Browsing by Author "Smith, Simon"
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Item Open Access Building-up Resilience and Being Effective Leaders in the Workplace—A Systematic Review and Synthesis Model(Emerald, 2022-09-16) Yu, Mengye; Wen, Jie; Smith, Simon; Stokes, PeterAbstract Purpose: Psychological resilience, defined here as the capacity to bounce back from adversity and failure, has been studied in various leadership contexts. However, the literature demonstrates less consensus concerning how psychological resilience manifests in, and interacts within, the leadership role and, equally, the focus on resilience development is underdeveloped. This paper addresses these issues by focusing on the interactions between psychological resilience and leadership and presents practical development strategies. Design/methodology/approach: A systematic review employing 47 empirical studies followed a thematic synthesis within an associated model encapsulated as: Building-up Resilience and Being Effective. Findings: First, resilience is identified as and aspect that is essential and can benefit individuals and organizations’ work outcomes across leadership contexts, including work performance, job engagement, well-being, and enhanced leadership capability. Secondly, leaders may build up their resilience by obtaining coping skills and improved attitudes toward challenges. The idea of resilient attitudes, which are presented as paradoxical perspectives toward challenges, may help leaders adapt to challenges and adversities, and lead to beneficial outcomes. Originality: Fundamentally, the synthesized model applied may encourage further studies to focus on how to build up resilience and practically apply it in workplaces across leadership contexts. In particular, this study found that adopting paradoxical perspectives and ambidextrous leadership approaches toward adversities is an original resilience development strategy, which serves to contribute to the gap in the literatureItem Open Access The consumer journey in The Digital Age: the challenges faced by destination and place marketing agencies(Inderscience, 2017-03-03) Scott, Peter; Scott, Tasmin; Stokes, Peter; Moore, Neil; Smith, Simon; Rowland, Caroline; Ward, TonyAbstract: This conceptual paper evolved from an extensive literature review and a consultancy project conducted via a UK University Business School/commercial sector collaboration. The paper explores how the digital age is presenting challenges for destination and place marketing agencies. Key trends in consumer behaviour are identified and their significance is examined. The context is largely the European tourism sector with a particular focus on the UK. The paper argues that many place and destination marketing agencies are not responding to the challenges of the digital era. With this as the backdrop, a novel conceptualisation of the customer journey model is offered which can be tested empirically. A vignette supports the model and this illustrates the complexities in consumer behaviour that are involved in a decision over where to take a city break. The paper concludes with strategic recommendations for destination and place marketing agencies.Item Open Access An examination of the dynamics of intergenerational tensions and technological change in the context of post-pandemic recovery(Taylor and Francis, 2022-06-15) Rowe, Lisa; Moore, Neil; Stokes, Peter; Smith, Simon; Lichy, Jessica; Rodgers, PeterTechnological change is a feature of contemporary life encompassing interactivity, collaboration and, above all, real-time content sharing and livestreaming. The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced new dynamics in relation to digitisation and technology usage. Within organizations, these changes have been swift and profound, leading to online meetings, events and virtual team management. An explosion of literature has accompanied these changes and their human impacts. However, the generational and intergenerational issues remain under-examined and therefore constitute an important gap. The paper examines the literature on workplace technology, digitalisation and human impacts in relation to the COVID-19, and particularly, through the lens of different generational adoptive patterns. Taking an inductive qualitative approach, the paper’s empirical focus is analyses of semi-structured questionnaire data from intergenerational senior executives. The findings showcase alternative understandings of technology in the late-COVID-19 era and of Xer generational (i.e. born 1961-1981) resilience and operational change dynamics. This allows a number of contributions and implications to be developed.Item Open Access Japanese CEOs Cross-Cultural Management of Customer Value Orientation in India(Emerald, 2020-12) Ashta, Ashok; Stokes, Peter; Smith, Simon; Hughes, PaulThe purpose of this paper is to develop understanding of cross-cultural issues relating to the experience and implications of an elite grouping of Japanese CEOs customer value orientations (CVO) within Japanese firms operating in India. The paper underlines that there is a propensity for East-West comparisons and in contrast the argument contributes to the under-examined area of research on East Asian/South Asian comparative studies. Semi-structured interviews were employed to generate narratives that provided rich and novel insights into the lived experience of Japanese CEOs working in Indian contexts and in relation to CVO. An inductive framework was employed in order to develop a more in-depth understanding of Japanese CEO CVO in Indo-Japanese empirical settings. The data analysis identified a number of shared themes that influence CVO practice in the Indo-Japanese context. The findings develop an awareness of cross-cultural management’s (CCM) in relation to the under-explored area of the Indo-Japanese dyad. The paper develops CCM perspectives towards a more in-depth conceptualization of Japanese CEO perceptions on CVO practice in India. This is also of potential relevance to wider foreign investors not only Japanese businesses. The sample respondents – Japanese CEOS working in India - constitute a small and elite group. The lead author, having experience as a CEO of a Japanese firm was able to use convenience sampling to access this difficult to access group. In addition, also stemming from the convenience aspect, all the respondents were in the manufacturing sector. The study was deliberately targeted and narrowly focused for this reason and does not claim automatic wide generalizability to other employee strata or industry however other sectors and employees may recognize resonance. This identified gap provides space for future studies in varying regional, national and sector contexts. The paper identifies implications for CCM training and Indo-Japanese business organization design. The cross-cultural study is original in that it contributes to CCM literature by providing a rare Indo-Japanese (sic East Asian: South Asian) comparative study. It provides an uncommon granular appreciation of the interaction of these cultures in relation to CVO. In addition it secures rare data from an elite Japanese CEOs of manufacturing sector businesses.Item Open Access Managing talent across advanced and emerging economies: HR issues and challenges in a Sino-German strategic collaboration(Taylor and Francis, 2015-10-19) Stokes, Peter; Liu, Yipeng; Smith, Simon; Leidner, Sarah; Moore, Neil; Rowland, CarolineAbstract The human resource (HR) practices involved in global talent management continue to advance and evolve. A majority of talent management commentary is from multinational corporation (MNC) perspectives. However, the less commented small-to-medium-sized enterprise (SME) also confronts challenges grounded in economic (i.e. resources, finance), organisational (i.e. size, scope and structure) and consequent behavioural rationales (i.e. mindsets and stances). This paper establishes and examines a number of propositions which consider how these factors impact on an advanced economy SME’s talent management in emerging economy collaborations. An interpretive qualitative methodology is employed using interviews conducted within two cases – SME and an MNC comparator case. The SME case is used as the driving force of the paper and its theoretical focus and findings. The MNC is used to develop issues as a comparator case. The findings show SME economic and organisational drivers producing behavioural dynamics in relation to mimesis of planned actions yet informal serendipitous responses in reality; a predilection for the proximate and familiar; design configurations of short-term expatriate visits and inpatriates; cumulating in ongoing inpatriate acculturisation and re-acculturation oscillation. Consequently, the implication is that the SME needs a HR practices encompassing resignation to the situation, flexibility and resilience in order to survive and progress.Item Open Access The Micro-Dynamics of Intra-Organizational and Individual Action and their Role in Organizational Ambidexterity(Wiley Online Library, 2015-03-09) Stokes, Peter; Moore, Neil; Mathews, M.; Moss, D.; Smith, Simon; Liu, YipengAbstract Organizational ambidexterity has emerged as a valuable contemporary lens on organizational design and action, examining the dynamic relationships between exploitative (extant) and explorative (evolving) resources within organizational contexts and environments. This paper analyzes the literature pertaining to ambidexterity and underlines a number of recurrent preoccupations including: definition of the nature, characteristics and normative boundaries of organizational ambidexterity; a predilection towards considering inter-firm/unit comparisons of large-scale corporate organizations; and, a concentration on the significance of the managerialistic role of senior management team’s disposition and action-orientations. While a few calls have been made for a focus on the micro, predominant attention has remained on the macro-aspects of organizational ambidexterity. The aim of the paper, therefore, is to conduct a complementary study that considers the boundaries and transitions between exploitative and explorative modes at the intra-organizational, individual micro-behavioral level. To facilitate this, the paper surfaces and underscores the paradigmatic modernistic characterization of large areas of the current organizational ambidexterity literature and the implications of this. Moreover, it explores alternative potentially useful critical paradigms which assist in providing tools with which to examine the ‘micro’. The research conducts an ethnographic-style study of quasi-public training and development organization in order to illustrate the above background contexts and the micro-interface and boundary of explorative and exploitative modes of organizational ambidexterity in the intra-organizational situation. Within this, the study points up the significance of the role of sense-making in operational micro-moment individual and small-group situations, and their vital influence in ultimately underpinning, and contributing to, macro-organizational ambidextrous contexts. Keywords: organizational ambidexterity, intra-firm/unit, micro-moments, paradigms.Item Open Access Organizational Ambidexterity and the Emerging-to-Advanced Economy Nexus: Cases from Private Higher Education Operators in the UK,(Wiley, 2016-07-25) Stokes, Peter; Moore, Neil; Smith, Simon; Larson, Mitchell; Brindley, ClareThe expansion of advanced-market economy ( AME ) fi rms into emerging-market economies ( EME ) is well documented. In recent decades, EME companies have moved increasingly into AMEs , especially within the manufacturing sector, as well as other important AME sectors such as higher education ( HE ). However, the latter have received less attention. This study conducts an in-depth qualitative analysis of two EME HE organizations operating in the international HE sector in London. The argument applies a theoretical framework of organizational ambidexterity with which to examine the contexts and complexities in collaborations between EME-HE and AME-HE fi rms. These argument surfaces, inter alia: differing dynamics in relation to institutional frameworks and sense making; myopic internationalization; tensions regarding organizational reputation, place, partner, and product legitimization; unfulfilled reverse innovation and “explorative-pull” phenomena. Overall, the article develops novel conceptual frameworks of practical relevance, which inform EME-AME fi rm collaborative operations in AME settingsItem Embargo Organizational Management(Kogan Page, 2016-03-03) Stokes, Peter; Moore, Neil; Smith, Simon; Rowlands, C.; Scott, P.Item Open Access The Principles for (Ir)Responsible Management Education: An Exploration of the Dynamics of Paradox, the Hidden Curriculum, Competencies and Symbolization(Sage, 2023-03-01) Smith, Simon; Cripps, Karen; Stokes, Peter; Hughes, SeraphinThis paper discusses whether, as academics, we are behaving irresponsibly in the manner in which we deliver the much-vaunted Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME). PRME constitutes an association and ethos which seeks to promote and infuse responsible management education (RME) into business schools (BSs) and organizations. RME seeks to, inter alia, surface and challenge hegemonic neo-liberal and capitalistic meta-narratives with a view to replacing these with more value-driven, ethical, sustainable and corporately socially responsible education in BSs and business. In our paper, we propose a more complementary approach – one in which PRME/RME might work in parallel with dominant capitalistic perspectives. We do this by considering the impact of the hidden curriculum, sustainability competencies and related symbolization (through rankings and accreditations) all within the paradox-explanatory framework of organizational ambidexterity. The argument proposes that a paradoxical approach is needed that is aligned with both the capitalist norms of business society, and yet, achieves the more socially-orientated United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs). BSs and PRME can play an essential role in ensuring this happens. In essence, we hope to provoke thought, change and action towards the achievement the more socially and societally-focused UN-SDGs on which PRME is predicated.Item Open Access Reconceptualising the Consumer Journey in the Digital Age – An Exploratory Study of the United Kingdom Retail Sector(2015-09-18) Scott, T.; Scott, Peter; Stokes, Peter; Moore, Neil; Smith, Simon; Ward, T.Item Open Access Resilience and the (Micro-)Dynamics of Organizational Ambidexterity: Implications for Strategic HRM(Taylor and Francis, 2018-05-17) Stokes, Peter; Smith, Simon; Wall, Tony; Moore, Neil; Rowland, Caroline; Ward, Tony; Cronshaw, SueIn the twenty-first century, resilience has emerged as an important topic linked to calls for adaptability, well-being and organizational performance. Extant strategic human resource management (HRM) literature and practices have developed many insights into resilience. However, overall, they have a propensity to conceptualise resilience as being associated with ‘macro-’ and ‘extreme’ situations. This paper complements the prevailing perspective by developing a micro-focus on resilience through the conceptual framework of organizational ambidexterity surfacing under-examined individual resilience in connection with HRM practices. Methodologically, the paper adopts a qualitative approach presenting data from two illustrative contexts: an ‘everyday’ quasi-governmental institution and a prima facie ‘extreme’ pan-international military organization. Using template analysis, a number of valuable themes and similarities are identified. The findings and discussion underline the managerial challenges in handling organizational ambidextrous dynamics and tensions surrounding resilience, positive and sceptical approaches in relation to individual and organizational stances towards HRM practices. As such, the results point at value in HRM managers and practices recontextualising and appreciating ‘extremes’ and resilience more as an everyday (rather than exceptional) phenomenon wherein myriad micro-moments are highly significant in constructing and influencing macro-contexts. This also implies a need to see cynical resistance as normative rather than automatically negatively.Item Open Access Signs and Wonders: Exploring the Effects and Impact of the Investors in People Logo and Symbols(Emerald, 2015-02-12) Smith, Simon; Stokes, PeterPurpose – This paper aims to examine and assess the reputational impact of the logo and symbols of the UK Standard Investors in People (IiP). The extant literature highlights differing opinions in terms of the likely benefits that IiP generates following achievement of the Standard. This paper focuses specifically on the perceptions of reputational claims made regarding existing employees, potential employees and customers. Design/methodology/approach – The debate is explored through 38 interviews using the perceptions of managers and frontline employees within six IiP-accredited firms and one non-accredited firm. Findings – The study indicates that the logo and symbols of the Standard have minimal meaning and significance for the interviewees and their outlook on potential employees and customers. There were some indications, however, that the wider reputational implications of carrying the logo may have some potentially beneficial effects. Originality/value – The paper concludes that the overarching findings present a potentially serious issue for IiP, and that there is a need to understand further the impact and value of the logo and symbols.Item Open Access Smart Cities – Dynamic Sustainability Issues and Challenges for ‘Old World’ Economies: a Case from the United Kingdom(Slovenian Academy of Management, 2015-11-02) Stokes, Peter; Larson, Mitchell; Russell, Natalie; Adderley, S.; Moore, Neil; Matthews, Martin; Smith, Simon; Lichy, Jessica; Scott, Peter; Ward, Tony; Brindley, ClareThe rapid and dynamic rate of urbanization, particularly in emerging world economies, has resulted in a need to find sustainable ways of dealing with the excessive strains and pressures that come to bear on existing infrastructures and relationships. Increasingly during the twenty-first century policy makers have turned to technological solutions to deal with this challenge and the dynamics inherent within it. This move towards the utilization of technology to underpin infrastructure has led to the emergence of the term ‘Smart City’. Smart cities incorporate technology based solutions in their planning development and operation. This paper explores the organizational issues and challenges facing a post-industrial agglomeration in the North West of England as it attempted to become a ‘Smart City’. In particular the paper identifies and discusses the factors that posed significant challenges for the dynamic relationships residents, policymakers and public and private sector organizations and as a result aims to use these micro-level issues to inform the macro-debate and context of wider Smart City discussions. In order to achieve this, the paper develops a range of recommendations that are designed to inform Smart City design, planning and implementation strategies.Item Open Access Talent management and the HR function in cross-cultural mergers and acquisitions: the role and impact of bi-cultural identity(Elsevier, 2020-01-13) Liu, Yipeng; Vrontis, Demetris; Visser, Max; Stokes, Peter; Smith, Simon; Moore, Neil; Thrassou, Alkis; Ashta, AshokThis paper examines bi-cultural talent in relation to human resource management (HRM) practices in cross-cultural merger and acquisitions (M&A). The intersection of HRM, bi-cultural talent management and cross-cultural M&A literature proposes a conceptual framework to capture the complexity of bi-cultural talent management and reveals the dominant macro-characterization of the extant HRM literature focussing on a more micro-orientated perspective. The paper develops a matrix by underlining spatial dimensions (spanning micro-aspects of the individual employee through to the macro-entity of firm and its location in the macro-national cultural context) and temporal dimensions (consisting of pre-merger, during merger and post-merger phases). This provides a template which examines the multi-level dynamics of bi-cultural talent management. The argument identifies ways in which extant cross-cultural lenses require deeper understanding of bi-cultural talent management in M&A settings. Future research directions and agendas are identified.Item Embargo Wrestling with the “sustainability” conundrum: considering ways forward for the business school curricula – the DBA as a solution?(2023-09-28) Stokes, Peter; Smith, SimonSustainability remains a vital grand challenge for the 21st century. In spite of multifarious initiatives, actions and ambitions it, in many instances, finds itself at an impasse. While there is evidence of some innovative valuable and positive thinking and practice taking place in some business school (BS) curricula, nevertheless, there remains a significant number of BS programmes which, all-too-often, continue to operate embedded and implicit calcified curricula comprised of modernistic educational approaches and introspective institutionalised research regimes. Such contexts are commonly predicated on producing students who, often unwittingly, focus on capitalistic reductionistic targets, profit and their career in spite of purported ideals. This is not to say that many students are not equally concerned with values and alternatives sustainability models – especially as new generations and thinking emerge. Nevertheless, BSs find themselves at the epi-centre of this challenge and, indeed, they must even take a degree of the responsibility for, at the very least historically, for engendering some of the sustainability dilemmas. This chapter considers this problematic status quo using a framework of organizational ambidexterity and promotes the DBA as a potent way of responding to this intractable conundrum.