Nicholas Clarke’s research while affiliated with EADA Business School and other places

Research investigating training and firm performance is currently at an inflection point; capable of recognising previous achievements but also having a focus on the future. Based on our review of 207 quantitative papers over a 40‐year period, we find that the field has converged in terms of theory and methods. Important insights have been generated yet there is scope to better understand the complex, interrelated and dynamic nature of the relationship between training and firm performance. We propose that open systems theory (OST) provides the potential to move the field forward and encourage researchers to investigate interactions and linkages between training and performance components, the role of temporal dynamics in inputs and processes, reverse causality and to broaden conceptualisations of firm performance. We consider six principles of OST, highlight productive avenues for future research and identify methodological challenges and implications.

Most research examining the effects of subordinates’ use of upward influence tactics on supervisor job performance evaluations has been conducted in Western countries. In these contexts, it has been suggested that upward influence tactics bias supervisor ratings because they affect the quality of the relationship between supervisors and subordinates. This has primarily been explained in terms of supervisor liking. We suggest instead, that the particular cultural context in Saudi Arabia emphasises loyalty as the primary indicator of relationship quality. Based on data we obtained from 389 matched supervisor–subordinate dyads in Saudi Arabia, we found that five upward influence tactics; rational persuasion, ingratiation, self-promotion, coalition and upward appeal had indirect effects on supervisor job performance ratings through subordinate loyalty. Our findings suggest cultural contexts can emphasise differing aspects of relational quality between supervisors and subordinates that potentially explain bias in supervisor job performance evaluations.

We draw upon the theory of Conservation of Resources (COR) in positing political skill and role overload as influencing perceptions of either resource loss or conservation not previously studied in innovative work behavior. Based on a survey of 249 junior doctors in the United Kingdom, we found that role overload not only had direct positive effects on innovative work behavior but also negatively affects innovative work behavior, mediated through its effects on perceived organizational support. Political skill was positively associated with innovative work behavior, mediated through role-breadth self-efficacy. Our findings support a growing body of literature suggesting that engaging in innovative work behavior is a problem-focused coping strategy to deal with job demands and stressors. Current theorizing that job demands can have positive effects on innovative work behavior needs to be reconsidered given alternative negative effects suggested by COR.

We review the methodological rigor of empirical quantitative studies that have investigated the training and organisational performance relationship. Through a content analysis of 219 studies published in quality journals, we reveal significant validity threats (internal, external construct and statistical conclusion validity) that raise questions about the methodological rigor of the field. Our findings suggest that the time is appropriate for a renewed methodological endeavour to understanding the relationship between training and organisational performance. We make specific recommendations to enhance methodological rigor and generate research finding will enhance operationalisation of theory, help researchers to make inferences about causality and inform the decision making of HRD practitioners.

Supervisor’s HR decisions have a significant impact on the employees they manage but have been found to be subject to bias. The upward influence tactics use by subordinates can play a role in this. We investigated the effects of seven upward influence tactics on supervisor job performance ratings and the extent of subordinate flexible working arrangements (FWAs). Supervisors are often responsible for determining whether employees are granted FWAs. We posit an alternative theoretical mechanism by which upward influence tactics bring about their effects, mediated through two distinct types of respect, mutual appraisal and mutual recognition respect. We collected data from 389 matched supervisor-subordinate dyads, and found that both mutual appraisal respect and mutual recognition respect mediated relationships between several upward influence tactics and both job performance ratings and flexible working arrangements. Our findings show that upward influence tactics affect the quality of the relationship between employees and their supervisors. Specifically, these two forms of mutual respect. Further, that both mutual appraisal and mutual recognition respect may explain why supervisors show favoritism to some subordinates over others, in reaching HR decisions in these areas.

This chapter aims to assist those responsible for implementing change to think more about how employee participation or involvement is undertaken during the change process. The chapter starts by providing an overview of the theoretical explanations as to why employee participation in change management is important. The authors then examine the nature of employee participation in three organizations undertaking major culture change programs, each using a different change intervention. They present three case studies that show how the context surrounding the change (comprising drivers, intervention, approach to change, and change levers) influenced the characteristics of employee participation in the change process. They conclude by emphasizing the significance of examining change agents' intervention methodology as a contextual factor to understand better the experience of culture change programs. The key message is that employees' experiences of participation influence their perceptions on the effectiveness of this type of change.

The importance of context has been well established in studies of leadership (Bryman, A. and Stephens, M. (1996). The importance of context: qualitative research and the study of leadership. Leadership Quarterly, 7, pp. 353–371; Pettigrew, A. and Whipp, R. (1991). Managing Change for Competitive Success. Oxford: Blackwell). However, recent reviews of shared leadership have tended to merge findings across commercial and non‐commercial settings, disregarding contextual differences in these distinctive domains. Acknowledging that the challenges of leadership may vary in different organizational contexts, this paper argues that a focused review of shared leadership in commercial organizations (COs) is needed. The authors thus systematically review findings from over twenty years of empirical research on the practice of shared leadership in commercial organizations, critically reviewing definitions, theoretical dispositions and measurement approaches adopted in the field, before evaluating the impact of shared leadership on performance in this context. Findings from commercial and non‐ commercial organizations are then compared, highlighting significant differences in the conceptualization of shared leadership in these distinct settings. Contributing to theory in this field, a framework is developed, mapping the landscape of current research in commercial contexts, revealing critical gaps in our present understanding of shared leadership processes. Consequently, a model summarizing a proposed research agenda for future studies is provided, highlighting the need for such research to focus on the interactions of individuals as they share in the leadership of their team.