Biomedical subjects

Dean Tjosvold

Publications and source records attributed to Dean Tjosvold.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Organizational partnerships in China: self-interest, goal interdependence, and opportunism.

Opportunism in organizational partnerships may be understood in terms of how partners conclude that their self-interests are related to each other. When partners believe that their goals are competitively but not cooperatively related, they are tempted to pursue their self-interests opportunistically. Cognitive understandings and values of a shared vision may help partners believe their goals are cooperatively related. Results from 103 pairs of customer and supplier organizations support the argument that partnerships are not inevitably threatened by opportunism. Using structural equation analysis, the authors suggested that shared vision can help partners develop cooperative goals that lead to low levels of opportunism. These results suggest that a shared vision and cooperative goals are important foundations for effective organizational partnerships.

China↗

PubMed2005

Effects of openness, problem solving, and blaming on learning: an experiment in China.

Researchers have considered interdependence and interaction among individuals and groups as critical for promoting learning in organizations. In an experiment with 80 participants in China, the present authors found that (a) open discussion compared with avoiding discussion and (b) problem solving compared with blaming stimulated the exploration, integration, and adoption of alternative ideas in addition to strengthening interpersonal relationships. The results also indicated the possibility that openness and problem solving have these effects by developing a perceived cooperative interdependence that encourages people to believe that incorporating alternative ideas can help them succeed. Avoidance and blaming, on the other hand, seemed to result in a competitive struggle to see who could impose their ideas on the other, leaving people committed to their original thinking.

Asian People↗

PubMed2005

An experimental examination of social contexts and the use of power in a Chinese sample.

Researchers have considered power as a largely corrupting force in organizations. In the present experiment, the authors used the theory of cooperation and competition to investigate the effects of social context on power use in a sample of Chinese participants. The present results support the reasoning that high power compared to low power provides the capacity to assist employees and that cooperative, but not competitive, goals facilitate the motivation of managers to use their power to support employees and to develop managerial conclusions that employees are capable and appreciative. These results suggest limitations to traditional organizational power theories that assume a competitive context between the powerful and those subject to power. Cooperative goals appear to be an important basis for developing the positive face of power in organizations in China and perhaps in other cultures as well.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Can interpersonal competition be constructive within organizations?

An empirical analysis was conducted on the conditions under which competition can be constructive. The participants were 64 managers and 28 employees from organizations in mainland China. They were asked to describe specific incidents of competition between them and their fellow employees and rate on a 7-point Likert-type scale the conditions that they perceived affected the outcomes. The incidents could involve either a physical activity or an intellectual task or both. Results showed that the variables related to constructive competition included the fairness of the rules, the motivation to win, having an advantage that enhanced one's chances of winning, a strong positive relationship among competitors, and a history of confirming each other's competence. By controlling these factors, the constructiveness of competition may be enhanced.

Adult↗