Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online 2012-3
What Factors Influence the Adoption of Workplace Policies in African Organisations?: An Exploratory Study of Private Sector Companies' Adoption of Workplace Policies in Malawi
Given the dearth of research on management innovation in Africa, this paper explores the factors influencing the adoption of workplace policies in African companies. The paper used a random sample of 152 private sector companies in Malawi to investigate the factors influencing the adoption of HIV/AIDS workplace policies. The hierarchical regression results indicate that organisational factors are the better predictors of the adoption of HIV/AIDS workplace policies in Malawi. Specifically, top management support and organisational size have been found to be the main predictors. However, the study also found significant correlations between the adoption of HIV/AIDS workplace policies and institutional factors. One of the main implications of the findings is that organisational factors might provide improved explanatory power in predicting the adoption of HIV/AIDS workplace policies in African companies.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AbrahamsonE. (1991), ‘Managerial Fads and Fashions: The Diffusion and Rejection of Innovations’, Academy of Management Review, Vol. 16, No. 3, pp. 586–612.
2.
AdamsonM. (2004), ‘A Healthy and Safe Workplace’, African Newsletter on Occupational Health and Safety, Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 42–45.
3.
AguileraR. V.WilliamsC. A.ConleyJ. M. and RuppD. E. (2006), ‘Corporate Governance and Social Responsibility: a comparative analysis of the UK and the US’, Corporate Governance and Social Responsibility, Vol. 14, No. 3, pp.
4.
Amankwah-AmoahJ. and DebrahY. (2010), ‘The Protracted Collapse of Ghana Airways: Lessons in Organisational Failure’, Group and Organization Management, Vol. 35, No. 5, pp. 636–665.
5.
AndersonK. and McAdamR. (2006), ‘Choosing the best business improvement strategy: the effect of organisational size and sector on management decision-making’, Journal of General Management, Vol. 32, No. 1, pp. 13–29.
6.
AntalA. B. and DierkessM. (2004), ‘Business and society- the never-ending story’, Journal of General Management, Vol. 30, No. 2, pp. 1–5.
7.
ArndtC. and LewisJ. D. (2001), ‘The HIV/AIDS pandemic in South Africa: Sectoral impact and unemployment’, Journal of International Development, Vol. 13, pp. 427–449.
8.
BarnettT.WhitesideA. and DesmondC. (2001), ‘The social and economic impact of HIV/AIDS in poor countries: A review of studies and lessons’, Progress in Development, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 151–170.
9.
BarneyJ. B. (1991), ‘Firms resources and sustained competitive advantage’, Journal of Management, Vol. 17, pp. 99–120.
10.
BaruchY. and ClancyP. (2000), ‘Managing AIDS in Africa: HRM Challenges in Tanzania’, International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 11, No. 4, pp. 789–806.
11.
BirkinshawJ.HamelG. and MolM. (2005), ‘Management Innovation’, AIM working paper series; ISSN: 1744–0009.
12.
BloomD.BloomL.StevenD. and WestonM. (2006), Business and HIV/AIDS: A Healthier Partnership? A Global Review of the Business Response to HIV/AIDS2005–2006, Davos, Switzerland: World Economic Forum.
13.
BoyneG. (2003), ‘Sources of public service improvement: a critical review and research agenda’, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, Vol. 13, No. 3, pp. 367–394.
14.
BurkeW. W. (2002), Organisational change: Theory and practice, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
15.
ChristiansenL. C. and HiggsM. (2008), ‘How the alignment of business strategy and HR strategy can impact performance: A practical insight for managers’, Journal of General Management, Vol. 33, No. 4, 13–33.
16.
DaftR. (2004), Organization Theory and Design, Ohio: South-Western.
17.
DamanpourF. and EvanW. M. (1984), ‘Organisational innovation and performance: The problem of organisational lag’, Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol. 29, pp. 392–409.
18.
DamanpourF. (1991), ‘Organisational innovation: A meta-analysis of effects of determinants and moderators’, Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 34, No. 3, pp. 555–590.
19.
DickinsonD. and InnesD. (2004), ‘Fronts or Front-Lines? HIV/AIDS and Big Business in South Africa’, Transformation, Vol. 55, pp. 28–54.
20.
DiMaggioP. and PowellW. W. (1983), ‘The Iron Cage Revisited: Institutional Isomorphism and Collective Rationality in Organisational Fields’, American Sociological Review, Vol. 48, No. 2, pp. 147–160
21.
EllisL. and TerwinJ. (2003), The Economic Impact of HIV/AIDS on Business in South Africa2003, South Africa, Bureau for Economic Research.
22.
FernandezS. and RaineyH. G. (2006), ‘Managing successful organisational change in the public sector’, Public Administration Review, pp. 168–176.
23.
FoxM. P.RosenS.MacLeodW. B.WasunnaM.BiiM.FogliaG. and SionJ. L. (2004), ‘The impact of HIV/AIDS in Kenya’, Tropical Medicine and International Health. Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 318–324.
24.
FranklinG. M.GreshamA. B. and FontenotG. F. (1992), ‘AIDS in the workplace: Current practice and critical issues’, Journal of Small Business Management, Vol. 30, No. 2, pp. 61–73.
25.
FraserF. K.GrantW. J.MwanzaP. and NaidooV. (2002), ‘The impact of HIV/AIDS on Small and Medium Enterprises in South Africa’, The South African Journal of Economics, Vol. 70, No. 7, pp. 1216–1234.
26.
GoodsteinJ. D. (1994), ‘Institutional Pressures and Strategic Responsiveness: Employer Involvement in Work-Family Issues’, Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 37, No. 2, pp. 350–382.
27.
GossD. and Adam-SmithG. (1995), Organizing AIDS: Workplace and Organisational Responses to the HIV/AIDS Epidemic, London: Taylor and Francis.
28.
Government of Malawi/UNDP (2005), Malawi Human Development Report2005: Reversing HIV/AIDS in Malawi, Lilongwe.
29.
HaarJ. M. and SpellC. S. (2007), ‘Factors affecting employer adoption of drug testing in New Zealand’, Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resource, Vol. 45, No. 2, pp. 200–217.
30.
HuczynkiA. A. (1993) Management gurus: What makes them and how to become one, London: Routledge.
31.
IOE (2009), HIV/AIDS in the workplace: Response by employers' organization and their members in Africa, International Organization of Employers, Geneva.
32.
IvancevichJ. (1992), Human Resource Management Foundations of Personnel, Boston: Irwin.
33.
ItumaA. and SimpsonR. (2009), ‘The boundaryless career and career boundaries: Applying Institutional Perspectives to ICT workers in the Context of Nigeria’, Human Relations, Vol. 62, No. 5, pp. 727–761.
34.
JacksonS. E.SchulerR. S. and RiveroI. C. (1989), ‘Organisational characteristics as predictors of personnel practices’, Personnel Psychology, Vol. 42, pp. 727–786.
35.
JacksonS. E. and SchulerR. S. (1995), ‘Understanding Human Resource Management in the context of the organizations and their environments’, In: M. R. Rosenzweig and L. W. Porter (Eds.), Annual Review of Psychology, Vol. 46, Palo Alto, CA: Annual Reviews, pp. 237–264.
36.
JarzabkowskiP. (2004), ‘Strategy as practice: Recursiveness, Adaptation and practice-in-use’, Organization studies, Vol. 25, No. 4, pp. 529–560.
37.
JenkinsR. (2005), ‘Globalization, Corporate Social Responsibility and poverty’, International Affairs, Vol. 81, No. 3, pp. 525–540.
38.
JohannessenJ.-A.OlsenB. and OlaisenJ. (1997), ‘Organizing for Innovation’, Long Range Planning, Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 96–109.
39.
KamocheK.DebraY.HorwitzF. and MuukaG. (2004), ‘Conclusion: toward research agenda’, In: KamocheK.DebraY.HorwitzF. and Muuka, G. (Eds.), Managing human resources in Africa, London: Routledge, pp. 183–190.
40.
KesslerE. H. and ChakrabartiA. K. (1996), ‘Innovation speed: A conceptual model of context, Antecendents, and outcomes’, Academy of Management Review, Vol. 21, No. 4, pp. 1143–1191.
41.
KohD. (1995), ‘Occupational Health and Safety Promotion: Problems and Solutions’, Safety Science, Vol. 20, pp. 323–328.
42.
LillrankP. (1995), ‘The transfer of management innovation from Japan’, Organisation Studies, Vol. 16, No. 6, pp. 971–989.
43.
Lopez-FernandezM.Martin-AlcazarF. and Romero-FernandezP. M. (2009), ‘Key factors in the success of women to managerial posts’, Journal of General Management, Vol. 34, No. 4, pp. 39–50.
44.
MahajanA. P.ColvinM.RudatsikiraJ. and EttlD. (2007), ‘An overview of HIV/AIDS workplace policies and programmes in Southern Africa’, AIDS, Vol. 21, No. 3, pp. 31–39.
45.
MammanA. (2002), ‘The Adoption and Modification of Management Ideas in Organizations: Towards an Analytical Framework’, Strategic Change, Vol. 11, pp. 379–389.
46.
MasonR. B. (2004), ‘Management actions, attitudes to change and perceptions of the external environment: A complexity theory approach’, Journal of General Management, Vol. 34, No. 1, pp. 37–53.
47.
MbigiL. (2000), ‘Making the African renaissance globally competitive’, People Dynamics, Vol. 18, No. 11, pp. 16–21.
48.
MintzbergH. (1983), Structures in Fives: Designing effective organisations, London: Prentice-Hall.
49.
MintzbergH.AhlstrandB. and LampelJ. (1998), Strategy Safari: The complete guide through the wilds of Strategic Management, London: Prentice-Hall.
50.
MpabangaD. (2004), ‘HRM in Botswana’, In: KamocheK., DebrahY., HowittzF., and MuukaN. (Eds.), Managing Human Resource in Africa, London: Routledge, pp. 19–34.
51.
NAC (2003), National HIV/AIDS Policy: A Call to Renewed Action, Government of Malawi, Lilongwe.
52.
PerrotB. E. (2008), ‘Managing strategy in turbulent environments’, Journal of General Management, Vol. 33, No. 3, pp. 21–30.
53.
PittL. F. and SchlegelmilchB. (2008), Juggling Janus – Strategy for general managers in an age of paradoxical trends’, Journal of General Management, 33 (3), 69–84.
54.
RamachandranV.ShahM. K. and TurnerG. L. (2007), ‘Does the private sector care about AIDS? Evidence from firm surveys in East Africa’, AIDS2007, Vol. 21, Suppl. 3, S 61–72.
55.
RamanS. R. (2009), ‘Middle-managers’ involvement in strategic planning: an examination of roles and influencing factors’, Journal of General Management, Vol. 34, No. 3, pp. 57–74.
56.
ResslerJ. and AbrattR. (2009), ‘Assessing the impact of university reputation on stakeholder intentions’, Journal of General Management, Vol. 35, No. 1, pp. 35–45.
57.
RogersE. M. (2003), Diffusion of Innovations, New York: Free Press.
58.
SimonJ.RosenS.WhitesideA.VincentJ. R. and TheaD. M. (2000), ‘The response of African Businesses to HIV/AIDS’, In: HIV/AIDS in the Commonwealth.London: Kensington Publications, pp. 1–11.
59.
SubramanianA. and NilakantaS. (1996), ‘Organisational innovativeness: Exploring the relationship between organisational determinants of innovation, types of innovation, and measure of organisational performance’, Omega, International Journal of Management Science, Vol. 24, No. 6, pp. 631–47.
60.
TeoH. H.WeiK. K. and BenbasatI. (2003), ‘Predicting Intention to Adopt Inter-organisational Linkages: An Institutional Perspective’, MIS Quarterly, Vol. 27, No. 1, pp. 19–49.
61.
TsaiC.EdwardsP. and SenguptaS. (2010), ‘The association between organisational performance, employee attitudes and human resource management practices’, Journal of General Management, Vol. 36, No. 1, pp. 1–20.
UNGASS (2010), Malawi HIV and AIDS Monitoring and Evaluation Report: 2008–2009 UNGASS.
65.
USAID (2010), Malawi: HIV/AIDS health profile, Lilongwe: USAID Malawi.
66.
WeaverG. R., TrevinoL. K. and CochranP. L. (1999), ‘Corporate ethics programs as control systems: managerial and institutional influences’, Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 42, pp. 41–57.
67.
WheelerD.ColbertB. and FreemanE. (2003), ‘Focusing on Value: Reconciling Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability and a Stakeholder Approach in a network World’, Journal of General Management, Vol. 28, No. 3, pp. 1–28.
68.
WrightP. M. and SnellS. A. (1998), ‘Towards a unifying framework for exploring fit and flexibility in strategic human resource management’, Academy of Management Review, Vol. 23, pp. 756–772.
69.
ZajacE. J. and FissP. (2001), ‘The diffusion of ideas over contested terrain: The (Non)adoption of a shareholder value orientation among German firms’, Administrative Science Quarterly, pp. 501–534.
