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Inter-functional citizenship behaviour: A novel scale validated for the integration of Research and Development and Intellectual Property team members


Type

Thesis

Change log

Authors

Cengiz, Cihat 

Abstract

Increased complexity of current technological advancements requires a well-orchestrated and integrated research and development (R&D) process in order to innovate and profit from new commercialisation. However, scholars have long argued that R&D processes are mismanaged and thus result in little benefit to the organisation. For the past decades, scholars have researched the problems, inconveniences and tensions in R&D processes from the process-perspective, assuring that inter-functional processes between employees from different functions are aligned and that cross-functional integration (CFI) from the process- perspective is achieved. However, findings about the benefits of CFI are still uncertain, poorly understood, arouse controversy in academia and do not capture the holistic problem of CFI in R&D processes. Only a few researchers have addressed the problems from the behavioural perspective, and consequently, an adequate scale to measure behaviours between employees from different functions towards each other is lacking. This research fills this gap by developing the novel inter-functional citizenship behaviour (IFCB) scale to characterise inter-functional behaviours between employees from different functions who inhabit different thought worlds. Further, this research tests the scale with R&D and intellectual property (IP) employees to establish an association with perceived organisational support for innovation (POSI) - an organisational culture variable which proxies the innovation culture in the R&D function. Results suggest that POSI is associated with a collaboration-based integration for inter- functional conscientiousness and inter-functional tolerance (task-oriented IFCBs). R&D employees display as much task-oriented IFCBs towards their IP colleagues as they perceive and maintain a behavioural equilibrium which appears to be related to R&D employees’ high POSI. On the contrary, results also suggest that POSI is associated with a contribution-based integration for inter-functional altruism and inter-functional constructiveness (relationship- oriented IFCBs). R&D employees indicate a discrepancy for relationship-oriented IFCBs, meaning that they do not display as much relationship-oriented IFCBs towards their IP colleagues as they perceive from them. They do not maintain a behavioural equilibrium, and it appears to be that a behavioural disequilibrium is related to R&D employees’ high POSI. With these results, this research makes three contributions: Firstly, a novel inter-functional citizenship behaviour scale is proposed. It progresses the citizenship research domain with an adequate scale to measure inter-functional behaviours during the integration between employees from different functions who inhabit different thought worlds. Secondly, by applying the IFCB scale in the integration of two functions who inhabit different thought worlds, this research opens a new pathway to research CFI from an additional, behavioural (citizenship) perspective. It supports the process perspective in integration research and aims to shed light on the behavioural factors which might inhibit or foster CFI. Finally, this research revisits the organisational equilibrium theory and operationalises it from the behavioural perspective. The proposed behavioural equilibrium lens can be seen as a revival of the organisational equilibrium theory from the behavioural perspective. It allows a unique understanding of behaviours and aims to explain tensions caused by thought worlds. This dissertation is anticipated to be a starting point for further research to establish IFCB as a scale in the CFI and citizenship domain and support it with an adequate theoretical lens to generate more research for academia but also insights to practitioners on how to manage CFI. The IFCB scale can be used as a "diagnostics" tool to measure and evaluate inter-functional behaviours of employees from different functions who inhabit different thought worlds. By gaining insights into this additional perspective, managers can develop process interventions, can create cross-functional teams based on IFCBs or can aim to influence the organisational culture and change management processes by analysing/ promoting appropriate behaviours between employees from different functions.

Description

Date

2020-07

Advisors

Tietze, Frank

Keywords

Research & Development, Cross-functional integration, Citizenship behaviors, Intellectual Property Management, People Analytics

Qualification

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Awarding Institution

University of Cambridge
Sponsorship
St. Catharine’s College Cambridge; Institute for Manufacturing (IfM); The Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung für die Freiheit, a foundation which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education; Research and the Research and Development Management Association (RADMA)