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Family firm performance through transformational CEO leadership and familiness-related team forces
(2024)
Purpose. The purpose of this study is to test the role of familiness-related team forces induced by the CEO of family firms. In particular, we report on the effects of the transformational leadership style of CEOs on their respective top-management team (TMT) and firm performance when viewed through a familiness lens.
Design/methodology/approach. Survey measures were taken from a snowballed
sample of 72 CEOs of German family firms as well as from 245 members of their TMTs. We tested the aggregated firm-level data with objective performance indicators of the firms they led.
Findings. Support was obtained for the three hypothesized team-force mediations and the four-path mediation model. The relationship between CEO’s transformational style and
high family-firm performance is found to be serially mediated by TMT cohesion, behavioral integration and efficacy. Together, these three types of collective forces are assumed to be the
familiness effect of a family-member CEO with a transformational leadership style.
Originality. With our model we quantitatively tested familiness-type forces vis-à-vis firm performance. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.
Despite a broadly shared belief by most organizational members that their own organization’s environmental performance should be improved, they frequently struggle to do so. Securing the required behavioral changes within their organization has frequently been identified as one of the crucial challenges encountered. Hence, there is an urgent need for actionable insights into how to develop and sustain these behavioral change processes. To this end, we systematically reviewed and compared research evidence of how intra-organizational behavior for environmental performance improvements develops over time. This review shows that extensive and long-lasting outcomes are achieved when environmental performance improving activities are advocated, role-modelled and endorsed by top and line managers. Shifts in social norms appear strongly associated with extensive and long-lasting behavioral changes, especially when they are broadly shared and embedded in a pro-environmental organizational culture. Initial evidence points towards the importance of role models throughout the organization in developing such a culture. Pro-environmental behavioral changes may be effectively instigated and sustained by: setting goals; providing instructions; facilitating desired behavior through redesigning organizational practices and procedures; and rewarding achieved outcomes. Furthermore, positive performance feedback catalyzes pro-environmental behavioral changes and employee participation in developing new practices and procedures is strongly associated with long-lasting environmental performance improvements. Heightened awareness of current environmental performance and an increase in specific knowledge of activities for environmental performance improvement appear to predict behavioral change. Initial evidence suggests that positive attitudes towards non-green aspects of improving environmental performance are crucial predictors of long-lasting and extensive pro-environmental behavioral changes.
Purpose. Strong leadership can be success-critical in M&As. The purpose of this study is to present what HR practice can offer if such leadership is absent and puts the success of the merger or acquisition at risk.
Design/methodology/approach. Drawing on a recent merger, this paper clarifies the interplay between trust, leadership, and conflict.
Findings. HR can take an active role in supporting top management during major organizational change by (a) avoiding a leadership vacuum, (b) effectively communicating promises by the new owner, and (c) offering support in inter-familial conflicts during the integration phase.
Originality/value. Supporting a smooth exit for the target owner, assisting the owning family in their communication activities, and taking conflicts within the family seriously, all help to effectively merge two family firms.
Emotionally intelligent top management and high family firm performance: Evidence from Germany
(2021)
Executives in family firms are often confronted with emotionally loaded issues, in part due to the need to include the interests of the owning family. Given this context, we hypothesize how high family-firm performance is affected by the emotional intelligence (EI) of a family-based CEO and top-management team (TMT), in addition to the CEO's transformational leadership (TFL) and TMT's behavioral integration. Survey measures were taken from a random sample of 72 CEOs of German family firms and 245 members of their TMTs. We found that TMT behavioral integration mediates between CEO TFL and objective firm performance while CEO EI is significantly related to both CEO TFL and TMT EI. Implications are discussed for future research thereby suggesting an extension to upper-echelon theory.
Purpose.
Mergers & acquisitions (M&As) can be an effective way to expand into new markets or business opportunities. Yet, a considerable number of failed M&As can be attributed to disregarded human resource (HR) concerns. In particular, an organization’s leadership tends to hail the advantages of a merger or acquisition during the early stages, raising employees’ expectations (honeymoon effect). Many documented failures in such corporate transactions indicate organizational members’ declining satisfaction following a deal (hangover effect).
Design/methodology/approach. Drawing on in-depth interviews with senior M&A experts at a global big-four accountancy firm and focus group sessions with their respective clients, this study investigates in two cases the interplay between HR issues and M&A transactions and infers effective risk management actions.
Findings. A honeymoon hangover after a transaction may appear in organizations if HR issues are neglected. Study results provide notable implications for HR departments and HR professionals facing a merger or acquisition. These implications include (1) focusing on HR risks, (2) involving HR executives to manage the HR due diligence efforts, (3) setting up transition teams that communicate well, (4) creating policies for learning and knowledge sharing, (5) developing new competencies for the NewCo, (6) being sensitive to cultural differences and (7) considering legal aspects.
Originality/value. Although M&As have been much researched, relatively little has been written on practical managerial adaptation from a human resource perspective and its implications for organizational learning. This article helps address this imbalance by providing a people-oriented approach for effectively managing M&As from beginning to integration.
Research limitations/ implications. The two transactions studied revealed patterns that are important for successful change. However, we should not underestimate the individual perspective in M&As. Further studies with interview data directly from stakeholders are important to analyze further the relationships between HR due diligence, organizational learning, effective knowledge transfer, and culture. Due to our research approach, we cannot claim that the results can be generalizable to all major M&As. Further research is needed to measure the impact of the HR Due Diligence aspects outlined on M&A success.