No full-text available
To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the authors.
Tackling Hurdles to Digital Transformation — The Role of Competencies for Successful Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) Implementation
... On the one hand, to conquer new work challenges, employees need to actively learn to improve their adaptive and subsequent sustainable performance [41]. Extant research has shown that during organizational change, employees who are more willing to learn and open to changes tend to demonstrate high adaptability in the changing environment [42]. This is because learning can effectively address the problems of failing to meet performance requirements due to insufficient digital knowledge and a lack of digital capacity. ...
Background: Enterprises’ digital transformation is an important issue in the digital era. Exploring how digital transformation can be implemented successfully within enterprises is of considerable theoretical and practical significance. From the perspective of employee learning, this study focuses on employees and aims to establish the theoretical linkage between employees’ perception of enterprise digital capability and their sustainable performance. Methods: A survey using the random sampling technique was adopted to collect data from a large professional data platform. A multi-wave survey featuring 433 full-time Chinese employees was conducted using path analyses to test the hypotheses. Results: The results of the path analyses showed that: (1) employee learning and unlearning mediate the relationship between employees’ perception of an enterprise’s digital capability and their sustainable performance; (2) communication feedback strengthens the positive effects of perceived enterprise digital capability on learning, as well as on unlearning; and (3) the integrated moderated mediation model is valid. Conclusion: This paper proves that during enterprises’ digital transformation, employees’ perception of the enterprise’s digital capability promotes employee sustainable performance via both learning and unlearning. Communication feedback strengthens the above relationships. Therefore, this study contributes to the literature on digital transformation and highlights employee-learning-related organizational management issues, shedding light on the practice of enterprise digital transformation.
This paper examines the digital transformation of the textile and fashion industry, focusing on the alignment with sustainability principles through the integration of Industry 4.0 technologies. The introduction highlights the urgency of transitioning from conventional production methods to innovative, digitally enabled systems that promote a circular economy and resource efficiency. The main research questions address the contribution of Industry 4.0 elements to sustainable solutions, the directions of digitalization within the apparel sector, and the significant impact of digital technologies on the achievement of sustainability goals. The theoretical framework examines sustainability in the textile industry and emphasizes the need for a green transformation facilitated by digital technologies to reduce environmental impacts. Industry 4.0 concepts, as discussed in The Concept of Industry 4.0 in the Textile and Apparel Sector, are revolutionizing production through technologies such as IoT, AI, and blockchain, enabling traceability, customization, and energy-efficient operations. The paper also explores the evolution of the fashion and apparel industry into a high-tech sector, highlighting advances such as CAD-CAM systems, digital printing, and 3D technologies that improve precision, reduce waste, and support sustainable practices. In its conclusion, the paper emphasizes the crucial role of interdisciplinary collaboration, regulatory frameworks, and investment in skills development to overcome the challenges of implementing digital and sustainable practices. It posits that a strategic embrace of digital ecosystems and Industry 4.0 technologies is essential for creating a resilient and sustainable textile industry that is aligned with environmental and societal goals.
In the context of the digital age, digital transformation provides direction for shipping enterprises in addressing new challenges, such as the breakout of the Covid 19 epidemic, changes in customer needs, and environmental pollution. However, there are many factors that affect the adoption of digital transformation in businesses. The goal of this study is to use the TOE (technology, organization, and environment) framework to investigate the factors that influence the implementation of digital transformation in shipping companies. This study used quantitative methods, including a survey sample of 436 managers from 2021 to 2023. Our findings show that digital technology development, digital skills, financial resource availability, top management, and competitive pressure all have positive effects on the implementation of digital transformation in maritime firms. These findings provide some insights for researchers and businesses into the key factors that support the adoption of digital transformation. The research may also assist the government design policies to boost digital transformation activities in the maritime sector.
La discusión sobre la regulación de plataformas se ha centrado, tanto en la academia, como en organismos internacionales y agencias de la competencia, en las herramientas del modelo neoclásico de regulación: cuotas de mercado y análisis de bienestar, entre otras. Más recientemente el big data y los algoritmos han pasado a ser centrales en estos debates. El objetivo de este artículo es analizar, desde una perspectiva crítica, la evolución de esta discusión, su impacto en las diferentes propuestas legislativas, y el largo período que llevó a la Unión Europea a adoptar, en 2022, la regulación de estas corporaciones. Adicionalmente, se sugieren nuevos instrumentos de políticas públicas que puedan superar estas nuevas normativas.
The purpose of this paper is to improve current knowledge on culture’s role in a firm’s digital transformation, as well as to identify and add a cultural ‘digital maturity’ lens to an already well-known digital transformation framework. Literature reviews as well as a qualitative study of GE Appliances (GEA) and its transformation into an ecosystem business were conducted between 2021 and January 2023. Findings from interviews were synthesized into a rich thick description of GEA’s transformation between the years 2016 and 2022. GEA was then analyzed by using both an integrated framework on IT-enabled business transformation, as well as using a cultural ‘digital maturity lens’. Early generation of digital transformation frameworks from the field of information systems rarely take into consideration a firm’s culture. More recent research, however, emphasize the role of culture and key cultural attributes, favorable for a digital transformation. By using an actionable established framework, together with a ‘digital maturity’ lens the GEA transformation into an ecosystem business was analyzed and better understood. This paper contributes to a further understanding of the interdependency between a change in culture and digital technologies to succeed in any digital transformation.
This study analyzes data from 998 SMEs in the Western Balkans using probit regression analysis to explore the significance of digital skills in driving innovation. The findings indicate that variables such as offering staff training, operating in different Western Balkan countries (compared to the reference category), being in the manufacturing sector, and implementing concrete measures for digital skills have statistically significant effects on firms' probability of innovating. These results offer valuable insights to businesses, encouraging them to capitalize on the opportunities presented by emerging digital technologies and the ongoing trend of digitalization across industries. This study confirms the pivotal role of digital skills to the development of innovative products and services, enhancing business performance and our understanding of the interconnectedness between digital technologies, innovation, and digital skills in SMEs.
The adoption of digital technology has become a critical factor in the context of innovation management. The process of digital transformation leads to the realization of concrete business improvements that promote the innovation of entire business models. So far, it has remained unexplored what drives this business model innovation, especially when looking at digitally savvy firms from the manufacturing industry. This study aims to identify the key drivers of digital transformation of business models based on a systematic literature review. A four-step review approach draws on the findings from a core sample of 51 articles from two databases and results in the description of four key drivers for digital transformation of business models, namely ubiquitous connectivity, functional dematerialization, relational decentralization, and flexible scalability. Finally, a conceptual framework of four digital business model archetypes (lighthouse supplier, service enthusiast, data scientist, and platform owner) is proposed that considers a manufacturing firm’s business model exposure to the identified digital transformation drivers. While this study is limited to theoretical findings, it likewise provokes valuable follow-up thoughts for empirical academic work and practitioners from the manufacturing industries.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) induce corporates to re-design their innovation process. Due to rapid technological development, synchronization of information systems, and industrialization, corporate managers increasingly adopt AI in innovation. In response, scholars are interested in the idea of creating and mapping the intersection of AI in corporate innovation, which resulted in massive literature during the past decades. To critically analyze the phenomena of AI in corporate innovation, we conducted a hybrid review of published literature (364 articles)
for the last 56 years (1996 to July 2022). We present taxonomy, outline AI phases, AI large scope definition, and link with innovation. We identify eight focal fields in the intersection of AI in corporate innovation, such as AI and business models (BM), AI and product innovation, AI and open innovation, AI and innovation process, AI and firm's innovation structure, AI, firm's knowledge and innovation, and AI, innovation and firm market performance,
and AI and innovativeness of supply chain management. We outline a framework encompassing the role of AI in corporate innovation. We conclude this study by identifying influential aspects of literature and presenting future research agendas.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly adopted by organizations to innovate, and this is ever more reflected in scholarly work. To illustrate, assess and map research at the intersection of AI and innovation, we performed a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) of published work indexed in the Clarivate Web of Science (WOS) and Elsevier Scopus databases (the final sample includes 1448 articles). A bibliometric analysis was deployed to map the focal field in terms of dominant topics and their evolution over time. By deploying keyword co-occurrences, and bibliographic coupling techniques, we generate insights on the literature at the intersection of AI and innovation research. We leverage the SLR findings to provide an updated synopsis of extant scientific work on the focal research area and to develop an interpretive framework which sheds light on the drivers and outcomes of AI adoption for innovation. We identify economic, technological, and social factors of AI adoption in firms willing to innovate. We also uncover firms' economic, competitive and organizational, and innovation factors as key outcomes of AI deployment. We conclude this paper by developing an agenda for future research.
In the new global digital economy, holistic digitalisation has become central for all non-profit and for-profit institutions. Recent developments in digital initiatives have heightened the need to investigate holistic digitalisation. This paper aims to develop a meta-view of holistic digitalisation consisting of several fundamental perspectives for strategically oriented digitalisation. These perspectives include digital strategy, digital transformation of business models, digital implementation, and digital maturity. Each perspective consists of an approach including a procedure model and relevant content. Combined with our previous work, we applied semi-structured interviews and included the insights to develop an initial, grounded theory for a meta-view of holistic digitalisation. The paper offers a relevant concept and outlines an appropriate research methodology to advance this research field. This closes an existing research gap regarding digitalisation.
In current discussions, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is ascribed great influence on production processes. Research on AI has seen tremendous growth in recent years. However, most of the research has focused primarily on various AI technologies, and less on prerequisites and enablers for adoption of AI at firm-level. This is surprising, given the fact that many companies are still struggling to establish AI in their production and to drive their AI adoption forward.
To close this gap, this study analyses the impact of various technological, organizational and environmental (TOE) prerequisites for a successful adoption of AI technologies in manufacturing. Based on a cross-national survey of 655 company representatives from the manufacturing industry, our results contribute to a better understanding of why some companies are more determined than others when it comes to implementing AI in their production. We find evidence that organizational factors, such as digital skills, company size, and R&D intensity, have the greatest impact on the adoption of AI in manufacturing. Furthermore, in order to gain new insights into the interplay of new technology adoption and global production strategies, this paper addresses the question of which factors explain a primarily domestic or globally oriented technology adoption. We find that especially research-intensive, knowledge-based and service-oriented companies tend to roll out AI technologies not only at their domestic but also at their foreign production sites.
Cross-functional intra-firm cooperation is crucial for a firm’s new product development (NPD) process and innovation success. Nevertheless, neither current innovation nor management control literature does provide empirical evidence on whether and how the cooperation between innovation and management control departments affects outcomes of the NPD process. Thus, this paper intends to close this research gap by studying the effect of innovation-management control cooperation (IMCC) across multiple NPD process stages on NPD process effectiveness and its consequences for a firm’s innovation and financial success. A multiple-informant data set was collected including 109 dyadic data sets from employees at project and top management level and combined with secondary data assessing financial success. The results show that IMCC exerts a positive effect on NPD process effectiveness. More specifically, the effect can be best described as u-shaped, being strongest in the concept development and implementation stage, but weaker in the product development stage of the NPD process. Furthermore, our findings show that innovation success mediates the relationship between NPD process effectiveness and financial success thereby explaining the contradictory findings of past research concerning the link between NPD and financial success.
Companies increasingly use digital product lifecycle management (PLM) systems with information technology (IT)-based workflow and product data management functions to assist new product development (NPD). However, empirical evidence on whether and how such digital transformation in PLM contributes to NPD performance is scarce. The objective of this paper is to fill this void. We use Assemblage Theory to develop a theoretical model that links the digital transformation in PLM to performance and focus on the extent to which IT-based data gathering and exchange occur in NPD. We carry out a quantitative survey among 216 key informants of manufacturing companies and use structural equation modelling on the resultant data to provide empirical evidence for our hypothesis. We find that the level of digital transformation in PLM positively influences structural and relational performance and, in effect, also enhances NPD performance. Our findings also show that organisational complexity positively moderates these relationships. For managers, our findings demonstrate the value of digital transformation for managing the NPD process, notably in larger, more complex organisations.
Cross-sectional studies of attitude-behavior relationships are vulnerable to the inflation of correlations by common method variance (CMV). Here, a model is presented that allows partial correlation analysis to adjust the observed correlations for CMV contamination and determine if conclusions about the statistical and practical significance of a predictor have been influenced by the presence of CMV. This method also suggests procedures for designing questionnaires to increase the precision of this adjustment.
The purpose of this paper is to clarify the definition of digital transformation (DT) and to introduce a structured approach with phases, activities and results. Our research is based on a literature review which provides insight into the basic understanding of DT. Examples complete the research and show the practical application of DT. The main findings are that although DT is a widely known concept, an approach for the structured DT of business models is missing. The paper offers a clear definition of the DT of business models and phases for the DT of business models. Moreover, the paper offers examples of enablers and DT.
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 Industrial Internet of Things is recently a widely discussed phenomenon. However, business level effects of this phenomenon are by now underresearched. We tackle this research gap by presenting an in-depth analysis of business model changes manufacturing firms employ to adequately react to this technological development. Against the background of a multiple-case study we identify and characterise three archetypes of business models manufacturing firm implement in order to benefit from opportunities provided by the Industrial Internet of Things. Furthermore, we present insights on how firms innovate their extant business model in this context. Thereby, our study considerably contributes to business model research and additionally bolsters up a strategic firm level perspective on the Industrial Internet of Things.
Industrie 4.0, die auf das Internet und auf autonom agierende Betriebstechnik basierende Fertigung, nimmt immer konkretere Züge an. Sowohl die Praxis (z. B. it’s OWL 2014) als auch die Betriebswirtschaft (z. B. Bauernhansl et al. 2014; Kersten et al. 2014) widmen sich verstärkt der Frage, wie Unternehmen das Potenzial von Industrie 4.0 bestmöglich ausschöpfen können. Dabei werden vor allem die unmittelbar von Industrie 4.0 betroffenen Sachfunktionen wie Produktion, Logistik und Informationstechnik (IT) fokussiert. Jüngst wurde jedoch darauf hingewiesen (z. B. Porter und Heppelmann 2015; Reischauer 2015), dass sich die Auswirkungen von Industrie 4.0 nicht auf diese Bereiche beschränken werden. Auch die Autoren des vorliegenden Beitrags vertreten den Standpunkt, dass Industrie 4.0 weitreichendere Konsequenzen besitzt. Industrie 4.0, so die Ausgangsüberlegung, wird sich auf das gesamte Unternehmen auswirken – und stellt es dabei vor Herausforderungen. Um diesen Herausforderungen adäquat zu begegnen und das Potenzial von Industrie 4.0 zu nutzen, bedarf es einer ganzheitlichen Perspektive. Mit anderen Worten, das Management von Industrie 4.0 scheint notwendig. Der vorliegende Beitrag schlägt die Perspektive der strategischen Organisationsgestaltung vor, um Industrie 4.0 zu managen. Aus dem Spektrum dieser Perspektive werden mit dem 4-Ebenen-Modell und der Geschäftsmodell innovation zwei Modelle vorgestellt und illustriert. Wenngleich jedes Modell unterschiedliche Aspekte der strategischen Organisationsgestaltung fokussiert, sind sie miteinander kompatibel und dadurch gemeinsam anwendbar.
This paper summarizes considerations and preliminary research results on the consequences of the progressive use of digital technologies in industrial work. The focus is particularly on the situation in German industry, where this development has been intensively discussed as “Industry 4.0”. Starting point is the assumption that currently a far-reaching technology push in industrial production can be observed. In terms of the potential consequences for industrial labor foreseen by the literature, currently contradictory development scenarios are being discussed. For one thing, the volume of potential job losses caused by the new technologies is highly controversial. For another, diverging consequences for job activities and qualifications can be recognized, interpreted as the “upgrading”, respectively “polarization” of skills. What concrete changes actually occur however, is dependent on the influence of numerous factors. Especially, what concept of technology automation is realized in each case, and its respective implementation process, is significant here. The conclusion reached is that, in the medium term, at the most a somewhat limited spread of digital technologies and their consequences can be expected to occur.
The article shows that human resource management (HRM) and human resource development (HRD) activities play a potentially important role in facilitating innovation in organisations. Based on previous research, a conceptual model is presented that displays how an organisation's human resource (HR) function can facilitate innovation by securing and developing the HR supply chain to ensure the healthy and continuous flow of personnel and competence into, within, and out of the organisation (i.e., by securing the appropriate competences for the job and the organisation, by developing and retaining existing competences, and by transferring competences from employees who are leaving to those who remain in the organisation). This article argues that HR practitioners can set the stage for innovations by actively and strategically implementing HR activities that support the creation of an expansive learning environment in which both adaptive and developmental learning can occur.
We discuss common method bias in the context of structural equation modeling employing the partial least squares method (PLS-SEM). Two datasets were created through a Monte Carlo simulation to illustrate the discussion: one contaminated by common method bias, and the other not contaminated. A practical approach is presented for the identification of common method bias based on variance inflation factors generated via a full collinearity test. Our discussion builds on an illustrative model in the field of e-collaboration, with outputs generated by the software WarpPLS. We demonstrate that the full collinearity test is successful in the identification of common method bias with a model that nevertheless passes standard convergent and discriminant validity assessment criteria based on a confirmation factor analysis.
This article examines the implications of an aging workforce for human resource management (HRM). It first looks at research and theories relevant to understanding age-related changes at work, including lifespan development theories, changes in work outcomes such as motivation and performance, and the social context for age (e.g., age stereotyping). It then considers the ways that organizations can keep their employees—including those who are aging—satisfied, engaged, productive, and healthy in their jobs in terms of traditional HR practices like recruitment and selection, training, career development, and occupational safety and health. Finally, it offers suggestions on how HRM can take age differences into account and identifies a number of areas for future research.
This exposition considers perspectives underpinning contemporary leadership studies given we are located in what Hawking describes as the ‘century of complexity’, also understood as a Knowledge Era. Social complexity as context allows consideration of the turbulence our times without looking for guaranteed, certain, or ‘right’ answers and allows us to work with these conditions, rather than succumb to threat rigidity, pretend they do not exist, or think they are someone else’s problem. To make sense of these conditions requires ontological and cognitive shifts of mindset that more closely match the ‘requisite variety’ of the complexities of our times. The paper draws upon a PhD interpretive inquiry which identified cogent leadership literacies for the 21st century and explored them within Australian university settings. Various cognitive frames feature in this paper and serve to illuminate possibilities for scholars and practitioners seeking fresh approaches for leadership studies for a Knowledge Era. Whilst there are many contemporary scholars already doing so it is also clear that the ontological shifts are not easy and that archaic mindsets are difficult to dislodge even in light of wicked problems like the Global Financial Crisis of 2008 or environmental disasters.
The central theme of this paper is that information technology (IT) can create ethical organizations endowed with virtuous characteristics, and that such ethical organizations can innovate better in today’s dynamic market environment. Drawing upon the notion of virtue ethics propounded by the Greek philosopher Aristotle, we theorize that core organizational IT affordances influence the development of organizational virtues, which in turn influence organizational improvisational capabilities and innovation. We propose the “IT-virtues-innovation” (IVI) model and test it using a cross-organizational survey of 250 employees from various organizations in the United States. Our findings largely support our proposal that IT affordances positively influence organizational virtues, which then influence organizational improvisational capabilities, thus improving organizational innovation. This paper contributes to the understanding of organizational innovation by articulating the strategic usefulness of IT-enabled organizational ethics, and it explains how IT-enabled ethical competence (virtues) influences strategic competence (improvisational capabilities and innovation).
Drawing on human capital theory, strategy scholars have emphasized firm-specific human capital as a source of sustained competitive advantage. In this study, we begin to unpack the micro-foundations of firm-specific human capital by theoretically and empirically exploring when employees perceive their skills to be firm-specific. We first develop theoretical arguments and hypotheses based on the extant strategy literature, which implicitly assumes information efficiency and unbiased perceptions of firm- specificity. We then relax these assumptions and develop alternative hypotheses rooted in the cognitive psychology literature, which highlights biases in human judgment. We test our hypotheses using two data sources from Korea and the United States. Surprisingly, our results support the hypotheses based on cognitive bias – a stark contrast to the expectations embedded within the strategy literature. Specifically, we find organizational commitment and, to some extent, tenure are negatively related to employee perceptions of the firm-specificity. We also find that employer provided on-the-job training was unrelated to perceived firm-specificity. These findings suggest that firm-specific human capital, as perceived by employees, may drive behavior in ways not anticipated by existing theory – for example, with respect to investments in skills or turnover decisions. This, in turn, may challenge the assumed relationship between firm-specific human capital and sustained competitive advantage. More broadly, our findings may suggest a need to reconsider other theories, such as transaction cost economics, that draw heavily on the notion of firm-specificity and implicitly assume widely shared and unbiased perceptions.
Digital technology is increasingly important in achieving business goals, and its pervasive effects have resulted in the radical restructuring of entire industries. Consequently, managers’ extensive interest in handling digital innovation is not surprising. Recent research has illustrated how digital technologies give rise to a vast potential for product and service innovation that is difficult to control and predict. Therefore, firms need dynamic tools to support themselves in managing the new types of digital innovation processes that emerge. The nature of these processes forces firms to challenge prior assumptions about their product and service portfolio, their digital environment, and ways of organizing innovation work. In this article, we present a managerial framework that supports firms in this undertaking. The framework, geared at supporting ongoing improvements in digital innovation management, covers five key areas: user experience, value proposition, digital evolution scanning, skills, and improvisation. We also present a diagnostic tool that can be utilized as firms begin the process of implementing the framework. Finally, we conclude with our thoughts on the managerial implications of the framework when going forward in a rapidly changing digital innovation landscape.
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.
KMUs sehen sich häufig aus finanziellen Gründen nicht in der Lage, in grundlegende Technologien der Industrie 4.0 zu investieren. So wird als Hauptvorbehalt eine vermeintlich schlechte Kosten-Nutzen-Relation bzw. langfristige Pay-Back-Zyklen angegeben. Die aktuellen Herausforderungen liegen derzeit eher bei der immer weiter voranschreitenden Internationalisierung sowie dem ansteigenden Innovationsdruck durch den Wettbewerb. Natürlich ist bekannt, dass die zunehmende Vernetzung der Produktionsanlagen in der Industrie 4.0 zudem Risiken in der IT- und Datensicherheit mit sich bringt. Auch Datenqualitäts-, Stabilitäts-, Schnittstellenprobleme oder rechtliche Probleme sind ausschlaggebend für die Verunsicherung der Unternehmen. Durch die zukünftig immer weiter ansteigende Vernetzung zwischen Unternehmen und Stakeholdern, müssen sich insbesondere Zulieferunternehmen in der Pflicht sehen, das Thema Industrie 4.0 aufzugreifen und sich damit auseinander zu setzen. Gerade diese Unternehmen müssen sich vor Augen führen, dass sie nur durch den zukünftigen Einsatz geeigneter Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologien noch in der Lage sein werden, Teil der Wertschöpfungskette zwischen ihren Kunden und Lieferanten zu sein.
„Nichts ist so beständig wie der Wandel.“ Diese Aussage ist heute zutreffender denn je. Gleichzeitig nimmt die Dynamik dieses Wandels vor allem in Wirtschaftsunternehmen immer mehr zu. Die Halbwertzeit des professionellen Wissens sinkt fortwährend; tradierte Wissensbestandteile und Erfahrungen veralten rasch und können nicht mehr erfolgreich eingesetzt werden. Daher erwächst die Forderung nach lebenslangem Lernen. Wie aber soll dieses Lernen ermöglicht und gestaltet werden? Welche Kompetenzen müssen Mitarbeiter haben, um zu lebenslangem Lernen befähigt zu werden?
Diana Dimitrova untersucht erstmals theoretisch und empirisch das Konzept der Metakompetenz. Dabei handelt es sich um eine den Einzelkompetenzen übergeordnete Fähigkeit zur bedarfsgerechten, selbstorganisierten Weiterentwicklung der individuellen Kompetenzen. Die Autorin ordnet das Konzept theoretisch ein und untersucht seine Beziehung zum Berufserfolg sowie zu unterschiedlichen Personalentwicklungsmaßnahmen. Die am Beispiel des Automobilhandels durchgeführte Studie zeigt einen signifikanten Zusammenhang der Metakompetenz mit dem Berufserfolg sowie mit vorwiegend selbstgesteuerten Personalentwicklungsmaßnahmen auf. Daraus werden konkrete Empfehlungen für die Unternehmenspraxis abgeleitet, um die Metakompetenz von Mitarbeitern und Führungskräften zu fördern und eine proaktive und kontinuierliche Kompetenzentwicklung voranzutreiben.
Advances in causal modeling techniques have made it possible for researchers to simultaneously examine theory and measures. However, researchers must use these new techniques appropriately. In addition to dealing with the methodological concerns associated with more traditional methods of analysis, researchers using causal modeling approaches must understand their underlying assumptions and limitations.
Eine Grundvoraussetzung für den Erfolg von Industrie 4.0 (I4.0) ist das Humankapital. Die mit der I4.0 einhergehenden neuen Technologien versprechen eine hohe Effektivitäts- und Effizienzsteigerung in der Produktion, bedürfen aber neuer Kompetenzen, die im Unternehmen zunächst aufgebaut werden müssen. In diesem Beitrag werden – auf Basis eines validierten Kompetenzmodells – die zu erwartenden Veränderungen der Kompetenzen für Produktionsmitarbeiter identifiziert. Auf der Grundlage des theoretischen Ansatzes der dynamischen Fähigkeiten wird ein Vorgehensmodell abgeleitet, mit dem es Unternehmen ermöglicht werden soll, I4.0 als dynamische Fähigkeit aufzubauen. Dieses Modell wurde in einem Gemeinschaftsforschungsprojekt praktisch erprobt und am Beispiel eines Komponentenherstellers der Investitionsgüterindustrie mit greifbaren Mikrofundierungen zum Kompetenzaufbau hinterlegt und konkretisiert. Mit diesem Beitrag soll es Praxisvertretern aus den Bereichen Personal und Produktion ermöglicht werden, kompetenzbezogene Ableitungen für ihr Unternehmen zu treffen, um einen Hebel zur betriebswirtschaftlichen Nutzung der technologischen Möglichkeiten von I4.0 zur Verfügung zu haben.
This research examines the link between turnover intentions from temporary and permanent organizations and how both types of turnover intentions affect employee performance at an individual, temporary and permanent organizational level. Using dyadic data from 253 team members and their supervisors we find that turnover intentions from temporary organizations significantly enhance turnover intentions from permanent organizations, which leads to decreasing performance at all three levels. A moderation analysis suggests that companies can reduce detrimental effects of turnover intentions from temporary organizations by providing transparency and possibilities to participate in staffing processes. Our paper contributes to research on the performance effects of employee turnover intentions by (1) analyzing effects of turnover intentions from temporary organizations, (2) investigating the interplay between turnover intentions from temporary organizations and the permanent organization, and (3) considering performance effects at three different organizational levels.
In times of saturated markets and decreasing product life cycles, the continuous development and successful launch of innovations are essential for profit-oriented organizations of any kind. Interorganizational cooperation enables companies to get better access to knowledge and capabilities in order to generate and successfully introduce innovations. While scientific research and management practice have acknowledged the importance of cooperation, little research effort is dedicated to empirically determine the effectiveness of cooperation intensity within different stages of the innovation process (cooperation stage) and with different partners (cooperation type). This article aims to fill these gaps by empirically examining the effects of cooperation intensity with different kinds of partners (horizontal, vertical and institutional cooperation) in different stages of new product development (concept and product development as well as implementation stage) on innovation capabilities and success of individual companies. Drawing upon a sample of 154 high-tech companies from the German B-2-B sector, our results reveal that it is in general beneficial for a company to cooperate. However, cooperation in concept and product development primarily improves a company’s innovation capabilities while cooperation in the implementation stage primarily enhances innovation success of a company. With respect to cooperation type, vertical, horizontal as well as institutional cooperation significantly enhance innovation capabilities and success of a company. However, cooperation with institutional partners was found to be the most important contributor throughout all stages.
Ziel digitaler Transformation ist die Schaffung spezifischer organisatorischer Fähigkeiten mit dem Potential, das Wettbewerbsumfeld eines Unternehmens umzugestalten. Unternehmen müssen wissen, welche Fähigkeiten das sind, wie diese aufgebaut werden und wie sie sich gegenüber anderen Unternehmen hinsichtlich dieser Fähigkeiten positionieren können. Der Beitrag untersucht den theoretischen Hintergrund solcher Fähigkeiten und stellt eine erste Fähigkeitensammlung vor. Auf Basis dieser Sammlung werden Umfrageergebnisse zum Stand der digitalen Transformation vorgestellt.
Unter dem Stichwort „Industrie 4.0“ wird derzeit in Deutschland nicht weniger als die vierte Industrielle Revolution ausgerufen. Nach der Mechanisierung, der Automatisierung und der Digitalisierung stehe nun das Zeitalter der Vernetzung vor der Tür. Zwar war eine Vernetzung industrieller Infrastruktur schon in den 1990er Jahren mit dem Konzept des Computer-Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) angedacht. Dabei wurde eine Integration von betriebswirtschaftlichen Planungs- und Steuerungsaufgaben mit den primär technisch orientierten Aufgaben der Produktion angestrebt.
The statistical tests used in the analysis of structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error are examined. A drawback of the commonly applied chi square test, in addition to the known problems related to sample size and power, is that it may indicate an increasing correspondence between the hypothesized model and the observed data as both the measurement properties and the relationship between constructs decline. Further, and contrary to common assertion, the risk of making a Type II error can be substantial even when the sample size is large. Moreover, the present testing methods are unable to assess a model's explanatory power. To overcome these problems, the authors develop and apply a testing system based on measures of shared variance within the structural model, measurement model, and overall model.
A generalized form of the cross‐validation criterion is applied to the choice and assessment of prediction using the data‐analytic concept of a prescription. The examples used to illustrate the application are drawn from the problem areas of univariate estimation, linear regression and analysis of variance.
This study investigates the relationship between several indicators of ICT usage and digitalization and the relative demand for highly skilled workers. The data are based on two-digit industry-level information on seven European countries for the period 2001–2010. For manufacturing industries, static fixed-effects models show that the share of employees with internet broadband access, the diffusion of mobile internet access and the use of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and automatic data exchange combined with electronic invoicing are all significantly and positively related to skill intensity in the industries observed. For service industries, only mobile internet usage intensity is significant. Specifically for manufacturing, a 10-point increase in the percentage of firms using ERP systems is associated with an increase in the share of highly skilled workers by 0.4 percentage points. These estimates indicate that the increase in ERP system usage during the period studied accounted for 30% of the increase in the share of workers with a tertiary degree across manufacturing industries and countries. The results are robust with respect to the estimation method and the potential endogeneity of ICT.
Siemens hat eine klare Position zur Vision von Industrie 4.0: Über eine Digital Enterprise Platform muss ein durchgängig digitalisierter und virtualisierter Wertschöpfungsprozess mit der realen Welt der Industrie verschmolzen werden. Nur so lassen sich die künftigen Anforderungen der Märkte erfüllen.
Erste Beispiele von Siemens-eigenen Werken und von Installationen bei seinen Kunden zeigen, dass bereits heute einiges von dem realisierbar ist, was mit der Vision als Ziel formuliert wird. Jetzt kommt es darauf an, die nächsten Schritte auf diesem Weg zu gehen. Siemens sieht sich gefordert und gut gerüstet, der Industrie die Werkzeuge und Infrastrukturen zur Verfügung zu stellen, die für die Realisierung von Industrie 4.0 benötigt werden.
Im Zuge der stetigen Weiterentwicklung industrieller Produktionsverfahren von der Maschinenkraft über die Massenfertigung mit Hilfe von Fließbändern und den Einsatz von Digitalcomputern bis hin zur digital vernetzten Fabrik („Smart Factory“), die derzeit unter dem Schlagwort „Industrie 4.0“ diskutiert wird, nimmt auch die Komplexität in der Fertigung ständig zu, ganz ähnlich der Entropie in einem geschlossenen System.
It is argued that the term "Emotional Intelligence" labels a reactionary, misleading, ignorant and unnecessary concept.
PurposeThe goal of this study was to empirically determine whether creative capital can be distinguished at the firm level and to determine what role external labour plays in enhancing firm-level creative capital.
Methodology/approachThis study was conducted using a qualitative design. Interviews were held with eight managers knowledgeable on HR implementation and the use of creativity within their firms.
FindingsCreative capital was identified on the organizational level. The use made and roles given to external labour, in the form of contract and project-based employees as well as consultants and specialists for core activities, are important aspects in enhancing firm-level creative capital. We also found support for the claim that the use of labour market intermediaries in involving external labour differs between organizations with low and high levels of creative capital. Further, the findings indicate that more use is made of external labour in highly creative capital organizations when they are operating in dynamic environments.
Research limitations/implicationsGiven out sample limitations, future research should develop a study design that allows our findings to be generalized to a larger population, including a focus on specific distinguishing departments within organizations.
Practical implicationsOrganizations can enhance their innovation performance through using firm-level creative capital, using external labour to acquire and retain the KSAOs needed.
Originality/valueThe study is highly original and adds value to existing theory as it is the first to explore the relationship between external labour and firm-level creative capital.
Understanding sources of sustained competitive advantage has become a major area of research in strategic management. Building on the assumptions that strategic resources are heterogeneously distributed across firms and that these differences are stable over time, this article examines the link between firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Four empirical indicators of the potential of firm resources to generate sustained competitive advantage-value, rareness, imitability, and substitutability are discussed. The model is applied by analyzing the potential of several firm resources for generating sustained competitive advantages. The article concludes by examining implications of this firm resource model of sustained competitive advantage for other business disciplines.
Im Zuge der kritischen Diskussion des relevanten State of the Art auf dem Gebiet der Innovationsforschung bzw. Wissenschafts- und Technologiestudien wurden wesentliche theoretisch-konzeptionelle und methodologische Defizite sowie empirische Lücken der RIS- und UIB-Forschung herausgearbeitet.
The field of strategic human capital and the field of organizational behavior (OB) need each other - they just don't know it. OB theories, constructs, and processes must be heard within the strategic human capital conversation because many of the questions being pursued by human capital scholars will benefit from consideration of OB constructs and phenomena. Simultaneously, OB scholarship will be significantly advanced by considering the context of strategic factor markets and reaching beyond performance to competitive advantage. This paper calls for a union between OB and strategic human capital resources within a new domain of scholarship called STROBE: STRategic Organizational BEhavior. A STROBE-based view leads to several novel observations: Many OB constructs and phenomena are resources that are also inherently firm-specific and lack efficient factor markets; OB resources may be valuable, rare, costly or difficult to imitate, and difficult to substitute; and OB resources may form complementarities with human capital resources that render all such resources firm-specific. Given these observations, OB resources may be a stronger determinant of competitive advantage than human capital resources.
This paper provides a new and integrated approach to understanding, through creative capital, the relationship between human resource management (HRM) and innovation. The conceptual framework presented, building on insights from social capital research and the field of regional economic development, offers a new view on how organisations improve their innovation performance through managing human resources. We advance the idea that the relationship between innovation performance and HRM is path-dependent, influenced by human capital, social capital and creative capital. The creative capital concerns the openness of organisations to the diversity of knowledge, skills, attitudes and other characteristics available to it. The implications of our framework are discussed, as well as the practical implications. A research agenda for future research is proposed.
This study contributes to existing methodological knowledge by showing how a transformed research methods curriculum, which is beyond the milieu of schooling, can engage postgraduate students in a critical dialogue on how knowledge is produced in industry and higher education. Initial insights are drawn from two interpretive studies that employed interdisciplinary methods, and guidelines are developed to encourage educators and industry experts to be reflexive about producing knowledge that is needed for managerial decision making. Further insights were also drawn from in-depth interviews with 20 postgraduate students and six research supervisors across different universities. The findings demonstrate how the adoption of interdisciplinary research skills is interconnected with moving research students from a position of being disengaged to being engaged when conducting research, and consequently producing managers that are better equipped to deal with the challenges facing industry in a globalized business environment. The authors argue that by embracing traditional and innovative interdisciplinary research skills in the research methods curricula, future managers are presented with richer information that will help to solve industry-related problems. It is further argued that this will also help to sharpen the skills needed in emerging economies to deal with challenges in the world of work.
The paper addresses the question of how firms develop innovation-related competencies, by looking at innovative firms and their partnerships with universities. We argue that university partnerships are a strategy taken by innovative firms to develop technological competencies and innovation capacity, rather than an approach to source externally developed knowledge. Based on resource dependence theory, we argue that firms of different sizes and investment in R&D have different competence needs, this likely influences the extent to which they collaborate with universities. To investigate this, we carried out a mixed methods study of firms that collaborate with universities to develop innovation competencies by participating in Industry-PhD projects. The analyses show inconsistent results. The qualitative study indicated that small and large firms behave different along the patterns expected. However, analyses based on a survey of firms found that the firms where more similar in their approach to university partnerships than expected; and that development of broader competencies, knowledge in core technological areas, R&D competencies and innovation capability were key results in all firms.
This article re-examines the assumptions of current theory to update and extend the concept of task complexity to tasks that include multiple actors at any level of analysis. Tasks can be modeled as networks of required actions and information cues carried out or processed by particular actors. Counting pathways in the task network provides an index of task complexity that incorporates insights from organization research, but is more consistent than prior approaches with contemporary complexity science and better reflects the exponential nature of the phenomenon. The revised concept of task complexity can be readily used as an independent or dependent variable, and it can be used to compare observed and idealized descriptions of tasks. We discuss its implications for developing theory.
The microfoundations of dynamic capabilities have assumed greater importance in the search for factors that facilitate strategic change. Here we focus on microfoundations at the level of the individual manager. We introduce the concept of ‘managerial cognitive capability’, which highlights the fact that capabilities involve the capacity to perform not only physical but also mental activities. We identify specific types of cognitive capabilities that are likely to underpin dynamic managerial capabilities for sensing, seizing, and reconfiguring, and explain their potential impact on strategic change of organizations. In addition, we discuss how heterogeneity of these cognitive capabilities may produce heterogeneity of dynamic managerial capabilities among top executives, which may contribute to differential performance of organizations under conditions of change. Finally, we propose possible directions for future research.
Human resource (HR) systems have the potential to both foster innovative work behaviour (IWB) and reduce work–life conflict (WLC)—enabling employees to engage in IWB. We investigate the proposed relationships between comprehensive HR systems, WLC and IWB using variance-based structural equation modelling. We found that HR systems that are perceived as comprehensive significantly enhance IWB and decrease feelings of WLC. Contrary to our expectation, we found a significant yet positive effect of WLC on IWB. Employees may respond to WLC constructively by being innovative, improving their environment and making the work–life interface manageable. By promoting IWB, HR systems might also help employees to deal with residual—and, perhaps, unavoidable—levels of WLC.