Methods and concepts in management: significance, satisfaction and suggestions for further research ? perspectives from Germany, Austria and Switzerland

Abstract

᭹ Considering the number of management concepts and methods that are created, published and promoted it seems possible to create breakthrough initiatives every day. Unfortunately some of them are ephemeral fads with little effect on business success. ᭹ Based on a survey of 114 German, Swiss and Austrian consultants, this paper tries to help managers to determine which concepts will be of significant importance in the coming years. ᭹The authors argue that shareholder value is out, strategic planning makes a comeback, downsizing, lean management and TQM were themes of the last century, knowledge management has to become more user-friendly to survive, and process management and CRM gain in importance.

Personality traits and knowledge sharing

“…As various surveys show, knowledge management still is one of the central topics in management research (e.g., KPMG, 2000;Matzler, Rier, Hinterhuber, Renzl, & Stadler, 2005;Serenko & Bontis, 2004). Two factors support this growing interest in knowledge management (Cabrera & Cabrera, 2002).…”

Antecedents of knowledge sharing – Examining the influence of learning and performance orientation

“…Knowledge management as an important enabler for company success and competitive advantage (see e.g., Grant, 1996;Spender, 1996) has received considerable attention in recent years from both practitioners and researchers (see e.g., studies conducted by Matzler, Rier, Hinterhuber, Renzl, & Stadler, 2005;Serenko & Bontis, 2004). In particular, knowledge sharing is a central process of managing knowledge because it is a prerequisite for innovation (Brown & Eisenhardt, 1995;Verona, Prandelli, & Sawhney, 2006), organizational learning (Senge, 2006), and the development of capabilities and best practices (Argote, Ingram, Levine, & Moreland, 2000;von Krogh, 1998).…”

Shell, Siemens and DaimlerChrysler: Leading Change in Companies with Strong Values

“…Being guided solely by the desire to satisfy shareholders is counterproductive to the creation of long-term competitive advantage and leads to an erosion of a company's market value eventually. 51 This approach has worked well for shareholders: an investment of one euro 50 years ago in each of the three companies would now be worth 2,300 euros. This is eight times better than the DAX.…”