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UC business researcher shares international publishing award

UC business researcher shares international publishing award

August 16, 201

A University of Canterbury (UC) business researcher and her French co-author have received an international award from the highly ranked international journal Group and Organisation Management at the Academy of Management Conference in Orlando, Florida.

Associate Professors Colleen Mills and Dr Nicola Arnaud won the Outstanding Macro Paper of the Year Award for 2012. Their paper reports on research which examined the collective competence required to effectively manage inter-firm interfaces.

``While a lot of research has been done on inter-organisational relations my research with Dr Arnaud is rare because of its micro-level analysis. It examined the conversations that occur between manufacturers, retailers and logistic firm’s operational staff as they worked to ensure goods reached retailers

``Inter-firm interfaces are critical to the success of all firms but often the style and quality of the interaction that occurs at these interfaces are left to chance. This is surprising as inter-firm interaction can be complex. It involves operational staff who have different employers, work conditions, employment contracts, levels of supervision and skills and requires them to develop a reliable way of acting collaboratively.’’

Professor Mills says collaborative action relies on a high level of trust that is achieved by conversations that occur across the interface. If trust is compromised and the conversations do not bring the right action programmes into play then the interface fails.

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The study also reveals that adaptability, quality resources and job security are necessary to achieve collective competence because these dimensions shape the environment that fosters the trust necessary for constructive conversations.

 ``Our research has also revealed that it takes time to generate a sound inter-firm environment as shared history plays a key role in ensuring appropriate conversations occur.

``The research is suggesting firms would be wise to take a closer look at how their business strategy plays out at the operational interfaces where interfirm collaborative action is required because their strategy is only as good as the conversational processes at these interfaces.

``The findings have important implications for those recruiting and managing interface staff and when introducing new tools, like tracking and invoicing systems. The study suggests changing the people or physical or digital resources often or without considering the unique culture and the collective competency at an interface risks undermining a business at a fundamental level.’’

Professor Mills is conducting and supervising several other studies exploring how to design and implement effective inter-firm and inter-group interfaces, including two studies in the health sector.

Photo: Associate Professor Colleen Mills

ENDS

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