iBet uBet web content aggregator. Adding the entire web to your favor.
iBet uBet web content aggregator. Adding the entire web to your favor.



Link to original content: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-15559-8_49
Challenging Hierarchical Structure to Boost Technical Outcomes | SpringerLink
Skip to main content

Challenging Hierarchical Structure to Boost Technical Outcomes

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Systems, Software and Services Process Improvement (EuroSPI 2022)

Abstract

As digital technologies are transforming businesses, the trend of digitalisation has also changed the ways we create value. Maximising value creation necessitates influencing decision-makers, especially in complex knowledge structures and network-based environments. This paper suggests the best practices of informal leadership deployed by technical experts aiming to influence others, especially formal leaders. Insights were gathered through interviews with Finnish technical experts and enhanced through consultations with international partners. The findings provide practices to manage work-related issues through human relations, and by doing this also challenge the hierarchical organisational structures. Crucially, informal leadership empowers employees to use their knowledge and competencies for the benefit of their organisations.

The work is supported by The Foundation for Economic Education, Huittinen Savings Bank Foundation, and Nissi Foundation, Finland. This research has received funding from the Horizon 2020 Programme of the European Union within the OpenInnoTrain project under grant agreement no. 823971. The content of this publication does not reflect the official opinion of the European Union. Responsibility for the information and views expressed in the publication lies entirely with the author(s).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 109.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 139.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Yammarino, F.J., Salas, E., Serban, A., Shirreffs, K., Shuffler, M.L.: Collectivistic leadership approaches: Putting the “We” in leadership science and practice. Ind. Organ. Psychol. 5(4), 382–402 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1754-9434.2012.01467.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Denis, J.L., Langley, A., Sergi, V.: Leadership in the plural. Acad. Manag. Ann. 6(1), 211–283 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1080/19416520.2012.667612

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Sergi, V., Crevani, L., Aubry, M.: Process studies of project organizing. Proj. Manag. J. 51(1), 3–10 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1177/8756972819896482

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Frie, L.S., Potting, K.C.J.M., Sjoer, E., Van der Heijden, B.I.J.M., Korzilius, H.P.L.M.: How flexperts deal with changing expertise demands: A qualitative study into the processes of expertise renewal. Hum. Resour. Dev. Q. 30(1), 61–79 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.21335

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Northouse, P.G.: Leadership: Theory & Practice (8th ed). SAGE Publications, Thousand Oaks (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  6. Cullen-Lester, K.L., Yammarino, F.J.: Collective and network approaches to leadership: Special issue introduction. Leadersh. Quart. 27(2), 173–180 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Friedrich, T.L., Vessey, W.B., Schuelke, M.J., Ruark, G.A., Mumford, M.D.: A framework for understanding collective leadership: The selective utilization of leader and team expertise within networks. Leadersh. Quart. 20(6), 933–958 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2009.09.008

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Volpe, M., et al.: Experimentation of cross-border digital innovation hubs (DIHs) cooperation and impact on SME services. In: Camarinha-Matos, L.M., Boucher, X., Afsarmanesh, H. (eds.) PRO-VE 2021. IAICT, vol. 629, pp. 423–432. Springer, Cham (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85969-5_39

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  9. Neubert, M.J., Taggar, S.: Pathways to informal leadership: The moderating role of gender on the relationship of individual differences and team member network centrality to informal leadership emergence. Leadersh. Quart. 15(2), 175–194 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2004.02.006

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Flocco, N., Canterino, F., Cagliano, R.: Leading innovation through employees’ participation: Plural leadership in employee-driven innovation practices. Leadership 10(5), 499–518 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1177/1742715020987928

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. White, L., Currie, G., Lockett, A.: Pluralized leadership in complex organizations: Exploring the cross network effects between formal and informal leadership relations. Leadersh. Quart. 27(2), 280–297 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.01.004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Lucas, J.W., Baxter, A.R.: Power, influence, and diversity in organizations: The ANNALS of the American academy of political and social. Science 639(1), 49–70 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1177/0002716211420231

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Stincelli, E., Baghurst, T.: A grounded theory exploration of informal leadership qualities as perceived by employees and managers in small organizations. Int. J. Bus. Manage. Econ. Res. 5(1), 1–8 (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  14. Luria, G., Berson, Y.: How do leadership motives affect informal and formal leadership emergence? J. Organ. Behav. 34(7), 995–1015 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1002/job.1836

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Chrobot-Mason, D., Gerbasi, A., Cullen-Lester, K.L.: Predicting leadership relationships: The importance of collective identity. Leadersh. Quart. 27(2), 298–311 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.02.003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Kwok, N., Hanig, S., Brown, D.J., Shen, W.: How leader role identity influences the process of leader emergence: A social network analysis. Leadersh. Quart. 29(6), 648–662 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2018.04.003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Gavrilets, S., Auerbach, J., van Vugt, M.: Convergence to consensus in heterogeneous groups and the emergence of informal leadership. Sci. Rep. 6(1), 1–10 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/srep29704

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. He, V.F., von Krogh, G., Sirén, C.: Expertise diversity, informal leadership hierarchy, and team knowledge creation: A study of pharmaceutical research collaborations. Organ. Stud. 43(6), 907–930 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1177/01708406211026114

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Dutton, J.E., Ashford, S.J., O’Neill, R.M., Lawrence, K.A.: Moves that matter: Issue selling and organizational change. Acad. Manag. J. 44(4), 716–736 (2001). https://doi.org/10.2307/3069412

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Larsson, M., Segerstéen, S., Svensson, C.: Information and informality: Leaders as knowledge brokers in a high-tech firm. J. Leadersh. Organ. Stud. 18(2), 175–191 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1177/1548051810390048

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Herrera, M.E.B.: Innovation for impact: Business innovation for inclusive growth. J. Bus. Res. 69(5), 1725–1730 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2015.10.045

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Schreier, M.: Qualitative content analysis. In: Proceedings of The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Data Analysis, pp. 170–183. SAGE Publications (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  23. Bazeley, P., Jackson, K.: Qualitative Data Analysis with NVivo (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications, Thousand Oaks (2019)

    Google Scholar 

  24. Macher, G., Veledar, O.: Balancing exploration and exploitation through open innovation in the automotive domain – focus on SMEs. In: Yilmaz, M., Clarke, P., Messnarz, R., Reiner, M. (eds.) EuroSPI 2021. CCIS, vol. 1442, pp. 336–348. Springer, Cham (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85521-5_22

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  25. Mayer, R.C., Davis, J.H., Schoorman, F.D.: An integrative model of organizational trust. Acad. Manag. Rev. 20(3), 709–734 (1995)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Korsaa, M., et al.: The SPI manifesto and the ECQA SPI manager certification scheme. J. Softw. Evol. Process 24, 525–540 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1002/smr.502

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tiina Leino .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Leino, T., Veledar, O., Macher, G., Kniewallner, J., Armengaud, E., Koivunen, N. (2022). Challenging Hierarchical Structure to Boost Technical Outcomes. In: Yilmaz, M., Clarke, P., Messnarz, R., Wöran, B. (eds) Systems, Software and Services Process Improvement. EuroSPI 2022. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 1646. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-15559-8_49

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-15559-8_49

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-15558-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-15559-8

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics