IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/jmgtco/v35y2024i2d10.1007_s00187-024-00372-7.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Navigating frugality and creativity urgencies: the role of diagnostic use of budgets and goal clarity

Author

Listed:
  • Ranjith Appuhami

    (The University of Newcastle
    The University of Newcastle)

  • Faruk Bhuiyan

    (University of Sussex Business School, University of Sussex)

  • Christina Boedker

    (The University of Newcastle)

Abstract

Organizations increasingly promote individual creativity as a strategy to manage their performance and financial strain. Drawing on self-regulation and goal-setting theories, this study examines whether the diagnostic use of budgets stifles or stimulates managers’ creativity directly or indirectly through frugal spending behaviour and perceived goal clarity. Budgetary controls and frugal spending behaviour—with the focus on conserving resources and constraining spending—have traditionally been suggested as hindering individual creativity. However, by analysing survey data collected from middle-level managers in Indonesia, our findings show that the diagnostic use of budgets increases managers’ frugal spending behaviour which, in turn, enhances their creativity. Furthermore, the diagnostic use of budgets increases managers’ perceived goal clarity, with goal clarity and frugal spending behaviour fully mediating the relationship between the diagnostic use of budgets and creativity. The study contributes to the budgeting literature by showing that diagnostic use of budgets encourages managers’ frugal spending behaviour to effectively manage organisational costs and stimulate their creativity.

Suggested Citation

  • Ranjith Appuhami & Faruk Bhuiyan & Christina Boedker, 2024. "Navigating frugality and creativity urgencies: the role of diagnostic use of budgets and goal clarity," Journal of Management Control: Zeitschrift für Planung und Unternehmenssteuerung, Springer, vol. 35(2), pages 235-264, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:jmgtco:v:35:y:2024:i:2:d:10.1007_s00187-024-00372-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s00187-024-00372-7
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00187-024-00372-7
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s00187-024-00372-7?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Stefan Hofmann & Andreas Wald & Ronald Gleich, 2012. "Determinants and effects of the diagnostic and interactive use of control systems: an empirical analysis on the use of budgets," Metrika: International Journal for Theoretical and Applied Statistics, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 153-182, December.
    2. Kevin Baird & Vicki Baard, 2021. "Management controls and team effectiveness: the mediating role of team structural empowerment," Journal of Management Control: Zeitschrift für Planung und Unternehmenssteuerung, Springer, vol. 32(4), pages 517-558, December.
    3. Jacob Goldenberg & Donald R. Lehmann & David Mazursky, 2001. "The Idea Itself and the Circumstances of Its Emergence as Predictors of New Product Success," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 47(1), pages 69-84, January.
    4. Lee Cronbach, 1951. "Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests," Psychometrika, Springer;The Psychometric Society, vol. 16(3), pages 297-334, September.
    5. Li, Chan & Sun, Lili & Ettredge, Michael, 2010. "Financial executive qualifications, financial executive turnover, and adverse SOX 404 opinions," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(1), pages 93-110, May.
    6. Widener, Sally K., 2007. "An empirical analysis of the levers of control framework," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 32(7-8), pages 757-788.
    7. Ranjith Appuhami, 2019. "Exploring the relationship between strategic performance measurement systems and managers' creativity: the mediating role of psychological empowerment and organisational learning," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 59(4), pages 2201-2233, December.
    8. Henri, Jean-François & Boiral, Olivier & Roy, Marie-Josée, 2016. "Strategic cost management and performance: The case of environmental costs," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 48(2), pages 269-282.
    9. Shannon W. Anderson & Anne M. Lillis, 2011. "Corporate Frugality: Theory, Measurement and Practice," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(4), pages 1349-1387, December.
    10. Olli‐Pekka Kauppila & Lorenzo Bizzi & David Obstfeld, 2018. "Connecting and creating: tertius iungens, individual creativity, and strategic decision processes," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(3), pages 697-719, March.
    11. Christina Boedker & Kar Ming Chong, 2022. "The mediating role of accounting controls between supervisors' empowering leadership style and subordinates' creativity and goal productivity," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(4), pages 4587-4614, December.
    12. Simons, Robert, 1990. "The role of management control systems in creating competitive advantage: New perspectives," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 15(1-2), pages 127-143.
    13. Gonçalves, Tiago & Gaio, Cristina & Silva, Mariana, 2018. "Target costing and innovation-exploratory configurations: A comparison of fsQCA, multivariate regression, and variable cluster analysis," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 378-384.
    14. Hilary, Gilles & Lennox, Clive, 2005. "The credibility of self-regulation: Evidence from the accounting profession's peer review program," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 40(1-3), pages 211-229, December.
    15. Peter J Jordan & Ashlea C Troth, 2020. "Common method bias in applied settings: The dilemma of researching in organizations," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 45(1), pages 3-14, February.
    16. Robert H. Chenhall & Frank Moers, 2007. "The Issue of Endogeneity within Theory-Based, Quantitative Management Accounting Research," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(1), pages 173-196.
    17. Abernethy, Margaret A. & Brownell, Peter, 1999. "The role of budgets in organizations facing strategic change: an exploratory study," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 24(3), pages 189-204, April.
    18. Samuel Sponem & Caroline Lambert, 2016. "Exploring differences in budget characteristics, roles and satisfaction: A configurational approach," Post-Print hal-01479940, HAL.
    19. Carl Deschamps, 2019. "Stages of management control in a large public organization: from top to frontline managers," Journal of Management Control: Zeitschrift für Planung und Unternehmenssteuerung, Springer, vol. 30(2), pages 153-184, July.
    20. Imoisili, Olumhense A., 1989. "The role of budget data in the evaluation of managerial performance," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 14(4), pages 325-335, July.
    21. Marginson, David & Ogden, Stuart, 2005. "Coping with ambiguity through the budget: the positive effects of budgetary targets on managers' budgeting behaviours," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 30(5), pages 435-456, July.
    22. Chenhall, Robert H. & Brownell, Peter, 1988. "The effect of participative budgeting on job satisfaction and performance: Role ambiguity as an intervening variable," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 13(3), pages 225-233, April.
    23. Per Ståle Knardal & Trond Bjørnenak, 2020. "Managerial characteristics and budget use in festival organizations," Journal of Management Control: Zeitschrift für Planung und Unternehmenssteuerung, Springer, vol. 31(4), pages 379-402, December.
    24. Velasco Vizcaíno, Franklin & Martin, Silvia L. & Cardenas, Juan J. & Cardenas, Marcelo, 2021. "Employees’ attitudes toward corporate social responsibility programs: The influence of corporate frugality and polychronicity organizational capabilities," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 538-546.
    25. Hall, Matthew, 2008. "The effect of comprehensive performance measurement systems on role clarity, psychological empowerment and managerial performance," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 33(2-3), pages 141-163.
    26. Lastovicka, John L, et al, 1999. "Lifestyle of the Tight and Frugal: Theory and Measurement," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 26(1), pages 85-98, June.
    27. John Hulland, 1999. "Use of partial least squares (PLS) in strategic management research: a review of four recent studies," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(2), pages 195-204, February.
    28. Ravi Mehta & Meng Zhu, 2016. "Creating When You Have Less: The Impact of Resource Scarcity on Product Use Creativity," Journal of Consumer Research, Oxford University Press, vol. 42(5), pages 767-782.
    29. Abernethy, Margaret A. & Brownell, Peter, 1997. "Management control systems in research and development organizations: The role of accounting, behavior and personnel controls," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 22(3-4), pages 233-248.
    30. Davila, Tony & Wouters, Marc, 2005. "Managing budget emphasis through the explicit design of conditional budgetary slack," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 30(7-8), pages 587-608.
    31. Michaelis, Timothy L. & Carr, Jon C. & Scheaf, David J. & Pollack, Jeffrey M., 2020. "The frugal entrepreneur: A self-regulatory perspective of resourceful entrepreneurial behavior," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 35(4).
    32. Sholihin, Mahfud & Pike, Richard & Mangena, Musa & Li, Jing, 2011. "Goal-setting participation and goal commitment: Examining the mediating roles of procedural fairness and interpersonal trust in a UK financial services organisation," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 43(2), pages 135-146.
    33. C. Page Moreau & Darren W. Dahl, 2005. "Designing the Solution: The Impact of Constraints on Consumers' Creativity," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 32(1), pages 13-22, June.
    34. Henri, Jean-Francois, 2006. "Management control systems and strategy: A resource-based perspective," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 31(6), pages 529-558, August.
    35. Christian Daumoser & Bernhard Hirsch & Matthias Sohn, 2018. "Honesty in budgeting: a review of morality and control aspects in the budgetary slack literature," Journal of Management Control: Zeitschrift für Planung und Unternehmenssteuerung, Springer, vol. 29(2), pages 115-159, August.
    36. Arnold, Markus C. & Gillenkirch, Robert M., 2015. "Using negotiated budgets for planning and performance evaluation: An experimental study," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 1-16.
    37. Xinshu Zhao & John G. Lynch & Qimei Chen, 2010. "Reconsidering Baron and Kenny: Myths and Truths about Mediation Analysis," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 37(2), pages 197-206, August.
    38. Carly Moulang & Steven Cahan, 2015. "Performance measurement system use in generating psychological empowerment and individual creativity," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 55(2), pages 519-544, June.
    39. repec:ucp:bkecon:9780226316529 is not listed on IDEAS
    40. Bedford, David S. & Bisbe, Josep & Sweeney, Breda, 2019. "Performance measurement systems as generators of cognitive conflict in ambidextrous firms," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 21-37.
    41. Tatiana Sandino, 2011. "Developing Good Measures to Advance Management Accounting and Control Research: A Discussion of “Corporate Frugality: Theory, Measurement, and Practiceâ€," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(4), pages 1388-1396, December.
    42. Teemu Malmi & Markus Granlund, 2009. "In Search of Management Accounting Theory," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(3), pages 597-620.
    43. Sebastian D. Becker & Matthias D. Mahlendorf & Utz Schäffer & Mario Thaten, 2016. "Budgeting in Times of Economic Crisis," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 33(4), pages 1489-1517, December.
    44. Dunk, Alan S., 2011. "Product innovation, budgetary control, and the financial performance of firms," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 43(2), pages 102-111.
    45. Bisbe, Josep & Otley, David, 2004. "The effects of the interactive use of management control systems on product innovation," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 29(8), pages 709-737, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Christina Boedker & Kar Ming Chong, 2022. "The mediating role of accounting controls between supervisors' empowering leadership style and subordinates' creativity and goal productivity," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(4), pages 4587-4614, December.
    2. Staci A. Kenno & Michelle C. Lau & Barbara J. Sainty, 2018. "In Search of a Theory of Budgeting: A Literature Review," Accounting Perspectives, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 17(4), pages 507-553, December.
    3. Chenhall, Robert H. & Moers, Frank, 2015. "The role of innovation in the evolution of management accounting and its integration into management control," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 1-13.
    4. Hall, Matthew, 2011. "Do comprehensive performance measurement systems help or hinder managers' mental model development?," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 36703, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    5. Nuraddeen Abubakar Nuhu & Kevin Baird & Sophia Su, 2023. "The impact of interactive and diagnostic levers of eco‐control on eco‐innovation: The mediating role of employee environmental citizenship behaviour," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 63(2), pages 2245-2271, June.
    6. Ulf Diefenbach & Andreas Wald & Ronald Gleich, 2018. "Between cost and benefit: investigating effects of cost management control systems on cost efficiency and organisational performance," Journal of Management Control: Zeitschrift für Planung und Unternehmenssteuerung, Springer, vol. 29(1), pages 63-89, March.
    7. James T. Mackey & F. Johnny Deng, 2016. "Examining the Role of Management Control Systems in the Creation of an Innovative Culture," International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management (IJITM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 13(03), pages 1-27, June.
    8. Bellora-Bienengräber, Lucia & Derfuss, Klaus & Endrikat, Jan, 2023. "Taking stock of research on the levers of control with meta-analytic methods: Stylized facts and boundary conditions," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    9. Habib Mahama & Zhichao (Alex) Wang, 2023. "Impact of the interactive and diagnostic uses of performance measurement systems on procedural fairness perception, cooperation and performance in supply alliances," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 63(3), pages 3253-3296, September.
    10. Abernethy, Margaret A. & Anderson, Shannon W. & Nair, Sujay & Jiang, Yile (Anson), 2021. "Manager ‘growth mindset’ and resource management practices," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    11. Xiangfei Zeng & Ning Zhang & Lianghua Chen & Wenpei Zhang, 2023. "The Impact of Interactive Control in Budget Management on Innovation Performance of Enterprises: From the Perspective of Manager Role Stress," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-21, January.
    12. Erkki K. Laitinen & Aapo Länsiluoto & Soila Salonen, 2016. "Interactive budgeting, product innovation, and firm performance: empirical evidence from Finnish firms," Journal of Management Control: Zeitschrift für Planung und Unternehmenssteuerung, Springer, vol. 27(4), pages 293-322, November.
    13. Cuguero-Escofet, Natalia & Rosanas, Josep M., 2012. "The just design and use of management control systems as requirements for goal congruence," IESE Research Papers D/949, IESE Business School.
    14. Nitzl, Christian, 2016. "The use of partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) in management accounting research: Directions for future theory development," Journal of Accounting Literature, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 19-35.
    15. Lill, Philipp A. & Wald, Andreas, 2021. "The agility-control-nexus: A levers of control approach on the consequences of agility in innovation projects," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    16. Anna Arcari & Anna Pistoni & Enrico Moretto & Paolo Ossola & Daniele Tonini, 2016. "How Italian companies are monitoring innovation," MANAGEMENT CONTROL, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2016(2), pages 143-165.
    17. Belete J. Bobe & Ralph Kober, 2020. "Does gender matter? The association between gender and the use of management control systems and performance measures," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 60(3), pages 2063-2098, September.
    18. Grafton, Jennifer & Lillis, Anne M. & Widener, Sally K., 2010. "The role of performance measurement and evaluation in building organizational capabilities and performance," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 35(7), pages 689-706, October.
    19. Sebastian Goebel & Barbara E. Weißenberger, 2017. "Effects of management control mechanisms: towards a more comprehensive analysis," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 87(2), pages 185-219, February.
    20. Dunk, Alan S., 2011. "Product innovation, budgetary control, and the financial performance of firms," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 43(2), pages 102-111.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:jmgtco:v:35:y:2024:i:2:d:10.1007_s00187-024-00372-7. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.