Scholarly Works, Management

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Research articles, presentations, and other scholarship

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Now showing 1 - 20 of 32

Culture and social entrepreneurship: the role of value-practice misalignment
Brownell, Katrina M.; Hechavarria, Diana M.; Robb, Colleen C.; Kickul, Jill (Springer, 2025-03-01)
Scholars tend to evaluate the effects of cultural factors on social entrepreneurial activity based on either cultural values or cultural practices. However, societal inconsistencies between values and practices have the potential to create uncertainty in expected entrepreneurial behaviors. In this paper, we operationalize cultural dissonance as the gap between cultural values and cultural practices and draw on role congruity theory to theorize and test how cultural dissonance influences engagement in social entrepreneurship. Using data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, the Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness, and the World Bank datasets (N = 23,828), we show that cultural dissonance can either impede or encourage social entrepreneurial activity and that female entrepreneurs are less sensitive to these effects than male entrepreneurs. What a society values offers direction for prospective entrepreneurs. Traditionally, values and practices are measured interchangeably; i.e., individuals will act in a manner consistent with their values. However, inconsistencies between the two have important implications for prospective entrepreneurs. As a result, it is vital to understand how dissonance between values and practices might impact the decision to start a new venture. We find support for our perspective that values and practices do not always align and that this dissonance impacts entrepreneurial decision making, effects which are stronger for men than for women.
Managing coopetition dynamics: A longitudinal study of a multiparty alliance formation in a large utilities project
Taubeneder, Renate; Roehrich, Jens K.; Tyler, Beverly B.; Squire, Brian; Gnyawali, Devi R. (Wiley, 2024-09-01)
Multiparty alliances (MPAs) are increasingly used to deliver large utilities infrastructure projects on-time, on-budget, and to specified quality. In theory, MPAs should help buyers to coordinate suppliers, enable concurrent scheduling, and create process innovations. On the other hand, these governance structures are inherently less stable than dyadic relationships due to their additional complexity and greater opportunities for free riding. We conduct a multi-source, longitudinal study, investigating how a buyer actively manages the dynamics between competition and cooperation during the formation of an MPA consisting of a lead organization and directional relationships between all partners. We contribute to MPA and coopetition literature by exploring cooperation and competition dynamics that are associated with the MPA structure that would largely be absent in dyads, and unpack the process by which a buyer orchestrates these dynamics by sequentially introducing new initiatives that seek to balance coopetition. MPAs have been recommended by governments and industry bodies as one solution for time and cost overruns in the utilities infrastructure sector, our study also provides guidance to buyers on the management of the alliance during the critical formation stage of the relationship lifecycle.
Chance, probability, and uncertainty at the edge of human reasoning: What is Knightian uncertainty?
Townsend, David M.; Hunt, Richard A.; Rady, Judy (Wiley, 2024-09-01)
Research Summary: For more than a century, Frank Knight's Risk, Uncertainty, and Profit has significantly influenced entrepreneurship theory development by exploring the nature of uncertainty and the epistemic limits of entrepreneurial action. Knight's work highlights how economic actors cannot fully predict the consequences of their actions. Despite its broad influence, debates persist regarding the nature of Knightian uncertainty. This study addresses these debates through a comprehensive analysis of RUP and Knight's other published and unpublished writings to offer new insights into the nature and meaning of Knightian uncertainty, revealing Knight's holistic theory that integrates "real indeterminism," "partial knowledge," and "subjective beliefs." This analysis provides much needed construct clarity to advance contemporary theories of entrepreneurial action and the role of uncertainty in business venturing processes. Managerial Summary: This article revisits Frank Knight's foundational work, Risk, Uncertainty, and Profit, a cornerstone in entrepreneurship research for over a century. We highlight Knight's holistic approach to uncertainty, which integrates the concepts of real indeterminism (the inherent unpredictability of future events), partial knowledge (the incomplete understanding of the present and future), and subjective beliefs (individual perceptions and interpretations). The study offers new perspectives on how Knightian uncertainty influences entrepreneurial decision-making and action, highlighting how this unique type of uncertainty plays a critical role in the business venturing process. These insights provide valuable contributions to contemporary theories of entrepreneurship, emphasizing the complexity and multifaceted nature of navigating uncertainty in business.
Keeping it real: How entrepreneurs effectively disclose risk
Bolinger, Mark T.; Brownell, Katrina M.; Covin, Jeffrey G. (Wiley, 2025-06-01)
Research SummaryAcross three studies (N = 300, 141, 188), we apply impression management theory to examine if and how entrepreneurs can strategically disclose risk while facilitating beneficial audience perceptions. In the crowdfunding context, we show that intentionally packaging positive information with risk disclosures-a strategy we describe as "compensation"-enhances financing outcomes. Furthermore, we conducted two follow-up randomized experiments (N = 141, 188) to test intervening mechanisms (i.e., perceived authenticity, project quality) and boundary conditions (i.e., information specificity, gender) of the relationship between compensation and crowdfunding performance. Our research has implications for the strategic disclosure of risk, extends our understanding of contextual factors that influence the effectiveness of impression management tactics, and provides guidance for entrepreneurs engaged in crowdfunding efforts.Managerial SummaryShould early-stage entrepreneurs disclose risk to potential investors? In our study, we examine the effects of making the choice to disclose risks associated with a new venture. While risk disclosure may harm financing efforts, we reveal that using a tactic we call "compensation"-in which risk disclosures are packaged with information meant to mitigate the risk-enhances financing efforts for early-stage entrepreneurs by cultivating perceptions of authenticity. Furthermore, we found that the benefit of this tactic appears to be even greater for female entrepreneurs than male entrepreneurs. Overall, our research shows that entrepreneurs should disclose risk, but should take care to do so in a specific manner.
Black entrepreneurship: A multilevel process model of constrained agency across the business venturing lifecycle
Lewis, Trey; Hunt, Richard A.; Murphy, Maurice J.; Townsend, David M. (Elsevier, 2025-10)
Black entrepreneurship (BE) plays an increasingly important, and increasingly paradoxical, role in contemporary American society. On one hand, BE is a vehicle for economic advancement, exemplified through inspiring instances of resolute agency, heroic achievement, and storied successes that collectively reinforce the notion that entrepreneurship can be a potent, emancipatory force of social and economic mobility. On the other hand, BE is also a vivid illustration of race-related challenges, chronicled through an abundance of empirical evidence that reveals the extent to which Black entrepreneurs navigate a racialized entrepreneurial context; one in which formidable constraints arise throughout the entrepreneurial journey. Though critically important, the mechanisms of racialization – and the manner in which they are manifested and surmounted – remain under-theorized, leading to an incomplete understanding of how and why success is more elusive for historically marginalized entrepreneurs than it is for others, and why the threat of failure looms so large. To address these research challenges, we build upon existing work to develop a process model, depicting the unique constraints that Black entrepreneurs face at each stage of the business venturing lifecycle. Applying this processual perspective, we articulate a theory of constrained agency, wherein Black entrepreneurs can and do exercise entrepreneurial agency despite varying, multilevel manifestations of racialization. Our work lays the groundwork for a more detailed, purposeful, and relevant approach to the future research of Black entrepreneurs as well as other historically marginalized groups.
A Research Focused Approach to Customer Discovery
Makowski, William J.; Martin, Thomas L.; Schaudt, W. Andy (IEEE, 2022)
Head injuries in football and bicycling highlight the severe disconnect between impact scenarios, injury biomechanics, standards and solutions for personal protective equipment. They also demonstrate the broader need for better methods in product development. This need is further illustrated in entrepreneurship, as the failure rate for product development is anywhere between 30 to 75%. To improve performance and reduce the failure rates of start-ups, new venture teams and nationally funded programs such as I-Corps adopted product development methods such as Lean Canvas and Customer Discovery. However, there are still challenges with these methodologies. Other than 'listen,' there is limited training for developing questions and conducting interviews. As a result, shortcomings in both the personal protective equipment industry and product development in entrepreneurship demonstrate the need to understand the foundational elements of each, in a way that is grounded in research. The purpose of this case study is to address those shortcomings, identify areas for innovation and improve safety for athletes. The case study is grounded in qualitative research methods and is executed by implementing Customer Discovery. The application of the methodologies is expected to create a product development framework for entrepreneurs, implementing it with individuals that use bicycle helmets and bike industry personnel.
Proxy favors: Confidential proxy voting with institutional dual holders
Becker, William J.; Mansi, Sattar; Nazari, Maryam; Wald, John K. (Wiley, 2023-09-08)
Research Question/Issue: For firms with institutional dual holders, is proxy voting affected by whether the vote is confidential? Does confidential voting affect firms' cost of debt?. Research Findings/Insights: Consistent with social exchange theory and reciprocity norms, we find that, in the absence of confidential voting, firms with institutional dual holders gain more favorable votes for proposals and, in particular, for management-sponsored compensation proposals. Further, these firms pay a higher cost of borrowing. This reciprocity relation does not exist if the firm has confidential voting in place. Theoretical/Academic Implications: The results are consistent with reciprocity norms creating a psychological obligation to repay valuable favors between firm managers and institutional dual holders when proxy votes are not confidential. Practitioner/Policy Implications: The findings support the popular position that confidential voting is in the best interests of shareholders and rigorous external corporate governance.
Building an entrepreneurship education program in a technology-rich environment: Virginia Tech’s entrepreneurship ecosystem
Tseng, Chien-Chi; Townsend, David M.; Poff, Ron; Gnyawali, Devi R. (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2025-01-01)
In recent years, the entrepreneurship ecosystem at Virginia Tech has rapidly evolved into one of the leading global university entrepreneurship programs. Through an integrated mix of curricular and co-curricular programs and initiatives, Virginia Tech is leading the way in building a world-class entrepreneurship ecosystem throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia to serve the students, faculty and staff, Commonwealth citizens, and the entrepreneurship community at large. Building on the historic strengths as a pre-eminent STEM-focused institution, Virginia Tech’s comprehensive ecosystem encompasses a unique blend of academic courses and programs, student experiential learning, and a broader support system to advance technology commercialization and entrepreneurship efforts. Dedicated to entrepreneurship education excellence, Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge acquisition and generation by taking a hands-on, transdisciplinary approach to prepare students to be leaders and problem-solvers. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and a leading research institution, Virginia Tech’s entrepreneurship ecosystem spans multiple campuses across the Commonwealth and is anchored by our primary campus in Blacksburg, VA. These innovative and comprehensive efforts and demonstrated success have led to Virginia Tech’s winning the National Model Program Award for entrepreneurship education from the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship in 2022.
Many Roads to Success: Broadening Our Views of Academic Career Paths and Advice
Livingston, Beth; Gloor, Jamie L.; Ward-Bartlett, Anna-Katherine; Gabriel, Allison S.; Campbell, Joanna T.; Block, Emily; Carter, Dorothy; French, Kimberly A.; Frieder, Rachel; Hillebrandt, Annika; Hu, Jia Jasmine; Jones, Kristen P.; Joseph, Dana L.; Junker, Nina M.; Mandeville, Ashley; Otner, Sarah M. G.; Patel, Amanda S.; Paustian-Underdahl, Samantha; Priesemuth, Manuela; Shockley, Kristen M.; Shoss, Mindy (SAGE, 2024-03-05)
Advice is often given to junior scholars in the field of organization science to ostensibly facilitate their career success. In this commentary, we discuss insights from 19 elite scholars (i.e., Fellows and top journal editors) about the advice they received–and, often, did not follow–throughout their careers. We highlight some of the pitfalls from the current, all-too-common, and often singular advice given to junior scholars while also adding necessary nuance to the requirements to achieve success in our field. We conclude with advice on how to give better advice, thereby more equitably encouraging a new generation of increasingly diverse researchers and future professors.
How genuine is your diversity climate? A new typology highlighting the emergence of specious diversity climates
Ward-Bartlett, Anna-Katherine; Ravlin, Elizabeth; Park, Ji Eun (Wiley, 2023-07-10)
Research supports the notion that diversity climate (employees' perceptions of the extent to which fairness and elimination of discrimination are promoted within the work unit) can help the unit attain benefits—rather than detriments—from workforce diversity. However, the diversity climate literature rests substantially on a questionable assumption—that all unit members perceive the environment uniformly—which fails to account for the potential of individuals' distinct experiences in units. We introduce a new typology of diversity climates to address how individual and subgroup perceptions develop and aggregate to reflect an overall climate. This framework calls attention to specious diversity climates, in which a homogeneous population of employees agrees in their perceptions of a supportive diversity climate despite exclusion and/or otherwise unfair treatment of marginalized members. We explore the emergence process of each distinct climate type, explicating how perceptions aggregate to form a unit diversity climate that falls into one of five categories (i.e., genuinely supportive, speciously supportive, moderate/unsupportive, multimodal, or fragmented). We conclude with implications for theory and managerial practice.
Nested local, national, and global identities in the context of existential threat
Ward Bartlett, Anna Katherine; Wu, I-Heng; Buchan, Nancy; Jeong, Sophia; Carrim, Nasima Mohamed Hoosen; Gutierrez Martinez, Isis Olimpia; Hu, Chang-Ya; Johan, Sofia A. (Academy of Management, 2023-07)
Although various theories on identity exist, each with its own vast literature, the extant research does not fully address change in nested identities in the presence of an existential threat – one that threatens both sub- and superordinate identity groups. Further, the identity literature lacks attention to workplace consequences of nested identity in the context of existential threat. We conducted a mixed-methods investigation to address these gaps. All data were collected in the presence of sub- and superordinate identity group threatening forces including Covid-19, supply chain disruptions, and social protests. In Study 1, we asked 27 adults working in the United States about their identification with their local community, nation, and world as a whole both pre-Covid and during the Summer of 2020. Their responses allowed us to develop a deeper understanding of how these nested identities changed in response to threat. In Study 2, we tested workplace implications of identification at each level by administering two surveys (separated by one month) to 337 adults working in Mexico, South Africa, Taiwan, and the United States. Results supported global identification as a useful tool for coping with existential threat, as it showed a positive influence on both satisfaction and performance.
Value Creation and Tension in Coopetition: The Emergence of Virtuous and Vicious Cycles
Ryan-Charleton, Tadhg; Gnyawali, Devi R. (Academy of Management, 2021-08)
Literature on tension in coopetition has focused almost exclusively on ‘simultaneity tension’, which is rooted in the interplay of simultaneous competition and cooperation. Our paper identifies and unpacks a distinct ‘value tension’ which occurs due to simultaneous firm value creation and joint value creation in coopetition. We layout incompatibilities between firm value creation, which is collaborative, and joint value creation, which is cooperative, and articulate the inherent challenges of pursuing both simultaneously. Efforts to pursue both can pull resources in opposing directions, forego scale and scope advantages, and undermine isolating mechanisms that are at odds with each other. We illuminate positive and negative synergies depending on the extent to which firm value creation and joint value creation are pursued simultaneously and how the ensuing tension is managed. We suggest that subsequent behaviors may reinforce the positives, leading to virtuous cycles, or negatives, leading to vicious cycles. Our integration of the coopetition literatures on tension and value with broader strategic management discourse regarding value creation provides novel future-focused insights concerning coopetition and interorganizational relationships.
Strategic Alliance Outcomes: Consolidation and New Directions
Ryan-Charleton, Tadhg; Gnyawali, Devi R.; Oliveira, Nuno (Academy of Management, 2022-08)
The pursuit of outcomes is the raison d’être for strategic alliances, yet the literature on outcomes is rather fragmented. Moreover, conceptual and empirical confusion exists between strategic alliance outcomes and how well the alliance is working. Important behavioral terms, such as conflict and tension, are also used without conceptual clarity. We tackle these issues by consolidating the spectrum of strategic alliance outcomes and explaining how outcomes are often intertwined. We also distill the literature regarding how well the alliance is working into three “functioning indicators” and highlight their conceptual distinctiveness vis-à-vis outcomes. We disentangle the definitions and implications of three important behavioral issues in alliances—trade-offs, frictions, and tensions—and discuss how they are rooted in partner interdependence. Lastly, we offer an “outcome-centric” perspective on strategic alliances, which shifts the emphasis from outcomes as end results to the pursuit of outcomes as explanatory starting points.
Walking the Tightrope: Coopetition Capability Construct and Its Role in Value Creation
Rai, Rajnish; Gnyawali, Devi R.; Bhatt, Himanshu (SAGE, 2022-06-23)
Prior research emphasizes the paradoxical nature of coopetition and the need for specialized capabilities—coopetition capability—to deal effectively with opportunities and challenges stemming from the simultaneous pursuit of cooperation and competition and to create superior value. However, we know little about the underlying conceptual properties of coopetition capability (construct clarity) and lack a reliable and valid scale to measure it (construct validity). We conduct a study in three phases to address this critical gap. First, building on paradox literature, we conceptualize coopetition capability as a multidimensional construct reflected by three underlying dimensions: coopetition mindset, analytical acumen, and executional skills. Second, we develop a 15-item psychometrically valid scale using a sample of 647 coopetitive alliances in high-technology sectors. Finally, using a matched sample of 536 coopetitive alliances, we extend the focal construct's nomological network by examining two relationships: coopetition experience's impact on coopetition capability and the effect of coopetition capability on the relationship between the coopetition paradox and value creation. Overall, our paper lays a foundation for deeper theory development and empirical research on coopetition by providing much-needed construct clarity and psychometrically valid measures for coopetition capability.
Public announcements of employee recognitions from customers and customer satisfaction: Longitudinal effects in the healthcare context
Arthur, Jeffrey B. (Elsevier, 2023-03)
This study examines the impact of periodic public announcements of customers’ employee recognitions from a non-monetary employee recognition program on subsequent changes in the number of customers’ employee recognitions and customer satisfaction. Recognized employee customer-oriented behaviors (COB) include helping and comforting patients that go “above and beyond” frontline caregivers’ expected role behaviors. Theory-based hypotheses on the antecedents and consequences of monthly variation in the number of publicly announced COB recognitions are developed by integrating theory and research on determinants of employees’ prosocial behavior, incentive-based rewards, and social dynamics found in social cognitive theory. I find that the number of publicly announced recognitions in one period is positively related to the number of recognitions in the following period. Further, I find a non-linear S-shaped relationship between the number of publicly announced recognitions and average patient satisfaction scores that varies depending on the number of publicly announced recognitions each month.
Editorial Commentary
Devers, Cynthia E. (SAGE, 2023-10-26)
The signaling effect of supplier's customer network instability on service price: Insights from the container shipping charter market
Kumar, Pankaj; Nowinska, Agnieszka; Schramm, Hans-Joachim (Wiley, 2023-04)
In a service exchange setting, the supply management literature generally assumes, with notable exceptions, the availability of complete information regarding supplier reliability. Highlighting the information asymmetry in supplier evaluation and using signaling theory, we argue that for a focal buyer, a supplier's downstream ego-network instability, that is, other buyers' turnover in a supplier's network from one period to the next, acts as a signal of supplier unreliability, thereby reducing the price that the buyer pays to the supplier in a service exchange. Furthermore, we suggest that focal buyer-supplier relationship strength and structural equivalence weaken the negative effect of instability because the buyer has a more direct and positive experience with the supplier. Using a dataset of 3263 unique dyads formed by 260 buyers (shipoperators) and 493 suppliers (shipowners) during the 2000-2018 period in the container shipping charter market, we find support for our hypotheses, except for the contingent effect of structural equivalence. Our study contributes to signaling literature and network research by developing a supplier's downstream ego-network instability as a salient heuristic for a focal buyer's pricing decisions. These findings equip buyer managers who may not accurately foresee supplier service quality in the charter market with a new supplier evaluation tool: a supplier's downstream ego-network instability.
How past trauma impacts emotional intelligence: Examining the connection
Gottfredson, Ryan K.; Becker, William J. (Frontiers, 2023-05)
Backed by both research and practice, the organizational psychology field has come to value emotional intelligence (EI) as being vital for leader and employee effectiveness. While this field values EI, it has paid little attention to the antecedents of emotional intelligence, leaving the EI domain without clarity on (1) why EI might vary across individuals, and (2) how to best develop EI. In this article, we rely on neuroscience and psychology research to make the case that past psychological trauma impacts later EI capabilities. Specifically, we present evidence that psychological trauma impairs the brain areas and functions that support EI. Establishing psychological trauma has valuable theoretical and practical implications that include providing an explanation of why EI might vary across individuals and providing a focus for improving EI: healing from past trauma. Further theoretical and practical implications for the field of organizational psychology are provided.
How much does the firm's alliance network matter?
Kumar, Pankaj; Liu, Xiaojin; Zaheer, Akbar (Wiley, 2022-01-10)
Research Summary Extant empirical work partitioning the variance in firm (business segment) profitability has identified industry, corporate parent, business segment, and time as key sources. However, this variance decomposition research stream has treated firms as atomistic, autonomous entities. We employ a fast-unfolding community-detection algorithm to detect firms' network memberships and use the Shapley Value method to isolate the effect of the firm's alliance network, in addition to industry, corporate parent, business segment, and year effects, on the variance in business unit performance. Our findings demonstrate that the effect of the firm's alliance network explains 11% of the variance in firm ROA among 16,381 business segments from 1979 through 1996. We also extend the time period through 2018 and find that our results broadly hold. Managerial Summary In the search for superior firm performance, managers typically focus their attention externally on profitable industries in which to operate, as well as internally on their firms' idiosyncratic and valuable resources and capabilities. In addition to these profitability sources, our work suggests another important, but heretofore overlooked, factor in the managerial quest for competitive advantage: the value-creating potential of alliance networks. We employ a machine-learning algorithm to detect firms' network memberships. Our findings indicate that as much as 11% of the variance in firm profitability (ROA) is explained by the network of alliances of which the firm is a part. Our study also implies that the emphasis on networks continues to be relevant in a technology age in which industry boundaries are blurring.
Security Simulations in Undergraduate Education: A Review
Simpson, Joseph; Brantly, Aaron F. (Kennesaw State University, 2022-07)
Several decades of research in simulation and gamification in higher education shows that simulations are highly effective in improving a range of outcomes for students including declarative knowledge and interest in the topic being taught. While there appears to be a broad array of options to provide education in an undergraduate setting related to security, no previous reviews have explored computer-based simulations covering all facets of security. Given the increasing importance and adoption of interdisciplinary educational programs, it is important to take stock of simulations as a tool to broaden the range of problems, perspectives, and solutions presented to students. Our review provides an overview of computer-based simulations in U.S. undergraduate institutions published in academic journals and conferences. We identify strengths and limitations of existing computer-based simulations as well as opportunities for future research.

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