Browsing by Author "Simpson, Ace Volkmann"
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- Are morally courageous leaders more effective?Publication . Rego, Arménio; Simpson, Ace Volkmann; Bluhm, Dustin J.; Cunha, Miguel Pina eDetecting, interpreting, assuming responsibility, and being driven to act upon situations with potential ethical implications requires morally courageous leaders to be continuously ‘tuned’ to the environment. We argue that this ‘tuning’ facilitates leader respect for employees and greater receptiveness to their inputs, and that it is through these mechanisms that leader moral courage is positively related to leader effectiveness. In a multi-source study involving 102 team leaders (assessed by peers, subordinates, and supervisors), we found that leaders with higher levels of moral courage convey greater respect for team members and are more receptive to relational transparency from them, and that such respect and receptiveness enhance leader effectiveness. We also hypothesized and found that leaders who overestimate their moral courage (i.e., who self-describe as being morally courageous while others perceive them as not being so) are particularly less respectful toward team members, and thus are less effective.
- Destructive leadership paradoxesPublication . Cunha, Miguel Pina e; Simpson, Ace Volkmann; Rego, Arménio; Berti, MarcoThe paradoxical side of leadership is being increasingly studied by management and organization scholars. Organizational paradox theory has generally favored a synergistic understanding of paradoxical tensions, seen as opportunities to obtain competitive advantage through the generative integration of opposing but equally desirable results. Less attention has been given to the other side of paradoxical tensions: as destructive forces. We explore this darker side of paradox by discussing how leadership may impose irrational absurdities in the form of pragmatic paradoxes (self-defying demands that cannot be discussed or realized), and suggest ways to mitigate or neutralize their destructive effects.
- Drawing on the dark triad to teach leadership is dangerous, irresponsible, and bad theoryPublication . Pina e Cunha, Miguel; Clegg, Stewart; Rego, Arménio; Simpson, Ace VolkmannThe proposition that the Dark Triad (DT) personality traits, comprising a callous ‘constellation’ of Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy, are beneficial for leaders has gained traction. While supported by certain scholars and practitioners, this perspective represents bad management theory that undermines good management practice. Although some research suggests potential benefits of DT traits in leaders, it is a mistake to assume that they are inherently functional. A common error underlying this viewpoint is the assumption that if a number of successful and celebrated leaders exhibit DT behaviors in their leadership, then other managers must adopt similar behaviors to be effective and successful. In this essay, we propose a teaching-learning agenda aimed at identifying and screening dark traits, reducing DT behaviors in future leaders, and dealing with DT leaders. Just as good educators combat toxic management behaviors that hinder sustainability, we should also counteract toxic management behaviors that negatively affect employees, organizations and even society. Despite the apparent correlation with stereotypes of successful leaders, DT traits in leadership are a destructive force, and it is important to teach students and practitioners how to counteract them.
- Hope in business organizing for societal progress: three narrativesPublication . Clegg, Stewart; Simpson, Ace Volkmann; Cunha, Miguel Pina e; Rego, ArménioThe relationship between business and society has been contested throughout history. This chapter explores the role of capitalistic organizations in society from ethical, empirical and prudential perspectives. The ethical analysis reviews a range of contested philosophical ideas related to what the relationship between entrepreneurship and society ought to be. The empirical analysis considers evidence of the dominant impacts of organizations on society. In contrast to ideological perspectives holding business organizations as automatically harmful or beneficial to social progress, an objective review of the evidence will indicate both beneficial and harmful effects. The prudential analysis therefore considers the importance of exercising judgement in pursuing practices that reduce harm and enhance positive potential. While we see cause for hope from an emerging range of practical business approaches emphasizing the pursuit of a social contribution over a narrow emphasis on profit maximization, we offer caution. In the greater scheme, movements promoting social and environmental awareness in business are in their infancy, in what remains a dominant neo-liberal environment with totalizing tendencies. Positive practices can even be adopted as a smoke screen by less scrupulous actors. We therefore see an ongoing need for oversight of business and of government by alert and informed citizens engaged in democratic processes. So long as there are informed citizens committed to the greater good, we see hope. In this we also see a place of responsibility for management and organizational scholars.
- Leader humility and team performance: exploring the mechanisms of team psychological capital and task allocation effectivenessPublication . Rego, Armênio; Owens, Bradley; Yam, Kai Chi; Bluhm, Dustin; Cunha, Miguel Pina e; Silard, Anthony; Gonçalves, Lurdes; Martins, Mafalda; Simpson, Ace Volkmann; Liu, WenxingAlthough there is a growing interest toward the topic of leader humility, extant research has largely failed to consider the underlying mechanisms through which leader humility influences team outcomes. In this research, we integrate the emerging literature of leader humility and social information processing theory to theorize how leader humility facilitates the development of collective team psychological capital, leading to higher team task allocation effectiveness and team performance. While Owens and Hekman (2016) suggest that leader humility has homogeneous effects on followers, we propose a potential heterogeneous effect based on the complementarity literature (e.g., Tiedens, Unzueta, & Young, 2007) and the principle of equifinality (leaders may influence team outcomes through multiple pathways; Morgeson, DeRue, & Karam, 2010). In three studies conducted in China, Singapore, and Portugal, including an experiment, a multisource field study, and a three-wave multisource field study, we find support for our hypotheses that leader humility enhances team performance serially through increased team psychological capital and team task allocation effectiveness. We discuss the theoretical implications of our work to the leader humility, psychological capital, and team effectiveness literatures; and offer suggestions for future research.
- Myopia during emergency improvisation: lessons from a catastrophic wildfirePublication . Cunha, Miguel Pina; Clegg, Stewart; Rego, Arménio; Giustiniano, Luca; Abrantes, António Cunha Meneses; Miner, Anne S.; Simpson, Ace VolkmannPurpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how a number of processes joined to create the microlevel strategies and procedures that resulted in the most lethal and tragic forest fire in Portugal's history, recalled as the EN236-1 road tragedy in the fire of Pedrogao Grande. Design/methodology/approach Using an inductive theory development approach, the authors consider how the urgency and scale of perceived danger coupled with failures of system-wide communication led fire teams to improvise repeatedly. Findings The paper shows how structure collapse led teams to use only local information prompting acts of improvisational myopia, in the particular shape of corrosive myopia, and how a form of incidental improvisation led to catastrophic results. Practical implications The research offers insights into the dangers of improvisation arising from corrosive myopia, identifying ways to minimize them with the development of improvisation practices that allow for the creation of new patterns of action. The implications for managing surprise through improvisation extend to risk contexts beyond wildfires. Originality/value The paper stands out for showing the impact of improvisational myopia, especially in its corrosive form, which stands in stark contrast to the central role of attention to the local context highlighted in previous research on improvisation. At the same time, by exploring the effects of incidental improvisation, it also departs from the agentic conception of improvisation widely discussed in the improvisation literature.
- Non-naïve organizational positivity through a generative paradox pedagogyPublication . Cunha, Miguel Pina e; Simpson, Ace Volkmann; Rego, Arménio; Clegg, StewartPositive Organizational Scholarship (POS), with positivity as a core conceptual component, is a major innovation in recent decades in management and organizational studies. Just as organization is an inherently paradox laden process, so too, we argue, is positivity. Yet in classrooms and in practice, POS is mostly taught in a manner that accepts only one side of the paradox, that which, at first glance, appears positive. Against such linear approaches we propose another possibility: teaching positivity through a pedagogy of generative paradoxes emergent from creatively harmonizing the energy of competing and interdependent positive and negative tensions. In the process we extend the notion of generative paradox as discussed in paradox literature by embracing the notion of generativity as discussed in POS theorizing where it is associated with organizational processes that facilitate outcomes of collective flourishing, abundance, wellbeing, and virtue. Our proposed three-part generative paradox pedagogy contributes to the literature on POS, organizational paradox, and management learning.
- Speak! paradoxical effects of a managerial culture of ‘speaking up’Publication . Cunha, Miguel Pina e; Simpson, Ace Volkmann; Clegg, Stewart R.; Rego, ArménioWe explore the intrinsic ambiguity of speaking up in a multinational healthcare subsidiary A culture change initiative, emphasizing learning and agility through encouraging employees to speak up, gave rise to paradoxical effects. Some employees interpreted a managerial tool for improving effectiveness as an invitation to raise challenging points of difference rather than as something ‘beneficial for the organization’.We show that the process of introducing a culture that aims to encourage employees to speak up can produce tensions and contradictions that make various types of organizational paradoxes salient Telling people to ‘speak up!’ may render paradoxical tensions salient and even foster a sense of low PsySafe.
- Team ground rules: their nature and functionsPublication . Cunha, Miguel Pina e; Rego, Arménio; Simpson, Ace VolkmannTeams are complex relational systems. Effective team functioning depends on members willingness to coordinate and work together. Ground rules play a fundamental but frequently ignored role in this process. We define ground rules as the mutual agreements informally established by members to regulate team functioning. These agreements may subsequently be rendered formal or explicit. The nature and functions of ground rules (including as social-normative tools for handling paradoxes) are discussed, as well as the forms/types they assume. Rules for setting ground rules, as well as the role team leaders may play in facilitating the emergence of effective ground rules are also considered.
- The perceived impact of leaders’ humility on team effectiveness: an empirical studyPublication . Rego, Arménio; Cunha, Miguel Pina e; Simpson, Ace VolkmannWe assess the perceived impact of leaders’ humility (both self and other-reported) on team effectiveness, and how this relationship is mediated by balanced processing of information. Ninety-six leaders (plus 307 subordinates, 96 supervisors, and 656 peers of those leaders) participate in the study. The findings suggest that humility in leaders (as reported by others/peers) is indirectly (i.e., through balanced processing) related to leaders’ perceived impact on team effectiveness. The study also corroborates literature pointing out the benefits of using other-reports (rather than self-reports) to measure humility, and suggests adding humility to the authentic leadership research agenda.