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Spirituality as an antecedent of trust and network commitment: The case of Anatolian Tigers
Abstract
This paper investigates the role of spirituality in network commitment and trust building through a focus on the specific network context of Anatolian Tigers from Turkey. Despite the previous research employing utilitarian perspectives to explain the antecedents of commitment, the aim here is to understand the role played by spirituality, a higher-order dimension of human life, in commitment at a network level. The study adopts a survey approach. A hundred and twenty questionnaires were conducted through face-to-face meetings with owners/managers of the sample firms. A partial least squares (PLS) path modelling approach is employed to examine relationships through a ‘soft-modelling’ analysis, using SmartPLS 3. The results empirically confirm that spirituality operates as a significant antecedent of network commitment and trust in the context of networks among Anatolian Tigers. Furthermore, it is found that neither the length of membership nor the firm size has any significant effect on network commitment. The paper contributes to the understanding of antecedents of network commitment by going beyond traditional economic perspectives whose argument, historically, has been that commitment is driven by utilitarian, profit- and utility-maximizing motivations and economic self-interests.
... In the context of internationalization in emerging economies with weak formal institutions, companies' reliance on informal networks and institutions may make export more difficult by limiting information flow and firm aspirations (Barnard, 2010;Estrin et al., 2018;Luiz et al., 2017). However, informal institutions and networkswith clients, suppliers, social contacts, etc.-have also been shown to have positive effects on export (Ciravegna et al., 2015): They can inspire (Hobdari et al., 2017), provide information about and access to resources and opportunities (Kurt et al., 2020;Mesquita and Lazzarini, 2008;Zhou et al., 2007), and direct connections between firms in one subnational region of one country and firms in a subnational region of another country (Chetty and Holm, 2000;Chetty and Stangl, 2010;Musteen et al., 2010). ...
... In many ways, the export success of Anatolian SMEs was unlikely: Most of these SMEs were located far from export infrastructure, including financial centers; most were managed by business families with little formal education, and most were quite socially and culturally conservative and provincial (Kurt et al., 2016). On the other hand, many cities in the Anatolian region boasted a proud, often religiously inspired tradition of community support for business efforts, and the rise of the conservative government featured active promotion of business on the Anatolian plateau, including increased government support for SME export (Durmusoglu et al., 2012;Hosgör, 2011;Kurt et al., 2020). ...
... In short, the persistent and vehement disconnect between the SME managers' and government export professionals' expectations and experiences seem to reflect differences in the institutional logics and world views that resulted from their socialization into two very different informal institutionsthe "professional guilds" of the common person and regional SME owner and the elite national government bureaucrat (Babül, 2012). In turn, the regional SME owners identified more closely with their regional business, social, and religious networks (Kurt et al., 2016;Kurt et al., 2020), whereas the bureaucrats identified with the national formal government program that employed them. That is, while the regional SME owners and national bureaucrats shared the goal of expanding SME export, their expectations and assumptions concerning the design and appropriate implementation of the export program diverged markedly, leading to contentious interactions, mutual distrust, and reduced effectiveness of the national formal export program. ...
We explore the mechanisms through which subnational informal institutions exacerbate or ameliorate voids in national formal institutions. Informed by a within-country, cross-sub-region case comparison, we find two exacerbating mechanisms: Competition between the logics embedded in national and subnational institutions and the sabotage of a formal national institution by a void in a subnational informal institution. We also find two ameliorating mechanisms: Strong subnational informal institutions substitute for weak national institutions and bridge voids in formal institutions. Finally, we identify the conditions of expectation alignment and engagement associated with the competition, sabotage, substitution, and bridging mechanisms. Our findings contribute to institutional theory by providing a more subtle and contingent understanding of the interaction between informal and formal, and subnational and national, institutions. Our results also suggest ways in which constrained managers and bureaucrats can reduce the effects of voids in national formal institutions.
... Neal (1997) studied spirituality at work and associated it with people who consider their job as a spiritual way towards individual evolution so they can contribute to their society. Various studies have analysed the positive effect of spirituality on factors like job satisfaction, loyalty, and network commitment (Duchon and Plowman, 2005;Kurt et al., 2016;Milliman et al., 2003). Having studied the effect of spirituality on customers' shopping behaviour, Kale (2006) has a definition as follows: "an individual's endeavours to explore, and deeply and meaningfully connect one's inner self to the known world and beyond." ...
... College students who live in these provinces distributes 250 questionnaires and finally 200 valid questionnaires were passed out and returned to be analysed. Four items regarding spirituality were adopted from Kurt et al. (2016). Nine items of deep acting and surface acting (from the emotional labour variable) were taken from Diefendorff et al. (2005), Grandey (2003) and Ziggers and Henseler (2016). ...
The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effect of spirituality and emotional labour of insurance agents and sellers on their customer orientation and performance excellence. In this research, spirituality and performance are uni-dimensional, while emotional labour and customer orientation have been introduced as multi-dimensional variables. The dimensions of emotional labour were deep acting and surface acting and the dimensions of customer orientation were customer sensing and customer responsiveness. The representatives of insurance companies in Iran were considered as the statistical population of this study. A questionnaire was used to collect the data. The validity of the questionnaire was examined by experts in this field and its reliability was confirmed using Cronbach's alpha method. Structural equation modelling with PLS approach was used to test the hypotheses. According to the results, spirituality and emotional labour were antecedents of customer sensing and customer responsiveness. Moreover, the performance has been influenced by customer sensing and responsiveness. This study helps policy makers and insurers seek excellence strategies through spirituality and emotional labour.
... Neal (1997) studied spirituality at work and associated it with people who consider their job as a spiritual way towards individual evolution so they can contribute to their society. Various studies have analysed the positive effect of spirituality on factors like job satisfaction, loyalty, and network commitment (Duchon and Plowman, 2005;Kurt et al., 2016;Milliman et al., 2003). Having studied the effect of spirituality on customers' shopping behaviour, Kale (2006) has a definition as follows: "an individual's endeavours to explore, and deeply and meaningfully connect one's inner self to the known world and beyond." ...
... College students who live in these provinces distributes 250 questionnaires and finally 200 valid questionnaires were passed out and returned to be analysed. Four items regarding spirituality were adopted from Kurt et al. (2016). Nine items of deep acting and surface acting (from the emotional labour variable) were taken from Diefendorff et al. (2005), Grandey (2003) and Ziggers and Henseler (2016). ...
The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effect of spirituality and emotional labour of insurance agents and sellers on their customer orientation and performance excellence. In this research, spirituality and performance are uni-dimensional, while emotional labour and customer orientation have been introduced as multi-dimensional variables. The dimensions of emotional labour were deep acting and surface acting and the dimensions of customer orientation were customer sensing and customer responsiveness. The representatives of insurance companies in Iran were considered as the statistical population of this study. A questionnaire was used to collect the data. The validity of the questionnaire was examined by experts in this field and its reliability was confirmed using Cronbach's alpha method. Structural equation modelling with PLS approach was used to test the hypotheses. According to the results, spirituality and emotional labour were antecedents of customer sensing and customer responsiveness. Moreover, the performance has been influenced by customer sensing and responsiveness. This study helps policy makers and insurers seek excellence strategies through spirituality and emotional labour.
... Modernisation and economic development in some of Anatolian cities grow thanks to their effective network mechanisms. Continuing of development within Anatolian Tigers has to be strongly connected with their network, which, as it has been shown in the research, is based on trust (Kurt, Yamin, Sinkovics & Sinkovics, 2016). ...
... Ethos approach has also a high number of usage in both analysed texts and In the interviews, which have been contacted in my research, the company's owners underline the importance of "trust" as well as "family" highlighting it as a necessary subject for their organizations. In research paper of Kurt (2016) trust and network commitment has been distinguished as a significant factor as well as, the positive influence for the network. Trust is emerged as a source of the network commitment. ...
In this research, the phenomenon of “Anatolian Tigers” which were arisen as a nationwide and even worldwide economic phenomenon in last decades in Turkey was examined in perception of cultural capital. Although, there is no one certain definition of Anatolian Tigers, they are a group of hidebound Anatolian cities which have remarkable economic growth in Anatolian Peninsula since 1980s. The term Anatolian Tigers also define a new breed of pious entrepreneurs. Anatolian Tigers in the region are an essential dimension of growth and development in Turkey. The companies are mainly family entrepreneurships, started up some decades ago as SME sector’s business rooted in traditional and rural environment by religiously spiritual conservative businessmen.
This research develops a comparison of Anatolian Tigers business environment both on regional and national level. The initial rhetoric analysis of this research which consist the analysed interviews with the company owners and web pages’ analyses allows us to understand the way of globally successful Turkish companies’ approach for persuading audience by using the 3 structure of persuasion which are logos, pathos and ethos. One of the latest examples of the rhetorical approach uses this perspective for the research and understanding of cross-cultural differences. The cross cultural dimensions between two ancients and similar societies, Greece and Turkey have been examined and compared on national level. In addition, West and Anatolia were also compared based on selected cross cultural dimensions of cultural capital. Cross cultural dimensions were evaluated in 11 factors: Education, Political Trust, Voluntary Work, Political Participation, Life Satisfaction Component, and Trust in People, Fear of Others, Life Satisfaction, Happiness, Income and Deprivation Index. The cross cultural factors of cultural capital identified in Turkey and Greece by applying factor analysis in quantitative research and testing the functioning of these factors by implementing the rhetoric analysis in qualitative research based on interviews with selected organizations.
In rhetorical analysis, the analysis of interviews with the company owners and web pages’ analyses the usage of logos is predominating, which makes the audience to be persuaded by rational and evidential arguments. Ethos approach has also a high number of usages in both analysed texts and web pages. Where the company owners touch the ethical and morality importance during their speech and explanations on company web page. In contrast to other two rhetorical approaches, Pathos is trivialized in company owner’s answers.
According to the results of the research on national level, all 11 factors of cross cultural dimensions were statistically significant between the two countries (p<0, 05). Education levels were higher in Greece. Turkish people trust more political institutions. Greek people were less volunteering for community and social services. Political participation was higher in Turkish participants. Greek participants were more satisfied from education, accommodation, health and social life. Greek participants had less trust on other people. Life satisfaction level was higher in Turkish participants. Happiness levels of Greek participants were also lower. Income levels of Greek participants were lower, where deprivation index was higher in Turkish participants.
... The ability to analyze observed and latent variables distinguishes SEM from more standard statistical techniques, such as analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multiple regression, which analyze only observed variables (Kline, 2016). According to Reinartz et al. (2009), our sample (n = 130) is small, and the application of PLS-SEM is justified when the number of observations is less than 250 (Kurt et al., 2016). ...
This study aimed to measure the effect of perceived value on purchase intention of luxury goods among Angolan consumers. It also explored the moderating effect of consumer gender. Data were collected through a survey distributed to 130 consumers in North and South Angola, employing Smart-PLS for analysis. The results indicated that perceived social value was the most important determinant of purchase intentions for luxury goods, followed by perceived individual value. The study showed that consumer gender moderated the relationship between and individual value perception and social value perception on purchase intention. The research contributes to the literature, and this study is the first empirical test of a value structure for luxury goods in the Angolan market, so it allowed to better understand the disposition of these consumers in purchase intention according to the perceived value of luxury. Theoretical and practical implications will be discussed.
... It indicates that spiritually intelligent employees are more inclined to have a positive outlook towards others, making them more trustworthy. Likewise, Kurt et al. (2016) found a positive relationship between spirituality and trust. Based on the previous discussion, this study assumes a positive relationship between SI and trust, which can be justified through the JD-R model. ...
Purpose
This study aims to evaluate the impacts of human capital factors in terms of spiritual intelligence (SI), emotional intelligence (EI) and workplace attitude in terms of trust on organizational sustainability (OS) in the hotel industry in Malaysia. In addition, this study intends to examine the mediation role of trust between human capital factors and OS.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey method using a questionnaire was used to collect data from 361 employees, including middle management, who are in direct contact with guests in the hotel industry. The partial least squares technique, SmartPLS3.3.3, was used to examine the hypotheses.
Findings
The analysis found support for the impacts of SI, EI and trust on OS. Additionally, the mediation effect of trust was also supported.
Originality/value
This pioneering study has combined human capital factors (i.e. SI and EI) to predict their effects on OS in the hotel industry. Moreover, this research established relatively new relationships between SI and OS and between EI and OS through the mediation role of trust. Furthermore, this study confirmed the validity and reliability of SI, EI and OS at first and second orders. Given the adverse impact of COVID-19 and its variants on the sustainability of all business organizations, this research has highlighted the crucial role of human factors and workplace attitude in the sustainability of the hospitality sector during difficult times.
... AmaBomvane realise that although the intended outcomes of both healthcare practitioners and Indigenous practitioners are similar, each retain unique differences in their approach to the conceptualisation and implementation of their health knowledges. Within authentic affirmation, these differences are positioned as a strength developed through the building of trust (Kurt et al., 2016) mutual respect, openness and a genuine need to affirm and accord benefit to the other. ...
This article is informed by an outcome from a doctoral study that explored spirituality and collective wellbeing within Indigenous and Western healthcare practices in an Indigenous South African community. The study context consists of four communities in rural Bomvanaland, in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. The study is qualitative, utilising an ethnographic case study approach, with n = 52 participants. A two-level thematic, analytical strategy of theoretical propositions and connecting strategy was used to analyse the data. Results reveal current tensions within the community due to the conflicted understandings and approaches to healthcare and wellbeing practices between traditional practitioners and Western healthcare professionals that exist in their context. Participant narratives indicate the need for a contextual, holistic, collaborative process to inform healthcare practices within their community.
... Reinartz et al. (2009) explain that the minimum sample size to achieve a certain level of statistical power in PLS-SEM is always less than or equal to the size required for the covariance-based SEM. According to Reinartz et al. our sample (n = 225) is small, and the application of PLS-SEM is justified when the number of observations is fewer than 250 (Kurt et al., 2016). ...
In recent years, the luxury market has come to face important structural changes, such as the entry of new segments into the market and the use of the Internet as a sales channel. In this context, luxury brands must understand their young consumers' perception of social value while adapting to environmental changes. This study aims to validate an up-to-date model to determine the impact of perceived value of luxury brands on consumer behavior. To validate the model, we analyze attributes of luxury brands and the value assigned to those attributes. We collect the data from a survey (n = 225) and analyze the results with partial least squares-structural equation modeling. The results show that in our up-to-date model of perceived social value of luxury brands, the social component, as the only antecedent, has a major influence on consumer behavior; the results, however, fail to support our expectations of the impact of financial and functional brand perceptions. Furthermore, we find a relationship between overall luxury brand perception and behavioral and emotional outcomes for young consumers such that companies might consequently tailor their business strategies.
... The existence of networks demands the need for trust to reduce the perception of risks and uncertainties toward partnerships (Autio and Thomas, 2014;Klijn et al., 2015;Massaro et al., 2019;Shazi et al., 2015). More specifically, having a sense of membership, community, and value alignment in the network contributes to increase trust among the involved organizations, favoring their commitment with the network (Kurt et al., 2016). In this manner, networks also help to build trust, which contributes to the innovation ecosystem development (Pattinson et al., 2018a). ...
Purpose
There are indications that trust is essential in innovation ecosystems relations. However, studies have not yet focused on deeply exploring such connection. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the influence of trust among actors in the context of innovation ecosystems.
Design/methodology/approach
This study developed a conceptual framework and a set of propositions. We raised a discussion based on the intertwining of three widely known dimensions of trust (ability, benevolence and integrity) and four dimensions of innovation ecosystems (network collaboration, interdependency, value co-creation and innovation objectives).
Findings
This paper suggests that trust contributes to the development of innovation ecosystems’ dimensions. In addition, it sheds light on the need to consider all three dimensions of trust together and simultaneously, because, by itself, none of them is sufficient to build trust in innovation ecosystems. Also, we argue that the different connections between the dimensions of trust and those of innovation ecosystems lead to the development of such ecosystems.
Originality/value
Through the approach of an underexplored area of research, this paper contributes to a broad understanding of the role of trust in innovation ecosystems toward the pursuit of creating innovation. It also proposes a novelty to the field, by suggesting four dimensions of innovation ecosystems to help managers analyze ecosystems through a more practical perspective.
... First, the objective of the conceptual model here is prediction orientation, testing complex behavior, and explaining the variance in key target constructs (SMEs' performance; Chin, 2010;. Second, the research framework in this study shows complex behavior-that is, it contains six series of direct relationship and two moderating effects (Chin, 2010;Kurt, Yamin, Sinkovics, & Sinkovics, 2016;Patel, Manley, Hair Jr, Ferrell, & Pieper, 2016;Richter et al., 2016). Third, most of the constructs in social sciences or organization and management research, including this study, are design constructs or artifacts (Henseler, 2017) that are likely to be composites, and PLS-SEM is appropriate for dealing with such constructs (Cepeda-Carrion, Cegarra-Navarro, & Cillo, 2019). ...
This study investigates whether inter-firm relationships can raise innovation and overall performance during SME internationalization, focusing on how SMEs learn from firms in transnational markets and the nature of such relationships. It contributes to research by proposing the role of vicarious learning from networked firms in the host country to improve their absorptive capacity (ACAP), innovation, and overall performance. In particular, this study proposes the moderating roles of the strength of ties with and prior success experience of SMEs in the host country market for enhancing international SMEs' vicarious learning to improve their ACAP, innovation, and overall performance. Structural equation modeling was applied to a sample of 163 valid responses received from international SMEs operating in various industrial sectors in Saudi Arabia. The obtained results support the significantly positive role of international SMEs' vicarious learning from local firms in developing their ACAP and enhancing their innovation and overall performance. However, international SMEs must have strong ties with local firms and learn from such firms' prior success experiences to derive these benefits fully.
... In a study, Hassan, Nadeem, and Akhter (2016) found a significant positive relationship between spirit at work and trust which significantly mediates the impact of workplace spirituality on job satisfaction. Kurt et al. (2016) empirically asserted that spirituality functions as a significant antecedent of network commitment and trust in sampled business ventures. González (2018) mentions Santiago (2007)'s study in which encouraging spirituality at work is suggested to get benefits such as trust, commitment creativity, honesty, and self-fulfillment. ...
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of spiritual leadership on organizational trust and examine the relationship between both concepts.
Research Method: A multiple regression analysis was carried out using the data collected through spiritual leadership and organizational trust scales from 343 teachers.
Findings: The result of the study revealed that the dimensions of spiritual leadership have varying relationships with organizational trust, which is significantly predicted by altruistic love, hope/faith, and organizational commitment.
Implications for Research and Practice: Leaders’ role in enabling trust is a priority as they mainly decide and lead the value system of the organizations. Leaders in school contexts fulfill key roles in sustaining and developing organizational trust as they establish and support core values and truly accept members in schools. Spirituality is one of the concepts, which has been thought to have effects on trust in the organization.
Keywords: Organizational trust, spiritual leadership, schools, teachers, managers
... Namun demikian, meskipun dimensi spiritual telah mulai memberi warna bagi praktik pelaporan informasi sosial dan lingkungan perusahaan, hingga saat ini belum banyak penelitian yang mengeksplorasi keberadaan dimensi spiritual ini dalam praktik social and environmental accounting. Sejauh ini, sebagian besar penelitian yang telah terpublikasi pada umumnya lebih berfokus pada eksplorasi dimensi spiritual di dalam konteks pengembangan bisnis, tata kelola organisasi, manajemen sumber daya manusia, maupun budaya organisasi (lihat misalnya Weinberg & Locander, 2014;Chawla, 2016;Kurt, Yamin, Sinkovics, & Sinkovics, 2016;Milliman, Gatling, & Kim, 2018;dan Foster & Foster, 2019). Oleh karenanya, untuk mengisi kekosongan di dalam literatur, penelitian ini bermaksud untuk mengeksplorasi bagaimana dimensi spiritual diwujudkan dalam praktik pelaporan tanggung jawab sosial perusahaan secara beriringan dengan dimensi ekonomi, sosial, dan lingkungan. ...
Social and environmental accounting has attracted growing attention from companies in Indonesia as these companies face an increasing pressure to report their social and environmental responsibilities to the public. Despite this trend, however, Indonesia lacks a social and environmental reporting model that is relevant to its business environment, i.e., a model that incorporates the spiritual dimension, and not merely the economics, social, and environmental dimensions. The main aim of this study was to explore the spiritual dimension of the social and environmental reporting practices of a tourism company in Bali. The exploration was based on Tri Hita Karana, a local societal value held by the people of Bali. This study employed a two-phase research approach, where the first phase focused on exploring the social and environmental reporting practices of the company, while the second phase centered on refining and assessing the applicability of this reporting model in other companies. The results of this study show that the appropriate model of social and environmental accounting for Indonesian companies should consist of four dimensions: economic, environmental, social, and spiritual. Among these dimensions, the implementation of the spiritual dimension in social and environmental accounting faces the greatest challenges.
... In this study, we define the observer's commitment to the manufacturer as "a desire to develop a stable relationship, a willingness to make short-term sacrifices to maintain the relationship, and a confidence in the stability of the relationship" (Anderson & Weitz, 1992, p. 19). Previous research has mainly focused on the determinants of the level of commitment in an individual bilateral relationship (Bansal, Irving, & Taylor, 2004;Gao, Ghosh, & Qian, 2018;Geyskens, Steenkamp, Scheer, & Kumar, 1996;Gundlach et al., 1995;Gustafsson, Johnson, & Roos, 2005;Kurt, Yamin, Sinkovics, & Sinkovics, 2016). In general, scholars have concurred that trust, power, relationship continuity, communication, dependence, as well as the idiosyncratic investment in the manufacturer-distributor relationship, are major drivers of distributor commitment (Goodman & Dion, 2001). ...
A manufacturer-initiated reward event not only influences the awarded distributor but also alters the behaviors of the unrewarded distributors in the distribution network (i.e., observers). Going beyond a bilateral view of reward, this article examines the spillover effects of rewards on observers. Specifically, taking distributive fairness, procedural fairness, and the magnitude of the reward into consideration, this study postulates that these three aspects of the reward affect observers' level of commitment to the manufacturer through their malicious or benign envy of the awarded recipient. These hypotheses are tested with a survey of 204 distributors from multiple industries in China. The results reveal that distributive fairness of the reward strengthens observers' commitment by decreasing their malicious envy and increasing their benign envy and that procedural fairness and the magnitude of the reward enhance their commitment by increasing their benign envy. We also summarize the theoretical and practical implications about the findings.
... To answer this question, we collected data from participants in two Islamic business associations in Turkey. The participants are SMEs also known as Anatolian Tigers due to their geographical location and their business success (Kurt, Yamin, Sinkovics, & Sinkovics, 2016). ...
This paper sets out to investigate the role of religion and spirituality in a business network context, with an empirical focus on the international business development of Turkish SMEs. By drawing on the concept of homophily and tie strength, we argue that, while religion can act as a bridge and thus create a multitude of weak ties within a business network, spirituality can deepen these ties and make them stronger through increased emotional intensity, intimacy and reciprocal service. The data were collected from participants in two Islamic business associations in Turkey. The results suggest that spirituality indeed drives members’ commitment to the network and the presence of spirituality has a distinctive effect on members’ contributions to and demands on the network. More specifically, members who treat their network membership as an extension of their spiritual practice tend to mainly benefit from intangible resources, while members who view their shared religion as an entry point into the network seem to benefit from both tangible and intangible network resources. The findings have several theoretical and practical implications, including the introduction of the spirituality concept into the discussion of homophily and tie strength in business networks, and the role of home networks in the internationalization of SMEs.
... Thus, IGT managers who share a common perception that the ION partners can be trusted will reciprocate by increasing their individual level of affective attachment to the ION (Malewicki, 2005;Pollack, Coy, Green, & Davis, 2015). In particular, having positive expectations about ION organizations' behaviours might lead to reciprocating the exchange with partners perceived to be an integral/essential part of the network's business (Kurt, Yamin, Sinkovics, & Sinkovics, 2016). Based on Malewicki (2005), we argue that perceiving that the different ION partners are working together in a reliable and satisfying way leads IGT managers to be confident about the interorganizational collaboration, reinforcing their desire to contribute to the ION's course of actions. ...
Some organizations collaborate with other partner organizations to reach common goals, establishing interorganizational networks. The governance of the network is often enacted by an interorganizational governing team composed of the directors or top managers of the partner firms. This team plans, manages, and supervises the advancement of the network’s common goals. The success of the network depends, to a large extent, on the involvement of the members of the governing team. In this study, we tested a multilevel model of the antecedents of the involvement of governing team members in the management activities of interorganizational networks. We examined whether the relationship between team interorganizational trust, as a team level construct, and individual involvement in management activities is partially mediated by individual affective commitment. Using a sample of 101 respondents belonging to 28 interorganizational governing teams, we tested a multilevel mediation model. Results showed, as expected, a positive indirect effect of team interorganizational trust on individual involvement through individual affective commitment. However, unexpectedly, team interorganizational trust also showed a negative direct relationship with individual involvement. Based on our findings, we highlight the need to also consider the “dark side” of interorganizational trust, and we propose potential mediators to explain the unexpected negative relationship.
... However, commitment cannot be taken for granted, thus understanding its antecedents is important to favor the development of this healthy attitude. Therefore, the aim of this article is to bridge the gap regarding the particular antecedent conditions that give rise to commitment, which was raised by Clarke (2006) and recently confirmed by Kurt et al. (2016) with a specific focus on affective commitment. As anticipated, the literature regarding the antecedents of network commitment is not very broad, and it mainly looks at commitment as a unidimensional construct, i.e. without taking the different components into consideration. ...
Purpose
To hinder the high failure rate of strategic networks, recently scholars have concentrated on behavioral aspects such as trust, conflict management, resolution and commitment as fundamental antecedents of strategic network performance. Within this context, this paper focuses on the antecedents of affective commitment, based on the rationale that an increasing affective commitment cannot occur naturally during network evolution. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to understand how affective commitment is achieved along the development process of small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) strategic networks.
Design/methodology/approach
To address the aim of the paper, a qualitative approach based on multiple case studies was used. Two case studies of Italian SME strategic networks having an increasing and decreasing level of affective commitment were selected to have a base of comparison, following a “polar types” theoretical sampling approach.
Findings
By comparing two cases in which partners show a different affective commitment along the network development process, this study allows providing a twofold contribution. The former is to unveil the most relevant elements partners may rely on to achieve an increasing affective commitment and the latter is to propose a dynamic approach toward the study of affective commitment in SME strategic networks.
Research limitations/implications
Considering the limited generalizability of this exploratory study due to the analysis of two cases, future studies with a larger number of strategic multipartner networks can expand the understanding of the dynamics leading to increasing commitment.
Practical implications
The paper provides a series of practical guidelines for managers to create a trusting environment with a high level of affective commitment within the context of SME networks, which can contribute to their survival.
Originality/value
The originality of the study consists in having adopted a dynamic approach toward studying affective commitment in the context of SME networks, which resulted in the identification of relevant factors that can lead to increasing affective commitment.
... Moreover, long-term oriented behavior based on the relationship is considered valuable and needed for the development of trust (Kurt, Yamin, N. Sinkovics, & R. R. Sinkovics, 2016;Jarillo, 1988); commitment being expected and fulfillment would in turn strengthen trust (Selnes, 1998). The reasons for the different results of presented structures to the formation process of relationship strength have, however, not been enough systematically studied. ...
In the industrial market, electricity is an essential resource for production, as a stop in its flow may cause expensive production loss and thus tremendous cost. This strong resource dependence and the inevitable competition that comes with deregulation of the market, makes the electricity business complex and relationships of long-term orientation to form. To study such relationships, a mixed method is applied to provide contextual knowledge: by four interviews and a descriptive model and a structural model with three hypotheses developed (n = 122). Managers of products that may seem simple and traded in a market where low cost prevails should think again - stable relationships are a necessity for rational decisions also in this case, particularly since interdependence is influential.
... Recently, Turkish SMEs have achieved high levels of success in both national and international markets, providing an interesting research area given its specific characteristics as a candidate for European Union (EU) membership and as a Muslim country following a Western-style market economy (Kurt et al., 2016). These SMEs are known as triggers of the economic development and modernization of Turkey, and their success is associated with their effective network mechanisms based upon trust relations (Bu gra, 2002;Hosgör, 2011;Keyman and Koyuncu, 2005). ...
Purpose
This study looks to the answer of whether importers and exporters can develop relational trust and minimize the monitoring and control costs used to prevent opportunistic behavior in a trust relationship. Despite increasing scholarly interest in calculative and relational trust, the boundary conditions affecting the transformation of calculative trust into relational trust remain unaddressed. In response, this study aims to investigate the boundary conditions for the emergence of relational trust in inter-organizational relationships between Chinese exporters and Turkish importers.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from Turkish SMEs that import from China. To measure trust between parties, semi-structured interviews with top managers and/or decision-making company owners were conducted. Interview questions covered three categories: antecedents of trust, ways of developing trust and outcomes of trust.
Findings
Results indicated that inter-organizational relationships between Chinese and Turkish firms lack relational-based trust. Most trade transactions between two parties are based on calculations of profit/loss, and Turkish firms use intermediary mechanisms to overcome lack of trust in this environment. The most important boundary conditions for the emergence of relational trust are behavioral uncertainty, the opportunistic behavior of Chinese suppliers and language and cultural barriers.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the existing literature by addressing the hitherto unaddressed question of what the boundary conditions are for the transformation of calculative trust into relational trust.
... Hence, given its exploratory and theory-building nature, PLS-SEM is the most appropriate method for this research. Secondly, we developed a complex model in terms of both the number of relationships and also the inclusion of both direct and moderated effects between constructs, for which PLS offers robust solutions (Hair, Hult, Ringle, & Sarstedt, 2017;Kurt, Yamin, Sinkovics, & Sinkovics, 2016). Finally, with PLS-SEM, the sample size must meet only minimal requirements in order for robust statistical power to be gained (Hair, Sarstedt, Pieper, & Ringle, 2012;Henseler et al., 2009;Lohmöller, 1989). ...
In this study we examine the effect of matching, a comprehensive networking concept, on the perceived export barriers and export performance of small exporting firms. We introduce matching as a moderating variable affecting the link of perceived internal/external export barriers to export performance. Using a sample of 106 UK-based exporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs), we find that matching alleviates the negative impact of perceived internal export barriers on export performance. Furthermore, the empirical results show that export experience and export commitment reduce managers' perceived internal and external export barriers. The study shows that matching, as a networking-tool at multiple levels, can help to overcome export barriers, thus providing a mechanism to offset challenges opened up through nationalistic policies.
... Trust is considered to be as one of the essential prerequisites for the successful development of relationships. Trust acts as a mediator in building long-term relationships/promoting customer loyalty (Kurt, Yamin, Sinkovics, & Sinkovics, 2016;Picón-Berjoyo, Ruiz-Moreno, & Castro, 2016) and reduces the social complexity, inevitable and growing in modern society (Østergaard, 2015;Tong, Zhang, & Wang, 2016). Some researchers believe that trust is a factor that ensures the quality of cooperation. ...
The banking sector has developed and extended the use of its services in the past decade. In fact, nowadays mobile banking (M-banking) is the most developing service offered by a bank. In order to encourage customers to use m-banking services, it is extremely important to get clients to trust the M-banking services provided by the bank. This article discusses private clients’ trust in mobile banking in Latvia. Hence, the goal of the research is to identify the key factors driving individual customer’s confidence in mobile banking. In order to determine the weight of each factor, expert evaluation method based on analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was used. The results showed that the most vital factor affecting private clients’ trust in mobile banking is customer characteristics, especially customers’ computer literacy. However, after summarizing all the subfactors, it became clear that the most powerful in the trust-building process is convenience/practicality of using a mobile application. However, there is a limitation – the survey was conducted by interviewing experts, which means that the results may differ from the responses of the clients themselves.
... To answer this question, we collected data from participants in two Islamic business associations in Turkey. The participants are SMEs also known as Anatolian Tigers due to their geographical location and their business success (Kurt, Yamin, Sinkovics, & Sinkovics, 2016). ...
The traditional economic perspectives have considered individuals as the perfectly rationale and argued that their network commitment was driven by utilitarian, profit- and utility-maximizing motivations and economic self- interests (Blau, 1964; Provan and Milward, 1995; Ring, 1997). However, humans, who are the core actors of network relationships, are not only rational also spiritual and emotional beings and their motivation to commit into networks could also be profoundly driven by higher-order spiritual dimensions of human life (Rego and Cunha, 2008; Kurt et al., 2016). The present paper introduces spirituality as the key antecedent of trust and network commitment, and aims to reveal how distinctive features of spiritual- based networks affect the internationalization performance of the member SMEs. It further argues that spiritual antecedent conditions of networks affect both network outcomes and in particular the way members benefit from the networks. A hundred and twenty questionnaires were conducted through face-to-face meetings with owners/managers of the sample firms. The results empirically confirm that spirituality operates as a significant antecedent of network commitment and trust, which affect network outcomes and in turn internationalization performance of the member firms.
... Many believers refer to their God as a key role model for their behaviour Bader 2008, 2010), while an individual's connection to, and views related to, Allah or God (the sacred) is essential parts of many religions and the basis of an adherent's spirituality (Smith 2008). Specifically, an individual's view of God provides us with a straightforward proxy for understanding different interpretations individuals hold regarding beliefs in the divine (Bader and Froese 2005;Buchko and Witzig 2003;Evans and Adams 2003;Froese and Bader 2004;Hardesty et al. 2010;Kurt et al. 2016;Shariff and Norenzayan 2011;Walker et al. 2012). An individual's view of God therefore constitutes the ontological basis of a person's sense of self and society (Bader and Froese 2005), which might in turn influence his/her attitudes and behaviours in work and business situations in organisations. ...
... The size of a firm is determined by the number of employees; small firms are up to 99 employees, medium firms employ between 100 and 499, and large firms employ 500 or more (Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, 2017). Kurt, Yamin, Sinkovics, and Sinkovics's (2016) research into network commitment found that, while spirituality was a significant antecedent, firm size was less important among 120 respondents of small and medium enterprises from four Anatolian Tigers. 2 Although Tsafe and Rahman's (2013) study among 63 respondents from four microfinance firms in Malaysia found shariah spirituality influenced board service performance, they also found that neutral shariah spirituality based on personal moral principles was a significant influence. Information as to whether the board service improved the firms' performance was not discussed. ...
Spirituality in the workplace has become an organizational behaviour issue in Canada. As 75% of Canadians indicate a religious affiliation, and as immigration and foreign worker programs lend themselves to an increasingly diverse workforce, there is a growing concern for Canadian employers to meet employees' spirituality needs. Further, evolving spirituality definitions demand a study to help organizations better serve employee needs. This research seeks to identify the types and extent of spirituality accommodation in Canadian organizations. Based on an extensive literature review and analysis of employer practices pertaining to spirituality needs, this study constructs four categories of spiritual practices: traditional religion, new age, community service, and creativity. The findings show significantly higher accommodation for creativity and community service than for traditional religion and new age practices. This paper proposes four recommendations to help managers manage spirituality ethically and equitably.
... Many believers refer to their God as a key role model for their behaviour Bader 2008, 2010), while an individual's connection to, and views related to, Allah or God (the sacred) is essential parts of many religions and the basis of an adherent's spirituality (Smith 2008). Specifically, an individual's view of God provides us with a straightforward proxy for understanding different interpretations individuals hold regarding beliefs in the divine (Bader and Froese 2005;Buchko and Witzig 2003;Evans and Adams 2003;Froese and Bader 2004;Hardesty et al. 2010;Kurt et al. 2016;Shariff and Norenzayan 2011;Walker et al. 2012). An individual's view of God therefore constitutes the ontological basis of a person's sense of self and society (Bader and Froese 2005), which might in turn influence his/her attitudes and behaviours in work and business situations in organisations. ...
While there is a widespread acceptance of the link between religiosity and ethics, there is less certainty how this influence occurs exactly, necessitating further research into these issues. A main roadblock to our understanding of this influence from an Islamic perspective is the absence of a validated measurement tool. The purpose of this study therefore is to develop a Scale of Muslims’ Views of Allah (SMVA). This article discusses how the SMVA was developed through the following five steps: (1) establishment of content and face validity; (2) application of a cognitive interviewing technique to pretest the SMVA with sixteen participants; (3) pilot testing of the SMVA with twelve participants; (4) administration of the SMVA online to marketing and management professionals (n = 472) via a multi-stage cluster sampling process to verify the scale’s reliability and validity; and (5) testing criterion-related validity. The results showed that the newly constructed 13-item scale had adequate psychometric properties. Finally, the implications for organisations, limitations and future research are discussed.
... Although most theory and research have focused on leadership and management, and their spirituality, in the past decade organizational research on spirituality of individual employees in organizations has blossomed. Recent organizational research provides extensive evidence of the different ways in which employees contribute to organizational outcomes through their spirituality at work, including increasing employee satisfaction and organizational commitment (Lee et al. 2014), supporting innovative work behaviour (Afsar and Badir 2017), increasing employee engagement (Roof 2015), reducing workplace stress (Pandey 2014), nurturing an organizational learning culture (Sorakraikitikul and Siengthai 2014), reducing deviant behaviour at work (Ahmad and Omar 2014), enabling creativity (Shinde and Fleck 2015), developing compassion (Karakas and Sarigollu 2013), increasing meaningful work (Molloy and Foust 2016), and fostering organizational trust (Kurt et al. 2016). Karakas (2010) has introduced three perspectives on how spirituality benefits employees and supports organizational performance: (a) spirituality enhances employee well-being and quality of life; (b) spirituality provides employees a sense of purpose and meaning at work; (c) spirituality provides employees a sense of interconnectedness and community. ...
This paper explores organizational spirituality, uncovers it as spiralling dynamics of both positive and negative potentialities, and proposes how leaders can shape these dynamics to improve the human conditions at the workplace. Based on case study of five Turkish organizations and drawing on the emerging discourse on spirituality in organizations literature, this study provides a deeper understanding of how dynamic patterns of spirituality operate in organizations. Insights from participant observation, organizational data, and semi-structured interviews yield three key themes of organizational spirituality: reflexivity, connectivity, and responsibility. Each of these themes has been found to be connected to upward spirals (inspiration, engagement, and calling) and downward spirals (incivility, silence, and fatigue). The study provides a detailed and holistic account of the individual and organizational processes through which spirituality is enacted both positively and negatively, exploring its dynamic and dualistic nature, as embodied in the fabric of everyday life and culture.
... These elements of social exchange have been discussed extensively in literature on collaborative buyer-seller relationships, as in the studies by Morgan and Hunt (1994), Kumar et al. (1995), Ring and Van de Ven (1994), Hausman and Johnston (2010), Tomlinson and Fai (2013) and Pala et al. (2014), among others. They have recently also been considered at supply chain level (Wu et al., 2014) and at network level, as in the recent studies by Capaldo and Giannoccaro (2015) and Kurt et al. (2016), with which our study concurs. ...
Purpose
This study aims to use expectation disconfirmation theory (EDT) to investigate how an organization’s satisfaction with its supply network’s behavior influences its intention to open innovation with that network. This paper proposes that an organization’s orientation to open innovation is influenced by confirmation of previously held expectations of trust and commitment and level of perceived procedural justice in its open innovation partner. This paper also examines the effect of this orientation on the organization’s supply chain competence.
Design/methodology/approach
Using data from a survey of 286 European firms, the study proposes and evaluates a structural equation model.
Findings
The results show that a positive disconfirmation of trust (where perceived trust exceeds expectations) plays a crucial role in shaping organizations’ intentions to continue open innovation with their supply networks. These results show that disconfirmation is a good predictor of overall satisfaction with open innovation. This paper also confirms the positive effect of orientation to open innovation on supply chain competence. Finally, this paper obtained evidence for the positive effect of supply chain competence on firm performance.
Originality/value
This study shows the importance of managing expectations in open innovation under the EDT. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no previous research has analyzed the consistency between the trust and commitment an organization expects from its open innovation partner and the trust and commitment it ultimately perceives as a factor explaining its degree of orientation to open innovation. Therefore, this research contributes to a better understanding of open innovation enablers and also its consequences.
... They implement various second-order constructs and develop a scale of partnership success using PLS-SEM. Likewise related to partnership, in their paper "Spirituality as an antecedent of trust and network commitment: The case of Anatolian Tigers", Kurt, Yamin, Sinkovics, and Sinkovics (2016) explore the role of spirituality for trust and network commitment in a specific context in Turkey. Their aim is to understand the role of spirituality, modeled as a second-order construct, for the commitment within a network of firms (i.e., Anatolian Tigers). ...
... Many believers refer to their God as a key role model for their behaviour Bader 2008, 2010), while an individual's connection to, and views related to, Allah or God (the sacred) is essential parts of many religions and the basis of an adherent's spirituality (Smith 2008). Specifically, an individual's view of God provides us with a straightforward proxy for understanding different interpretations individuals hold regarding beliefs in the divine (Bader and Froese 2005;Buchko and Witzig 2003;Evans and Adams 2003;Froese and Bader 2004;Hardesty et al. 2010;Kurt et al. 2016;Shariff and Norenzayan 2011;Walker et al. 2012). An individual's view of God therefore constitutes the ontological basis of a person's sense of self and society (Bader and Froese 2005), which might in turn influence his/her attitudes and behaviours in work and business situations in organisations. ...
... Recent organizational research provides extensive evidence of the different ways in which employees contribute to organizational outcomes through their spirituality at work, including increasing employee satisfaction and organizational commitment (Lee, Lovelace, and Manz, 2014), supporting innovative work behavior (Afsar and Badir, 2017), increasing employee engagement (Roof, 2015), reducing workplace stress (Pandey, 2014), nurturing an organizational learning culture (Sorakraikitikul and Siengthai, 2014), reducing deviant behavior at work (Ahmad and Omar, 2014), enabling creativity (Shinde and Fleck, 2015), developing compassion ( Karakas and Sarigollu, 2013), increasing meaningful work (Molloy and Foust, 2016), and fostering organizational trust ( Kurt et al., 2016). Karakas (2010) has introduced three perspectives on how spirituality benefits employees and supports organizational performance: a) Spirituality enhances employee well-being and quality of life; b) Spirituality provides employees a sense of purpose and meaning at work; c) Spirituality provides employees a sense of interconnectedness and community. ...
Based on case studies of five organizations and 40 qualitative interviews, we identify three key themes of organizational spirituality that capture positive patterns of spiritual organizing. The first is organizational spiritual reflexivity, which captures a shared sense of reflection across organizational members to find deeper meaning. The second is organizational spiritual connectivity, which denotes an organizational climate characterized by high quality connections and interpersonal sensitivity. The third is organizational spiritual responsibility, which represents assumed collective responsibility for the impact of the organization’s actions on the spiritual well-being of employees, customers, and other stakeholders. These three themes trigger upward spirals of inspiration, engagement, and calling respectively. However, the study also reports on negative dynamics of organizational spirituality; namely downward spirals of incivility, silence, and fatigue. When taken together, these spirals provide dynamic pictures and narratives of collective spiritual organizing; contributing to a non-linear and dynamic perspective on workplace spirituality.
... They implement various second-order constructs and develop a scale of partnership success using PLS-SEM. Likewise related to partnership, in their paper "Spirituality as an antecedent of trust and network commitment: The case of Anatolian Tigers", Kurt, Yamin, Sinkovics, and Sinkovics (2016) explore the role of spirituality for trust and network commitment in a specific context in Turkey. Their aim is to understand the role of spirituality, modeled as a second-order construct, for the commitment within a network of firms (i.e., Anatolian Tigers). ...
The aim of this chapter is to analysis how stakeholders' network can affect business models, and more precisely, how relationship marketing through trust and commitment intervenes in this relationship. In fact, a firm is perceived to be embedded in a network of relationships within which value is jointly created and shared in stakeholders' interactions. The relationship between a company and its stakeholders in a network provides different values and resources that can influence a business model. The strength of the ties in a network can be achieved through relationship marketing which aims the creation, development, and maintaining of a sustainable exchange relation. Indeed, relationship marketing acts through the establishment of a climate of trust and commitment between the company and the various stakeholders. This study wraps up with a proposal of a conceptual model, linking the different components of our research. The chapter has theoretical contributions, particularly in terms of the creation and development of relational value in a network .
This systematic review synthesises the available evidence regarding the European understanding of workplace spirituality (definitions), the importance of spirituality and religion (evidence) as well as spiritual leadership (meaning and practice) in for-profitorganizations. The search for eligible studies was conducted in OPAC Plus, SCOPUS, Science Direct, JSTOR, EBSCO, and Google Scholar from 2007/01 to 2017/07. Three independent scholars extracted the data. Twenty studies were included (two mixed-methods, eight quantitative, ten qualitative) for the final quality assessment. A study quality assessment and thematic analysis was conducted. This review gives suggestions for study quality improvement and reporting. Thematically, two different approaches to religion and spirituality (R/S) were detected: a) work has a spiritual dimension and b) religious and spiritual orientation as “spiritual capital”. Studies demonstrated positive effect on job satisfaction, health, commitment, company productivity and sustainability; Christian leadership does not address personal religious orientation; the spiritual dimension may lead to a change of perspective; workplace spirituality may exploit people for profit-oriented business goals; non-white Muslims experience discrimination. This systematic review provides robust evidence and findings for evidence-informed policymaking and encourages a more rigorous research in this field of study.
Purpose
Mental wellbeing brings in multiple benefits to employees and their organizations like better decision-making capacity, greater productivity, resilience and so on. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship of a few antecedents of mental wellbeing like workplace spirituality, mindfulness and self-compassion, using structural equation modeling (SEM).
Design/methodology/approach
Using the convenience sampling method, data were collected from 333 employees of various organizations in India and SEM was performed using the R Program to test the hypotheses.
Findings
Results suggest that mindfulness and self-compassion influenced the mental wellbeing of employees. It was also observed that workplace spirituality has a significant influence on both mindfulness and self-compassion.
Originality/value
An in-depth review of the literature revealed that no previous studies had examined the complex relationship between workplace spirituality, mindfulness, self-compassion and the mental wellbeing of employees. This research suggests that workplace spirituality, mindfulness and self-compassion are important factors that influence employees' mental wellbeing, and it empirically tests this in a developing country context. The present study enriches the literature studies on mental wellbeing, mindfulness, self-compassion and workplace spirituality by integrating “mindfulness to meaning theory”, “socio-emotional selectivity theory”, and “broaden and build theory”.
Since the pre-colonial era and across Nigeria’s key spatial cultural groups, indigenous entrepreneurs have developed unique strategies in their exporting activities. Interestingly, the stark reality of Nigeria’s challenging business environment has pushed these entrepreneurs to alternative ways of exporting activities. Thus, they have been able to enhance the structure of exporting trade by fostering stronger regional ties based on family/kinship, culture and religion. Of particular interest is the mechanism of trust, which refers to a set of shared expectations that enable entrepreneurs deal with the uncertainties in their exporting activities. The consensus that trust promotes network relations becomes pertinent in the light of Nigeria’s unique socio-economic landscape, where formal institutional arrangements such as courts and regulations appear to be underdeveloped. Thus, through a rich empirical study of Nigerian SMEs, this thesis highlights the complex phenomena of trust shaping relationships across Nigeria’s three main ethnic blocs.
At a theoretical level, the study draws on two main perspectives: embeddedness and institutional logics as they form the core of the issue at the center. The thesis also draws on complimentary perspectives from entrepreneurship and internationalisation as they presuppose an understanding of entrepreneurial behaviour located within social and institutional contexts. At the empirical level, a qualitative approach guided the investigation of 42 exporting SMEs across the three main Nigerian blocs. Through semi-structured interviews, the findings reveal that entrepreneurs were found to rely on personal trust relationships to address the limitations of weak and deficient state backed institutions. They also mostly relied on indigenous institutions, such as ties to family, chieftaincy and religion, combined with trade associations, in facilitating internationalisation activities. The findings from this study also reveal particular issues of trust building, trustworthiness, distrust and trust repair; especially as it relates to SMEs across Nigeria’s three main cultural blocs. This advantage provided a true picture which reflected the commonalities and differences of trust across the three main cultural blocs and provided a basis for uncovering new aspects of trust research.
In sum, this study makes a case by contributing to the theoretical understanding of trust, SME internationalisation and networks relationships. This is in response to the growing concern that entrepreneurial behaviour has to be understood from the context in which it occurs. With this in mind, the paucity of research in this context advances the need to examine trust relationships in uncharted territories such as Nigeria. Slanted more positively, this study therefore has practical and policy implications for enhancing our understanding of trust as it is embedded in culturally specific social relations.
In the presented second part of the article the ego, micro and macro factors
influencing the formation and development of creative leadership as a managerial
competence are revealed. The first group of factors includes value-orientation
component, health, psychological aspects of personality, level of education,
professionalism and qualification, morality, creative, emotional and communicative
potential. The second and third groups include factors, respectively, internal and
external environment of the enterprise. The index of creative leadership as the
managerial competence of the employee and its components is described by the
analytical method.
The results of factor analysis of the necessary and sufficient conditions for the
formation and development of creative leadership as a managerial competence
based on value-oriented approach are shown. They allowed to model in practice
the influence of value-oriented motivation of the head as a creative leader on the
innovative development of the enterprise, as well as to identify the actions of
managers leading to degradation of employees and enterprise
Studies on workplace spirituality have paid limited attention on its manifestation in the emerging forms of organizations. All the significant elements of spirituality including the emergence of shared values, meaningfulness of work, finding the whole/completeness in work, and transcendence through commitment to a larger cause have generally been discussed in the context of large organizations with focus on a defined group of employees. Some studies focusing on entrepreneurship and community network-based spirituality do look at the mechanism of manifestation of spirituality in other contexts but often fail to incorporate the role of leadership in such cases. This study based on the case of Faking News, a pioneering venture in online satirical news content in India, looks at how the elements of spirituality apply in the online venture context with small team size and high reliance on volunteers. Drawing inferences from a detailed interview with the founder Rahul Roushan, the study shows that all the elements applied generally in the context of large organizations with a substantive employee strength apply to this venture as well. In addition, as a leader-led online venture, the development of commitment here was based on the values of both the leader and those who were associated with it. However, it needs to be noted that achieving transcendence and commitment in a venture related to freedom of expression and similar values may be inherently amenable to achieving these goals. The chapter ends with some suggestions for further study of spirituality in the emerging organizational milieu.
This study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding about the mechanism that underlies the detrimental effects of workplace spirituality (WPS) dimensions on employee unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB), directly as well as indirectly, through job satisfaction. Using a sample consisting of 458 employees in various organizations in China, this study reveals that two dimensions of WPS are positively associated with UPB. Also the results of this paper show that each of the three dimensions of WPS has a significant positive relationship with job satisfaction. Furthermore, this study successfully confirms the mediating effect of job satisfaction in the relationship between WPS dimensions and UPB. Finally, theoretical and practical implications, future research directions and limitations of this study are discussed at the end of this research article.
Purpose
– The “academic revolution” that has taken place over the past 50-60 years has brought about many opportunities, but also challenges, in the lives of academics. The “publish or perish” phenomenon can be seen as one manifestation of the heated competition among universities for talent and resources. The resulting increase in publications, the decrease in the time academics have to read them, together with editors’ call for more originality, innovation, and meaning in submitted manuscripts lead to two questions. What techniques can help researchers and PhD students to effectively and efficiently navigate through large bodies of literature? What tools and techniques can be used to enhance the foundations for theorising? The purpose of this paper is to answer these two interrelated questions.
Design/methodology/approach
– The abstracts of 410 peer-reviewed journal articles connected to ethics in (international) marketing research are explored with software tools. The freely available VOSviewer software is used to visualise the specified body of literature. NVivo is employed to go deeper and explore specific themes identified through VOSviewer.
Findings
– A total of 17 clusters were identified, representing the major themes in the selected body of literature. Additionally, a number of research avenues and research questions are presented.
Research limitations/implications
– The analysis is based on the information provided in abstracts. Future research may wish to extend the analysis to full articles.
Originality/value
– The paper contributes by demonstrating how software tools such as VOSviewer and NVivo can be used to explore large bodies of literature and to experiment with research ideas to enhance the foundations for theorising.
Provides a nontechnical introduction to the partial least squares (PLS) approach. As a logical base for comparison, the PLS approach for structural path estimation is contrasted to the covariance-based approach. In so doing, a set of considerations are then provided with the goal of helping the reader understand the conditions under which it might be reasonable or even more appropriate to employ this technique. This chapter builds up from various simple 2 latent variable models to a more complex one. The formal PLS model is provided along with a discussion of the properties of its estimates. An empirical example is provided as a basis for highlighting the various analytic considerations when using PLS and the set of tests that one can employ is assessing the validity of a PLS-based model. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
The notion of ‘networks’ has been applied by a growing number of researchers in different business and management sub-disciplines including organisational studies (Salancik, 1995; Uzzi, 1996; Zaheer and Bell, 2005; Kilduff and Brass, 2010; Tichy et al., 1979), knowledge management (Cross and Parker, 2004; Reagans and McEvily, 2003), innovation (Freeman, 1991; Ahuja, 2000; Dhanaraj and Parkhe, 20 06) and international business and marketing (Coviello and Munro, 1997, 1995; Ellis, 2000, 2011; Johanson and Vahlne, 2009; Zhou et al., 2007; Sharma and Blomstermo, 2003; Tikkanen, 1998; Mattsson, 1997; Johanson and Mattsson, 1985). However, while the notion of networks has beena potent idea in the social sciences (Borgatti et al., 2009), most application of the network concept has been criticised for being ‘merely descriptive’ (ibid.) and not going beyond loose metaphorical narratives.
Purpose
– The “academic revolution” that has taken place over the past 50-60 years has brought about many opportunities, but also challenges, in the lives of academics. The “publish or perish” phenomenon can be seen as one manifestation of the heated competition among universities for talent and resources. The resulting increase in publications, the decrease in the time academics have to read them, together with editors’ call for more originality, innovation, and meaning in submitted manuscripts lead to two questions. What techniques can help researchers and PhD students to effectively and efficiently navigate through large bodies of literature? What tools and techniques can be used to enhance the foundations for theorising? The purpose of this paper is to answer these two interrelated questions.
Design/methodology/approach
– The abstracts of 410 peer-reviewed journal articles connected to ethics in (international) marketing research are explored with software tools. The freely available VOSviewer software is used to visualise the specified body of literature. NVivo is employed to go deeper and explore specific themes identified through VOSviewer.
Findings
– A total of 17 clusters were identified, representing the major themes in the selected body of literature. Additionally, a number of research avenues and research questions are presented.
Research limitations/implications
– The analysis is based on the information provided in abstracts. Future research may wish to extend the analysis to full articles.
Originality/value
– The paper contributes by demonstrating how software tools such as VOSviewer and NVivo can be used to explore large bodies of literature and to experiment with research ideas to enhance the foundations for theorising.
Purpose – Indirect or mediated effects constitute a type of relationship between constructs that often occurs in partial least squares path modeling (PLS). Over the past few years, the methods for testing mediation have become more sophisticated. However, many researchers continue to use outdated methods to test mediating effects in PLS, which can lead to erroneous results. One reason for the use of outdated methods or even the lack of their use altogether is that no systematic tutorials on PLS exist that draw on the newest statistical findings.
Design/methodology/approach – This study illustrates the state-of-the-art use of mediation analysis in the context of PLS.
Findings – This study facilitates the adoption of modern procedures in PLS by challenging the conventional approach to mediation analysis and providing alternatives that are more accurate. In addition, we propose a decision tree and classification of mediating effects.
Originality/value – Our recommended approach offers a wide range of testing options (e.g., multiple mediators) that go beyond simple mediation analysis alternatives, helping researchers discuss their studies in a more accurate way.
Purpose
– Partial least squares (PLS) path modeling is a variance-based structural equation modeling (SEM) technique that is widely applied in business and social sciences. Its ability to model composites and factors makes it a formidable statistical tool for new technology research. Recent reviews, discussions, and developments have led to substantial changes in the understanding and use of PLS. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
– This paper aggregates new insights and offers a fresh look at PLS path modeling. It presents new developments, such as consistent PLS, confirmatory composite analysis, and the heterotrait-monotrait ratio of correlations.
Findings
– PLS path modeling is the method of choice if a SEM contains both factors and composites. Novel tests of exact fit make a confirmatory use of PLS path modeling possible.
Originality/value
– This paper provides updated guidelines of how to use PLS and how to report and interpret its results.
Channels research has consistently argued that asymmetric channel relationships are more dysfunctional than those characterized by symmetric interdependence. The authors propose that the degree of both interdependence asymmetry and total interdependence affect the level of interfirm conflict, trust, and commitment. Using survey data from automobile dealers, they demonstrate that, with increasing interdependence asymmetry, the dealer's trust in and commitment to the supplier decline while interfirm conflict increases. In addition, they demonstrate that relationships with greater total interdependence exhibit higher trust, stronger commitment, and lower conflict than relationships with lower interdependence. The effects on conflict are consistent with those predicted by bilateral deterrence theory, and the effects on trust and commitment are in accord with the authors' bilateral convergence predictions.
In this paper, we review and analyze the emerging network paradigm in organizational research. We begin with a conventional review of recent research organized around recognized research streams. Next, we analyze this research, developing a set of dimensions along which network studies vary, including direction of causality, levels of analysis, explanatory goals, and explanatory mechanisms. We use the latter two dimensions to construct a 2-by-2 table cross-classifying studies of network consequences into four canonical types: structural social capital, social access to resources, contagion, and environmental shaping. We note the rise in popularity of studies with a greater sense of agency than was traditional in network research.
This paper presents the results of a comparative study of interorganizational networks, or systems, of mental health delivery in four U.S. cities, leading to a preliminary theory of network effectiveness. Extensive data were collected from surveys, interviews, documents, and observations. Network effectiveness was assessed by collecting and aggregating data on outcomes from samples of clients, their families, and their case managers at each site. Results of analyses of both quantitative and qualitative data collected at the individual, organizational, and network levels of analysis showed that network effectiveness could be explained by various structural and contextual factors, specifically, network integration, external control, system stability, and environmental resource munificence. Based on the findings, we develop testable propositions to guide theory development and future research on network effectiveness.
Discriminant validity assessment has become a generally accepted prerequisite for analyzing relationships between latent variables. For variance-based structural equa-tion modeling, such as partial least squares, the Fornell-Larcker criterion and the examination of cross-loadings are the dominant approaches for evaluating discriminant validity. By means of a simulation study, we show that these ap-proaches do not reliably detect the lack of discriminant valid-ity in common research situations. We therefore propose an alternative approach, based on the multitrait-multimethod ma-trix, to assess discriminant validity: the heterotrait-monotrait ratio of correlations. We demonstrate its superior performance by means of a Monte Carlo simulation study, in which we compare the new approach to the Fornell-Larcker criterion and the assessment of (partial) cross-loadings. Finally, we provide guidelines on how to handle discriminant validity issues in variance-based structural equation modeling.
This paper addresses Rönkkö & Evermann’s (2013) criticisms of the partial least squares (PLS) approach to structural equation modeling (SEM). We contend that the alleged shortcomings of PLS are not due to problems with the technique, but instead to three problems with Rönkkö & Evermann’s (2013) study: (1) the adherence to the common factor model, (2) a very limited simulation designs, and (3) over-stretched generalizations of their findings. Whereas Rönkkö & Evermann (2013) claim to be dispelling myths about PLS, they have in reality created new myths that we, in turn, debunk. By examining their claims, our paper contributes to re-establishing a constructive discussion of the PLS method and its properties. We show that PLS does offer advantages for exploratory research and that it is a viable estimator for composite factor models. This can pose an interesting alternative if the common factor model does not hold. Therefore, we can conclude that PLS should continue to be used as an important statistical tool for management and organizational research, as well as other social science disciplines.
While information on multidimensional constructs and empirical methods has become more accessible, there remain substantial challenges to theorizing about their form and implications. There are at least two ostensible reasons for such difficulties. First is the issue of terminology; many different terms are currently used to represent the same structural concept, and there is no evidence of standardization taking place around a single set of terms. Second, many studies do not clearly explain the theoretical reasons for choosing the specific multidimensional form of their constructs. To address these deficiencies, we use concepts from the research methods literature, and illustrations from the information systems (IS) literature, to review definitions and issues related to conceptualizing and operationalizing structural models that include multidimensional constructs. Such advice is necessary if we are going to develop and test increasingly sophisticated theoretical models in IS research. We also offer guidelines about how to conceptualize specific forms of multidimensional constructs. By lending greater conceptual clarity to the literature, we believe that this paper provides a foundation for future research incorporating multidimensional constructs in empirical analysis.
Executive Overview In many organizations, informal networks are the primary means by which employees find information, solve complex problems, and learn how to do their work. Two forms of interpersonal trust—trust in a person's competence and in a person's benevolence— enable effective knowledge creation and sharing in these networks. Yet, though conceptually appealing, trust is an elusive concept that is often difficult for managers to influence. We conducted interviews in 20 organizations to identify ways in which interpersonal trust in a knowledge-sharing context develops. Based on this work, we summarize behaviors (e.g., discretion, consistency, collaboration) and practices (e.g., building shared vision, ensuring transparency in decision-making, holding people accountable for trust) for managers interested in promoting trust (and thereby knowledge creation and sharing) within their own organizations.
There's a disturbing disconnect in organizational management. Research, experience, and common sense all increasingly point to a direct relationship between a company's financial success and its commitment to management practices that treat people as assets. Yet trends in management practice are actually moving away from these very principles. Why is common sense so remarkably uncommon when it comes to managing people? Why do organizations habitually overlook readily available opportunities to boost their financial performance? Drawing on extensive empirical research, an irrefutable business case can be made that the culture and capabilities of an organization-derived from the way it manages its people-are the real and enduring sources of competitive advantage Managers today must begin to take seriously the often heard, yet frequently ignored, adage that "People are our most important asset.
This paper introduces the important role of networks of interfirm ties in examining fundamental issues in strategy research. Prior research has primarily viewed firms as autonomous entities striving for competitive advantage from either external industry sources or from internal resources and capabilities. However, the networks of relationships in which firms are embedded profoundly influence their conduct and performance. We identify five key areas of strategy research in which there is potential for incorporating strategic networks: (1) industry structure, (2) positioning within an industry, (3) inimitable firm resources and capabilities, (4) contracting and coordination costs, and (5) dynamic network constraints and benefits. For each of these issues, the paper outlines some important insights that result from considering the role of strategic networks. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), by Hair, Hult, Ringle, and Sarstedt, provides a concise yet very practical guide to understanding and using PLS structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). PLS-SEM is evolving as a statistical modeling technique and its use has increased exponentially in recent years within a variety of disciplines, due to the recognition that PLS-SEM’s distinctive methodological features make it a viable alternative to the more popular covariance-based SEM approach. This text includes extensive examples on SmartPLS software, and is accompanied by multiple data sets that are available for download from the accompanying website (www.pls-sem.com).
Purpose
– Structural equation modeling (SEM) has been widely used to examine complex research models in international business and marketing research. While the covariance-based SEM (CB-SEM) approach is dominant, the authors argue that the field’s dynamic nature and the sometimes early stage of theory development more often require a partial least squares SEM (PLS-SEM) approach. The purpose of this paper is to critically review the application of SEM techniques in the field.
Design/methodology/approach
– The authors searched six journals with an international business (and marketing) focus ( Management International Review , Journal of International Business Studies , Journal of International Management , International Marketing Review , Journal of World Business , International Business Review ) from 1990 to 2013. The authors reviewed all articles that apply SEM, analyzed their research objectives and methodology choices, and assessed whether the PLS-SEM papers followed the best practices outlined in the past.
Findings
– Of the articles, 379 utilized CB-SEM and 45 PLS-SEM. The reasons for using PLS-SEM referred largely to sampling and data measurement issues and did not sufficiently build on the procedure’s benefits that stem from its design for predictive and exploratory purposes. Thus, the procedure’s key benefits, which might be fruitful for the theorizing process, are not being fully exploited. Furthermore, authors need to better follow best practices to truly advance theory building.
Research limitations/implications
– The authors examined a subset of journals in the field and did not include general management journals that publish international business and marketing-related studies. Fur-thermore, the authors found only limited use of PLS-SEM in the journals the authors considered relevant to the study.
Originality/value
– The study contributes to the literature by providing researchers seeking to adopt SEM as an analytical method with practical guidelines for making better choices concerning an appropriate SEM approach. Furthermore, based on a systematic review of current practices in the international business and marketing literature, the authors identify critical challenges in the selection and use of SEM procedures and offer concrete recommendations for better practice.
Environmental management and green practices have a narrow linkage with firm innovativeness. Companies that are pioneers in green innovation strategies might reach and sustain competitive advantages. Thus, successful green innovation performance (GIP) helps firms to achieve greater efficiency as well as to establish and strengthen their core competences. This study focuses on the dynamic capabilities (DC) and ordinary capabilities (OC) like antecedents of GIP, and the relationship between these constructs. Proposing a mediation model to analyze both direct and indirect relationships, this study applies variance-based structural equation modeling through a partial least squares to a sample of 112 firms from the Spanish automotive components' manufacturing sector. The results suggest that both the direct effect and indirect effect of capabilities (DC and OC) on GIP are positive and significant, and improve the prediction of firm's GIP. Furthermore, the structural model supports that DC influence GIP by reconfiguring relationship-learning capabilities (a type of OC).
A model of distributor firm and manufacturer firm working partnerships is presented and is assessed empirically on a sample of distributor firms and a sample of manufacturer firms. A multiple-informant research method is employed. Support is found for a number of the hypothesized construct relations and, in both manufacturer firm and distributor firm models, for the respecification of cooperation as an antecedent rather than a consequence of trust. Some implications for marketing practice are discussed briefly.
Much of the research on voluntary associations has argued that commitment to the group determines member participation and persistence. In this framework, highly committed members participate to a greater degree than less committed members, and maintain their connection with the group over longer periods of time. Less committed members, on the other hand, participate sporadically, and tend to drop their memberships easily. This commitment thesis implies a positive relationship between participation and persistence: the more the member participates, the longer the duration of membership. We argue that this individual level thesis should be supplanted by a system level understanding, in which the competition among social groups for individual resources determines persistence and participation. This competition thesis predicts a negative relationship between persistence of membership and participation in group activities: the more the member participates, the shorter the average duration of membership. We use event history analysis to test these opposing hypotheses on a sample of 1587 membership spells covering a fifteen year time period. We find strong and consistent support for the competition thesis.
In this article, we provide guidance for substantive researchers on the use of structural equation modeling in practice for theory testing and development. We present a comprehensive, two-step modeling approach that employs a series of nested models and sequential chi-square difference tests. We discuss the comparative advantages of this approach over a one-step approach. Considerations in specification, assessment of fit, and respecification of measurement models using confirmatory factor analysis are reviewed. As background to the two-step approach, the distinction between exploratory and confirmatory analysis, the distinction between complementary approaches for theory testing versus predictive application, and some developments in estimation methods also are discussed.
This paper complements existing research on the role of cultural similarity in cross-border M&As by examining their effects in conjunction with relative status positions of merging entities. Two experimental studies with senior managers were conducted and reported. Whereas status breeds competence-based trust between acquirer and acquired unit, similarity is conducive to benevolence-based trust. Furthermore, higher status position of acquirer is shown to have significant effect on acquired unit members’ social preferences toward the former (Study1). Lastly, similarity and status are found to have distinct and joint effects on knowledge transfer in M&As, which designate an interesting tradeoff between acquired unit members’ perceptions of the credibility of the acquirer and the usefulness of the advice it provides (Study 2). Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.
This special topic forum, commissioned to stimulate theory development on building effective networks, contains eleven papers spanning the micro, meso, macro, and meta levels of analysis. Each paper breaks new ground; collectively, they suggest that we are at a crossroads in network research. Important opportunities remain, however, for further work in network theory development, and we highlight major gaps relating to network theory's scope and mission, accessibility, integration with other perspectives, and attention to process and internationalization issues.
Identification is defined as the "perceived oneness with or belongingness to an organization" of which the person is a member. The authors propose that customers, in their role as members, identify with organizations. They use social identity theory to propose and test a model that relates members' identification with the focal organization to (1) organizational and product characteristics, (2) members' affiliation characteristics, and (3) members' activity characteristics. Their empirical setting consists of the members of an art museum. Their survey findings show that members' identification is positively related to perceived organizational prestige, donating activity, tenure of membership, visiting frequency, and confirmation of member expectations with the organization's services. However, members' participation in similar organizations is negatively related to identification with the focal organization. The authors discuss how this study can be extended to other marketing contexts and how managers can use the notion of identification in implementing marketing strategies.
This paper explores the potential contributions of social exchange theory in investigations of stable marital interaction patterns. It is argued that social exchange has been most effectively utilized in the marriage and family literature to explain mate-selection and relationship formation or dissolution processes while having contributed less to the study of stable marital relationships. An explanation posited is that the structural, cognitive, and temporal dimensions of social relationships have been deemphasized in sociological exchange theory. This has resulted in problematic application to the study of marital relationships which evidence structural and normative constraints, internalized role expectations and obligations, and unequal distribution of resources resulting in asymmetrical exchange. This paper explores the possibilities of a structural exchange theory of marital interaction by discussing the importance of considering structural and temporal dimensions involved in marital exchange and the need to examine the influence of the social structure on the cognitive orientations of the marital partners and the subsequent exchange relationship. Finally, the paper examines how trust and commitment in marriage affect marital exchange processes and incorporates these concepts into this theoretical approach.
Transaction cost analysis is rapidly becoming an important theoretical paradigm in marketing. However, the accumulation of transaction cost studies has been accompanied by a growing body of criticism, primarily directed toward its underlying behavioral norm of opportunism. That norm is a serious theoretical deficiency, not only because it may be descriptively inaccurate, but also because it limits the applicability of the theoretical framework. The authors show that norms play a very significant role in structuring economically efficient relationships between independent firms. In the absence of supportive norms, it is not possible for parties whose specific assets are at risk to acquire vertical control as per the transaction cost prescription. Instead, those parties lose control because of their dependence. An empirical test of the conceptual model in a sample of manufacturer-supplier relationships shows good support for the authors' hypotheses.
Marketing managers must know the time orientation of a customer to select and use marketing tools that correspond to the time horizons of the customer. Insufficient understanding of a customer's time orientation can lead to problems, such as attempting a relationship marketing when transaction marketing is more appropriate. The author suggests that long-term orientation in a buyer/seller relationship is a function of two main factors: mutual dependence and the extent to which they trust one another. Dependence and trust are related to environmental uncertainty, transaction-specific investments, reputation, and satisfaction in a buyer/seller relationship. The framework presented here is tested with 124 retail buyers and 52 vendors supplying to those retailers. The results indicate that trust and dependence play key roles in determining the long-term orientation of both retail buyers and their vendors. The results also indicate that both similarities and differences exist across retailers and vendors with respect to the effects of several variables on long-term orientation, dependence, and trust.
The present study attempts to measure how individuals define the terms religiousness and spirituality, to measure how individuals define their own religiousness and spirituality, and to examine whether these definitions are associated with different demographic, religio/spiritual, and psychosocial variables. The complete sample of 346 individuals was composed of 11 groups of participants drawn from a wide range of religious backgrounds. Analyses were conducted to compare participants' self-rated religiousness and spirituality, to correlate self-rated religiousness and spirituality with the predictor variables, and to use the predictor variables to distinguish between participants who described themselves as "spiritual and religious" from those who identified themselves as "spiritual but not religious." A content analysis of participants' definitions of religiousness and spirituality was also performed. The results suggest several points of convergence and divergence between the constructs religiousness and spirituality. The theoretical, empirical, and practical implications of these results for the scientific study of religion are discussed.
Three types of trust in economic exchanges are identified: weak form trust, semi-strong form trust, and strong form trust. It is shown that weak form trust can only be a source of competitive advantage when competitors invest in unnecessary and expensive governance mechanisms. Semi-strong form trust can be a source of competitive advantage when competitors have differential exchange governance skills and abilities, and when these skills and abilities are costly to imitate. The conditions under which strong form trust can be a source of competitive advantage are also identified. Implications of this analysis for theoretical and empirical work in strategic management are discussed.
Purpose
While the internet enjoys increasing interest regarding its potential to extend the global reach of firms, especially small and medium‐sized firms (SMEs), little work has been done on the viability of the internet as a new and effective path to internationalization. Specifically, it is unclear how the internet can successfully support export marketing. The purpose of this paper is to examine the drivers and performance outcomes of two patterns of internet use supporting export marketing: the internet as an alternative to a physical presence and the internet as a sales channel.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 115UK‐based SMEs involved in “active online internationalization”. Relationships are examined in a “soft‐modeling” partial least squares (PLS) analysis.
Findings
The findings suggest that online channel support positively enhances export performance for SMEs. Yet, the use of the internet as an alternative to a physical market presence does not lead to higher export performance. Specifically, born‐global firms that are relying too much on the internet are prone to fall into the “virtuality trap”. Entrepreneurial firms that use the internet as a sales channel can improve their overall performance, however.
Research limitations/implications
This paper provides some empirical evidence of the existence of the notion of the “virtuality trap”. The paper also shows that the internet can serve a valuable complementary role. Traditional exporters are likely to use the internet as a complement to, and thus to support, existing physical operations.
Practical implications
Managers should focus on relationship building and on‐site learning, instead of putting too much emphasis on the internet as a substitute for a physical market presence.
Originality/value
The authors develop a framework and explore previously untested relationships that suggest the internet may play a complementary role in firm internationalization.
Based on case studies and qualitative interviews conducted with 40 stakeholders in five SMEs, or so called Anatolian tigers, in Turkey, this article has explored what collective spirituality and Turkish Islamic business ethics entail and how they shape organizational values using diverse stakeholder perspectives. The study has revealed six emergent discourses around collective spirituality and Islamic business ethics: Flying with both wings; striving to transcend egos; being devoted to each other; treating people as whole persons; upholding an ethics of compassion; and leaving a legacy for future generations. These discourses are organized around three themes of collective spirituality, respectively: Transcendence, connectedness, and virtuousness.
Spirituality is a hot topic of research in recent times in management arena. Though the organizational researchers have intensely started exploring this area, the studies related to selling organizations are few, and fewer are the studies related to selling organizations with individual (sales professional) as the unit of theory. The present study explores the relationship between ‘individual spirituality at work’ and sales professionals’ ‘job satisfaction’, ‘propensity to leave’ and ‘job commitment’. This work focuses on sales professionals across various industries. A cross-sectional survey method is adopted. Correlation analysis is done to reveal the hypothesized relationships. The results reveal that sales professionals’ spirituality at work is positively related to job satisfaction and job commitment, and negatively related to propensity to leave. The results provide the relevance of spirituality at work to salespeople. The selling organizations can also utilize the information and promote the individual expression of spirituality at work.
Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), or partial least squares path modeling (PLS) has enjoyed increasing popularity in recent years. In this context, the use of hierarchical latent variable models has allowed researchers to extend the application of PLS-SEM to more advanced and complex models. However, the attention has been mainly focused on hierarchical latent variable models with reflective relationships. In this manuscript, we focus on second-order hierarchical latent variable models that include formative relationships. First, we discuss a typology of (second-order) hierarchical latent variable models. Subsequently, we provide an overview of different approaches that can be used to estimate the parameters in these models: (1) the repeated indicator approach, (2) the two-stage approach, and (3) the hybrid approach. Next, we compare the approaches using a simulation study and an empirical application in a strategic human resource management context. The findings from the simulation and the empirical application serve as a basis for recommendations and guidelines regarding the use and estimation of reflective-formative type hierarchical latent variable models in PLS-SEM.
In this article, we provide guidance for substantive researchers on the use of structural equation modeling in practice for theory testing and development. We present a comprehensive, two-step modeling approach that employs a series of nested models and sequential chi-square difference tests. We discuss the comparative advantages of this approach over a one-step approach. Considerations in specification, assessment of fit, and respecification of measurement models using confirmatory factor analysis are reviewed. As background to the two-step approach, the distinction between exploratory and confirmatory analysis, the distinction between complementary approaches for theory testing versus predictive application, and some developments in estimation methods also are discussed.
This article critically reviews the current literature on ‘Islamic capital’ in Turkey. Instead of a culturalist account that primarily focuses on conservative lifestyles and religious orientations of entrepreneurs as the main indicator of class formation, it tries to identify a criterion on which ‘Islamic capital’ as such can be identified as a separate capital fraction that can pursue a distinct and collective agenda. It discusses the symbiotic relationship between interest-free banks, firms, religious networks and communal linkages in order to understand this peculiar way of capital accumulation in relation to Islamic motifs. It also provides guidelines to understand what the future may hold for this specific capital fraction and assess the explanatory capacity of the term ‘Islamic capital’ under present conditions.
After presenting what the concept of spirituality in the workplace entails, this article presents a review of a list of books, articles, and other resource materials that offer more in-depth knowledge about spirituality in the workplace. The article concludes with five spiritual principles that may be useful in management education.
Nowadays, inter-firm linkages in the form of regional networks are seen as growth-promoting and important prerequisites for successful innovation activities in firms. Beginning with this hypothesis, the paper sets out to answer the question, whether manufacturing businesses with strong intraregional ties are more successful with respect to growth rates and innovative activities than those firms with little connection to their region. From a survey carried out in 10 European regions, the results verify that in spite of numerous network relationships on the national and international level small businesses are most likely to cooperate with others in their vicinity. In addition, the more knowledge-intensive innovation activities of businesses are, the more important is the relevance of spatial proximity in particular and networking in general.