James H. Davis’s research while affiliated with Utah State University and other places

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Publications (26)


Operationalizing stakeholder theory and prioritizing ethics in MBA programs: The utility of a trust approach
  • Article

November 2019

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48 Reads

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2 Citations

Business and Society Review

S. Duane Hansen

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James H. Davis

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David Noack

At a time when some people are questioning the relevancy of business education in general, others are now asking whether MBA programs should be blamed for society's declining trust in business and the numerous corporate ethical failures of recent decades. Whether the full blame lies with business schools or not, MBA instructors are actively seeking more effective ways to help students adopt more practical and ethical managerial paradigms. Because trust theory is simple and robust and outlines the basic mental processes that drive economic exchange while simultaneously prioritizing ethical behavior, in this article, we argue that it is distinctively suited to operationalize stakeholder theory in the classroom, providing MBA students with both a principled and a practical foundation or thematic platform for their MBA coursework and subsequent careers. We also discuss potential challenges and limitations and provide recommendations for future research.


A model for the role of trust in firm level performance: The case of family businesses

March 2018

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143 Reads

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53 Citations

Journal of Business Research

We explore the process through which trust within family firm leadership contributes to firm level performance. Specifically, we develop a model describing the underlying process through which trust influences commitment and in turn organizational performance. The effect of trust on the performance of family businesses is further understood by addressing the role of family member status and generation in moderating the relationship between trust and commitment. We test this model using longitudinal responses from top managers in family businesses. Results indicate that the effect of trust on performance takes place through commitment with family member status moderating the relationship.



A Liability of Breadth? The Conflicting Influences of Experiential Breadth on Perceptions of Founding Teams

June 2017

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51 Reads

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27 Citations

Journal of Management

Michael J. Mannor

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[...]

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James H. Davis

Although it is well established that top management team (TMT) experience is highly valued in new ventures, research has largely focused on the value of experience depth. However, founding teams often bring a myriad of different types of experience to their business. Less is understood about how these experiences are perceived by key stakeholders, and prior theory suggests that TMT breadth could be viewed as either an asset or a liability. Drawing from theory on cognitive categorization, we hypothesize that the perceived value of executive breadth depends on the context in which a venture is situated. We argue that the characteristics of the environment shape the degree to which experience breadth is valued, and we show that investors assess breadth positively in opportunistic environments but negatively in threatening environments. Contrary to previous research, we show that breadth can, at times, be viewed as a distinct liability for a new venture. In supplementary analyses, we also show that these effects are not contingent upon the depth of the founding team’s experience. Further, we find that founding team breadth does have significant influences on firm strategy, including the structural positioning of the firm in an industry’s value chain and the cultivation of diverse revenue streams, but that the effect of breadth on investor perceptions is not mediated through these differences in strategy.




Empowerment in veterinary clinics: The role of trust in delegation

January 2016

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753 Reads

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64 Citations

Journal of Trust Research

Several authors have suggested that trust is important to empowerment. This research develops the theoretical relationship between empowerment and trust. Trust, defined as a willingness to be vulnerable, was found to contribute to managers’ taking greater risks in their relationships with their employees through increased delegation of authority. Results show strong support that trust for an employee is a function of the employee’s perceived ability, benevolence, and integrity, as well as the manager’s propensity to trust.



The effects of changing power and influence tactics on trust in the supervisor: A longitudinal field study

October 2011

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1,068 Reads

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27 Citations

Journal of Trust Research

This paper presents a five-month longitudinal field study of the use of influence tactics and power on the development of employee trust within a small Midwestern US nonunion manufacturing company. Analysis of levels of trust in supervisors found that, as hypothesised, changes in trust levels were substantially related to increases in specific types of power use and influence attempts, most notably changes in referent power, expert power, and task-related supportive behaviors. Evidence also indicates that the development of trust is a reciprocal phenomenon, and that increased trust can lead to important outcomes.


Is Blood Thicker Than Water? A Study of Stewardship Perceptions in Family Business

November 2010

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1,021 Reads

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393 Citations

Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice

Stewardship theory has been used to explain the culture and relationships within family businesses. Researchers have also demonstrated that stewardship leads to superior family business performance. To date, few empirical analyses have examined the situational mechanisms associated with stewardship in family business. This paper examines the role of the family in explaining stewardship within a family business, including the role of trust, value commitment, and agency. We find that value commitment, trust, and agency perceptions explain a significant portion of stewardship variance for family and nonfamily business employees. We further find that family member employees perceive significantly higher value commitment, trust, and stewardship perceptions and lower agency perceptions in family firm leadership than nonfamily members, suggesting that blood is indeed thicker than water.


Citations (23)


... Second, managers could also use servant leadership training programs that teach them how to balance empowerment with maintaining open communication channels. Instead of just aiming for "developing trust," concrete trust-building behaviors could include consistent one-on-one meetings, clear communication on expectations, and open discussions about mistakes (Mayer, 1995). Furthermore, providing specific leadership development programs with measurable goals, such as increasing follower engagement or reducing turnover, would give managers actionable steps. ...

Reference:

Unraveling the Paradox: Facades of Conformity Amid Servant Leadership and Employee Readiness to Change
An Integrative Model of Organizational Trust
  • Citing Chapter
  • November 2006

... Regardless of such labels, business schools are undoubtedly going through a particular period of evolution. They are compelled to rethink their value systems in relation to social matters and define explicit goals and perspectives in line with them (Hansen et al., 2019;McMillan & Overall, 2016;Mousa et al., 2020;Pfeffer & Fong, 2002;Podolny, 2009;Thomas & Cornuel, 2012). ...

Operationalizing stakeholder theory and prioritizing ethics in MBA programs: The utility of a trust approach
  • Citing Article
  • November 2019

Business and Society Review

... Additionally, the authors differentiate the notion of leadership capacity from that of leadership trait. Henkin, Wanat, and Davis (1996) argue that principals' traits, such as "hardworking" and "people-oriented," do not stand on their own-they need a context if they are to communicate anything about real issues. The richer possibilities of capacity support holistic change for persons, teams, and schools. ...

Social Skills of Principals: A Profile in Context
  • Citing Article
  • July 1996

Journal of School Leadership

... The findings of this study indicate that banking performance is vital in establishing client trust in banking. This finding is consistent with the research by Allen et al. (2018), who provided additional insight by demonstrating that trust between management and employees is positively associated with firm performance. They discovered that a trustworthy work environment can boost productivity and profitability. ...

A model for the role of trust in firm level performance: The case of family businesses
  • Citing Article
  • March 2018

Journal of Business Research

... Ensuite, la complémentarité du capital humain, en particulier en termes de compétences, de niveaux d'étude, d'expériences et de connaissances techniques (Lazar et al., 2020), offre l'avantage d'accroitre la capacité cognitive de l'équipe (Katzenbach, 1997;Moreau, 2005;Chabaud et Condor, 2009;Discua Cruz et al., 2013;Leung et al., 2013). Elle favorise l'innovation et la créativité (Beckman, 2006;Klotz et al., 2014;Jin et al., 2017;Mannor et al., 2019), en particulier dans les choix stratégiques (Forbes et al., 2006). Elle permet également un meilleur accomplissement du projet entrepreneurial (Ensley et al., 1998). ...

A Liability of Breadth? The Conflicting Influences of Experiential Breadth on Perceptions of Founding Teams
  • Citing Article
  • June 2017

Journal of Management

... On the other hand, a benevolence-based breach will not be a critical issue in CBT relations as that kind of expectations is not germane to such relations. However, we put forth that benevolence and integrity perceptions have some sort of moral communality, which might make it hard to separate these two (Tinsley, 1996). Especially after a benevolence-based breach, this can easily contaminate integrity-based perceptions, which makes it hard to examine this type of breach exclusively. ...

DIALOGUE.
  • Citing Article
  • Full-text available
  • April 1996

Academy of Management Review

... The nature of relationships in Russia was analyzed recently in a few papers (e.g. Davis, Patterson, & Grazin, 1996; Kolesnik, 2010; Smirnova & Kouchtch, 2007; Sheresheva, 2006; Tretyak & Sheresheva, 2005; Tretyak & Popov, 2009). The emerging Russian economy has some specific factors, including the instability of the market, a lack of information on potential partners, and a higher propensity for opportunistic behavior (Halinen & Salmi, 2001; Johanson, 2007; Smirnova, Podmetina, Vaatanen, S., & Kouchtch, 2009 ). ...

The Collapse and Reemergence of Networks Within and Between Republics of the Former Soviet Union
  • Citing Article
  • January 1994

Proceedings of the International Association for Business and Society

... A key implication of our study underscores the potential importance of considering frames-of-reference when assessing trust perceptions. Schoorman et al. indicated their measure assessed generalized trust and the respondent's willingness to let someone have influence over important issues to the respondent (Schoorman et al., 1996). We found these same vulnerability intentions can be captured in the more specific context of sharing sensitive information, which is an important workrelated phenomenon (ADRP 6-22, 2002;AFDD 1-1, 2011;Dietz & Fortin, 2007;Holland et al., 2012;Milliken et al., 2003). ...

Empowerment in veterinary clinics: The role of trust in delegation
  • Citing Article
  • January 2016

Journal of Trust Research

... Empirical evidence is supportive of this motivational view of trust, showing that trust in one's own child or in one's subordinates influences relinquishment of control, delegation, and involvement in decision making (Landry et al., 2008;Schoorman, Mayer, & Davis, 2016;Spreitzer & Mishra, 1999). One experimental study has also demonstrated that managers who were told that they could trust their team members disclosed more information to team members and considered their suggestions more than managers who were told that they could not trust their team members (Zand, 1972). ...

Preface: Empowerment in veterinary clinics: the role of trust in delegation
  • Citing Article
  • January 2016

Journal of Trust Research

... System accuracy was measured through three questions adapted from the Model of Trust [190] that is mentioned here as Dimensions Of Trust Scale (DOTS): (1) Understanding: "I understand what the system is thinking"; (2) Capability: "The system seems capable"; and (3) Benevolence: "The system seems benevolent". The three questions were answered on a 20-point scale from "0% -Totally Disagree" ...

Perspective: Empowerment in veterinary clinics: the role of trust in delegation
  • Citing Article
  • January 2016

Journal of Trust Research