This study explored the changes which occurred in a sector of the U.S. steel industry during the period 1945 to 1985. The study is an attempt to provide a different form of explanation for the changes which occurred--different from that provided by the conventional strategic management analysis: the steel industry did not adapt to a changing environment. This study addressed a series of questions in searching for an understanding or explanation of how those in the steel industry made sense of their world; and how that sense-making provided a rationale for actions taken, while at the same time limiting the consideration of possible alternative actions. In general, the findings outline a series of punctuation points within the narratives told by the steel leaders for their organizations. These narratives, and the points at which the themes change, provide a framework for strategic actions. In the case of U.S. Steel the course of action of the 1980s marked the completion of earlier themes and actions, rather than the adaptation of a firm to particular environmental changes. The United Steelworkers narrative evolved from that developed by a group essentially outside the industry and needing to prove its value to its members, to one devised by a group inextricably part of the industry--whose input is needed to "save" the industry. The punctuation points for each organization frequently do not mesh, creating a circumstance in which one organization is responding to theme the other has abandoned. Additionally, the punctuation points of the two organizations almost never coincide with the change points determined by an outside observor. Among the significance of this study is: (1) it provides evidence of the influence of organizational history on the evolution and formulation of strategies. (2) the interpretive perspective which underlies this project provides a different approach to researching and understanding how an organization's strategy develops and evolves. (3) it utilizes methods from history and narrative analysis in a longitudinal study to analyze archival data to understand the evolution of strategies in a particular industry and subset of organizations.

In the last decade, nonprofit organizations have faced rapid shifts in their environment due to reductions in government funding and increased expectations from the public. Management skills and techniques, once considered applicable only to for-profit organizations, are being emphasized; and nonprofit boards are encouraged to take an active role in the strategic management of the organization. To this end, board members with business backgrounds are suggested as valuable resources on the nonprofit board because of their managerial expertise. This study addresses the issue of whether the composition of the board and its role in planning influence organizational performance. Also, whether Canadian associations differ from U.S. firms in these relationships is investigated. Board members with business backgrounds are singled out, and board activities include strategic management, administrative duties and fundraising. Organizational outcomes are the level of planning formality in the organization and four performance measures. Several hypotheses are tested. The proposition that formal planning improves organizational performance is verified in U.S. organizations with reference to the social performance indicator. In Canada, formal planning is negatively related to operating efficiency and level of funds raised. Hypotheses regarding the positive association between board composition, board activities and organizational outcomes are supported in both groups, with strong explanatory effects revealed via path modelling of the data. Board profiles for both U.S. and Canadian operations show that Canadian organizations have greater proportions of constituents represented on their boards. However, the involvement of these members is perceived to be lower in both countries, implying that representation may be at the expense of involvement. For researchers, the findings suggest that studies relying on univariate methods of analysis may be misleding, since intervening variables are not considered. For managers, implications for the role of formal planning and for the design and utilization of boards are presented.

The purpose of this study was to implicate managerial assumptions in employee commitment and performance. Twenty-eight first-line managers in a large insurance company was administered the Managerial Philosophies Scale to determine each manager's affinity for Theory X and Theory Y. Two-hundred-nineteen insurance claim processors who were subordinates of the managers were administered a scale of participative decision making which measured each subordinate's perception of his/her manager's participative behavior. Subordinates were also administered a scale of organizational commitment which measured commitment to the employing company. An absenteeism measure was obtained for each subordinate through the use of personnel records. In accordance with management theory posited by Douglas McGregor, it was expected that managers' subscription to Theory X assumptions would be associated with a tendency to seldom allow subordinates to participate in decision making; subordinates so treated were expected to exhibit low organizational commitment and high absenteeism. Conversely, it was expected that managers' subscription to Theory Y assumptions would be associated with a tendency to frequently allow subordinates to participate in decision making; subordinates would respond with high organizational commitment and low absenteeism. Results compatible with expectations were: Managers' use of participative decision making was positively related to subordinates' organizational commitment; and, there was marginal support for a positive relationship between managers' subscription to Theory Y and subordinates' organizational commitment. A result which was opposite from expectation was that managers' participative behavior and subordinates' absenteeism were positively rather than negatively related. Though there was a trend for managerial assumptions to be related to the subordinate attitude of organizational commitment, the study was unable to directly relate managerial assumptions to the subordinate performance measure of absenteeism.

"Company spirit," meaning pride in one's company, a common sense of purpose, pleasure and positive challenge in the work of the organization, security in the work environment, and the feeling of reciprocal support between members and the management of the organization, requires specific conditions to flourish. This study identifies and compares two parallel organizations, one a high spirit, the other a low spirit company, in order to learn what management practices contribute to company spirit. The basis of the comparison is a 6-point model which identifies the following factors as instrumental in developing company spirit: (1) The presense of an inspiring organizational vision. (2) The design of structural variables such as the way the organization uses time, boundaries of the organization, relaxation from structured work, size and structure of the organization, the degree to which the organization is hierarchical, and the design and layout of the facilities. (3) The methods of selection and acculturation of organizational members. (4) The design of the work. (5) The way organizational members relate to each other. (6) The design and implementation of reward systems. Using the Commitment Diagnostic Indicator (CDI) to identify a high and a low commitment company, the researcher surveyed all the employees in each organization to determine how they felt about their company's spirit, and what factors contributed to or detracted from this spirit. In addition, the CEO of each company plus 16 employees selected randomly across hierarchical, divisional, gender, and longevity lines were interviewed in depth on the question of company spirit. The survey and interview data were analyzed thematically, and compared to the model. It was clear that the model could be a predictor of high and low spirit in the two organizations studied, and could serve as a diagnostic tool for managers interested in building company spirit within their organizations. It will be necessary to investigate the validity of the model through its use in other, and different kinds of organizations.

New ventures face operational, financial, and marketplace challenges after introducing their first products but before fully transforming into established firms. Recent examples of new ventures pursuing rapid growth strategies that ultimately lead them to collapse under their own weight has raised two questions: (1) how are survival and growth for new ventures related, and (2) how can new ventures pursue data validated growth strategies associated with product and process development over digital platforms? We examine these questions by setting up three studies. In our first study, we conducted a cohort analysis of new ventures to examine the dynamics of survival and growth. Our results show at least two stages for new ventures, a learning stage where survival and growth are independent outcomes, and a commercialization stage where survival and growth are intertwined. We observe that the transition between these two stages is not cleanly delineated and involves a prolonged period of product refinement and validation via market-based experimentation. In follow-on studies, we focus on product development over digital platforms in the tabletop gaming industry to look deeper at these transitions. Our second study examines the customer contexts new ventures must consider to process knowledge available on social media platforms using the transactional memory system (TMS) theory. Our analysis shows that new ventures must extend conventional TMS by accounting for how knowledge structures are affected by customer identity on a social media platform and how the scope of knowledge flows enlarges over time as more customers provide input. Our third study further assesses product and process choices by examining how self-expression can be used to leverage backers over a crowdfunding platform. Results show that incorporating self-expression as an input mechanism can not only increase backer participation which can contribute to product validation, but crowd driven selection mechanisms can also ease process coordination burden. / 2022-04-15T00:00:00Z

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 1991. / Title as it appears in the June, 1991 M.I.T. Graduate List: Analysis of the rehabilitation industry for tremor patients. / Includes bibliographical references. / by Albert Chen. / Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 1991.

The focus of this dissertation is on innovation through the lens of knowledge transfer and knowledge creation, and as such, begins to integrate the literature between these two relatively disparate streams of research. Because innovations can result in revolutionary changes in technology, products, or processes, they represent clear departures from existing firm knowledge and practice. However, the creation of new knowledge within the firm develops from the transfer of existing knowledge within the firm. While innovation is often considered to be a spontaneous, emergent process within the firm, the transfer of knowledge within the firm is often dependent upon organizational controls and processes. Organizational controls are designed to manage resource and knowledge flows within an organization efficiently and effectively. Ironically, these controls are necessary to encourage resource sharing and knowledge transfer within an organization, yet they may also predetermine established patterns of communication and sharing and limit where and when transfer occurs. So, organizational controls are necessary for knowledge transfer, yet they may limit the very transfer necessary for new knowledge creation and innovation to occur. This dissertation examines this conundrum by exploring how firms manage the creation of new knowledge through the control of the transfer of existing knowledge. Specifically, the research question addressed in this study is, "How do organizational controls affect internal knowledge transfer and knowledge creation within the firm?" This dissertation employed a quantitative, non-experimental, survey-based research design. Primary data were collected from middle- to upper-level managers. The hypotheses were tested using both structural equation modeling (SEM) and partial least squares (PLS) regression. Additional post-hoc analyses were also conducted to extend the insight of the findings. Results provided support for several hypotheses, such that knowledge transfer is an antecedent of innovation within the firm. Also, input, structural, and output controls were found to have significant effects on knowledge transfer and innovation. A discussion of the results includes an evaluation of research limitations, suggestions for future research, contributions to the literature, and practical implications. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Management in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester, 2012. / July 27, 2012. / Innovation, Knowledge Transfer, Organizational Controls / Includes bibliographical references. / Bruce T. Lamont, Professor Co-Directing Dissertation; Annette L. Ranft, Professor Co-Directing Dissertation; Michael D. Hartline, University Representative; Tim R. Holcomb, Committee Member; David Paradice, Committee Member.

In information systems development, end-users have shifted in their role: from consumers of information to informants for requirements to developers of systems. This shift in the role of users has also changed how information systems are developed. Instead of systems developers creating specifications for software or end-users creating small software programs to operate independently, development is moving towards end-user development that integrates into a platform-based information system. This study defines this type of development as co-creation. Building on the knowledge-based view with co-creation as a knowledge integration mechanism, this research explores co-creation, its drivers, and its impact on system implementation success. System implementation success is extended to explain three dimensions of success: implementation efficiency, implementation effectiveness, and implementation agility. Implementation efficiency requires meeting the performance expectations while remaining within the project time and budget constraints. Implementation effectiveness measures the extent to which the implemented information system meets the information needs of the end-users. Implementation agility is the ability of the information system to be modified to meet the changing needs of the organization. By defining success in a more granular manner, this research enables a richer understanding of implementation success of all information systems, not only those co-created. This study examines the co-creation of electronic health records systems, a platform for capturing, storing, and using medical records within healthcare organizations. It theoretically develops a model of co-creation. Using a survey to collect data and PLS-SEM to analyze the data, the hypotheses are tested. Co-creation mediates the effect of peripheral knowledge, which is the end-user's knowledge of systems development, on implementation effectiveness. Co-creation also partially mediates the effect of platform modularity on implementation effectiveness. Co-creation also mediates the effect of organizational context complexity on implementation effectiveness. These findings demonstrate the importance of understanding co-creation, emphasize training to build peripheral knowledge, and show the importance of modularity in design of platforms. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Management in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2013. / June 11, 2013. / Co-Creation, EHR, Implementation Success, IS Development / Includes bibliographical references. / Ashley Bush, Professor Directing Dissertation; Michael Brady, University Representative; David Paradice, Committee Member; Deborah Armstrong, Committee Member.

A virtual community is a focused gathering of people who interact with others through the Internet. To virtual community platform organizations, encouraging user participation is essential for profitability. Recent empirical studies have found the privacy paradox in virtual communities in which individuals state they have privacy concerns but continue to participate. The purpose of this study is to investigate how a virtual community member copes with the threats to his or her privacy in a virtual community. This study considers both information privacy and territory privacy, and explores the antecedents and behavioral outcomes of both types of privacy in virtual communities. Based on communication privacy management theory, the research model proposes several aspects of a virtual community that may influence an individual's evaluation of privacy risks, which will in turn influence individual privacy management behavior, including the revelation of private information and the regulation of access to a virtual territory. Evidence from a study of 358 virtual community members suggests that information privacy risk beliefs and territory privacy risk beliefs have different antecedents. Also, an individual with high information privacy risk beliefs and territory privacy risk beliefs will engage in territory coordination to manage the accessibility to his or her virtual territory; and an individual will share private information if engaging in territory coordination. Theoretically, this study demonstrates that a more complete conceptualization of privacy in virtual communities should consider both information and territory privacy, and that private disclosure and territory coordination are two complementary privacy management behaviors. From a practical standpoint, this study suggests virtual community platform organizations how to reduce individuals' privacy risk beliefs and encourage users to share private information. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Management in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2013. / April 29, 2013. / Privacy, Virtual Community / Includes bibliographical references. / Deborah Armstrong, Professor Directing Dissertation; Michael Brady, University Representative; David Paradice, Committee Member; Ashley Bush, Committee Member.

A noteworthy disconnect may exist between how researchers conceptualize and measure host country institutional variables and how executives of multinational enterprises (MNEs) evaluate host countries when making international investment decisions. Oftentimes, researchers view country institutional risk from a narrow lens, considering how one institutional variable (e.g., culture, political risk, corruption) impacts internationalization decisions. However, evaluation of institutional variables in isolation does not accurately mirror executives' perceptions of risk within the worldwide marketplace, which in turn drive investment decisions. Further, although the often researched institutional factor - government-based corruption - plays a role in determining MNEs' investment decisions, equivocal results provide evidence that the overall complexity of the relationships is not fully understood. Specifically, safety-related factors, termed herein "safety risk," may be a wider by-product of corruption and a major deterrent of international investment. Thus, reevaluating which institutional risk factors we consider, how they impact one another, and how they relate to investment are important pursuits. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Entrepreneurship, Strategy, and Information Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2015. / April 10, 2015. / Corruption, Institutional risk, Institutional theory, International investment, Safety risk / Includes bibliographical references. / Bruce T. Lamont, Professor Directing Dissertation; Pamela L. Perrewé, University Representative; R. Michael Holmes, Jr., Committee Member; Chad Van Iddekinge, Committee Member.