Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-94fs2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-07T00:56:34.020Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Do star employees help or hinder department performance: the case of surgeons in South Korean hospitals

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2021

Sangsuk Oh
Affiliation:
Performance Management Team, National Cancer Center, 323 Ilsan-ro, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do10408, South Korea
Owwon Park*
Affiliation:
Department of Business Administration, The Catholic University of Korea, 43 Jibong-ro, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi-do14662, South Korea
Woonki Hong
Affiliation:
School of Business Administration, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, 50, UNIST-gil, Ulsan44919, South Korea
*
Author for correspondence: Owwon Park, E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

Based on strategic human capital theory, this study examines the effects of star surgeons on two different types of healthcare outcomes (i.e., number of surgical patients and length of patients’ in-hospital stay after surgery) in the surgery department. We also explore whether the relationship between star surgeons and healthcare outcomes is contingent on the expertise disparity between star and non-star surgeons. The results of an empirical analysis on colorectal cancer surgeons in 80 departments in South Korean hospitals show that the number of star surgeons increases the number of surgical patients and reduces the length of patients' stay after surgery. Moreover, the positive relationship between star surgeons and the number of surgical patients is strengthened when the expertise disparity between star and non-star surgeons is low. The implications of these findings for research and practice are also discussed.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2021

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aguinis, H., & O'Boyle, E. Jr (2014). Star performers in twenty-first century organizations. Personnel Psychology, 67(2), 313350.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ambler, T., & Barrow, S. (1996). The employer brand. Journal of Brand Management, 4(3), 185206.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Azoulay, P., Graff Zivin, J. S., & Wang, J. (2010). Superstar extinction. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 125(2), 549589.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Banerjee, P., Saini, G. K., & Kalyanaram, G. (2020). The role of brands in recruitment: Mediating role of employer brand equity. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 58(2), 173196.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barnes, C. M., Jiang, K., & Lepak, D. P. (2016). Sabotaging the benefits of our own human capital: Work unit characteristics and sleep. Journal of Applied Psychology, 101(2), 209221.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Beersma, B., Hollenbeck, J. R., Humphrey, S. E., Moon, H., Conlon, D. E., & Ilgen, D. R. (2003). Cooperation, competition, and team performance: Toward a contingency approach. Academy of Management Journal, 46(5), 572590.Google Scholar
Bendersky, C., & Hays, N. A. (2012). Status conflict in groups. Organization Science, 23(2), 323340.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Berger, J., Cohen, B. P., & Zelditch, M. Jr (1972). Status characteristics and social interaction. American Sociological Review, 37(3), 241255.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boudreau, J., & Ramstad, P. M. (2005). Talentship, talent segmentation, and sustainability: A new HR decision science paradigm for a new strategy definition. Human Resource Management, 44, 129136.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bunderson, J. S. (2003). Recognizing and utilizing expertise in work groups: A status characteristics perspective. Administrative Science Quarterly, 48(4), 557591.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bunderson, J. S., & Reagans, R. E. (2011). Power, status, and learning in organizations. Organization Science, 22(5), 11821194.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burke, M. A., Fournier, G. M., & Prasad, K. (2007). The diffusion of a medical innovation: Is success in the stars? Southern Economic Journal, 73(3), 588603.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Call, M. L., Campbell, E. M., Dunford, B. B., Boswell, W. R., & Boss, R. W. (2020). Shining with the stars? Unearthing how group star proportion shapes non-star performance. Personnel Psychology, 130. doi: 10.1111/peps.12420.Google Scholar
Call, M. L., Nyberg, A. J., & Thatcher, S. M. B. (2015). Stargazing: An integrative conceptual review, theoretical reconciliation, and extension for star employee research. Journal of Applied Psychology, 100(3), 623640.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chattopadhyay, P., Finn, C., & Ashkanasy, N. M. (2010). Affective responses to professional dissimilarity: A matter of status. Academy of Management Journal, 53, 808826.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chattopadhyay, P., Tluchowska, M., & George, E. (2004). Identifying the ingroup: A closer look at the influence of demographic dissimilarity on employee social identity. Academy of Management Review, 29(2), 180202.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chen, J. S., & Garg, P. (2018). Dancing with the stars: Benefits of a star employee's temporary absence for organizational performance. Strategic Management Journal, 39(5), 12391267.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Choi, H., Yang, S. Y., Cho, H. S., Kim, W., Park, E. C., & Han, K. T. (2017). Mortality differences by surgical volume among patients with stomach cancer: A threshold for a favorable volume-outcome relationship. World Journal of Surgical Oncology, 15(1), 134142.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cohen, J., Cohen, P., West, S. G., & Aiken, L. S. (2013). Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences. New York, NY: Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Collins, C. J., & Han, J. (2004). Exploring applicant pool quantity and quality: The effects of early recruitment practice strategies, corporate advertising, and firm reputation. Personnel Psychology, 57(3), 685717.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dalal, D. K., & Zickar, M. J. (2012). Some common myths about centering predictor variables in moderated multiple regression and polynomial regression. Organizational Research Methods, 15(3), 339362.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Daniels, M. A., & Greguras, G. J. (2014). Exploring the nature of power distance: Implications for micro- and macro-level theories, processes, and outcomes. Journal of Management, 40(5), 12021229.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Delery, J. E., & Roumpi, D. (2017). Strategic human resource management, human capital and competitive advantage: Is the field going in circles? Human Resource Management Journal, 27(1), 121.Google Scholar
Eccles, R. G., & Crane, D. B. (1988). Doing deals: Investment banks at work. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.Google Scholar
Flynn, F. J. (2003). How much should I give and how often? The effects of generosity and frequency of favor exchange on social status and productivity. Academy of Management Journal, 46(5), 539553.Google Scholar
Furukawa, R., & Goto, A. (2006). Core scientists and innovation in Japanese electronics companies. Scientometrics, 68(2), 227240.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gittell, J. H., Fairfield, K. M., Bierbaum, B., Head, W., Jackson, R., Kelly, M., & Zuckerman, J. (2000). Impact of relational coordination on quality of care, postoperative pain and functioning, and length of stay: A nine-hospital study of surgical patients. Medical Care, 38(8), 807819.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Groysberg, B., & Lee, L. E. (2008). The effect of colleague quality on top performance: The case of security analysts. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 29(8), 11231144.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Groysberg, B., & Lee, L. E. (2009). Hiring stars and their colleagues: Exploration and exploitation in professional service firms. Organization Science, 20(4), 740758.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Groysberg, B., & Lee, L. E. (2010). Star power: Colleague quality and turnover. Industrial and Corporate Change, 19(3), 741765.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Groysberg, B., Polzer, J. T., & Elfenbein, H. A. (2011). Too many cooks spoil the broth: How high-status individuals decrease group effectiveness. Organization Science, 22(3), 722737.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harrison, D. A., & Klein, K. J. (2007). What's the difference? Diversity constructs as separation, variety, or disparity in organizations. Academy of Management Review, 32(4), 11991228.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hieronimus, F., Schaefer, K., & Schroder, J. (2005). Using branding to attract talent. The McKinsey Quarterly, 3, 1214.Google Scholar
Higgins, M. J., Stephan, P. E., & Thursby, J. G. (2011). Conveying quality and value in emerging industries: Star scientists and the role of signals in biotechnology. Research Policy, 40(4), 605617.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hofstede, G. (1991). Empirical models of cultural differences. In Bleichrodt, N. & Drenth, P. J. D. (Eds.), Contemporary issues in cross-cultural psychology (pp. 420). Lisse, the Netherlands: Swets & Zeitlinger Publishers.Google Scholar
Hofstede, G., & Bond, M. (1984). Hofstede's culture dimensions: An independent validation using Rokeach's value survey. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 15, 417433.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hogan, R., & Hogan, J. (1991). Personality and status. In Bleichrodt, N. & Drenth, P. J. D. (Eds.), Personality, social skills, and psychopathology (pp. 137154). Boston, MA: Springer.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huberman, B. A., Loch, C. H., & Önçüler, A. (2004). Status as a valued resource. Social Psychology Quarterly, 67(1), 103114.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Javidan, M., Dorfman, P. W., De Luque, M. S., & House, R. J. (2006). In the eye of the beholder: Cross cultural lessons in leadership from project GLOBE. Academy of Management Perspectives, 20(1), 6790.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kang, S. C., Oldroyd, J. B., Morris, S. S., & Kim, J. (2018). Reading the stars: Determining human capital's value in the hiring process. Human Resource Management, 57(1), 5564.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kehoe, R. R., Lepak, D. P., & Bentley, F. S. (2018). Let's call a star a star: Task performance, external status, and exceptional contributors in organizations. Journal of Management, 44(5), 18481872.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kehoe, R. R., & Tzabbar, D. (2015). Lighting the way or stealing the shine? An examination of the duality in star scientists' effects on firm innovative performance. Strategic Management Journal, 36(5), 709727.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lammers, J., Galinsky, A. D., Gordijn, E. H., & Otten, S. (2008). Illegitimacy moderates the effects of power on approach. Psychological Science, 19(6), 558564.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lee, F. (2002). The social costs of seeking help. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 38(1), 1735.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Li, Y., Li, N., Li, C., & Li, J. (2020). The boon and bane of creative ‘stars’: A social network exploration of how and when team creativity is (and is not) driven by a star teammate. Academy of Management Journal, 63(2), 613635.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lievens, F., & Slaughter, J. E. (2016). Employer image and employer branding: What we know and what we need to know. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 3, 407440.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lin, N. (1990). Social resources and social mobility: A structural theory of Status attainment. In Breiger, R. L. (Ed.), Social mobility and social structure (pp. 247271). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Lin, N. (1994). Action, social resources and the emergence of social structure. In Markovsky, B., Lawler, E. J., O'Brien, J., & Heimer, K. (Eds.), Advances in group processes (Vol. 11, pp. 6785). Greenwich, Conn: JAI Press.Google Scholar
Loch, C. H., Huberman, B. A., & Stout, S. (2000). Status competition and performance in work groups. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 43(1), 3555.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lockwood, P., & Kunda, Z. (1997). Superstars and me: Predicting the impact of role models on the self. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73(1), 91103.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lu, S. F., & Rui, H. (2018). Can we trust online physician ratings? Evidence from cardiac surgeons in Florida. Management Science, 64(6), 25572573.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Luciano, M. M., Bartels, A. L., D'Innocenzo, L., Maynard, M. T., & Mathieu, J. E. (2018). Shared team experiences and team effectiveness: Unpacking the contingent effects of entrained rhythms and task characteristics. Academy of Management Journal, 61(4), 14031430.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lucifora, C., & Simmons, R. (2003). Superstar effects in sport: Evidence from Italian soccer. Journal of Sports Economics, 4(1), 3555.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Magee, J. C., & Galinsky, A. D. (2008). 8 Social hierarchy: The self-reinforcing nature of power and status. Academy of Management Annals, 2(1), 351398.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Merton, R. K. (1968). The Matthew effect in science: The reward and communication systems of science are considered. Science (New York, N.Y.), 159(3810), 5663.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murayama, K., & Elliot, A. J. (2012). The competition–performance relation: A meta-analytic review and test of the opposing processes model of competition and performance. Psychological Bulletin, 138(6), 10351070.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nadler, A., & Halabi, S. (2006). Intergroup helping as status relations: Effects of status stability, identification, and type of help on receptivity to high-status group's help. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 91(1), 97110.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Noe, R. A. (1988). An investigation of the determinants of successful assigned mentoring relationships. Personnel Psychology, 41(3), 457479.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nyberg, A. J., Moliterno, T. P., Hale, D., & Lepak, D. P. (2014). Resource-based perspectives on unit-level human capital: A review and integration. Journal of Management, 40(1), 316346.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oettl, A. (2012). Reconceptualizing stars: Scientist helpfulness and peer performance. Management Science, 58(6), 11221140.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oldroyd, J. B., & Morris, S. S. (2012). Catching falling stars: A human resource response to social capital's detrimental effect of information overload on star employees. Academy of Management Review, 37(3), 396418.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peugh, J. L., & Enders, C. K. (2004). Missing data in educational research: A review of reporting practices and suggestions for improvement. Review of Educational Research, 74(4), 525556.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ployhart, R. E., & Moliterno, T. P. (2011). Emergence of the human capital resource: A multilevel model. Academy of Management Review, 36(1), 127150.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Porter, M. E., & Teisberg, E. O. (2006). Redefining health care: Creating value-based competition on results. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press.Google Scholar
Ravid, S. A. (1999). Information, blockbusters, and stars: A study of the film industry. The Journal of Business, 72(4), 463492.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reagans, R., & McEvily, B. (2003). Network structure and knowledge transfer: The effect of cohesion and range. Administrative Science Quarterly, 48(2), 240267.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Richman, J. A., Flaherty, J. A., & Rospenda, K. M. (1996). Perceived workplace harassment experiences and problem drinking among physicians: Broadening the stress/alienation paradigm. Addiction, 91(3), 391403.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ridgeway, C. L., & Walker, H. A. (1995). Status structures. In Cook, K., Fine, G., and House, J. (Eds.), Sociological perspectives on social psychology (pp. 281310). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.Google Scholar
Sosa, J. A., Bowman, H. M., Tielsch, J. M., Powe, N. R., Gordon, T. A., & Udelsman, R. (1998). The importance of surgeon experience for clinical and economic outcomes from thyroidectomy. Annals of Surgery, 228(3), 320330.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Swaab, R. I., Schaerer, M., Anicich, E. M., Ronay, R., & Galinsky, A. D. (2014). The too-much-talent effect: Team interdependence determines when more talent is too much or not enough. Psychological Science, 25(8), 15811591.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Taylor, E. C., & Bendickson, J. S. (2020). Star performers, unit performance and unit turnover: A constructive replication. Human Resource Management Journal, 118. doi: 10.1111/1748-8583.12336.Google Scholar
Thomas, J. W., Guire, K. E., & Horvat, G. G. (1997). Is patient length of stay related to quality of care? Journal of Healthcare Management, 42(4), 489507.Google ScholarPubMed
Thye, S. R. (2000). A status value theory of power in exchange relations. American Sociological Review, 65(3), 407432.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Turban, D. B., & Cable, D. M. (2003). Firm reputation and applicant pool characteristics. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 24(6), 733751.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tzabbar, D. (2009). When does scientist recruitment affect technological repositioning. Academy of Management Journal, 52(5), 873896.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tzabbar, D., & Kehoe, R. R. (2014). Can opportunity emerge from disarray? An examination of exploration and exploitation following star scientist turnover. Journal of Management, 40(2), 449482.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van der Vegt, G. S., Bunderson, J. S., & Oosterhof, A. (2006). Expertness diversity and interpersonal helping in teams: Why those who need the most help end up getting the least. Academy of Management Journal, 49(5), 877893.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vicente, F. G., Lomar, F. P., Mélot, C., & Vincent, J. L. (2004). Can the experienced ICU physician predict ICU length of stay and outcome better than less experienced colleagues? Intensive Care Medicine, 30, 655659.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weinberg, D. B. (2003). Code green: Money-driven hospitals and the dismantling of nursing. Ithaca, NY: ILR Press.Google Scholar
West, M. (1996). Reflexivity and work group effectiveness:A conceptual integration. In West, M. A. (Ed.), Handbook of work group psychology (pp. 525579). London, UK: Wiley.Google Scholar
Wood, R., & Bandura, A. (1989). Social cognitive theory of organizational management. Academy of Management Review, 14(3), 361384.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wright, P. M., Coff, R., & Moliterno, T. P. (2014). Strategic human capital: Crossing the great divide. Journal of Management, 40(2), 353370.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zucker, L. G., & Darby, M. R. (1997). Individual action and the demand for institutions: Star scientists and institutional transformation. American Behavioral Scientist, 40(4), 502513.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zucker, L. G., Darby, M. R., & Brewer, M. B. (1998). Intellectual capital and the birth of US biotechnology enterprises. The American Economic Review, 88, 290306.Google Scholar