IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/jorgde/v7y2018i1d10.1186_s41469-018-0034-5.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Field study of complements to supervisory leadership in more and less flexible work settings

Author

Listed:
  • Terri L. Griffith

    (Santa Clara University)

  • Emma S. Nordbäck

    (Aalto University School of Science)

  • John E. Sawyer

    (University of Delaware)

  • Ronald E. Rice

    (University of California)

Abstract

Self-management is increasingly required by people in jobs with flexible schedules and locations, freelance arrangements, and other forms of organizational job design. Successful self-management requires a sense of engagement with one’s work. We build from the substitutes for leadership literature to develop a model of work design focused on how complements to supervisory leadership foster work engagement. The model illustrates a parsimonious set of possible complements to supervisory leadership: feedback from the work itself, technology support of work, knowledge to work independently, electronic communication with supervisors, and alternative workplace use as predictors of work engagement. Results are from a two-period field study of a Nordic telecom company experienced with flexible work practices. Additionally, in time 2, we compare the data from this first organization with a Nordic transportation company that is less experienced with flexible work practices. Our results show the strongest relationships with work engagement are feedback from the work itself and technology support of work. Supervisor electronic communication also plays a role in work engagement, mediated by alternative workplace use. We highlight shifts in work design that can enable more flexible work settings while maintaining worker engagement in our increasingly digital organizations.

Suggested Citation

  • Terri L. Griffith & Emma S. Nordbäck & John E. Sawyer & Ronald E. Rice, 2018. "Field study of complements to supervisory leadership in more and less flexible work settings," Journal of Organization Design, Springer;Organizational Design Community, vol. 7(1), pages 1-26, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jorgde:v:7:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1186_s41469-018-0034-5
    DOI: 10.1186/s41469-018-0034-5
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1186/s41469-018-0034-5
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1186/s41469-018-0034-5?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
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Nicholas Bloom & Luis Garicano & Raffaella Sadun & John Van Reenen, 2014. "The Distinct Effects of Information Technology and Communication Technology on Firm Organization," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 60(12), pages 2859-2885, December.
    2. Øystein D. Fjeldstad & Charles C. Snow & Raymond E. Miles & Christopher Lettl, 2012. "The architecture of collaboration," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(6), pages 734-750, June.
    3. Rocio Bonet & Fabrizio Salvador, 2017. "When the Boss Is Away: Manager–Worker Separation and Worker Performance in a Multisite Software Maintenance Organization," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 28(2), pages 244-261, April.
    4. Chris Forman & John Leslie King & Kalle Lyytinen, 2014. "Special Section Introduction—Information, Technology, and the Changing Nature of Work," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 25(4), pages 789-795, December.
    5. Goodman, Jodi S., 1998. "The Interactive Effects of Task and External Feedback on Practice Performance and Learning," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 76(3), pages 223-252, December.
    6. Oldham, Greg R. & Fried, Yitzhak, 2016. "Job design research and theory: Past, present and future," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 20-35.
    7. Ikujiro Nonaka, 1994. "A Dynamic Theory of Organizational Knowledge Creation," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 5(1), pages 14-37, February.
    8. Charles C. Snow & Øystein Devik Fjeldstad & Arthur M. Langer, 2017. "Designing the digital organization," Journal of Organization Design, Springer;Organizational Design Community, vol. 6(1), pages 1-13, December.
    9. Jim Stanford, 2017. "The resurgence of gig work: Historical and theoretical perspectives," The Economic and Labour Relations Review, , vol. 28(3), pages 382-401, September.
    10. Mills, Brian M., 2017. "Technological innovations in monitoring and evaluation: Evidence of performance impacts among Major League Baseball umpires," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 189-199.
    11. Philip Ebert & Wolfgang Freibichler, 2017. "Nudge management: applying behavioural science to increase knowledge worker productivity," Journal of Organization Design, Springer;Organizational Design Community, vol. 6(1), pages 1-6, December.
    12. Richard Makadok & Richard Burton & Jay Barney, 2018. "A practical guide for making theory contributions in strategic management," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(6), pages 1530-1545, June.
    13. Baudewijns, C. & Gerards, R. & de Grip, A., 2015. "New ways of working and work engagement," ROA Research Memorandum 002, Maastricht University, Research Centre for Education and the Labour Market (ROA).
    14. John M. Jordan, 2017. "Challenges to large-scale digital organization: the case of Uber," Journal of Organization Design, Springer;Organizational Design Community, vol. 6(1), pages 1-12, December.
    15. Cristina B. Gibson & Jennifer L. Gibbs & Taryn L. Stanko & Paul Tesluk & Susan G. Cohen, 2011. "Including the “I” in Virtuality and Modern Job Design: Extending the Job Characteristics Model to Include the Moderating Effect of Individual Experiences of Electronic Dependence and Copresence," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 22(6), pages 1481-1499, December.
    16. Nicholas J. Schork, 2015. "Personalized medicine: Time for one-person trials," Nature, Nature, vol. 520(7549), pages 609-611, April.
    17. Marcie J. Tyre & Wanda J. Orlikowski, 1994. "Windows of Opportunity: Temporal Patterns of Technological Adaptation in Organizations," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 5(1), pages 98-118, February.
    18. Paul M. Leonardi, 2014. "Social Media, Knowledge Sharing, and Innovation: Toward a Theory of Communication Visibility," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 25(4), pages 796-816, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Stephan Billinger & Maciej Workiewicz, 2019. "Fading hierarchies and the emergence of new forms of organization," Journal of Organization Design, Springer;Organizational Design Community, vol. 8(1), pages 1-6, December.

    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. Stefano Denicolai & Antonella Zucchella & Federico Moretti, 2018. "Not So Similar After All: Exploring The Diversity Of Strategic Orientations For Innovation," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 22(04), pages 1-33, May.
    2. Da Mota de Pina E Cunha, A.M., 1998. "Determinants of Product Innovation in Organizations : Practices and Performance in the Portugese Financial Sector," Other publications TiSEM e6e4e56e-b72a-4392-8d79-f, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    3. Muhammad Ali Butt & Faisal Nawaz & Saddam Hussain & Maria José Sousa & Minhong Wang & Muhammad Saleem Sumbal & Muhammad Shujahat, 2019. "Individual knowledge management engagement, knowledge-worker productivity, and innovation performance in knowledge-based organizations: the implications for knowledge processes and knowledge-based sys," Computational and Mathematical Organization Theory, Springer, vol. 25(3), pages 336-356, September.
    4. Patrizia Pastore & Antonio Ricciardi & Silvia Tommaso, 2020. "Contractual networks: an organizational model to reduce the competitive disadvantage of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Europe’s less developed regions. A survey in southern Italy," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 16(4), pages 1503-1535, December.
    5. Beth A. Bechky, 2003. "Sharing Meaning Across Occupational Communities: The Transformation of Understanding on a Production Floor," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 14(3), pages 312-330, June.
    6. Philipp Nitzsche & Bernd W. Wirtz & Vincent Göttel, 2016. "Innovation Success In The Context Of Inbound Open Innovation," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 20(02), pages 1-38, February.
    7. Helga Guðrún Óskarsdóttir & Guðmundur Valur Oddsson & Jón Þór Sturluson & Rögnvaldur Jóhann Sæmundsson, 2021. "A Soft Systems Approach to Knowledge Worker Productivity: A Purposeful Activity Model for the Individual," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-26, October.
    8. Maurizio Zollo & Sidney G. Winter, 2002. "Deliberate Learning and the Evolution of Dynamic Capabilities," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 13(3), pages 339-351, June.
    9. Dessein, Wouter & Lo, Desmond (Ho-Fu) & Minami, Chieko, 2019. "Coordination and Organization Design: Theory and Micro-evidence," CEPR Discussion Papers 13938, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    10. Cancan Wang & Rony Medaglia & Tina Blegind Jensen, 2021. "When Ambiguity Rules: The Emergence of Adaptive Governance from (In)Congruent Frames of Knowledge Sharing Technology," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 23(6), pages 1573-1591, December.
    11. Steele, Logan M. & Watts, Logan L., 2022. "Managing technical innovation: A systematic review of 11 leader functions," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    12. Leyer, Michael & Schneider, Sabrina, 2021. "Decision augmentation and automation with artificial intelligence: Threat or opportunity for managers?," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 64(5), pages 711-724.
    13. Mary E. Zellmer-Bruhn, 2003. "Interruptive Events and Team Knowledge Acquisition," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 49(4), pages 514-528, April.
    14. Yanhui Wu, 2015. "Organizational Structure and Product Choice in Knowledge-Intensive Firms," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 61(8), pages 1830-1848, August.
    15. Gerardo A. Okhuysen & Kathleen M. Eisenhardt, 2002. "Integrating Knowledge in Groups: How Formal Interventions Enable Flexibility," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 13(4), pages 370-386, August.
    16. Samer Faraj & Georg von Krogh & Eric Monteiro & Karim R. Lakhani, 2016. "Special Section Introduction—Online Community as Space for Knowledge Flows," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 27(4), pages 668-684, December.
    17. Annette L. Ranft & Michael D. Lord, 2002. "Acquiring New Technologies and Capabilities: A Grounded Model of Acquisition Implementation," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 13(4), pages 420-441, August.
    18. Tindara Abbate & Raffaella Coppolino, 2011. "Knowledge creation through knowledge brokers: some anecdotal evidence," Metrika: International Journal for Theoretical and Applied Statistics, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 359-371, November.
    19. Lu, Jinfeng & Dimov, Dimo, 2023. "A system dynamics modelling of entrepreneurship and growth within firms," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 38(3).
    20. Olunifesi Adekunle Suraj, 2016. "Managing Telecommunications for Development: An Analysis of Intellectual Capital in Nigerian Telecommunication Industry," Journal of Information & Knowledge Management (JIKM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 15(01), pages 1-30, March.

    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:jorgde:v:7:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1186_s41469-018-0034-5. 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.