Impact of top management leadership styles on ERP assimilation and the role of organizational learning

How do firms create business value and dynamic capabilities by leveraging big data analytics management capability?

Despite researchers having averred that big data analytics (BDA) transforms firms' ways of doing business, knowledge about operationalizing these technologies in organizations to achieve strategic objectives is lacking. Moreover, organizations' great appetite for big data and limited empirical proof of whether BDA impacts organizations' transformational capacity poses a need for further empirical investigation. Therefore, this study explores the association between big data analytics management capabilities (BDAMC) and innovation performance via dynamic capabilities (DC), by applying the PLS-SEM technique to analyzing the feedback of 149 firms. Consequently, we ground our arguments on dynamic capability and social capital theory rather than a resource-based view that does not provide suitable explanations for the deployment of resources to adapt to change. Accordingly, we advance this research stream by finding that BDAMC significantly enhances innovation performance through DC. We also extend the literature by disclosing how BDAMC strengthens DC via strategic alignment and social capital.

Diversity impact on organizational performance: Moderating and mediating role of diversity beliefs and leadership expertise

The current research examines the impact of four independent diversity variables, gender, age, educational background, and ethnicity, on the moderating role of diversity beliefs and the mediating role of leadership expertise to measure organisational performance in Pakistan. A self-administered questionnaire using a 6-point Likert scale approach was adopted to collect the responses from 176 employees. Quantitative analysis was done using SPSS, and SMART-PLS3 were used for was used to comprehend the objectives of the research. The findings indicate that age diversity, diversity beliefs, and leadership expertise have a statistically significant impact on organisational performance. Moreover, moderating variable diversity belief did not affect organisational performance, but leadership expertise plays a significant mediating role in organisational performance. Our study provides critical theoretical contributions to research diversity and organisational performance in Pakistan and examines the impact of workforce diversity on organisational performance with leadership expertise as mediator and diversity beliefs as a moderator.

Industry 4.0 implementation and Triple Bottom Line sustainability: An empirical study on small and medium manufacturing firms

Background

The current level of industrialization has generated many challenges worldwide, including ecological hazards, climate change, and the overuse of non-renewable natural resources, thereby creating an increasing demand for achieving the goal of the Triple Bottom Line (TBL). In this regard, Industry 4.0 can be used as a crunch point to contribute to the production process that can help achieve sustainable development.

Purpose

While the Malaysian government proposed the “Industry4ward” approach to enhance technological adoption, there is scarce empirical evidence in the literature that validates SMEs for Industry 4.0. Using Dynamic Capability View (DCV), this study proposes a framework that includes core determinants like top management commitment, supply chain integration, and IT infrastructure, that can significantly influence Industry 4.0 implementation toward achieving TBL sustainability.

Design/methodology/approach

Employing simple random sampling, the study adopted a quantitative approach based on 199 useable respondent's feedback collected through a survey questionnaire of 900 employees from Malaysian SMEs. The statistical analysis was performed using Structural Equation Modeling (Partial Least Square, SmartPLS 3.3.2).

Findings

The results show that top management and IT infrastructure significantly impact Industry 4.0 implementation and sustainability. In contrast, the analysis also demonstrates that supply chain integration is insignificant to Industry 4.0 implementation in SMEs. The findings also indicate that the relationship between the determinants of Industry 4.0 and TBL sustainability can be mediated by the “effective implementation” of Industry 4.0.

Recommendations

The study highlights the practical consequences of the role and use of the determinants in Industry 4.0 implementation. Its findings help managers and policy-makers to optimize value creation to achieve sustainable development goals.

Limitations and future research

Focusing only on Malaysian manufacturing SMEs may restrict the generalization of the study; thus, a benchmarking analysis from other industrial settings is encouraged. The questionnaire-based survey is a further limitation of the study.

Microfoundations of firm capabilities in the context of international business

Purpose

This study aims to investigate how employees in export departments help firms develop dynamic capabilities that drive firm performance in global markets. It draws from the previous scholarship in organizational behavior and international business.

Design/methodology/approach

Since microfoundations of firm capabilities have not received adequate attention in the context of international business, a qualitative research was carried out by conducting semistructured interviews with export managers to provide new theoretical and practical insights about the role of export department employees in developing firm capabilities.

Findings

The results show that organizational citizenship behavior and communication skills are the most highlighted characteristics of export department employees that underpin the improvement of firm capabilities, which in turn, boosts export performance. In addition, teamwork emerged as another contributing factor to firm capabilities.

Originality/value

This study addresses the microlevel foundations of firm capabilities within the context of international business by uncovering the characteristics of export department employees and their team-level contributions to the capabilities of exporting firms.

Factors influencing innovation performance in higher education institutions

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between transformational leadership, knowledge management capabilities, organizational learning and innovation performance in the context of higher education institutions.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a survey research design, data was collected from 219 respondents comprising faculty and administrative staff from two public and five private universities in Ghana. The data were analysed by using the partial least squares approach to structural equation modelling with the use of Smart PLS software.

Findings

The results revealed that transformational leadership significantly predicts knowledge management capabilities and organizational learning and also has a positive effect on innovation performance.

Originality/value

Although some studies have covered the theoretical and empirical analyses of links between transformational leadership, innovation performance and some knowledge management capabilities, this study examines the direct links between transformational leadership and knowledge management capabilities, on one hand, and transformational leadership and organizational learning on the other, as well as their overall effect on innovation performance, which has been less discussed in literature, particularly in the tertiary educational sector and in the Ghanaian context.

Addressing operational complexities through re-inventing leadership style: A systemic leadership intervention

This research investigates leadership practice in private organisations in Nigeria. It focuses on learning about the application of leadership styles to address operational complexities in organisations. The research is based on a case study of a commercial livestock farm in Nigeria using systemic intervention as the methodology. Data collection tools, such as a workshop, semi-structured interviews, boundary setting and participant observation, were applied. Key leadership issues identified in the case study were addressed via the creation of an effective approach from different leadership underpinnings. Part of the findings is the difficulty in sustaining the implementation of a particular leadership style(s) due to unstructured nature of complexities involved in the determination of suitable leadership style at different stages of the research. The research wrapped up with the suggestion for further research on systemic leadership intervention to consider exploring the public sector, as well as the need to further review on the use of CATWOE in the research process, to avoid the occurrence of marginalisation in its apllication.

Review of empirical research on leadership and organizational learning

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate how the relationships between different leadership approaches and organizational learning have been examined in the literature, from which future research areas can be recommended.

Design/methodology/approach

This systematic literature review applies matrix method to examine major literature in leadership and organizational learning. A total of 57 peer-reviewed English publications from 45 journals were selected and analyzed.

Findings

The synthesis of these empirical studies revealed as follows: the relationship between leadership and organizational learning has been mostly quantitatively investigated in many countries and sectors; multiple leadership styles have been identified to ameliorate processes, levels and capabilities of organizational learning and transformational leadership still remains the most commonly used style; there are mediating mechanism and boundary conditions in the relationship between leadership and organizational learning.

Research limitations/implications

The literature search in this study was mainly focused on English articles only; therefore, some papers in other languages may have not been included.

Practical implications

This review offers an overall picture of the existing knowledge of organizational learning and leadership that will be fruitful for practitioners to understand and replicate these concepts.

Originality/value

There are little systematic literature reviews on the relationship between leadership and organizational learning. This paper is among the first systematic reviews to analyze how leadership has been associated with organizational learning and provide potential research directions.

From transactional to transformational

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore whether Chief Executive Officers’ (CEOs) discrepant leadership styles are reflected on CEO succession outcomes, operationalised as changes to employee views of the organisation following the succession.

Design/methodology/approach

Hypotheses were tested in a sample of 230 employees who completed an online survey at four time points over a three-year period. Linear mixed models analyses tested for significant changes to alignment, participation, learning culture, organisational commitment and engagement perceptions over time. Qualitative data were content-analysed to ascertain the CEOs’ leadership styles and explore employee views of the organisation.

Findings

While alignment and participation scores did not significantly increase following the CEO succession, learning culture, organisational commitment and engagement increased significantly.

Research limitations/implications

This study adds to the limited research on CEO succession. It suggests that what renders a succession adaptive or disruptive may be contingent on the leadership styles of outgoing and incoming CEOs.

Practical implications

The transition from a transactional to a transformational CEO may have a stronger impact on motivational and attitudinal outcomes (e.g. engagement) than on operational outcomes (e.g. alignment).

Originality/value

This study is the first to longitudinally examine a range employee outcomes of CEO succession considering the incoming and outgoing CEOs’ discrepant leadership styles. It extends the leadership literature by empirically showing that, despite the disruption underlying a succession event, employee views of the organisation improve significantly following the transition from a transactional to a transformational leader.

Impact mechanism of direct supervisor’s leadership behaviors on employees’ extended use of information technologies

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating effect of job autonomy on the relationship between direct supervisor’s transformational leadership behaviors and employees’ extended use of information technologies (IT). In addition, this study considers IT innovativeness as a significant moderator in the research model, in order to examine if the relative influences of leadership behaviors on IT extended use are contingent upon employees’ IT innovativeness.

Design/methodology/approach

A field survey was conducted in China and empirical data were collected from 299 employees who use IT in support of daily work. Structural equation modeling technique was used to examine the research model and corresponding hypotheses.

Findings

The empirical results indicate that: three dimensions of transformational leadership, specifically interpersonal consideration, intellectual stimulation and inspirational motivation, are significant antecedents of employees’ IT extended use; perceived job autonomy partially mediates the relationships between transformational leadership behaviors and IT extended use; and employees’ IT innovativeness positively moderates the effects of transformational leadership behaviors on IT extended use.

Practical implications

This study can provide first-line managers with a better understanding of how to stimulate employees to make an extended use of IT by granting them more freedom in job assignments. Furthermore, the managers also need attend to subordinates’ personal IT innovativeness when exhibiting transformational leadership behaviors.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the extant literature of IT extended use through the lens of transformational leadership and job characteristics theory. In particular, this study identifies the boundary condition of the proposed research model by uncovering the moderating effect of IT innovativeness between transformational leadership behaviors and IT extended use.

The mediating role of knowledge integration model for enterprise systems success

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to empirically demonstrate how knowledge management, particularly knowledge integration (KI), acts as a mediator in enterprise systems (ES) post-implementation stage and how transactional and transformational leadership styles are impacted toward ES success.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on the insights of 508 valid respondents from various business backgrounds that used ES in Malaysia, structural equation modeling was employed and the path modeling approach was used to investigate the underlying relationships between variables. The mediating effects were tested using the bootstrapping procedures presented by Preacher and Hayes.

Findings

The results support the mediating effects of KI mechanisms and both leadership styles toward ES success. The analysis revealed the importance of KI in an organization, especially by the leaders who manage the complexity of the ES in the post-implementation stage.

Research limitations/implications

The study can be extended by analyzing other leadership styles in-detail.

Practical implications

This paper is useful for practitioners as it acts as a guide to conduct management practice for business managers.

Originality/value

The results demonstrate the importance of leaders’ adoption of KI mechanisms in various business domains. This study approach can be used to investigate which sub-items of the leadership styles are more likely to promote KI mechanisms.