In early August, before another school year strapped them down, 11 highly dedicated researchers from the University of Kansas School of Business made a memorable trip to Boston.
Faculty and doctoral students at the School of Business presented their works at the largest annual conference of management scholars in the world, the 2012 Academy of Management (AoM). The conference was held in Boston, August 12 and 13.
The conference theme was "The Informal Economy." Business managers and scholars from different countries were invited to examine organization and management questions on the informal economy by identifying and using concepts and theories through qualitative and quantitative research.
In their research, "A Multiplex View of Conflict and Team Performance," by Jay Lee, Daniel Gregory Bachrach and Anthony C. Hood, the team developed and tested a multiplex theory of conflict. The research addresses how these relationships are impacted when intragroup conflicts could be damaging to team performance. They studied 12 teams engaged in conflict. Four-month business simulation indicated that task conflicts occurring between friends were negatively associated with team performance. In comparison, non-friend task conflicts were positively associated with team performance. Lee is an associated professor and teaches Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management at the School of Business.
"Corporate Social Responsibility and Employee Outcomes: Toward an Employee-Centered Model of CSR," by Young Kyun Chang, Douglas May and Jong-Seok Cha, focused on the two potential roles of employees through their interpretation of corporate social responsibility (CSR). There are two potential roles of the employee, an evaluator or a recipient. The results revealed how employees' CSR perception affects organizational commitment. An individual thrives at work through organizational identification and interactional justice, in addition to meaningfulness and gratitude. The research expands on current theorizing and presents an in-depth description of the employees' perception of CSR. Chang is a doctoral student at KU. May is a professor and director of KU's International Center for Ethics in Business. Cha is a KU professor.
"I Like What I See: How CEO Service on Other Firms' Boards Influences R&D Spending," by Won-Yong Oh and Vincent L. Barker, examines how Chief Executives at public companies that spend money on R&D tend to have selective copying patterns. The study states that these particular firms do not copy the spending patterns of large firms and unprofitable firms, because their CEOs serve as board members. Oh is a KU doctoral student. Barker teaches at the MBA level in strategic management and Implementing Strategy, in addition to teaching at the undergraduate level in General Management Processes & Change and Business Policy & Strategy.
"It's Not Only Wins and Losses, It's When You Play the Game: Chief Executive Dismissal in the NFL," by Clinton Chadwick and Donald J. Schepker, was conducted to study how context affects factors that lead to top management dismissal. The research compares how head coaches in the National Football League (NFL) were dismissed before and after the institution salary cap in 1993. Chadwick is an associate professor at KU, who has taught human resources management and strategy classes at the undergraduate and MBA level. Schepker is a recent KU doctoral program graduate.
"The Effect and Antecedents of New Product Development Motivation: A Process Model of Strategic Orientation, HRM Practices, Motivation, and New Product Development Performance," by Jane Zhao and Clinton Chadwick, addresses how firm-level employee motivation and innovation combined knowledge is critical to developments of a new product. The significance of motivation in innovation has been overlooked because of focus on knowledge management and capabilities. Zhao is a KU professor who has taught classes at the MBA level in strategic management, management of technology, the study abroad program, and undergraduate level business policy and strategy.
"The Relationship between HR Functional Investments, HRM Practices, and Organizational Outcomes," by Mahesh V. Subramoney, John Dooney, James Guthrie and Andrew Mariotti, examines the "returns" in association with investment in the HR department regarding budget and employees. The research pinpointed that these investments could potentially yield reductions in employee turnover, leading to improvement in productivity. The effectiveness of HR practice could be enhanced by investments in HR departments, especially practices that emphasize an internal labor market. Guthrie teaches undergraduate, MBA and Ph.D. coursework at KU in human resources management.
"Toward a Multilevel Framework of Engagement and Performance at Work," by Matthew Luth and Douglas May, analyzed the employee engagement process across organizational levels, which links to important attitudinal outcomes. It studies the individual and group perspectives on engagement to develop and test a multilevel model of engagement and performance in groups. Group work engagement was found to be distinct, but also positively related to personal engagement, which included proficiency, adaptivity and proactivity. Individual engagement outcomes included performance, organizational citizenship performance and pro-social rule breaking. Luth completed his doctoral degree at KU last spring. May is a KU professor and director of International Center for Ethics in Business.
As the largest annual gathering of management scholars in the world, the AoM features research and expertise to be shared through various events such as competitive paper sessions, panels, symposia, workshops, distinguished speakers and speaker programs for doctoral students.
"Participation by our Management Area faculty and doctoral students in the Academy of Management is vital," said Ron Ash, area director of management.
