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3899 items in total found

Working Papers | 1986

OB for Social Development: A Position Paper

Khandwalla P N

The thesis of the paper is that OB can contribute richly to socio-economic development of poor Third World societies. It can do so through research on OB-related problems of the strategic organizations of these societies and on the strategic individuals and groups in these organizations. The concept of the strategic organization, individual, and team is expounded. Interesting OB research questions pertaining to strategic organizations are delineated in the areas of motivation and control, coordination and collaboration, boundary management, management of growth, institution building, innovation and change, and sickness and revitalization.

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Working Papers | 1986

Cultural, Developmental, and Task Differences in Prediction of Performace: An Information Integration Analysis

Srivastava Prabha and Singh Ramadhar

Past research showed that Indian children average information about motivation and ability in prediction of performance. However, a multiplying-type rule develops from an adding-type rule in American children. The present research tested the hypothesis that integration rule depends upon age and culture of children and nature of task. Consistent with the hypothesis, Experiment 1 (n = 96) obtained evidence for no difference between children of fourth and eighth grades in prediction of performance in puzzle contest but for development of an adding-type rule from a multiplying-type rule in prediction of performance in singing contest. As the latter finding was surprising, Experiment 2 (n = 144) studied kindergarten through eleventh grade children. Results indicated that a multiplying-type rule evolves out of an adding-type rule but gets replaced by the adding-type rule during sixth and seventh grades. Of the three interpretations, namely, changes in weight of information, changes in integration rule, and changes in response reproduction processes, of the age differences, the first one seemed to be the most parsimonious.

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Working Papers | 1986

Contingency Theory: A Third World View

Khandwalla P N

Contingency theory is viewed as an outcome of social transition. The evolution and development of contingency organization theory in the West and in India is reviewed. Its extensions, implications, and limitations are noted, and an assessment of its usefulness to the author as researcher and consultant is made.

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Working Papers | 1986

Strategies of Developing Human Resources: An Analysis of Experiences from Fourteen Organizations

T. V. Rao

HRD function has got a good deal of attention in the recent past and is continuing to get more. The instruments of HRD are many. The HRD instruments should lead to the generation of HRD processes like role clarity, performance planning, development climate, risk-taking, dynamism, etc in employees. Such HRD process should result in more competent, satisfied and committed people that would make the organization grow by contributing their best to it. Such HRD outcomes influence the organizational effectiveness. A model explaining the linkages between HRD instruments, processes, outcomes and organizational effectiveness is presented. Experiences of seven public sector and seven private sector organizations (BEMK, BHEL, Bank of Baroda, Crompton Greaves, Jyoti, Indian Oil Cproration, L&T, L&T-ECC, SAIL, State Bank of India, State Bank of Patiala, Sundaram Fasteners, TVS Iyengar & Sons and Voltas) were analysed against this model, The analysis suggests that new HRD departments, performance appraisals, role analysis and OD exercises have been the most frequently used HRD instruments. Using external consultants as well as internal task forces consisting of line managers, company-wide education of line managers and top managements' participation in the change process are most commonly observed in these organizations. However, very little evidence is available about the impact of the HRD instruments in terms of developing a HRD culture and HRD outcomes. It is argued that in the absence of a demonstration of such a linkage HRD becomes a matter of philosophy and faith. HRD departments have a complex role to play as even theoretically the links between HRD and organizational effectiveness are not easily demonstrable. HRD departments and top management should recognize this and accordingly plan their future strategies.

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Working Papers | 1986

Life Performance = Motivation x Ability x Opportunity: Individual Differences in Predictive Models

Singh Ramadhar

Previous research showed that prediction of life performance from information about motivation and ability follows the multiplying rule. The present experiment added a third supposedly multiplying factor, external opportunity, and tested the plausibility of the three-factor multiplying model. There was no evidence for the hypothesized model in either group or individual subject level analysis. Subjects (n = 72) employed as many as 11 different models. These models indicated that the opportunity information multiplied one of the two internal factors, either motivation or ability. Moreover, when it played an additive role, the relationship between motivation and ability was generally additive. Two rival hypotheses, differences in social theories about how the three factors determine life performance and differences in information valuation due to presence of separate initial opinions of motivation, ability, and opportunity in the subjects, were suggested to account for the individual differences in predictive models.

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Working Papers | 1986

Emergence of Pioneering - Innovative Entrepreneurship: A Psychological Model

Manimala Mathew

A review of literature on entrepreneurship reveals that most researchers adopt a uni-dimensional approach to explain the phenomenon. This approach, however, has failed to offer consistent explanation of the phenomenon, especially of pioneering-innovative (PI) entrepreneurship. This paper attempts to build a psychological model for the emergence of PI entrepreneurship so as to fill the existing theory-gap. It is a multi-dimensional model based on the following variables : (1) desire for autonomy, (2) optimism, (3) PI motive, (4) creative ability, (5) availability/adequacy of resources and opportunities, (6) achievement motive and (7) managerial skills. The sensitivity of these variables within the model is demonstrated and propositions are made about the critical variables required for the start-up and successful management of different types of ventures, namely, PI ventures, import-substitution ventures, imitative ventures and 'self-employment' ventures.

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Working Papers | 1986

Prediction of Exam Performance by Children: Evidence for Utilization of Four Pieces of Information

Srivastava Prabha and Singh Ramadhar

Kindergarten through fourth grade children (n = 120) predicted exam performance of stimulus students from information about their current motivation and ability. Each kind of information came from two independent sources and so children had to integrate four opinions. Contrary to the previous finding that kindergarten through second graders lack capacity to utilize three or four pieces of information, all children of the present research did remarkably well in integrating opinion of four sources. Non-significant main effects in individual child analyses of the past research appeared to be attributable to memory constraints in stimulus presentation, low motivation of subjects, insensitivity of statistical tests, and/or irrelevance of information for judgment and not necessarily to integrational incapability in children. Results also showed that children in India average information about motivation and ability in prediction of exam performance in much the same way as do adults.

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Working Papers | 1986

Management of International Technology Transfer

Chaudhari Shekhar

The significant liberalization of the Indian government's policies towards foreign collaboration and industry in general has led to an upsurge in the annual number of tie-ups between Indian and foreign firms in industrially developed countries. While this development augers well for the technological upgradation of Indian industry it may pose enormous challenges for the technology purchasers. This paper highlights some of the problems faced by firms in Indian industry assimilating foreign technology and illustrates how they were overcome. A conceptual framework in the form of four organizational stages in the process of acquiring and assimilating foreign technology is presented, which is then illustrated with the help of two case studies. Finally, this paper also draws some implications for technology buyers in developing countries and MNCs and other technology sellers in industrially advanced nations.

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Working Papers | 1986

Energy and Development Options: The Case of India

Moulik T K

The paper critically analyzes the historical processes of the evolution of energy policy in India and its relationship with development strategies. The paper is divided into three time periods related to global energy situation: upto first energy crisis 1973; upto second and third energy crisis 1974-86, and future prospects, upto 2000. The paper shows how in successive five yea plans the energy policies and strategies are essentially determined by the five year plans and their targets, more as a "demand-accommodation" processes indicates the possible scenarios for every policy evolution in India beyond the year 2000 and recommends appropriate alternatives.

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Working Papers | 1986

An Integrative Strategy for Performance Enhancement in Organizations

Chhokar J S and Wallin Jerry A

Cognitive and acognitive are two basic approaches to the study of human behaviour in organizations. Most of the literature has treated these approaches as mutually opposing and contradictory. The authors suggest that this dichotomy between the two approaches may not be all that crucial, particularly from the point of view of practical application in organizations. A study for improving performance using a performance enhancement package based on elements from both, the cognitive and the acognitive, approaches, is described. Results indicate that it is possible to combine the two approaches for effective performance enhancement in an organizational setting.

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