclude by considering several avenues for future empirical research.