Abstract

The aim of this study is to demonstrate the importance of Cultural Intelligence (CQ) in management performance through measurable performance assessment. In an empirical study, “Cultural Intelligence and Management Competencies”, managers provided a self-assessment and their subordinates also reported on their performance. Correlation analysis of the results of this study was used to examine the relationship between managers’ CQ and their Management Competencies. Among the factors examined (CQ, gender, origin, age, work experience, position and education), the level of CQ of managers correlates significantly with their management competencies. Our findings indicate that managers with higher CQ are more effective in their leadership roles, and we conclude that the CQ of leaders contributes to a more positive perception of leadership performance in teams that are characterized by significant cultural diversity.

Introduction

Cultural Intelligence, a 21st century concept, determines the extent of workers’ success in foreign cultures, but also provide an answer to why dealing with issues that arise from cross-cultural problems can cause failure or success. The name used for this concept is Cultural Intelligence, which was abbreviated by Ang as CQ, “short for cultural intelligence quotient” [1]; both forms (Cultural Intelligence and CQ) are used in research and the literature equally for the cultural intelligence model itself and the measured level of cultural intelligence, which can be confusing. In this study, the CQ abbreviation is used for both.

The individual relationships of a person living in a foreign culture have an impact on their life, their resilience and, of course, their performance in the workplace. The ways in which people can be successfully encouraged to work better vary from nation to nation and culture to culture. For all these reasons, there is a growing need for more and more people—whether managers or subordinates—to excel in their professions and to successfully overcome intercultural barriers, whether at home or in cultures and countries other than their own [2].

 Results

4.1. Results of RQ1

To assess the CQ of the managers, the scores given by the subordinates filling in the CQS were used. The first step to investigate the possibility of measuring CQ was to test the validity of the CQS. This was followed by an examnation of the scores obtained based on the different characteristics of the managers (i.e., gender, age, educational level, position).

4.1.1. Checking the Validity of the CQ Scale

For the research, the Cultural Intelligence Center’s Cultural Intelligence Scale (CQS) was used. The scores received were then used to check the validity of the CQS questions and corresponding dimensions. To check this, principal component analysis was performed on the questions of the scales and the internal consistency of the resulting sets of questions was examined using Cronbach’s alpha analysis.

Abstract

     Both the healthcare and religious landscapes in the United States are rapidly changing. Despite the dynamic environment that spiritual care managers face, many do not receive management training prior to assuming their roles and many receive little or no training once they are in their roles. This study used mixed methods to examine the applicability of the National Center for Healthcare Leadership (NCHL) competency model to spiritual care manager roles. Interviews were conducted with 10 spiritual care managers across the country, using a Behavioral Event Interviewing (BEI) methodology. Interviews were quantitatively analyzed by using Natural Language Processing and qualitatively analyzed by thematic approach using NVIVO. The results found the EXECUTION domain to be the most discussed theme, followed by RELATIONS, TRANSFORMATION, and BOUNDARY SPANNING. Collectively these analyses suggest the NCHL Leadership Competency Model can provide a useful framework for understanding the roles and development needs of spiritual care managers.

Introduction

     Competent leadership is essential for any organization to achieve its mission, especially in a changing and challenging environment. We are in the midst of especially challenging times for managers of spiritual care programs in healthcare settings. The shift in healthcare delivery from in-patient services to population health is accelerating. The costs of delivering care must be contained while quality continues to improve. Every discipline must be able to show how they contribute to these goals. Spiritual care has historically been exempt from some of these pressures, but that is quickly changing (Handzo, Cobb, Holmes, Kelly, & Sinclair, 2014).

     While the healthcare landscape is undergoing rapid change, so is the religious landscape in the US. One of the most impactful changes is the increase in the proportion of people who report no religious affiliation: approximately 40% of people under 30 in some national surveys (Pew Research Center, 2019). However, on these same surveys, many people report having rich spiritual lives (Pew Research Center, 2019), and face serious spiritual/existential questions when experiencing illness or other life crises (Weber, Pargament, Kunik, Lomax, & Stanley, 2012).

Results

     Of the ten managers participating in this study, seven (70%) identified as female, and the remaining three (30%) identified as male. The average length of time in their management positions was 6.5 years. The median was 4.2 years, in a range from nine months to 24 years. Five of the managers (50%) worked at academic medical centers; the remaining five worked at faith-based health systems.

1- Introduction

2- Conceptual background

3- Hypotheses

4- Research method

5- Data analysis

6- Discussion and implications

7- Conclusion

References

Abstract

Examining leadership from a competency perspective allows scholars to understand different dimensions of leader qualities and capacities. From this perspective, our study, based on social capital theory, proposed and tested a model that embraced the concepts of leader competency, knowledge sharing, employee job performance, and employee loyalty in the context of expatriate general managers. The study shows leader competencies are critical for promoting knowledge sharing and enhancing employee job performance. Both knowledge sharing and employee job performance are found to have a direct effect on employee loyalty.

Introduction

Well-performing service employees can be an asset and leaders play a critical role in influencing employees’ performance and the organization’s success. This is no exception to hotel organizations faced with increasing competition in the market place (e.g., Airbnb.com). Given the significant impact of leaders, numerous studies examined leader competencies (e.g., Shum, Gatling, & Shoemaker, 2018). Key research questions such as “what are the required qualities and skills of competent leaders?” and “what are the outcomes of leader competencies?” have surfaced and drawn attention, proliferating research in this field. Examining leadership from a competency perspective allows scholars to understand different dimensions of leader qualities and capacities. Although many studies (e.g., Han, Seo, Yeo, & Yoon, 2016; Masa’deh, Obeidat, & Tarhini, 2016) examined leadership style (e.g., transformational leadership), much less attention has been given to leader competencies in the hotel industry. Our study, by examining leader competencies in the hotel industry, will identify a set of required skills for hotel leaders and guide the hotel industry to develop and assess leaders. Knowledge sharing is recognized as an important social asset for organizations that improve job performance and enhance organizational success (Masa’deh et al., 2016; Razmerita, Kirchner, & Nielsen, 2016). We view that a leader plays a crucial part in creating and nurturing a knowledge sharing culture in the organization.

The research on information systems shows significant project failure rates. The requirements-related problems and the lack of management and leadership skills are the most cited causes. Thus, this study uses a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to explore which types of leadership competencies (emotional, intellectual, and managerial) are the most relevant for each activity in the requirements phase. This study also examines whether gender and holding a project management certification contribute to the success of this phase. The results show that different activities call for different leadership competencies and that gender is the most consistent condition that leads to success. The findings also indicate that formal certification may not be a proxy for all the required skills and knowledge needed in the requirements phase. These results enable a better fit for those professionals that are involved in the requirements phase to improve their success probabilities.

Introduction

Projects in information systems (IS) have been a hot research topic for decades, particularly as regards the key factors that lead to successful projects. Nevertheless, recent surveys continue to show significant failure rates with no great improvement from previous ones (PMI, 2018; The Standish Group International, 2013, 2015). One of the major causes of project failure is the requirements phase, which involves the early activities in the IS project’s life cycle (Pressman & Maxim, 2015; The Standish Group International, 2013). The requirements phase is very much dependent on project managers and teams, who have to apply the most adequate tools and skills to meet the desired outcomes (Russo, Ruiz, & Cunha, 2005; Skulmoski & Hartman, 2010) and who should be able to effectively involve and communicate with the relevant stakeholders (The Standish Group International, 2013). In this respect, the CHAOS report, one of the most popular reports on IS projects, provides a list of the ten main causes of project failure. This report consistently includes topics related to unclear or inadequate requirements along with inadequate stakeholder involvement, poor skills and expertise, and the lack of emotional maturity of both team members and the project manager (The Standish Group International, 2013). The Project Management Institute (PMI) has recently reported that projects also fail due to the lack of standardized project management practices (PMI, 2018).

Despite governmental guidelines and growing evidence that diversity at the top management benefits overall performance, globally, the gender gap in top leadership positions remains significantly high (Masters, 2017, Catalyst, 2016; Doldor and Vinnicombe, 2015). While exceptions exist and a number of women do successfully attain senior leadership positions, they then face the challenge of operating in a working environment that is dominated by male leadership styles and shaped by the understanding that women are less capable leaders (Ryan et al., 2016; Cook and Glass, 2014). Furthermore, women are confronted with stereotypical thinking because executive leadership has long been associated with, and successfully carried out by, men (Chizema et al., 2015; Jackson et al., 2014). A major problem that female leaders face is the contradiction between the expectations which people have of women and how they expect a leader to behave (Broadbridge and Fielden, 2015; Ely, 2015). More precisely, the keycompetencies shaping the success of male leaders may not align with those that women in similar positions require (Gartzia and van Engen, 2012). Therefore, arguably the specific set of competencies required by female leaders operating in a male-dominated industry is shaped by not only contemporary leadership challenges but also social gender role bias and how female leaders are perceived and respected by their male peers. Within this context, it is imperative to look at the specific competencies female leaders require to succeed in male-dominated business environments, especially because the understanding of effective leadership is seen to be changing in the light of the contemporary and fast developing business environment (Chin et al., 2016). While many gender-related leadership studies take an emancipatory stance to highlight the discrimination of women in leadership, this study will provide a different perspective on the gender debate by focusing on the complexity of the competencies required of women in male-dominated leadership environments. The purpose of this study is to develop a competency framework that incorporates the key competencies required of female leaders working in male-dominated industries by putting particular emphasis on the male leaders’ point of view. Opinions of male leaders have been given very limited attention in this context so far, despite their high impact on the challenges that female leaders face and the correlated competencies required to overcome these. Therefore, this supplementary viewpoint provides unique and valuable insights and a new lens for the debate why only few women reach the top of organisations.

There is agreement among practitioners and academics that managerial competencies are useful for monitoring and improving the performance of organisational leaders and managers (Levenson et al., 2006), with useful application in healthcare (Stefl, 2008). While a wide variety of competency frameworks or models have been developed for healthcare managers around the world (Calhoun et al., 2008; Garman and Scribner, 2011; Stefl, 2008), there is strong evidence suggesting that management competencies are influenced by the industry context (Robotham and Jubb, 1996; Brownell, 2008). This limits the usefulness of competency scales developed for other industries or in other countries. In Australia, the needs of health service organisations have outpaced the science, with organisations adopting competency frameworks for which there is limited evidence and no validated and reliable measurement tools. Previous studies have suggested both a lack of leadership and management abilities in healthcare (Leggat et al., 2011; Leggat and Dwyer, 2005; Bartram et al., 2012), suggesting a need for an evidence-based competency system in Australia to inform measurement of management competence and to drive training and education requirements. This paper describes the development, testing and validation of a management competency framework relevant to the role requirements for health services managers working in Australia.

Theory

Since the concept developed by David McClelland (1973), the use of competencies to identify high-performing employees has gradually become widespread in human resource management (HRM) in both the health and non-health sectors (Rodriquez et al., 2002; Young and Dulewicz, 2008). Lucia and Lesinger (1999) defined a management competency as, “a descriptive tool that identifies the skills, knowledge, personal characteristics and behaviours needed to effectively perform a role in the organisation and help the business meet its strategic objectives” (Lucia and Lesinger, 1999, p. 5). Similarly, Hellriegel et al. (2008) viewed competence as the “sets of knowledge, skills, behaviours, and attitudes that a person needs to be effective in a wide range of positions and various types of organisation” (p. 2). A competency should predict performance on the job, be measured against well-accepted standards (Lucia and Lesinger, 1999). Competency of the management team can be achieved through recruitment and retention of competent managers, or through internal and external development activities (Cappelli, 2008). Therefore, the knowledge and utilisation of required management competencies is a critical strategic resource of an organisation (Castanias and Helfat, 2001) with evidence of a strong positive link between management competency identification and individual management performance, and a weaker relationship with unit-level performance (Levenson et al., 2006)

Competence is often portrayed as a combination of components, such as knowledge, skills, abilities, capabilities, and resources (Athey and Orth, 1999; Prahalad and Hamel, 1990; Sanchez, 2004; Teece et al., 1997). In supply chain management (SCM), competence is a key factor in achieving superior performance and competitiveness. Bowersox et al. (2000) conclude that supply chain competency leads to business improvements both operationally and financially. Moreover, the top 25 companies identified as having excellent competence in SCM in the annual research reports by AMR Research/Gartner (Gartner, 2007-2010) obtained substantially higher financial performance than their competitors (Aquino and Draper, 2008; Ellinger et al., 2011; Ellinger et al., 2012). Although a consensus exists on the importance of competence in SCM for successful business performance, scholars vary considerably regarding the scope and meaning of the subject. In the SCM literature, competence is embraced from a variety of views and its content remains relatively incoherent. For example, Bagchi (2001) defines supply chain competence as an outcome of physical, institutional, and technology diffusion factors, whereas Ngai et al. (2011) refer to competence as a “framework for technological, production, and management expertise supporting supply chain capabilities.” Others view competence from a strict professions’ point of view, debating the vast assortment of competence that supply chain managers need (Christopher, 2012; Cottrill, 2010; McCarter et al., 2005; Myers et al., 2004; Van Hoek et al., 2002). From an educational standpoint, stakeholders (i.e., faculty, students, and practitioners) have voiced a considerable range of views on the meaning and importance of competences in SCM (Sauber et al., 2008). Scholars also point out a shift in modern supply chains toward a more relation-based strategy (Shub and Stonebraker, 2009), which has led to calls for more research on additional aspects of competence in SCM, such as the connection between human resource management (HRM) and SCM (Ellinger and Ellinger, 2014; Hohenstein et al., 2014; Shub and Stonebraker, 2009). Based on the incoherent view of competence in SCM, and the explicit need and call for more research, we conclude that the subject itself needs to be explored further. We therefore contend that, to achieve a coherent view of competence in SCM, a systematic review of the relevant literature is needed. To the best of our knowledge no such review yet exists. The purpose of the present paper, therefore, is to present an integrated view of the literature published on all aspects and facets of competence in SCM and to provide a framework for classifying and analyzing literature to facilitate further study, practice, and research. We examine the field of competence in SCM not so much to advance theory but to propose a taxonomy for mapping and evaluating research on competence in SCM. The focus is thus to identify what constitutes competence in SCM.

Despite being relatively small in size and made up of highly fragmented and heterogeneous industries, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are epitomised as the ‘engines of growth’ by economists and the ‘key source of dynamism, innovation and flexibility’ in developed and developing economies (The Economist, 2010; Ng, 2016; OECD, 2010). SMEs account for a large share of total enterprises and make significant contributions to real GDP growth, new job creation, and poverty reduction. In fact, most of the large corporations like Apple and Microsoft initially began as an SME and later evolved into a corporate titan. In Malaysia, SMEs account for 97.3% of all enterprises and contributed 36.3% to the GDP (2005: 30.0%), 65.5% to employment (2005: 56.8%) and 17.6% to exports (2010: 16.4%) in 2015 (SME Corporation Malaysia, 2016). There are two definitions commonly referred to in classifying industrial sectors. For the manufacturing sector, SMEs are defined as firms with a sales turnover not exceeding RM50 million or a number of full-time employees not exceeding 200. For the services and other sectors, SMEs are defined as firms with a sales turnover not exceeding RM20 million or a number of full-time employees not exceeding 75 (SME Corporation Malaysia, 2016). Most SMEs are family-owned and owner-managed businesses where the owners are also the managers holding both management and operational roles. However, SMEs have not achieved the desired trajectory of success, despite being positioned at the centre of attention by the governments with massive support. During the formative years, SMEs have to grapple with the risk of failure, survive downturns and thrive in an environment characterised by market uncertainty and unpredictability (Hotho and Champion, 2011). SMEs have to struggle and compete with larger enterprises in a different and niche arena through product innovativeness and competitiveness (Wagner and Hansen, 2005).

Although the importance of leadership has been recognized implicitly since the early descriptions of the Toyota Production System (TPS) (Sugimori et al., 1977; Monden 1998; Schonberger, 1982), the understanding of TPS was focused on the tools and techniques (Shah and Ward, 2003). Lean Production Systems (LPS), originated from the TPS, have been adopted in several sectors, and their implementation involves various difficulties as well as organizational changes (Nordin et al., 2012; Achanga et al., 2006). Among these difficulties, those related to leadership are frequently mentioned (Marodin and Saurin, 2015a; Alagaraja, 2014). Emiliani (2003) argues that LPS philosophy and principles require that leaders have particular behaviors and competencies. In another study, Emiliani and Stec (2005) argue that lean organizations should be managed based on certain beliefs that drive the behaviors, which, in turn, are associated with managerial competencies. Nevertheless, many publications about leadership in a LPS (Liker and Convis, 2012; Spear, 2004), have not been carried out as academic research and are mostly based on their authors’ own experiences. Other studies, despite pointing towards leadership characteristics such as behaviors, attitudes, roles, and responsibilities, (e.g. Emiliani, 2003; Emiliani and Stec, 2005; Liker and Ballé, 2013), do not present a verifiable research method to support their findings. Thus, some knowledge gaps have not yet been addressed from a scientific perspective supported by empirical research. This critiscism applies, for instance, to the identification of competencies of leaders involved in LPS. As another drawback, lean leadership studies supported by empirical data are mostly case studies (e.g. Liker and Ballé, 2013; Spear, 2004). This hinders generalizations about findings related to what the lean leadership characteristics are. Furthermore, there is a lack of empirical evidence linking the level of leaders´competencies development and operational results.

Over the past decades local and international communities have recognized the construction industry, and particularly the building sector, as vital in encouraging societal change toward sustainable development in a global context (Maliene and Malys, 2009; Ofori, 2008; Tsai, and Chang, 2012). Chapter 7 of the United Nations Earth Summit Agenda 21 (2009), the action blueprint for “promoting sustainable human settlement development” advocates the promotion of sustainable construction industry activities and working together to take action towards achieving sustainable human resource development and capacity-building for human settlement development. In this regard, construction leaders and/or project managers of sustainable projects by transforming subordinates as well as influencing them (Tabassi et al., 2012; Northouse, 2007; Purvanova and Bono, 2009), may achieve better sustainable performance. In sustainable construction development, a leader by his/her leadership style and the way of managing the project, as well as the subordinates can also transform the project toward sustainability and achieve better productivity. From another viewpoint, the critical role of project manager in sustainable development inspired the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Rating System to incorporate some of the project management improvement tools into the latest overhauling of the Rating System LEED v3. Following that, 50 points (5% of the total marks assigned to seven different assessment categories of Green Globes) allocate to project management and especially to those related with increasing functionality and flexibility of the construction teams (Kubba, 2010), which is mainly relevant to the leadership style of the leader.

مقاله سال 2017

7th International Conference on Engineering, Project, and Production Management

پیشرفت در تعدادی از فعالیت های کسب و کاری منعکس شده در نتایج پروژه باعث افزایش علاقه همه به مسائل مرتبط با مدیریت پروژه شده است. مدیریت یک پروژه تیمی به صورت قابل توجهی نسبت به مدیریت یک گروه از کارمندان متفاوت است. این تفاوت عمدتا به دلیل ماهیت پروژه و طیف وسیع وظایف مدیر پروژه است. پروژه ها به شدت بر مبنای نتایج ، هزینه و محدودیت های زمانی قضاوت و بوسیله محیط پیاده سازی شان محدود می شوند. در نتیجه ، مجموعه ای از فعالیت های مدیر پروژه عبارت است از انگیزه دادن، زمان ، هزینه ، محدوده پیاده سازی پروژه ، مدیریت کیفیت و وظایف مختلف اداری. گادیس شایستگی های مدیر پروژه به صورت زیر تعریف کرده است: توانایی اتخاذ رویکرد های متفاوت نسبت به توابع مدیریتی کلاسیک ، توانایی به اتمام رساندن وظایف شغلی در یک زمان خاص و با یک اطلاعات خاص در مراحل اولیه پروژه و توانایی ریسک پذیری که باید بر مبنای آن اختیارات را به زیر دستان تفویض کرد همچنین مهارت برنامه ریزی ،جلوگیری از بحران ، فروش و بازخرید پروژه ، قدرت عمل کردن به عنوان یک جلودار و همچنین داشتن مهارت های ارتباطی و توانایی تولید محرک های ضروری و نیروی محرکه برای سوق دادن پروژه به سمت موفقیت.

6th International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics