All aboard? How Line-of-Sight impacts the strategic commitment of nonprofit employees

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.60733/PMGR.2024.02

Keywords:

Line-of-Sight, Alignment, Strategic commitment, Nonprofit organization

Abstract

Line-of-Sight refers to an employee’s (a) awareness and perceived importance of the organization’s strategic priorities, (b) accurate understanding of how job tasks and roles contribute to the realization of these strategic priorities, and (c) perceived fit between these strategic priorities and his or her job. Line-of-Sight is assumed crucial for enhancing employee strategic commitment as a more accurate understanding of the strategic priorities can enhance employees’ satisfaction with the strategic priorities, leading them to rate the overall quality of these priorities highly and commit to ensuring proper implementation. However, empirical evidence is scarce, making it hard to provide evidence-based recommendations. Therefore, we explore primary survey data from 128 frontline employees and the general director of a human service nonprofit organization to arrive at a set of crucial recommendations for nonprofit managers. Moreover, by shedding light on the motivational mechanism, drivers, and benefits of Line-of-Sight we hope to have paved the way and call for more research on Line-of-Sight. Our findings suggest that (a) Line-of-Sight’s components matter for employees’ strategic commitment, (b) information, training, and team leaders’ visionary leadership are key to enhancing Line-of-Sight, but (c) not all employees may have similar levels of Line-of-Sight, necessitating targeted alignment efforts across the organization.

Author Biographies

Kenn Meyfroodt, Ghent University

Kenn Meyfroodt is a postdoctoral researcher in organizational behavior in the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Ghent University, Belgium. His research focuses on how the implementation of management systems, practices, and artifacts influences the perceptual, attribution, and sensemaking processes of individuals and groups within private, public, and nonprofit sector organizations.

Sebastian Desmidt, Ghent University

Sebastian Desmidt is associate professor of strategic management in the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Ghent University, Belgium. His research focuses on the effectiveness of strategic management instruments and strategic planning processes, the determinants of strategic consensus, and the motivational power of mission valence in public and non-profit organizations.

References

H. K. Anheier, Nonprofit Organizations, 0 ed. Routledge, 2014. doi: 10.4324/9781315851044.

W. R. Boswell, “Employee alignment and the role of ‘line of sight,’” HR. Human Resource Planning, vol. 23, no. 4, pp. 48–49, 2000.

W. Boswell, “Aligning employees with the organization’s strategic objectives: out of ‘line of sight’, out of mind,” The International Journal of Human Resource Management, vol. 17, no. 9, pp. 1489–1511, Sep. 2006, doi: 10.1080/09585190600878071.

P. Drucker, Managing the Non-Profit Organization, 0 ed. Routledge, 2012. doi: 10.4324/9780080938493.

J. R. Knapp, B. R. Smith, and T. A. Sprinkle, “Is It the Job or the Support? Examining Structural and Relational Predictors of Job Satisfaction and Turnover Intention for Nonprofit Employees,” Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, vol. 46, no. 3, pp. 652–671, Jun. 2017, doi: 10.1177/0899764016685859.

W. R. Boswell, J. B. Bingham, and A. J. S. Colvin, “Aligning employees through ‘line of sight,’” Business Horizons, vol. 49, no. 6, pp. 499–509, Nov. 2006, doi: 10.1016/j.bushor.2006.05.001.

Seok Eun Kim and Jung Wook Lee, “Is Mission Attachment an Effective Management Tool for Employee Retention? An Empirical Analysis of a Nonprofit Human Services Agency,” Review of Public Personnel Administration, vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 227–248, Sep. 2007, doi: 10.1177/0734371X06295791.

R. Wang, “Organizational Commitment in the Nonprofit Sector and the Underlying Impact of Stakeholders and Organizational Support,” Voluntas, vol. 33, no. 3, pp. 538–549, Jun. 2022, doi: 10.1007/s11266-021-00336-8.

J. R. Hackman and G. R. Oldham, “Motivation through the design of work: test of a theory,” Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 250–279, Aug. 1976, doi: 10.1016/0030-5073(76)90016-7.

C. Oelberger, “Beyond assumptions of altruism: Examining nonprofit work with a job fit framework and response surface analysis,” Nonprofit Mgmnt & Ldrshp, p. nml.21610, Jan. 2024, doi: 10.1002/nml.21610.

A. Biggs, P. Brough, and J. P. Barbour, “Strategic alignment with organizational priorities and work engagement: A multi‐wave analysis,” J Organ Behavior, vol. 35, no. 3, pp. 301–317, Apr. 2014, doi: 10.1002/job.1866.

L. A. Slatten, J. S. Bendickson, M. Diamond, and W. C. McDowell, “Staffing of small nonprofit organizations: A model for retaining employees,” Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 50–57, Jan. 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.jik.2020.10.003.

K. Akingbola, S. E. Rogers, and M. Intindola, “Nonprofit Organizations: The Land of Engagement,” in Employee Engagement in Nonprofit Organizations, Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2023, pp. 37–75. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-08469-0_2.

T. Vantilborgh, J. Bidee, R. Pepermans, J. Willems, G. Huybrechts, and M. Jegers, “Volunteers’ Psychological Contracts: Extending Traditional Views,” Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, vol. 41, no. 6, pp. 1072–1091, Dec. 2012, doi: 10.1177/0899764011427598.

Z. Sanderson, “Idealism, Disillusionment, and Cynicism in Response to Values (In)Congruences in U.K. Nonprofit Organizations: An Exploratory Study,” Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, vol. 50, no. 6, pp. 1150–1169, Dec. 2021, doi: 10.1177/0899764021995249.

T. Vantilborgh, J. Bidee, R. Pepermans, J. Willems, G. Huybrechts, and M. Jegers, “A New Deal for NPO Governance and Management: Implications for Volunteers Using Psychological Contract Theory,” Voluntas, vol. 22, no. 4, pp. 639–657, Dec. 2011, doi: 10.1007/s11266-011-9200-x.

T. Vantilborgh, J. Bidee, R. Pepermans, J. Willems, G. Huybrechts, and M. Jegers, “Effects of ideological and relational psychological contract breach and fulfilment on volunteers’ work effort,” European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 217–230, Mar. 2014, doi: 10.1080/1359432X.2012.740170.

R. M. Ryan and E. L. Deci, “Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being.,” American Psychologist, vol. 55, no. 1, pp. 68–78, 2000, doi: 10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.68.

J. Bidee, T. Vantilborgh, R. Pepermans, J. Willems, M. Jegers, and J. Hofmans, “Daily motivation of volunteers in healthcare organizations: relating team inclusion and intrinsic motivation using self-determination theory,” European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, vol. 26, no. 3, pp. 325–336, May 2017, doi: 10.1080/1359432X.2016.1277206.

J. Bidee et al., “Autonomous Motivation Stimulates Volunteers’ Work Effort: A Self-Determination Theory Approach to Volunteerism,” Voluntas, vol. 24, no. 1, pp. 32–47, Mar. 2013, doi: 10.1007/s11266-012-9269-x.

A. Bandura, Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. in Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ, US: Prentice-Hall, Inc, 1986, pp. xiii, 617.

S. Crucke, T. Kluijtmans, K. Meyfroodt, and S. Desmidt, “How does organizational sustainability foster public service motivation and job satisfaction? The mediating role of organizational support and societal impact potential,” Public Management Review, vol. 24, no. 8, pp. 1155–1181, Aug. 2022, doi: 10.1080/14719037.2021.1893801.

S. Desmidt and K. Meyfroodt, “What motivates politicians to use strategic plans as a decision-making tool? Insights from the theory of planned behaviour,” Public Management Review, vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 447–474, Mar. 2021, doi: 10.1080/14719037.2019.1708438.

K. Meyfroodt and S. Desmidt, “Can rational planning stimulate cooperative behaviour? How perceived self-efficacy mediates the relationship between strategic plan use, performance information use and strategic voice by local councillors,” Public Management Review, vol. 23, no. 6, pp. 818–842, Jun. 2021, doi: 10.1080/14719037.2019.1699949.

S. Fernandez and H. G. Rainey, “Managing Successful Organizational Change in the Public Sector,” Public Administration Review, vol. 66, no. 2, pp. 168–176, Mar. 2006, doi: 10.1111/j.1540-6210.2006.00570.x.

E. R. Harp, L. L. Scherer, and J. A. Allen, “Volunteer Engagement and Retention: Their Relationship to Community Service Self-Efficacy,” Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, vol. 46, no. 2, pp. 442–458, Apr. 2017, doi: 10.1177/0899764016651335.

J. Duan, H. K. Kwan, and B. Ling, “The role of voice efficacy in the formation of voice behaviour: A cross-level examination,” Journal of Management & Organization, vol. 20, no. 4, pp. 526–543, Jul. 2014, doi: 10.1017/jmo.2014.40.

K. Selander, “Work Engagement in the Third Sector,” Voluntas, vol. 26, no. 4, pp. 1391–1411, Aug. 2015, doi: 10.1007/s11266-014-9465-y.

P. G. Svensson, S. Jeong, B. Shuck, and M. G. Otto, “Antecedents and outcomes of employee engagement in sport for development,” Sport Management Review, vol. 24, no. 4, pp. 673–696, Aug. 2021, doi: 10.1080/14413523.2021.1880758.

B. J. Olson, S. Parayitam, and Yongjian Bao, “Strategic Decision Making: The Effects of Cognitive Diversity, Conflict, and Trust on Decision Outcomes,” Journal of Management, vol. 33, no. 2, pp. 196–222, Apr. 2007, doi: 10.1177/0149206306298657.

J. F. Hair, G. T. M. Hult, C. M. Ringle, M. Sarstedt, N. P. Danks, and S. Ray, Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) Using R: A Workbook. in Classroom Companion: Business. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2021. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-80519-7.

N. Kock and P. Hadaya, “Minimum sample size estimation in PLS‐SEM: The inverse square root and gamma‐exponential methods,” Information Systems Journal, vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 227–261, Jan. 2018, doi: 10.1111/isj.12131.

S. Oh, J. Ahn, and B. Kim, “Adoption of Broadband Internet in Korea: The Role of Experience in Building Attitudes,” Journal of Information Technology, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 267–280, Dec. 2003, doi: 10.1080/0268396032000150807.

N. Y. Ateş, M. Tarakci, J. P. Porck, D. Van Knippenberg, and P. J. F. Groenen, “The Dark Side of Visionary Leadership in Strategy Implementation: Strategic Alignment, Strategic Consensus, and Commitment,” Journal of Management, vol. 46, no. 5, pp. 637–665, May 2020, doi: 10.1177/0149206318811567.

B. E. Wright, R. K. Christensen, and K. R. Isett, “Motivated to Adapt? The Role of Public Service Motivation as Employees Face Organizational Change,” Public Administration Review, vol. 73, no. 5, pp. 738–747, Sep. 2013, doi: 10.1111/puar.12078.

A. Kroll and D. P. Moynihan, “Does Training Matter? Evidence from Performance Management Reforms,” Public Administration Review, vol. 75, no. 3, pp. 411–420, May 2015, doi: 10.1111/puar.12331.

W. Boswell and Boudreau, J. W., “Employee line of sight to the organization’s strategic objectives–what it is, how it can be enhanced, and what it makes happen.,” Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies – working paper series, pp. 1–21.

S. Ray, N. Danks, and A. Calero Valdez, “SEMinR: Domain-Specific Language for Building, Estimating, and Visualizing Structural Equation Models in R,” SSRN Journal, 2021, doi: 10.2139/ssrn.3900621.

J. Benitez, J. Henseler, A. Castillo, and F. Schuberth, “How to perform and report an impactful analysis using partial least squares: Guidelines for confirmatory and explanatory IS research,” Information & Management, vol. 57, no. 2, p. 103168, Mar. 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.im.2019.05.003.

J. L. Roldán, “Review of Composite-based Structural Equation Modeling: Analyzing Latent and Emergent Variables: by Jörg Henseler, New York, NY, The Guilford Press, 2021, 364 pp., $52.50 (hardcover), ISBN 9781462545605; $52.50 (e-book), $77.00 (hardcover + e-book),” Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, vol. 28, no. 5, pp. 823–825, Sep. 2021, doi: 10.1080/10705511.2021.1910038.

J. F. Hair, M. C. Howard, and C. Nitzl, “Assessing measurement model quality in PLS-SEM using confirmatory composite analysis,” Journal of Business Research, vol. 109, pp. 101–110, Mar. 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.11.069.

J. F. Hair, G. T. M. Hult, C. M. Ringle, and M. Sarstedt, A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), Third edition. Los Angeles London New Delhi Singapore Washington DC Melbourne: SAGE, 2022.

A. M. Farrell, “Insufficient discriminant validity: A comment on Bove, Pervan, Beatty, and Shiu (2009),” Journal of Business Research, vol. 63, no. 3, pp. 324–327, Mar. 2010, doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2009.05.003.

C. Fornell and D. F. Larcker, “Evaluating Structural Equation Models with Unobservable Variables and Measurement Error,” Journal of Marketing Research, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 39–50, Feb. 1981, doi: 10.1177/002224378101800104.

J. Henseler, C. M. Ringle, and M. Sarstedt, “A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling,” J. of the Acad. Mark. Sci., vol. 43, no. 1, pp. 115–135, Jan. 2015, doi: 10.1007/s11747-014-0403-8.

Shmueli and Koppius, “Predictive Analytics in Information Systems Research,” MIS Quarterly, vol. 35, no. 3, p. 553, 2011, doi: 10.2307/23042796.

K. Akingbola, S. E. Rogers, and A. Baluch, “Employees and Change Management in Nonprofits,” in Change Management in Nonprofit Organizations, Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2019, pp. 95–126. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-14774-7_4.

R. P. Wright, S. E. Paroutis, and D. P. Blettner, “How Useful Are the Strategic Tools We Teach in Business Schools?,” J Management Studies, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 92–125, Jan. 2013, doi: 10.1111/j.1467-6486.2012.01082.x.

C. R. Wanberg and J. T. Banas, “Predictors and outcomes of openness to changes in a reorganizing workplace.,” Journal of Applied Psychology, vol. 85, no. 1, pp. 132–142, Feb. 2000, doi: 10.1037/0021-9010.85.1.132.

D. Hackler and G. D. Saxton, “The Strategic Use of Information Technology by Nonprofit Organizations: Increasing Capacity and Untapped Potential,” Public Administration Review, vol. 67, no. 3, pp. 474–487, May 2007, doi: 10.1111/j.1540-6210.2007.00730.x.

B. Wooldridge, T. Schmid, and S. W. Floyd, “The Middle Management Perspective on Strategy Process: Contributions, Synthesis, and Future Research,” Journal of Management, vol. 34, no. 6, pp. 1190–1221, Dec. 2008, doi: 10.1177/0149206308324326.

D. Stam, R. G. Lord, D. V. Knippenberg, and B. Wisse, “An Image of Who We Might Become: Vision Communication, Possible Selves, and Vision Pursuit,” Organization Science, vol. 25, no. 4, pp. 1172–1194, Aug. 2014, doi: 10.1287/orsc.2013.0891.

N. Favero and J. B. Bullock, “How (Not) to Solve the Problem: An Evaluation of Scholarly Responses to Common Source Bias,” Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 285–308, Jan. 2015, doi: 10.1093/jopart/muu020.

P. M. Podsakoff, S. B. MacKenzie, and N. P. Podsakoff, “Sources of Method Bias in Social Science Research and Recommendations on How to Control It,” Annu. Rev. Psychol., vol. 63, no. 1, pp. 539–569, Jan. 2012, doi: 10.1146/annurev-psych-120710-100452.

P. M. Podsakoff, S. B. MacKenzie, J.-Y. Lee, and N. P. Podsakoff, “Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies.,” Journal of Applied Psychology, vol. 88, no. 5, pp. 879–903, 2003, doi: 10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879.

J. F. Hair, C. M. Ringle, and M. Sarstedt, “PLS-SEM: Indeed a Silver Bullet,” Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 139–152, Apr. 2011, doi: 10.2753/MTP1069-6679190202.

N. Kock, “Common Method Bias in PLS-SEM: A Full Collinearity Assessment Approach,” International Journal of e-Collaboration, vol. 11, no. 4, pp. 1–10, Oct. 2015, doi: 10.4018/ijec.2015100101.

L. E. Paarlberg and B. Lavigna, “Transformational Leadership and Public Service Motivation: Driving Individual and Organizational Performance,” Public Administration Review, vol. 70, no. 5, pp. 710–718, Sep. 2010, doi: 10.1111/j.1540-6210.2010.02199.x.

B.-K. (Brian) Joo and J. H. Shim, “Psychological empowerment and organizational commitment: the moderating effect of organizational learning culture,” Human Resource Development International, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 425–441, Sep. 2010, doi: 10.1080/13678868.2010.501963.

Article Logo (Based on original Painting b Lisa Sauberer)

Downloads

Published

2024-05-24