Tracy H. Porter

Workplace Spirituality: A Best Practice Toward Organizational Integrity

The business environment has undergone dramatic changes for the past several decades, and these paradigmatic adjustments have brought about new expectations about work and the work environment. It has been argued that downsizing, reengineering, and layoffs of the past few decades have turned many American workplaces into environments in which workers have been demoralized and taken for granted (Brandt, 1996). Individuals have witnessed the work environment become increasingly impersonal and, in some cases, insecure environments (Fry & Cohen, 2009). The push for higher economic returns, productivity, and profitability has crippled and eventually bankrupted once-prominent organizations. The wide road of traditional management has led many organizations and their leaders to perdition.

Lacerations of the Soul: Rejection-Sensitive Business School Faculty and Perceived Publication Performance

Work-related rejections, such as missing a promotion, failing to land a job, losing a client, or having a paper rejected, are common work experiences, and for some, such disappointments could be debilitating. Extensive psychological research shows rejection sensitivity negatively affects interpersonal relationships, but how it relates to work attitudes and behaviors has not been examined, and this study is the first to apply rejection sensitivity in a work setting. Using a cross-sectional sample of 339 tenured/tenure-track business faculty, we use need-to-belong and social identity theoretical approaches to examine how work-related rejection sensitivity predicts publication performance, coping style, and professional commitment. Findings show rejection-sensitive faculty report lower publication performance (in effort and quantity) and are less likely to use positive coping strategies. Although rejection sensitivity did not predict professional commitment, rejection-sensitive faculty who reported better publication performance were higher in professional commitment than rejection-sensitive faculty who reported lower performance. Based on these findings, we hope to improve academic leaders’ understanding that some otherwise qualified faculty will be more affected by rejection than others. Taking proactive stances to ensure these faculty are prepared to deal effectively with rejection through interventions such as mentoring and training would enhance the chances that all qualified faculty will succeed in the long term.

Spiritual institutional entrepreneurs: an introduction and examination

The business environment has undergone dramatic changes over the past decades that have brought about new expectations within the work environment. Entrepreneurship is one of many areas that has been affected by this shift. In fact, the definition of entrepreneur has evolved beyond the traditional external focus to include an internal organizational perspective known as institutional entrepreneur (IE). IEs initiate structural change within their organizations that transforms the way business is conducted. Current research has demonstrated the importance of workplace spirituality as an element in developing an inclusive organizational culture. In this paper, we draw from the institutional entrepreneurship literature to examine the rise of IEs who champion the development of spiritual workplaces. We call these individuals spiritual institutional entrepreneurs (SIEs). We also present a conceptual model for analyzing the role of SIEs and offer notable executive exemplars who reimagined their organizations through the lens of workplace spirituality.

Work environment and employee motivation to lead: Moderating effects of personal characteristics

– A key challenge for organizations is identification of candidates for development as organizational leaders. While selection criteria may vary, one important consideration is the extent to which an employee is motivated to lead. Previous studies have restricted investigation of the antecedents of these motivations to individual differences such as personality, self-efficacy, and previous leadership experiences, suggesting that leadership capacity may depend largely on employee selection. However, employee assessments of numerous aspects of the work environment may also have a substantial role in determining an employee’s motivation to lead (MTL), suggesting that an organization’s leadership capacity may depend on many other human resource practices. The paper aims to discuss these issues. , – In this study, the authors explored the role of employee assessments of work experiences as determinants of three types of MTL. This paper investigates the impact of a value-oriented organizational culture and the employee’s assessment of the work environment (pay satisfaction, promotion possibilities, recognition, job design, internal communication, and employee’s relationship with his/her current leader). Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses. , – Based upon the results of 210 respondents the strength of relationship varies among the three alternative types of leadership motivation. The results suggest that besides individual differences, the perceived work environment may be a significant determinant of motivation to become an organizational leader. Employee assessments of pay, promotion opportunities, recognition, job design, quality of organizational communications, and workplace spirituality all play a role in determining employee MTL. , – This paper offers a number of implications for human resource management practices, hiring, and leadership development.

The greening of organizational culture: revisited fifteen years later

Purpose - Organizations have viewed sustainability as a societal problem and unrelated to business. To recognize sustainability as an organizational issue requires companies to deal with the challenge of transforming into environmentally sustainable enterprises. This requires institutions to align mission statements with values. The purpose of this paper is to replicate previous research in sustainability and the cultural facets which impact the process. Design/methodology/approach - A qualitative case study method was used to analyze 25 organizations within the US Midwest with various contexts to determine how their respective cultures impacted their change initiatives. Specifically, the authors spoke to sustainability change agents with regard to their leadership and culture, and the factors that are conducive to (or barriers to) implementing sustainability initiatives. Findings - The original study demonstrated the presence of seven contextual conditions which are important in the process of imbedding sustainability within the institution. This research found the same dimensions to be present; however, they manifested differently 15 years later. Practical implications - The original research offered a somewhat dark picture of the sustainability change initiatives within organizations. The current study however; offers a much more positive perspective which demonstrates organizations appear to have progressed with regard to sustainability. Originality/value - This is a replication study whereby we discovered similar themes as to the nature of contextual factors that can hinder or advance sustainability initiatives; however, the findings 15 years later show a marked difference in the current state of affairs and the ability to implement sustainability initiatives.

Team development among physician-leaders at the Cleveland Clinic

Purpose Since 1990, the Cleveland Clinic has trained physicians in team skills through various iterations of a program called Leading in Healthcare (LHC). In the present study, the authors utilize a case study approach to gain insight into the LHC curriculum, and more specifically, the team project. The purpose of this paper is to better understand the Cleveland Clinics position on the issue and its approach to education - specifically among physicians. Design/methodology/approach The authors utilized a case study approach with four key program architects. Findings The results of this exploratory research yielded three themes: There is a lack of formal physician education in teamwork, there is a growing trend of inter-disciplinary teams and the team project was an important component of teambuilding in LHC. Research limitations/implications A breakdown in team function adversely impacts patient care. While formal and informal participation in teams is imbedded in the role, physicians are rarely trained in leadership or teambuilding in their formal medical education - much of it is learned on the job in hidden curricula. In addition to the adverse effects of dysfunctional teams on patient care, the authors have explored another area that will be affected by a lack of education - the team experience at the administrative level. As more and more physicians take on leadership roles in healthcare, there is an additional need to build competencies around teams (e.g. team theory, cross-functional team participation and leading teams) from an administrative perspective. Originality/value This is one of only a few studies which have specifically examined the impact of a teamwork education for physicians.

Building trust: The influence of mentoring behaviors on perceptions of health care managers' trustworthiness.

Background: In health care organizations, trust is critical for effective workplace relationships that ensure patient-centered outcomes. Although research has focused on trust in the relationship between patients and clinicians, less is known about what influences workers to trust their managers. An understanding is needed of the specific behaviors that influence health care workers’ evaluations of their managers’ trustworthiness. Mentoring research focuses on the developmental assistance that a more experienced worker provides to a less experienced worker. Building upon Kram’s (1988) seminal research on mentoring functions, we argue that health care managers can build trust by providing informational (career-related) and interpersonal (psychosocial) support. Purpose: The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of health care managers’ informational and interpersonal mentoring behaviors on workers’ perceptions of their managers’ trustworthiness and the mediating role of trustworthiness on trust in the managers. Methodology/Approach: Surveys were completed during work hours by 315 health care workers at an acute care hospital and associated clinics in the Midwest. Findings: Results showed that managers’ mentoring behaviors influenced worker perceptions of their managers’ trustworthiness, in terms of ability, integrity, and benevolence. Ability partially mediated the relationship between informational mentoring and trust in managers, whereas integrity and benevolence partially mediated the relationship between interpersonal mentoring and trust in managers. Practice Implications: Health care managers can actively build trust through mentoring behaviors that inspire positive assessments of managers’ ability, integrity, and benevolence.