Browsing by Author "Dinu, Elena"

Now showing 1 - 9 of 9

Adding knowledge to virtual teams in the new normal : from leader-team communication towards the satisfaction with teamwork
(MDPI, 2022-05-24) Vătămănescu, Elena Mădălina; Dinu, Elena; Stratone, Mădălina Elena; Stăneiu, Roxana Maria; Vintilă, Florina
The present paper sets out to investigate the relationships among several key constructs that cover the work patterns and processes in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Emphasis is laid on the leader-team communication, the fostering of a strong team culture, team performance and satisfaction with teamwork in the case of virtual teams. The scrutiny is intended to complement recent developments in the field which compared traditional and virtual teams at different levels by adding knowledge to virtual teams’ communication and interaction patterns and processes. In this vein, an online survey was conducted with 175 members from different virtual teams. The findings showed the advancement of a pertinent conceptual model, mostly displaying significant relationships among constructs. Four out of the five formulated hypotheses were validated, the highest influences being reported between leader-team communication and team culture, respectively, and between team performance and satisfaction with teamwork. Furthermore, the structural model explained over 50% of the variance in the satisfaction with teamwork, thus supporting the relevance of the inferred relationships.
An exploratory study linking intellectual capital and technology management towards innovative performance in KIBS
(MDPI, 2023-01-11) Dinu, Elena; Vătămănescu, Elena Mădălina; Stăneiu, Roxana Maria; Rusu, Mihaela
This study aims to fill a gap in the sparse literature that empirically investigates the relationships between intellectual capital (IC), technology management, and innovative performance in knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS). Semi-structured interviews with middle and senior managers from KIBS have been conducted with the purpose of exploring the various strategies, policies, and practices in managing the organisational intellectual capital and technology to enhance innovation performance. Several themes related to the development of intellectual capital in KIBS have been analysed (i.e., key dimensions of human, structural, and relational capital). The findings show that all KIBS investigated place importance on either recruiting the most qualified staff or building up their competencies and skills. Moreover, KIBS allot sizable resources for creating an organisational culture that encourages employee empowerment and knowledge sharing. Technology forward KIBS have strategies for developing dynamic technological capabilities for knowledge management, business process flexibility and efficiency, and sustaining innovation. The unfolded investigation has both theoretical and managerial implications, pointing to the noteworthiness of sustainable and strategic approaches of intellectual capital management on purpose to support innovation.
Framing consumer empowerment in the digital economy: From networks and engagement toward sustainable purchase
(John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 2024-05-15) Vătămănescu, Elena-Mădălina; Dinu, Elena; Gazzola, Patrizia; Dabija, Dan-Cristian
The current study investigates the influence of variety among online providers and customers' access to knowledge on consumer networks, consumer engagement, and sustainable purchasing. Emphasis is on the underlying relationships among these constructs in the digital economy, which has evolved into a complex structure of multifarious nodes and linkages unfolding in the online environment. The underlying theoretical approaches are knowledge-attitude-behavior (KAB) and customer sovereignty. Against this backdrop, a questionnaire-based survey was given to 200 Millennials (i.e., generation Y) and gen Z Italians—approached as empowered stakeholders requiring accurate information and sustainable solutions from online providers—in January 2023. The data was processed via the structural equation modeling technique PLS-SEM, based on SmartPLS 4. The findings indicated that sustainable purchasing is influenced to some extent by access to knowledge, consumer engagement, and consumer networks. The study endeavors to fill a research gap, as the relationships between variety among online providers and sustainable purchasing, as well as consumer engagement from the empowerment perspective are underexplored. The study provides new evidence of the relationships between consumer networks, consumers' access to knowledge, sustainable purchasing, and consumer engagement in the framework of online retail by inquiring respondents.
Gliding between team members’ similarity versus diversity toward performance: the role of technological advancements
(Business Systems Laboratory, 2025) Vătămănescu, Elena-Mădălina; Bunica, Andreea; Dinu, Elena
"The current endeavor aims to provide preliminary insights into the dyad similarity – diversity of team members by considering two main factors, that is, performance achievement (as outcome) and technological advancements (as potential moderator). To this end, the remainder of the extended abstract will briefly look at the benefits of similarity versus the benefits of diversity among team members from the group and organizational perspectives, also introducing the role of technological advancements in the overall analytical framework. The composition of a team can significantly impact its overall performance and the success of the organization it serves. Researchers have identified factors like leadership, empowerment, and team structure as contributors to team effectiveness (Chen et al., 2005; MacMillan et al., 2002) Nevertheless, one factor garnering growing attention is the role of team member similarity in enhancing business performance (Vătămănescu & Mitan, 2023). "
Knowledge management and innovation in the COVID-19 context : flowing from the organization toward the network level
(Springer Publishing, 2023-11-11) Vătămănescu, Elena-Mădălina; Dinu, Elena
By scrutinizing two pivotal phenomena, that is knowledge management and innovation, this chapter places a special focus on the knowledge “flowing” process from the organization toward the network level and delves into the relevance of intellectual capital. Adjointly, emphasis is laid on the COVID-19 context, which has posed novel challenges for the understanding of all organizational and network facets. The discussion looks into the business environment developments lately, revealing that companies resort to the knowledge resources embedded in their networks, striving to capitalize on opportunities by reconfiguring dynamic knowledge capabilities and creating new knowledge. By relying on relational capital represented by networks, which facilitates the sharing of knowledge and the buildup of intellectual capital (Paoloni et al. Journal of Knowledge Management, 2022), organizations aim to overcome the uncertainties and challenges brought about by the global health crisis and its subsequent economic and social effects. Simultaneously, organizations harness digital technology capabilities to manage internal and external knowledge resources and sustain innovation in products and services but also management and business model innovation. To this end, they employ various knowledge management strategies to develop creative collaborations and partnerships with stakeholders and thus constantly accrue and replenish core knowledge resources through synergic business exchanges. Such knowledge flows nurture the development of innovative capabilities, growth, and performance.
Managing intellectual capital during the COVID-19 pandemic : normative approaches, technological evolutions and competitive advantage
(Lambert Academic Publishing, 2022) Dinu, Elena; Mitan, Andreea; Stratone, Mădălina Elena; Stoica, Valentin
This book merges a number of research topics developed by several researchers during their doctoral studies in Management. The convergence point for all the studies here is represented by the role of various intangible organisational resources in achieving competitive advantage and growth in a context of global uncertainty, fed by economic, social, political, cultural and environmental changes, that has been further affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The texts are primarily concerned with the importance of intellectual capital management for enabling technological innovation, a prerequisite for performance and success in the digital economy. Despite the many socioeconomic effects associated with the pandemic, one of its unintended developments was accelerating the digital transformation of companies and public services, which offers the canvas for future growth and development.
Managing Knowledge in Romanian KIBS during the COVID-19 Pandemic
(MDPI, 2023-01-09) Zbuchea, Alexandra; Dinu, Elena; Iliescu, Andra Nicoleta; Stăneiu, Roxana Maria; Salageanu (Șoldan), Bianca Roxana
KIBS are increasingly important organizations for ensuring sustainable development. Their core asset is knowledge, manifested in many ways and managed in a complex manner, sometimes jointly with clients. Like other organizations, KIBS companies have been greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, they could provide support to their customers to better cope with the challenges associated with the pandemic. Therefore, the present paper investigates how Romanian KIBS coped with the pandemic by developing 16 interviews with key persons from four different organizations, covering a range of specializations (technical, professional, and creative). The purpose of the present study is to identify the challenges for knowledge management caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and how the pandemic influenced knowledge management performance within Romanian KIBS. The investigation reveals that the pandemic was an opportunity for organizational development and adopting more formal knowledge management practices, as well as for developing the digital profile of companies.
Pondering digitalization : an exploratory study on organizational capitalization of digital media for disclosing CSR
(Faculty of Management (SNSPA), 2022) Dinu, Elena; Ciuciuc, Victor Emanuel; Moldoveanu, Ion; Stoica, Valentin
The goal of this study had as a premise a perceived gap of knowledge regarding the use of digital media and platforms by Romanian organizations with the purpose to disclose corporate social responsibility (CSR) information. In the context of the ever-increasing digitalization process, the research aimed to explore the current situation within the organizational setting to provide evidence on the type of media and content used and with a view to identifying possible trends. To objectively assess the situation, the study employed models developed by various researchers to measure CSR disclosure on corporate websites, Facebook and Twitter accounts. The results of the study indicate that the selected Romanian companies make limited use of online media for the purpose to reveal CSR. They rather prefer corporate websites and Facebook accounts to communicate such information to stakeholders, while Twitter is rarely utilized. The findings point to the fact that education and social development are the areas of CSR where Romanian companies mostly contribute, but, at the same time, they signal that the advantages and advances availed by systemic digitalization are yet to be properly exploited against the backdrop of CSR disclosure.
Recruitment in SMEs : the role of managerial practices, technology and innovation
(Emerald Publishing Limited, 2024-04-30) Biea, Elena Adriana; Dinu, Elena; Bunica, Andreea; Jerdea, Loredana
This investigation confirms some of the theoretical underpinnings which point to the lack of formalized structures and procedures in the recruitment process in SMEs, which enjoy more flexibility in managing HR processes. In addition, the results reinforce the arguments indicating an adjustment between HR strategies or policies and organizational goals in smaller enterprises which adapt faster to changes in the market. Moreover, it becomes apparent that there is a relationship between the quality of job descriptions and the successful fit in attracting the right candidates for the open positions. Furthermore, digital technologies offer opportunities for expanding the recruiters’ reach to a wider audience and also support the selection stage, thus increasing the chances of finding suitable staff. As the need to shift from traditional recruitment to e-recruitment in SMEs has been highlighted in the literature, the qualitative research revealed that this need was driven on the one hand by the COVID-19 pandemic when these companies successfully adapted and implemented new online methods of recruiting, but also by the lack of skilled labor, leading to the expansion of recruitment to other parts of the country or even to other countries. Social implications With regard to the proportion of men and women used in small and medium-sized companies, there is a clear need to involve and train more women in the predominantly male-dominated industrial and IT sectors. From this point of view, companies tend to devote more interest to integrating communities of women in these industries, as well as in key management positions. Another point of interest that the study highlights is the fact that SMEs have started to get creative with the benefits package they propose to candidates and focus on remote work, hybrid office–home working, or seasonal work to offer future employees a better work–life balance. Originality/value The added value of this investigation is filling the gaps in the current literature concerning recruitment procedures currently used by SMEs, the challenges they face and the solutions they advanced to solve them. Furthermore, SMEs often drive innovation and competition in the market and play a crucial role in the supply chain of larger companies, providing them with the goods and services they need to operate and supporting the availability and reliability of products from larger companies. They are often the driving force behind revitalizing local economies and creating new employment opportunities. Consequently, the underlying significance of this study is rooted in the need to modernize and simultaneously improve HR recruitment procedures through the integration of technology and a focus on innovation.