Both managers and the staff they supervise bring unconscious and unresolved personal issues into their relationships in the workplace. This phenomenon is called ‘transference’. Transference generally interferes with the positive working relationships that are essential to achieving organizational objectives. This article provides a conceptual framework for differentiating transference from other complex emotional interactions that can occur in the workplace as well as a set of clear action steps for how the manager can respond to transference constructively. Examples of both staff and manager transference are presented to illustrate how managers can detect and then respond effectively to transference. It is noted that managers are not psychotherapists; knowledge about transference should therefore be used with caution. It is a manager's job is to help staff to succeed with their work, not to help them resolve personal problems.

This research focused on the role of group cohesion as moderating the psychological manifestations of attachment and caregiving in performing organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs). Data were collected from 147 employees, who took part in a 9-week training course. Participants completed questionnaires assessing their attachment and caregiving dimensions as well as group cohesion. Participant OCB levels were assessed by their trainers at the end of the course. Anxious individuals tended to express higher levels of OCB-individual under high levels of group cohesion. However, compulsive caregivers tended to perform OCBI under low levels of group cohesion. The results highlight the contribution of Bowlby's relational perspective in work settings and the importance of contextual factors in predicting OCB.

This paper aims to analyze how governance and management of strategic networks (SNs) composed of small firms differ according to network size and length of existence. We analyzed 20 Brazilian SNs, comparing oldest to youngest and largest to smallest. The results show that large SNs have a more robust management structure, automated process control system, and centralized strategic decision-making power. Only small and younger SNs are not centralized and lack incentive mechanisms for members. Moreover, older SNs have a centralized strategic formulation and implementation process, whereas younger SNs have a more inclusive and participatory one. The results confirm previous studies and offer a fine-grained comprehension of the governance of SNs according to the number of members. The findings contribute to the nascent network governance theory and offer insights to network managers who have to reconfigure the governance as the number of members grows.

Drawing upon Parker, Bindl, and Strauss' [(2010). Making things happen: A model of proactive motivation. Journal of Management, 36(4), 827–856] model of proactive motivation, we provide an explanation for how employees who exhibit a high need for achievement can take a proactive initiative through the expression of voice. Importantly, the extent to which employee voice can bring about desired changes depends largely on how positively received the behavior is by those in higher positions, such as supervisors. In this regard, we further highlight the facilitating role of supervisor developmental feedback in shaping the effectiveness of voice behavior. Data from 392 independently matched subordinate–supervisor dyads from Japan provide empirical support for proposed relationships as follows: (a) there is a positive mediating relationship between the need for achievement, employee voice, and supervisors' evaluations of employee task performance and discretionary work effort, and (b) the mediating relationship becomes stronger when supervisor developmental feedback is high. Theoretical and practical implications are further discussed.

Inconsistent findings from prior research on the performance consequences of new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) origin led us to study the moderating effect of managerial discretion on the link between CEO outsiderness and firms’ post-succession performance. Data from 75 CEO succession events from an emerging economy show that new CEO outsiderness, without managerial discretion context influences, has no direct impact on post-succession performance. Further, our findings emphasise the moderating impacts of managerial discretion, stemming from factors in a company’s external and internal contingencies, which either strengthen or weaken the association between new CEO outsiderness and post-succession firm performance. It is found that market complexity, but not munificence, provides CEOs with more discretion in the Turkish context, thus strengthening the positive associations between CEO origin and firm performance. Firms inertia weakens both managerial discretion level and the association between CEO outsiderness and firm performance. The results show that internal corporate governance also matters. Finally, when a CEO assumes the dual role of both the chairman and the CEO, the link between CEO outsiderness and performance of the firm becomes stronger.

This paper is born of a deep concern about the premise upon which Enterprising Nation, Report of the Industry Task Force on Leadership and Management Skills (The Karpin Report), was undertaken. I argue that the review, report and recommendations are based on a set of simplifying assumptions that are essentially limiting. By conforming to a view of business embedded in neoclassical economic theory, the Task Force has not explored the implications of current developments worldwide that demonstrate the remarkable capacity of small-scale production to galvanise regions like the Third Italy and the Basque provinces of Spain. These enormously productive regions base their economic activity upon a capacity to cooperate as well as compete and this is anathema to the unmitigated competition that the Task Force takes as given in its recommendations about the development of management/leadership in Australia. Moreover, a reliance on this particular theoretical perspective has limited the Task Force's understanding of, and response to, organisational inequality. Ultimately, I argue that the five challenges articulated by the Task Force are important, but I interpret them differently in the light of a broader and more socially-embedded understanding of the importance and nature of business. In particular, management/leadership of the future will be an integral part of all worker's roles; it will no longer be confined to an organisational or societal elite. Understanding and preparing for the universalism of management in the future is a key challenge for both industry and management education.

January 2011 visited on Queensland Australia floods of proportions many thought could not have occurred again, following disaster management planning taken after the historic floods of the 1800s and 1974. This paper presents some reflections on this natural disaster, which affected many members of the ANZAM community and left a permanent mark on those directly affected and those who watched as the waters washed away lives, memories and many of the things that give people a sense of place. Amongst tragedy came stories of generosity of human spirit as well as the occasional case of greed and callousness. When all was over, however, there was no doubt about the human side of disaster management. Through two case studies of a family-owned business and a large organization impacted by the flood in Brisbane, we highlight some lessons for disaster management and propose some strategies for building social capital in times of disaster.

This study explains the inconsistent findings of previous research on board management by examining the direct and interaction effects of board independence and the top management team's external ties on firm performance. The results obtained using a multiyear sample of firms indicate that outsider-rich boards improved firm performance when they worked with top managers imported from outside the focal industry. On the other hand, a high proportion of outsiders on the board and top managers imported from the focal industry were not a desirable combination for firm performance. The findings imply that researchers and practitioners should pay more attention to identifying the conditions under which board competence aligns with top management.

This paper discusses an exploratory investigation into vision and mission, the starting points of the classical strategic planning process (Ginter, Rucks and Duncan 1985). Constructs measuring vision and mission are identified, as well as three other items that are frequently cited in the literature as being critical for effective formulation and implementation of vision and mission statements (latent abilities, market focus and competitor focus). It is argued that clearer definitions of these constructs and others discussed in strategic literature are a necessary step to allow empirical investigation into the interactions inherent in the strategic process.

In this paper, we develop and empirically test hypotheses about the diffusion of imported management practices in Turkey. We emphasize the sociopolitical legitimacy of these practices and present hypotheses as to timing, motivations, and self-promotion. We test these hypotheses with quantitative data on Total Quality Management (TQM) adoption by industrial companies in Turkey. Findings reveal that elite companies adopt TQM earlier on, self-report greater levels of sociopolitically driven legitimacy concerns, and are more likely to participate in a prestigious quality award contest. Overall, our study contributes to diffusion research guided by the new institutional approach by expanding existing models to the diffusion of imported practices across organizations in late-industrializing recipient countries. We particularly show that sociopolitical legitimacy of imported practices that is more characteristic of late-industrializing recipient contexts may generate a divergent pattern of diffusion whereby elite organizations emerge as early adopters and engage in brandishing adoption.

The Grand Seaside Hotel is a large five-star hotel in an Australian Coastal town. It is a place that not only aspires to provide excellent service but that also seeks to reconcile two apparently divergent demands: the need for customized service and the efficient management of business operations. To commit staff to the provision of service excellence, management has introduced a customer service programme that relies on various forms of training and rewards, as well as a guest response system. The customer service programme, particularly the use of guest questionnaires, appear as disciplinary strategies that aim to produce service encounters in which both staff and guests are ‘normalized’. The main loci of ethnographic data collection for this paper are regular Management Briefings. Through data collected from these, the paper investigates the use of the ‘imaginary’ in constituting service encounters and guest expectations. It interprets these in terms of Foucault's Panoptic analysis to identify the immanent mechanisms of discipline in these customer service programmes.

This paper examines four businesses that were located in Christchurch's CBD prior to the earthquake on February 22, 2011. Immediately following the quake Christchurch's CBD was cordoned off and for many Christchurch businesses it was necessary to find new premises in an environment of extreme uncertainty and very limited information. The four businesses used in this study were all required to relocate, however the specifics of their situations differed. All four businesses examined were larger professional services firms (lawyers, accountants, architects or engineers) who had a national presence. Given the limited number of suitable and available properties speed was of the essence in relocating. Through the four cases we explore how rapidly each firm initiated and completed the relocation process and the factors influencing their speed. We examine the means by which new premises were secured and the plans in regard to immediate and longer term business location. Finally, we explore the impact of relocation and the earthquake more broadly for these firms. The results obtained highlight the differences between the firms based on both initial conditions and the way each firm managed the process.

We investigate how exposure to unethical practices affects the personal attitude of accountants in small accounting firms towards unethical behaviours. This is an important topic for business because accountants in small accounting firms are in a position to influence the behaviour of the large number of businesses they serve. The main independent variable is a measure of exposure to a variety of different types of unethical practices. A regression involving the exposure variable onto personal attitude is carried out using data from owners/managers of small accounting firms in Australia. Findings confirm a negative relationship between the amount of exposure and personal attitude towards questionable practices: increased exposure to questionable ethical behaviour is related to an increase in the level of acceptance of unethical behaviour. While such a finding is not unexpected, it suggests that other strategies need to be pursued to encourage ethical behaviour.

The purpose of this study was to examine contextual factors (empowerment, ownership, and accountability) that facilitate and promote exploration and exploitation behavior. Data were obtained from an American manufacturing company using employee and supervisor surveys (n = 297). Findings indicate that empowerment improved exploitation and that when employees perceived they would have to be accountable for their actions, employees who felt empowered showed lower gains in exploration behaviors compared with those who felt less empowered; in contrast, those having feelings of ownership exhibited higher gains in exploration behavior than those who scored low in ownership. Although ownership was theorized to have a positive effect on exploitative behavior, we found evidence for its negative effects instead. We contribute to the limited individual-level ambidexterity literature by providing empirical evidence on the effects of contextual factors on ambidextrous behavior. This knowledge could help firms better manage employee behavior and implement effective supervisory oversight.

Drawing on a positive organizational scholarship (POS) approach, this paper presents findings from the first of a two-part study exploring user experiences of brilliant renal care within the Regional Dialysis Centre in Blacktown (RDC-B). A world café method was used engaging patients, carers, and staff in conversations about brilliance. Practitioners led the study, seeking to validate their claims that the RDC-B is an exemplar of brilliant care. Pragmatics dominated the fieldwork. Researchers and practitioners collaborated throughout the study, including hosting two world cafés. Key findings from the study are that the RDC-B is completely patient and relationally-centred, with high-quality connections, dedicated and competent staff providing a complete, responsive, and personalized service that is also like being in a family. Drawing on POS, we suggest that relational-centred care requires at the very least high-quality connections and relational coordination to build and sustain the levels of positivity identified in the RDC-B.

In this examination of New Zealand entrepreneurship in the period 1840 to 1990, we document the origins of New Zealand entrepreneurs, and explore the differences between New Zealand, UK, and United States entrepreneurial history. Historical data is further analysed to depict the rise of alternative entrepreneurial growth strategies and the evolution of industry and financing structures, unique to the New Zealand business environment.