others) stress that the reasons for the failure of many change initiatives can be found in resistance to change. Resistance to change introduces costs and delays into the change process (Ansoff, 1990) that are difficult to anticipate (Lorenzo, 2000) but must be taken into consideration. Resistance has also been considered as a source of information, being useful in learning how to develop a more successful change process (Beer and
Collaborative entrepreneurship research suggests that organizations will soon pursue more collaborative relationships throughout a worldwide network of firms, driving a strategy of continuous innovation, specially small-and medium-size firms (SMEs). Tapping into a body of literature that focuses on the importance of human capital in driving long-term success, we merge ideas of collaborative research with a growing body of work on human capital or human resource management in SMEs. Our paper states that it is not the human, per se, that is the real asset but the relationships those humans have that are the most inimitable and important capital. We will discuss how companies use relational capital as the basis for collaborative entrepreneurship. Consistent with our hypotheses, our exploratory study suggests that smaller firms place more value on relational capital than do larger firms. We also have some indication that the key capital that differentiates low vs. high performance, regardless of firm size, is the relational capital aspect. To sum up, relational capital is a fundamental asset for firms, but especially for SMEs, and high performing companies are those that are able to negotiate with others and develop collaborative agreements, thus placing a high value in relational capital.
Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to show a real experience of how a scheme of continuous improvement has been gradually transformed, from a very unsuccessful start, passing through different phases and finally delivering results for the firm. Design/methodology/approach -The authors analyse the evolution of the formal programs of continuous improvement of a firm in a traditional sector (food). The data for the research were gathered by means of participatory observation over the course of 18 months spent in the firm attending the meetings of the improvement teams. Findings -Both programs (individual and group) have proved to be very profitable for the company. However, there is no magic formula for the correct operation of the system of continuous improvement. The existing system has to be continually improved, correcting faults and trying always to contribute something new to re-launch the system regularly.Practical implications -This study has also permitted the authors to highlight the importance of continuous improvement in the firm from both the economic point of view and that of worker development. Originality/value -The investigation aims to help to cover the lack of longitudinal case studies of continuous improvement.
Purpose -This paper aims to deal with the influence of a participatory management style along a change process, specifically in seeking to analyze the effect of participative management style on resistance to change and its effects on change performance. Design/methodology/approach -After a revision of previous literature, an empirical research is presented to test the existence and signs of the relationships between participation and organizational change. To measure the main concepts, the authors have used scales and other measures already published and through a correlation analysis gain some insight into the relationships among variables. Findings -Data suggest that participative management might be giving the members of the organization the necessary tools to question aspects that could endanger changes, thus considering participation as a knowledge broker that sheds light along the change process through the increase of resistance to change sources.Research limitations/implications -The main limitation is the reduced sample, as well as the fact that answers are provided by a single respondent. Practical implications -This research might help practitioners to look at resistance to change from a positive point of view, therefore, participation might be considered a tool to show potential weaknesses and help change agents to improve change outcomes. Originality/value -The paper supports the literature that considers resistance to change positively. Moreover, it provides some hints as to what kind of sources of resistance to change are more important depending on the typology of the change itself.
This paper aims to contribute to the empowerment literature by providing a concrete definition of the topic and thus a way of measuring the empowerment level in organisations. The tool designed to measure empowerment – resulting from the previous theoretical definition – has been proved to be a scale, fulfilling the necessary properties: reliability and validity. It has been tested on a sample of Spanish firms, concluding that it follows a Normal distribution, whereas 20 per cent of the companies apply a less participative style and 20 per cent could be described as empowered. Measuring empowerment not only serves to know how many companies use empowerment practices but also can be used to delve deeper into relationships between empowerment levels and other managerial concepts, such as the effects of empowerment on organisational change, on quality, or even on organisational performance.
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