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This article examines the link between managers' careers and the strategic behavior of the companies they manage. We argue that despite the theoretical and practical importance of this topic for the strategic management of organizations, the results of research to date have been contradictory and confusing, partly because of two substantial gaps in the underpinning theory. Implicit theories about the impact of work history on managerial characteristics are not made explicit, and a conceptual bridge is needed between individual and organizational levels of analysis. Ideas from research on decision-making studies, top management team behavior, and the strategic management literature are reviewed to yield an integrative model that specifies a set of propositions defining a program of research designed to shed light on the nature of the link. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The organizational problem firms face is the utilization of knowledge which is not, and cannot be, known by a single agent. Even more importantly, no single agent can fully specify in advance what kind of practical knowledge is going to be relevant, when and where. Firms, therefore, are distributed knowledge systems in a strong sense: they are decentered systems, lacking an overseeing 'mind'. The knowledge they need to draw upon is inherently indeterminate and continually emerging; it is not self-contained. individuals' stock of knowledge consists of (a) role-related normative expectations; (b) dispositions, which have been formed in the course of past socializations; and (c) local knowledge of particular circumstances of time and place. A firm has greater-or-lesser control over normative expectations, but very limited control over the other two. At any point in time, a firm's knowledge is the indeterminate outcome of individuals attempting to manage the inevitable tensions between normative expectations, dispositions, and local contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Managerial practice uses a number of prevention tools (for example, the most effective methods, comparative evaluations, evaluation models, etc.) which continually improve conditions of workplace health and safety. Considering that communication is one of the key influence factors with regard to safety and efficiency of preventive action, we wanted to establish how Slovenian top-level managers communicated and how their communication level affected their management with regard to workplace health and safety. For that purpose we used a quantitative method of data collection - the questionnaire - and analyzed the obtained data using the SPSS data analysis software. The questionnaire was sent to all 351 top-level managers of large Slovenian companies. We found that the manner of communication used by top-level managers in large Slovenian companies positively and significantly influenced workplace health and safety (the correlation between influence and communication was fairly strong; beta coefficient was 0.774). A higher communication level achieved by top-level managers in large Slovenian companies also enabled them to promote more successfully their management ideas among co-workers. We proposed the most efficient activities to be taken up by Slovenian top-level managers in large companies in order to improve workplace health and safety, with communication being the primary tool to achieve this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In this empirical study, Strategic Human Resources Management becomes a precursor to the Balanced Scorecard. The aim of the study is to examine the relationship between Strategic Human Resources Management in organisations implemented using the three perspectives (customer, financial and process) of the Balanced Scorecard. Two hundred and twenty-two directors took part in this sample, all of whom were asked to do several self-administered tests covering aspects like: demographic data of the interviewee and the company, the BSC-14 scale and the SHRM-53 scale. The results obtained and conclusions drawn suggest that Strategic Human Resources Management predicts the parameters of the Balanced Scorecard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existing expatriation literature concentrates on what individuals need to perform in an international assignment (IA) but neglects what they gain from their foreign work experience. Using a dual-dependency perspective this study presents results from 26 in-depth interviews with international secondees within two UK-based organizational contexts. The paper explores the perceived impact of an IA on the career capital of individuals, showing that the outcomes of IAs can be equivocal for expatriates. Each firm concentrated their human resource mechanisms on developing different types of career capital and this focused individual behaviour on diverse career capital activities. In one of the organizations there was an internal misalignment between organizational and individual assignee focus. Based on the research a number of propositions were developed. This study provided an exploratory insight into points of departure rather than complementarity in individuals' international careers in organizations, which has been at the core of much recent research and writing. A more complex, contextualized picture of the effects of IAs on the careers of individuals emerged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this study was to introduce a model explaining how managers' attitudes, subjective norms, attributions, and the individualism-collectivism cultural dimension affect the way managers' deal with employee bribery in organizations. Twenty-six internal and external attributions related to bribery were identified through a series of structured interviews with 65 subject matter experts. These attributions, together with the other variables in the model, were evaluated by 354 ( n = 354) Ecuadorian managers. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that attitudes and external attributions significantly predicted managers' intentions to discipline employees who accepted a bribe. In addition, external attributions mediated the relationship between individualism-collectivism and intent to discipline corrupt employees. Implications for the management of bribery in Latin American organizations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corporate America is institutionalizing ethics through a variety of structures, systems, and processes. This study sought to identify managerial perceptions regarding the institutionalization of ethics in organizations. Eighty-six corporate-level marketing and human resource managers of American multinational corporations responded to a mail survey regarding the various implicit and explicit ways by which corporations institutionalize ethics. The results revealed that managers found ethics to be good for the bottom line of the organizations, that they did not perceive the need for additional formalization of ethics, and that they perceived implicit forms of institutionalizing ethics (e.g., leadership, corporate culture, top management support) to be more effective than the explicit forms of institutionalizing ethics (e.g., ethics officers, ethics committees, ethics newsletters). Implications of the survey and future research directions conclude the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses issues and procedures that can improve management practices of humanism and simple good manners personnel recruitment. As the behavior of managers shapes both the image of the agency and its style of operation, suggestions are offered to social work employers to guide them in the recruiting and hiring process with appropriate etiquette. The failure to display behaviors associated with ethical obligations, good management, and good manners suggests that there may be gap between what is adopted in theory and what is manifested in practice.

This paper summarizes relevant literature and reports on a study which has examined the behaviour and attributes of managers in British mid-sized companies in which growth is a strategic objective. The study used a grounded, interpretive methodology, which allowed the development of theoretical propositions which have not been subject to previous empirical examination. This paper deals with one aspect of the findings, namely ruthlessness on the part of managers in dismissing or otherwise dealing with poorly performing members of staff. This aspect of management was an important factor in the subject organizations' ability to achieve their chosen strategy, and is a phenomenon which does not appear to have been developed in any previous models of effective managerial behaviour. Managerial ruthlessness influences strategic implementation in a number of ways - it affects control of the organization, team building and the ability to respond to changes in the environment or undo mistakes in appointments. This paper also outlines attributes and characteristics of both the individual manager and the organization which allows ruthlessness to be developed and used effectively, for example self- confidence; the ability to ensure that criticism or dismissal is not seen as personal; the separation of work and social life; and the ability to focus on objectives rather than the person. Organizational support and training in such behaviour also appeared to be helpful contributors to the development of such behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Links between organizational strategy, human resources (HR) policies, and the employment relationship are investigated through surveys of US executives and HR managers. Human resources policies are measured as both an overall philosophy (an internal to an external focus) and a series of items. The items factor into four dimensions: retention, staffing, performance and compensation. Results indicate that staffing policies are associated with organizational strategy. Retention policies are related to the employment relationship. However, the overall HR philosophy is not related to either organizational strategy or the employment relationship. The findings indicate that relationships between organizational strategy, HR and the employment relationship are more complex than previous models had indicated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the impact of organizational socialization tactics and the moderating effect of organizational tenure on role innovation or the extent to which expatriate managers changed the procedures: and objectives of their jobs. The results suggested that collective, serial, and fixed tactics: had a significant relationship with role innovation. In addition, organizational tenure moderated the relationship between collective and serial tactics with role innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New organizational structures and cultures are placing a premium on new management behaviors and skills. Management behavior that has worked in the past is viewed as out of sync with the workplace and, in many cases, leads to the demise of the heretofore successful executive. Corporations invest in a variety of programs to help executives remain in step with the changes around them. Disappointed with past results, companies are demanding accountability and asking: What are we getting for our money? What difference does the program make to the company and in the work-life of the executive? "Training" is differentiated from "development" and the special requirements of development are articulated. A model which develops executives and helps them modify management behavior is described. Finally, the results of a study of over 56 executives and managers who participated in a process utilizing this model between 1987 and 1992 are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper was to review the research literature on the relationship between "Consideration," "Initiating Structure," and organizational criteria. The results show a predominance of low to moderate correlations, but almost all of a concurrent validity nature. There is as yet almost no evidence on the predictive validity of "Consideration" and "Initiating Structure" nor on the kinds of situational moderators which might affect such validity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]