Using a sample of 89 mid-level managers in a US based urban hospital, this study investigates relationships among three measures of network centrality and managers' divergent strategic activity. While prior work has demonstrated a relationship between managers' boundary-spanning responsibilities and strategic activity, inadequate attention has been paid to managers' internal network position. Drawing from established theory, we consider expected network flows associated with three elements of the strategic renewal process. From this, we hypothesize and test relationships among managers' divergent activity and three measures of network centrality. Our findings suggest specific relationships between alternative forms of network centrality and particular elements of the strategic renewal process. Consistent with existing research, the findings also show boundary-spanning managers to be more strategically active than their non-boundary-spanning counterparts. Copyright Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2007.

No abstract

A synergistic effect exists between employee engagement and decreased levels of workers' compensation claims for improving patient safety culture. Organizations can improve engagement and implement safety policies, procedures, and devices for employees with an ultimate effect of improving patient safety culture.

PurposeTo examine the influence of company‐imposed reward systems on the motivation levels of salespeople.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 214 business‐to‐business salespeople. In order to assure the adequacy of the survey instrument, several salespeople were recruited to “pretest” the questionnaire. To test the potential moderating influence of career stage on pay mix and valence, expectancy, and instrumentality estimates, a split‐group analysis was performed. To test the moderating hypotheses for risk, we used two‐step regression models in which the dependent measures (i.e. valence, expectancy, and instrumentality) were first regressed on the predictor variables as main effects, and then regressed on the multiplicative interaction term along with the main effects.FindingsSupport was found for many of the hypotheses. In particular, individual‐level variables such as career stage and risk preferences moderate the relationship between pay mix and valence for the reward, expectancy perceptions, and instrumentality perceptions.Practical implicationsManagers must acknowledge that certain salespeople respond positively to fixed salary plans while others respond positively to incentive. In the past, managers might have relied on the salesperson to select the appropriate job for them. Salespeople are not “weeding” themselves out during the recruitment process. As a result, greater importance must be placed on human resource and sales managers during the time of recruitment.Originality/valueThere already exists a robust stream of literature on person‐organization fit that suggests that employees prefer to work for companies that are compatible with their personalities. There is an increasing amount of work in multi‐level research that suggests bridging the macro (organizational) and micro (individual) perspectives will enable researchers to make linkages between research streams that are commonly viewed as unconnected.

A social network analysis of eighty-nine midlevel health care professionals showed that middle managers' strategic knowledge is positively associated with championing alternative ideas and synthesizing new information for upper management. In addition, the relationship between knowledge and middle management strategic activities in informal networks is moderated by the manager's social position.