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Is "long-term orientation" a concept?

  • 1.  Is "long-term orientation" a concept?

    Posted 03-18-2009 05:15
    Hello Listserve Members,

    A question for the community. A friend (see below) asks a question about "long-term orientation", a plausible seeming concept, but one that I am not familiar with much research on.  Is anyone in the community able to alleviate my ignorance?  Any help is greatly appreciated.

    Btw, before appealing to the listserve, the closest things I could think of is promotion-prevention or conscientiousness, but neither of these are really on target. Also, aren't some cultures famous for having something like a long-term orientation? Surely, there's an individual difference correlate?

    Cheers,
    Will
    Tel +31 (0)10 40 82 537
    wfelps@rsm.nl
    Webpage: www.rsm.nl/wfelps

    Hey Will,

    I have a few OB-related questions I thought you might be able to answer:

    - Are you aware of any research (OB or otherwise) on screening applicants (leaders in particular) for long-term orientation? In other words, if I were a potential employer interviewing applicants for a management position, what steps could I take to maximize my chances of hiring someone with a strong long-term orientation (e.g. someone who consistently prioritizes long-term investment and sustainability over short-term opportunities that might sabotage long-term outcomes)?
    - Are there reliable instruments for measuring long-term orientation?
    - Are there incentive structures that can reliably encourage long-term-oriented behavior and discourage short-term behaviors that might sabotage long-term outcomes?

    I'm very interested in these questions, so I'd greatly appreciate any input you might have.

    Cheers,
    O


  • 2.  Is "long-term orientation" a concept?

    Posted 03-18-2009 08:44

    Will:  Thee is considerable research on "impulsivity," which involves the inability to resist short-term temptations in favor of a long-term goal.  It appears to be just one of four or five "temperaments," which are personality characteristics that have an especially strong genetic component (and are thus very difficult to change).  You might also take a look at work by developmental psychologists on the "delay of gratification" among children.

     

         -dick moreland-

     

    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Will Felps
    Sent: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 5:15 AM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Subject: [OB-LIST] Is "long-term orientation" a concept?

     

    Hello Listserve Members,

    A question for the community. A friend (see below) asks a question about "long-term orientation", a plausible seeming concept, but one that I am not familiar with much research on.  Is anyone in the community able to alleviate my ignorance?  Any help is greatly appreciated.

    Btw, before appealing to the listserve, the closest things I could think of is promotion-prevention or conscientiousness, but neither of these are really on target. Also, aren't some cultures famous for having something like a long-term orientation? Surely, there's an individual difference correlate?

    Cheers,
    Will
    Tel +31 (0)10 40 82 537
    wfelps@rsm.nl
    Webpage: www.rsm.nl/wfelps

    Hey Will,

    I have a few OB-related questions I thought you might be able to answer:

    - Are you aware of any research (<st1:place w:st="on">OB</st1:place> or otherwise) on screening applicants (leaders in particular) for long-term orientation? In other words, if I were a potential employer interviewing applicants for a management position, what steps could I take to maximize my chances of hiring someone with a strong long-term orientation (e.g. someone who consistently prioritizes long-term investment and sustainability over short-term opportunities that might sabotage long-term outcomes)?
    - Are there reliable instruments for measuring long-term orientation?
    - Are there incentive structures that can reliably encourage long-term-oriented behavior and discourage short-term behaviors that might sabotage long-term outcomes?

    I'm very interested in these questions, so I'd greatly appreciate any input you might have.

    Cheers,
    O



  • 3.  Is "long-term orientation" a concept?

    Posted 03-18-2009 09:20

    Hi Will,

     

    Al Bluedorn at Missouri has done some work on temporal depth, the distances a person looks into the past and future when planning or making decisions.  He created the Temporal Depth Index and describes both the construct and measure in the book below. He's used the measure in a few papers as well.

     

    Bluedorn, A. C. (2002). The human organization of time: Temporal realities and experience. Stanford, CA: Stanford Business Books.

     

     

    Abbie J. Shipp, Ph.D.

    Assistant Professor of Management

    <ns0:place><ns0:placename>Mays</ns0:placename> <ns0:placename>Business</ns0:placename> <ns0:placetype>School</ns0:placetype></ns0:place>

    <ns0:place><ns0:placename>Texas</ns0:placename> <ns0:placename>A&M</ns0:placename> <ns0:placetype>University</ns0:placetype></ns0:place>

    420R Wehner Bldg. MS 4221

    <ns0:place><ns0:city>College Station</ns0:city>, <ns0:state>TX</ns0:state> <ns0:postalcode>77843</ns0:postalcode></ns0:place>

    979.845.1445

    ashipp@tamu.edu

     

     

    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Will Felps
    Sent: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 4:15 AM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Subject: [OB-LIST] Is "long-term orientation" a concept?

     

    Hello Listserve Members,

    A question for the community. A friend (see below) asks a question about "long-term orientation", a plausible seeming concept, but one that I am not familiar with much research on.  Is anyone in the community able to alleviate my ignorance?  Any help is greatly appreciated.

    Btw, before appealing to the listserve, the closest things I could think of is promotion-prevention or conscientiousness, but neither of these are really on target. Also, aren't some cultures famous for having something like a long-term orientation? Surely, there's an individual difference correlate?

    Cheers,
    Will
    Tel +31 (0)10 40 82 537
    wfelps@rsm.nl
    Webpage: www.rsm.nl/wfelps

    Hey Will,

    I have a few OB-related questions I thought you might be able to answer:

    - Are you aware of any research (OB or otherwise) on screening applicants (leaders in particular) for long-term orientation? In other words, if I were a potential employer interviewing applicants for a management position, what steps could I take to maximize my chances of hiring someone with a strong long-term orientation (e.g. someone who consistently prioritizes long-term investment and sustainability over short-term opportunities that might sabotage long-term outcomes)?
    - Are there reliable instruments for measuring long-term orientation?
    - Are there incentive structures that can reliably encourage long-term-oriented behavior and discourage short-term behaviors that might sabotage long-term outcomes?

    I'm very interested in these questions, so I'd greatly appreciate any input you might have.

    Cheers,
    O



  • 4.  Is "long-term orientation" a concept?

    Posted 03-18-2009 10:38
    Will:

    One of Hofstede's culture values dimensions is long-term orientation.
    You can read about it in his book Culture's Consequences published by
    Sage. A literature search for this term should find some research.

    Paul E. Spector
    Department of Psychology
    University of South Florida
    Tampa, FL 33620
    (813) 974-0357 Voice
    (813) 974-4617 Fax
    spector@shell.cas.usf.edu
    website http://shell.cas.usf.edu/~spector

    On Wed, 18 Mar 2009, Will Felps wrote:

    > Hello Listserve Members,
    >
    > A question for the community. A friend (see below) asks a question about
    > "long-term orientation", a plausible seeming concept, but one that I am not
    > familiar with much research on. Is anyone in the community able to
    > alleviate my ignorance? Any help is greatly appreciated.
    >
    > Btw, before appealing to the listserve, the closest things I could think of
    > is promotion-prevention or conscientiousness, but neither of these are
    > really on target. Also, aren't some cultures famous for having something
    > like a long-term orientation? Surely, there's an individual difference
    > correlate?
    >
    > Cheers,
    > Will
    > Tel +31 (0)10 40 82 537
    > wfelps@rsm.nl
    > Webpage: www.rsm.nl/wfelps
    >
    > Hey Will,
    >
    > I have a few OB-related questions I thought you might be able to answer:
    >
    > - Are you aware of any research (OB or otherwise) on screening applicants
    > (leaders in particular) for long-term orientation? In other words, if I were
    > a potential employer interviewing applicants for a management position, what
    > steps could I take to maximize my chances of hiring someone with a strong
    > long-term orientation (e.g. someone who consistently prioritizes long-term
    > investment and sustainability over short-term opportunities that might
    > sabotage long-term outcomes)?
    > - Are there reliable instruments for measuring long-term orientation?
    > - Are there incentive structures that can reliably encourage
    > long-term-oriented behavior and discourage short-term behaviors that might
    > sabotage long-term outcomes?
    >
    > I'm very interested in these questions, so I'd greatly appreciate any input
    > you might have.
    >
    > Cheers,
    > O
    >


  • 5.  Is "long-term orientation" a concept?

    Posted 03-18-2009 11:53
    Hey Will,
     
    Long-term orientation is a dimension of cultural differences developed by Geert Hofstede (his research originally had four: collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and masculinity, but he developed this dimension in later research).
     
    According to Hofstede & Hofstede (2002: 210), long-term orientation is "the fostering of virtues oriented toward future rewards-in particular, perseverance and thrift." Short-term orientation is "the fostering of virtues related to the past and present-in particular, respect for tradition, preservation of "face," and fulfilling social obligations."
     
    The GLOBE project measured a similar cultural dimension labeled "future orientation." In their conceptualization, societies that score higher on future orientation tend to: achieve economic success, have a propensity to save for the future, have individuals who are psychologically healthy and socially well-adjusted, have organizations with a longer strategic orientation, have flexible and adaptive organizations and managers, value the deferment of gratification, place a higher priority on long-term success, and emphasize visionary leadership that is capable of seeing patterns in the face of chaos and uncertainty.
     
    Societies that score lower on future orientation tend to: have lower levels of economic success; have a propensity to spend now, rather than save for the future; have individuals who are psychologically unhealthy and socially maladjusted; have organizations with a shorter strategic orientation; have inflexible and maladaptive organizations and managers; value instant gratification and place higher priorities on immediate rewards; and emphasize leadership that focuses on repetition and routine sequences.
     
    Mike
     

     

    Michael D. Johnson
    Assistant Professor
    Department of Management and Organization
    Michael G. Foster School of Business

    University of Washington
    (206) 616-2756
    mdj3@u.washington.edu

    http://faculty.washington.edu/mdj3/mjohnson/



    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Will Felps
    Sent: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 2:15 AM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Subject: [OB-LIST] Is "long-term orientation" a concept?

    Hello Listserve Members,

    A question for the community. A friend (see below) asks a question about "long-term orientation", a plausible seeming concept, but one that I am not familiar with much research on.  Is anyone in the community able to alleviate my ignorance?  Any help is greatly appreciated.

    Btw, before appealing to the listserve, the closest things I could think of is promotion-prevention or conscientiousness, but neither of these are really on target. Also, aren't some cultures famous for having something like a long-term orientation? Surely, there's an individual difference correlate?

    Cheers,
    Will
    Tel +31 (0)10 40 82 537
    wfelps@rsm.nl
    Webpage: www.rsm.nl/wfelps

    Hey Will,

    I have a few OB-related questions I thought you might be able to answer:

    - Are you aware of any research (OB or otherwise) on screening applicants (leaders in particular) for long-term orientation? In other words, if I were a potential employer interviewing applicants for a management position, what steps could I take to maximize my chances of hiring someone with a strong long-term orientation (e.g. someone who consistently prioritizes long-term investment and sustainability over short-term opportunities that might sabotage long-term outcomes)?
    - Are there reliable instruments for measuring long-term orientation?
    - Are there incentive structures that can reliably encourage long-term-oriented behavior and discourage short-term behaviors that might sabotage long-term outcomes?

    I'm very interested in these questions, so I'd greatly appreciate any input you might have.

    Cheers,
    O


  • 6.  Is "long-term orientation" a concept?

    Posted 03-18-2009 12:22
    Hi again Will!

    This is a great question, particularly given how managerial myopia contributed to the current economic turmoil.

    I think it's appealing to think that there are those who, as an individual-difference variable, have some innate ability to keep their eye on long-term goals.

    However, I think the empirical record suggests that the best way to encourage the attainment of long-term goals is effective goal-setting on proximal and intermediate goals.  So, I would think of finding ways to structure short-range goals to support the attainment of longer-range ones, and hire based on individual differences like self-efficacy and conscientiousness.  It's a pretty traditional view, but I think it's reasonably well-supported.

    Now, being a bit more creative:  If you were looking for novel individual-difference variables to explain why certain people are able to bind themselves to the mast and avoid short-term gains in favour of long-range goals... perhaps you might think of this as a question of delayed gratification.  The personality factors that allow people to defer gratification would likely be things like self-regulation and low impulsivity.

    Is this helpful?  Perhaps other OB-listers can chime in.  It seems that this question is linked in a lot of ways to the enthusiastic discussion of performance, motivation and goal-setting that unfolded on the listserv recently :)

    All the best,

    Lukas



    On Wed, Mar 18, 2009 at 5:15 AM, Will Felps <willfelps@gmail.com> wrote:
    Hello Listserve Members,

    A question for the community. A friend (see below) asks a question about "long-term orientation", a plausible seeming concept, but one that I am not familiar with much research on.  Is anyone in the community able to alleviate my ignorance?  Any help is greatly appreciated.

    Btw, before appealing to the listserve, the closest things I could think of is promotion-prevention or conscientiousness, but neither of these are really on target. Also, aren't some cultures famous for having something like a long-term orientation? Surely, there's an individual difference correlate?

    Cheers,
    Will
    Tel +31 (0)10 40 82 537
    wfelps@rsm.nl
    Webpage: www.rsm.nl/wfelps

    Hey Will,

    I have a few OB-related questions I thought you might be able to answer:

    - Are you aware of any research (OB or otherwise) on screening applicants (leaders in particular) for long-term orientation? In other words, if I were a potential employer interviewing applicants for a management position, what steps could I take to maximize my chances of hiring someone with a strong long-term orientation (e.g. someone who consistently prioritizes long-term investment and sustainability over short-term opportunities that might sabotage long-term outcomes)?
    - Are there reliable instruments for measuring long-term orientation?
    - Are there incentive structures that can reliably encourage long-term-oriented behavior and discourage short-term behaviors that might sabotage long-term outcomes?

    I'm very interested in these questions, so I'd greatly appreciate any input you might have.

    Cheers,
    O



    --
    Lukas Neville
    --
    Ph.D. Candidate, Organizational Behaviour
    Queen's School of Business
    --
    404 Goodes Hall, 143 Union St.
    Queen's University
    Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6
    --
    lukas.neville@queensu.ca
    (613) 331-0196


  • 7.  Is "long-term orientation" a concept?

    Posted 03-18-2009 16:16
    Michael, similarly to your observations about the downsides of a short-term time orientation, as we have experienced, for years, in the U.S., I would add that a short-term time orientation negatively impacts the initiation and implementation of organizational change initiatives such as: TQM, Workforce Diversity and Empowerment.  The reason: each of these initiatives takes 3-5 years before management begins to see the economic rewards (the business case for change implementation).
     
    The corrective, of course, is to encourage management to be open to a longer-term time orientation, especially for some of the, potentially, most productive change initiatives.  But, as we all know, this is an uphill struggle.
     
    Sincerely,
     
    Karl Strandberg
    Lecturer, Leadership & Organizational Development
    California State University Dominguez Hills 
     
    -------Original Message-------
     
    Date: 3/18/2009 11:59:55 AM
    Subject: Re: [OB-LIST] Is "long-term orientation" a concept?
     
    Hey Will,
     
    Long-term orientation is a dimension of cultural differences developed by Geert Hofstede (his research originally had four: collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and masculinity, but he developed this dimension in later research).
     
    According to Hofstede & Hofstede (2002: 210), long-term orientation is “the fostering of virtues oriented toward future rewards—in particular, perseverance and thrift.” Short-term orientation is “the fostering of virtues related to the past and present—in particular, respect for tradition, preservation of “face,” and fulfilling social obligations.”
     
    The GLOBE project measured a similar cultural dimension labeled "future orientation." In their conceptualization, societies that score higher on future orientation tend to: achieve economic success, have a propensity to save for the future, have individuals who are psychologically healthy and socially well-adjusted, have organizations with a longer strategic orientation, have flexible and adaptive organizations and managers, value the deferment of gratification, place a higher priority on long-term success, and emphasize visionary leadership that is capable of seeing patterns in the face of chaos and uncertainty.
     
    Societies that score lower on future orientation tend to: have lower levels of economic success; have a propensity to spend now, rather than save for the future; have individuals who are psychologically unhealthy and socially maladjusted; have organizations with a shorter strategic orientation; have inflexible and maladaptive organizations and managers; value instant gratification and place higher priorities on immediate rewards; and emphasize leadership that focuses on repetition and routine sequences.
     
    Mike
     

     

    Michael D. Johnson
    Assistant Professor
    Department of Management and Organization
    Michael G. Foster School of Business

    University of Washington
    (206) 616-2756
    mdj3@u.washington.edu

    http://faculty.washington.edu/mdj3/mjohnson/



    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Will Felps
    Sent: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 2:15 AM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Subject: [OB-LIST] Is "long-term orientation" a concept?

    Hello Listserve Members,

    A question for the community. A friend (see below) asks a question about "long-term orientation", a plausible seeming concept, but one that I am not familiar with much research on.  Is anyone in the community able to alleviate my ignorance?  Any help is greatly appreciated.

    Btw, before appealing to the listserve, the closest things I could think of is promotion-prevention or conscientiousness, but neither of these are really on target. Also, aren't some cultures famous for having something like a long-term orientation? Surely, there's an individual difference correlate?

    Cheers,
    Will
    Tel +31 (0)10 40 82 537
    wfelps@rsm.nl
    Webpage: www.rsm.nl/wfelps

    Hey Will,

    I have a few OB-related questions I thought you might be able to answer:

    - Are you aware of any research (OB or otherwise) on screening applicants (leaders in particular) for long-term orientation? In other words, if I were a potential employer interviewing applicants for a management position, what steps could I take to maximize my chances of hiring someone with a strong long-term orientation (e.g. someone who consistently prioritizes long-term investment and sustainability over short-term opportunities that might sabotage long-term outcomes)?
    - Are there reliable instruments for measuring long-term orientation?
    - Are there incentive structures that can reliably encourage long-term-oriented behavior and discourage short-term behaviors that might sabotage long-term outcomes?

    I'm very interested in these questions, so I'd greatly appreciate any input you might have.

    Cheers,
    O
     


  • 8.  Is "long-term orientation" a concept?

    Posted 03-18-2009 17:13

    The tricky part for organizations is that they have to think both short and long term to survive and be effective. That brings us to executive pay: what should be the time span for bonuses and what should be the DV?" There are no easy answers to either of these questions.

    E.L.



    Edwin A. Locke
    Dean's Professor of Leadership and Motivation (Emeritus)
    Robert H. Smith School of Business
    32122 Canyon Ridge Drive
    Westlake Village, CA 91361
    818 706 9361 (in CA) TEL
    same FAX
    elocke@rhsmith.umd.edu
    http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu
    http://edwinlocke.com
    Lukas Neville <lukas.neville@QUEENSU.CA>



    To

    OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU

    cc


    Subject

    Re: [OB-LIST] Is "long-term orientation" a concept?

    Hi again Will!

    This is a great question, particularly given how managerial myopia contributed to the current economic turmoil.

    I think it's appealing to think that there are those who, as an individual-difference variable, have some innate ability to keep their eye on long-term goals.

    However, I think the empirical record suggests that the best way to encourage the attainment of long-term goals is effective goal-setting on proximal and intermediate goals.  So, I would think of finding ways to structure short-range goals to support the attainment of longer-range ones, and hire based on individual differences like self-efficacy and conscientiousness.  It's a pretty traditional view, but I think it's reasonably well-supported.

    Now, being a bit more creative:  If you were looking for novel individual-difference variables to explain why certain people are able to bind themselves to the mast and avoid short-term gains in favour of long-range goals... perhaps you might think of this as a question of delayed gratification.  The personality factors that allow people to defer gratification would likely be things like self-regulation and low impulsivity.

    Is this helpful?  Perhaps other OB-listers can chime in.  It seems that this question is linked in a lot of ways to the enthusiastic discussion of performance, motivation and goal-setting that unfolded on the listserv recently :)

    All the best,

    Lukas



    On Wed, Mar 18, 2009 at 5:15 AM, Will Felps <willfelps@gmail.com> wrote:

      Hello Listserve Members,

      A question for the community. A friend (see below) asks a question about "long-term orientation", a plausible seeming concept, but one that I am not familiar with much research on.  Is anyone in the community able to alleviate my ignorance?  Any help is greatly appreciated.

      Btw, before appealing to the listserve, the closest things I could think of is promotion-prevention or conscientiousness, but neither of these are really on target. Also, aren't some cultures famous for having something like a long-term orientation? Surely, there's an individual difference correlate?

      Cheers,
      Will
      Tel +31 (0)10 40 82 537
      wfelps@rsm.nl
      Webpage:       www.rsm.nl/wfelps

      Hey Will,

      I have a few OB-related questions I thought you might be able to answer:

      - Are you aware of any research (OB or otherwise) on screening applicants (leaders in particular) for long-term orientation? In other words, if I were a potential employer interviewing applicants for a management position, what steps could I take to maximize my chances of hiring someone with a strong long-term orientation (e.g. someone who consistently prioritizes long-term investment and sustainability over short-term opportunities that might sabotage long-term outcomes)?
      - Are there reliable instruments for measuring long-term orientation?
      - Are there incentive structures that can reliably encourage long-term-oriented behavior and discourage short-term behaviors that might sabotage long-term outcomes?

      I'm very interested in these questions, so I'd greatly appreciate any input you might have.

      Cheers,
      O



    --
    Lukas Neville
    --
    Ph.D. Candidate, Organizational Behaviour
    Queen's School of Business
    --
    404 Goodes Hall, 143 Union St.
    Queen's University
    Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6
    --
    lukas.neville@queensu.ca
    (613) 331-0196


  • 9.  Is "long-term orientation" a concept?

    Posted 03-18-2009 17:52

    Will,

    You might want to look at the "Consideration of Future Consequences" construct, which is an individual difference defined as "the extent to which people consider the potential distant outcomes of their current <st1:personname w:st="on">b</st1:personname>ehaviors and the extent to which they are influenced <st1:personname w:st="on">b</st1:personname>y these potential outcomes" (Strathman, Gleicher, Boninger & Edwards, 1994, p. 743).

    Cite is as follows:

    Strathman, A., Gleicher, F., Boninger, D. S., & Edwards, C. S. (1994). The consideration of future consequences: Weighing immediate and distant outcomes of <st1:personname w:st="on">b</st1:personname>ehavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 66, 742–752.

    Best wishes with your work!

    Denise

     

    <st1:personname w:st="on">Denise Daniels</st1:personname>, Ph.D.
    Professor of Management
    Associate Dean, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">School</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Business</st1:placename></st1:place> & Economics
    <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Seattle</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Pacific</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype></st1:place>
    Phone: (206) 281-2243
    Fax: (206) 281-2733
    Email: ddaniels@spu.edu

    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Karl Strand<st1:personname w:st="on">b</st1:personname>erg
    Sent: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 1:16 PM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Su<st1:personname w:st="on">b</st1:personname>ject: Re: [OB-LIST] Is "long-term orientation" a concept?

     

     

    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Will Felps
    Sent: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 2:15 AM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Su<st1:personname w:st="on">b</st1:personname>ject: [OB-LIST] Is "long-term orientation" a concept?

    Hello Listserve Mem<st1:personname w:st="on">b</st1:personname>ers,

    A question for the community. A friend (see <st1:personname w:st="on">b</st1:personname>elow) asks a question a<st1:personname w:st="on">b</st1:personname>out "long-term orientation", a plausi<st1:personname w:st="on">b</st1:personname>le seeming concept, <st1:personname w:st="on">b</st1:personname>ut one that I am not familiar with much research on.  Is anyone in the community a<st1:personname w:st="on">b</st1:personname>le to alleviate my ignorance?  Any help is greatly appreciated.

    Btw, <st1:personname w:st="on">b</st1:personname>efore appealing to the listserve, the closest things I could think of is promotion-prevention or conscientiousness, <st1:personname w:st="on">b</st1:personname>ut neither of these are really on target. Also, aren't some cultures famous for having something like a long-term orientation? Surely, there's an individual difference correlate?

    Cheers,
    Will
    Tel +31 (0)10 40 82 537
    wfelps@rsm.nl
    We<st1:personname w:st="on">b</st1:personname>page: www.rsm.nl/wfelps

    Hey Will,

    I have a few OB-related questions I thought you might <st1:personname w:st="on">b</st1:personname>e a<st1:personname w:st="on">b</st1:personname>le to answer:

    - Are you aware of any research (<st1:place w:st="on">OB</st1:place> or otherwise) on screening applicants (leaders in particular) for long-term orientation? In other words, if I were a potential employer interviewing applicants for a management position, what steps could I take to maximize my chances of hiring someone with a strong long-term orientation (e.g. someone who consistently prioritizes long-term investment and sustaina<st1:personname w:st="on">b</st1:personname>ility over short-term opportunities that might sa<st1:personname w:st="on">b</st1:personname>otage long-term outcomes)?
    - Are there relia<st1:personname w:st="on">b</st1:personname>le instruments for measuring long-term orientation?
    - Are there incentive structures that can relia<st1:personname w:st="on">b</st1:personname>ly encourage long-term-oriented <st1:personname w:st="on">b</st1:personname>ehavior and discourage short-term <st1:personname w:st="on">b</st1:personname>ehaviors that might sa<st1:personname w:st="on">b</st1:personname>otage long-term outcomes?

    I'm very interested in these questions, so I'd greatly appreciate any input you might have.

    Cheers,
    O

     

     

     

     



  • 10.  Is "long-term orientation" a concept?

    Posted 03-18-2009 19:30

    Dear Will and OB List Members

     

    You may wish to check the chapter my colleagues and I wrote for the GLOBE Book:

     

    Ashkanasy, N. M., Gupta, V., Mayfield, M. S., & Trevor-Roberts, E. (2004). Future Orientation. In R. J. House, P. J. Hanges, M. Javidan, P. W. Dorfman, & V. Gupta. Culture, leadership, and organizations: The GLOBE study of 62 societies (pp. 280-340). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

     

    Cheers

    Neal M. Ashkanasy, PhD

    Visiting Professor of OB & HR

    Singapore Management University

     

    Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Organizational Behavior

    Associate Editor, Emotion Review

     

    Professor of Management

    UQ Business School

    The University of Queensland

    Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia

    CRICOS No.: 00025B

    Phone: +617 3365-7499

    Fax: +617 3346-9254

    e-mail: n.ashkanasy@uq.edu.au

    http://www.business.uq.edu.au/display/teach/Neal+Ashkanasy

     

     

     

     

     

    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Will Felps
    Sent: Wednesday, 18 March 2009 5:15 PM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Subject: [OB-LIST] Is "long-term orientation" a concept?

     

    Hello Listserve Members,

    A question for the community. A friend (see below) asks a question about "long-term orientation", a plausible seeming concept, but one that I am not familiar with much research on.  Is anyone in the community able to alleviate my ignorance?  Any help is greatly appreciated.

    Btw, before appealing to the listserve, the closest things I could think of is promotion-prevention or conscientiousness, but neither of these are really on target. Also, aren't some cultures famous for having something like a long-term orientation? Surely, there's an individual difference correlate?

    Cheers,
    Will
    Tel +31 (0)10 40 82 537
    wfelps@rsm.nl
    Webpage: www.rsm.nl/wfelps

    Hey Will,

    I have a few OB-related questions I thought you might be able to answer:

    - Are you aware of any research (OB or otherwise) on screening applicants (leaders in particular) for long-term orientation? In other words, if I were a potential employer interviewing applicants for a management position, what steps could I take to maximize my chances of hiring someone with a strong long-term orientation (e.g. someone who consistently prioritizes long-term investment and sustainability over short-term opportunities that might sabotage long-term outcomes)?
    - Are there reliable instruments for measuring long-term orientation?
    - Are there incentive structures that can reliably encourage long-term-oriented behavior and discourage short-term behaviors that might sabotage long-term outcomes?

    I'm very interested in these questions, so I'd greatly appreciate any input you might have.

    Cheers,
    O



  • 11.  Is "long-term orientation" a concept?

    Posted 03-19-2009 06:06
    Will,
    there are two scales assessing future-orientation as an individual difference.

    The 56-item Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZPTI) (Zimbardo & Boyd,
    1999. Putting time in perspective: a valid, reliable individual-differences
    metric. JPSP. 77, 1271–1288) assesses 'temporal bias' toward being past-,
    present-, or future-oriented. Being more present-oriented is consistently
    associated with more risky behaviors (e.g., Keough et al. ,1999, J. Basic
    Appl. Soc. Psychol; Zimbardo et al, 1997, Pers. Indiv. Diff).

    The Consideration of Future Consequences Scale (CFC) (Strathman, A. et al.
    (1994) The consideration of future consequences: weighing immediate and
    distant outcomes of behavior. JPSP, 66, 742–752) which Denise pointed out is
    a 12-item measure of valuing future- over present outcomes, e.g.,
    "I consider how things might be in the future, and try to influence those
    things with my day to day behavior", or "I generally ignore warnings about
    possible future problems because I think that the problems will be resolved
    before they reach crisis level" (r). Consideration of future consequences is
    associated with a broad range of proactive behaviors such as strategic
    scanning and issue selling (see Parker & Collins, in press, JOM) which seems
    relevant to your question.

    Best,
    Karoline

    Karoline Strauss
    Institute of Work Psychology
    University of Sheffield
    Sheffield
    Phone: +44 (0)114 222 3236
    Email: k.strauss@sheffield.ac.uk
    Web: http://www.strauss.postgrad.shef.ac.uk/


  • 12.  Is "long-term orientation" a concept?

    Posted 03-19-2009 08:33
    Colleagues,
     

    Finding the balance between short-term and long-term objectives is not an easy task. Then there is the problem of the different notions of what long-term means. For some people a long-term might be a few years, and for some others it might be a lot longer than that. We are the most individualistic society, which when combined with the US masculinity orientation it might also have an impact on the individual tenure with an organization. Not only it affects tenure but also the time horizon of what we do for the firm.  Also individualism and the low-context nature would probably imply that we do not develop strong and lasting relationships with coworkers. This does not do too much good for long tenure with the organization because it is not too painful to change jobs.  All of this, in combination with most short-term oriented compensation packages, does not do much for people to think in terms of long term goals and performance of the business.  That's why we see most executives fighting for the present markets and other current issues, instead of spending time on the markets of the future (borrowing from Hamel & Prahalad terminology in "Competing for the Future").

     

    Thanks,


    Ivan

     

    Dr. R. Ivan Blanco                                                
    Department of Management
    McCoy College of Business Administration 
    Texas State Univeristy - San Marcos
    San Marcos, TX 78666
    Voice (512) 245-1842  -  Fax (512) 245-2850 
    E-mail  rb39@txstate.edu
     
    "Las naciones marchan hacia el término de su grandeza, con el mismo paso que camina su educación."
    "Nations march toward their greatness at the same pace as their educational systems evolve." -- Simon Bolivar

    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Edwin Locke [elocke@RHSMITH.UMD.EDU]
    Sent: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 4:13 PM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Subject: Re: [OB-LIST] Is "long-term orientation" a concept?

    The tricky part for organizations is that they have to think both short and long term to survive and be effective. That brings us to executive pay: what should be the time span for bonuses and what should be the DV?" There are no easy answers to either of these questions.

    E.L.



    Edwin A. Locke
    Dean's Professor of Leadership and Motivation (Emeritus)
    Robert H. Smith School of Business
    32122 Canyon Ridge Drive
    Westlake Village, CA 91361
    818 706 9361 (in CA) TEL
    same FAX
    elocke@rhsmith.umd.edu
    http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu
    http://edwinlocke.com
    Lukas Neville <lukas.neville@QUEENSU.CA>



    To
    OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU

    cc

    Subject
    Re: [OB-LIST] Is "long-term orientation" a concept?

    Hi again Will!

    This is a great question, particularly given how managerial myopia contributed to the current economic turmoil.

    I think it's appealing to think that there are those who, as an individual-difference variable, have some innate ability to keep their eye on long-term goals.

    However, I think the empirical record suggests that the best way to encourage the attainment of long-term goals is effective goal-setting on proximal and intermediate goals.  So, I would think of finding ways to structure short-range goals to support the attainment of longer-range ones, and hire based on individual differences like self-efficacy and conscientiousness.  It's a pretty traditional view, but I think it's reasonably well-supported.

    Now, being a bit more creative:  If you were looking for novel individual-difference variables to explain why certain people are able to bind themselves to the mast and avoid short-term gains in favour of long-range goals... perhaps you might think of this as a question of delayed gratification.  The personality factors that allow people to defer gratification would likely be things like self-regulation and low impulsivity.

    Is this helpful?  Perhaps other OB-listers can chime in.  It seems that this question is linked in a lot of ways to the enthusiastic discussion of performance, motivation and goal-setting that unfolded on the listserv recently :)

    All the best,

    Lukas



    On Wed, Mar 18, 2009 at 5:15 AM, Will Felps <willfelps@gmail.com> wrote:

      Hello Listserve Members,

      A question for the community. A friend (see below) asks a question about "long-term orientation", a plausible seeming concept, but one that I am not familiar with much research on.  Is anyone in the community able to alleviate my ignorance?  Any help is greatly appreciated.

      Btw, before appealing to the listserve, the closest things I could think of is promotion-prevention or conscientiousness, but neither of these are really on target. Also, aren't some cultures famous for having something like a long-term orientation? Surely, there's an individual difference correlate?

      Cheers,
      Will
      Tel +31 (0)10 40 82 537
      wfelps@rsm.nl
      Webpage:       www.rsm.nl/wfelps

      Hey Will,

      I have a few OB-related questions I thought you might be able to answer:

      - Are you aware of any research (OB or otherwise) on screening applicants (leaders in particular) for long-term orientation? In other words, if I were a potential employer interviewing applicants for a management position, what steps could I take to maximize my chances of hiring someone with a strong long-term orientation (e.g. someone who consistently prioritizes long-term investment and sustainability over short-term opportunities that might sabotage long-term outcomes)?
      - Are there reliable instruments for measuring long-term orientation?
      - Are there incentive structures that can reliably encourage long-term-oriented behavior and discourage short-term behaviors that might sabotage long-term outcomes?

      I'm very interested in these questions, so I'd greatly appreciate any input you might have.

      Cheers,
      O



    --
    Lukas Neville
    --
    Ph.D. Candidate, Organizational Behaviour
    Queen's School of Business
    --
    404 Goodes Hall, 143 Union St.
    Queen's University
    Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6
    --
    lukas.neville@queensu.ca
    (613) 331-0196


  • 13.  Is "long-term orientation" a concept?

    Posted 03-19-2009 11:02
    Hi, Will:
     
    I came across one article developing and validating a measure for the concept of 'long-term orientation':
     
    BEARDEN, W. O., MONEY, R. B. & L.NEVINS, J. (2006) A Measure of Long-Term Orientation: Development and Validation. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 34, p456.
     
    Hope this helps.
     
    Cheers,
    Xiaobei

     
    On 3/19/09, Neal Ashkanasy <n.ashkanasy@business.uq.edu.au> wrote:

    Dear Will and OB List Members

     

    You may wish to check the chapter my colleagues and I wrote for the GLOBE Book:

     

    Ashkanasy, N. M., Gupta, V., Mayfield, M. S., & Trevor-Roberts, E. (2004). Future Orientation. In R. J. House, P. J. Hanges, M. Javidan, P. W. Dorfman, & V. Gupta. Culture, leadership, and organizations: The GLOBE study of 62 societies (pp. 280-340). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

     

    Cheers

    Neal M. Ashkanasy, PhD

    Visiting Professor of OB & HR

    Singapore Management University

     

    Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Organizational Behavior

    Associate Editor, Emotion Review

     

    Professor of Management

    UQ Business School

    The University of Queensland

    Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia

    CRICOS No.: 00025B

    Phone: +617 3365-7499

    Fax: +617 3346-9254

    e-mail: n.ashkanasy@uq.edu.au

    http://www.business.uq.edu.au/display/teach/Neal+Ashkanasy

     

     

     

     

     

    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Will Felps
    Sent: Wednesday, 18 March 2009 5:15 PM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Subject: [OB-LIST] Is "long-term orientation" a concept?

     

    Hello Listserve Members,

    A question for the community. A friend (see below) asks a question about "long-term orientation", a plausible seeming concept, but one that I am not familiar with much research on.  Is anyone in the community able to alleviate my ignorance?  Any help is greatly appreciated.

    Btw, before appealing to the listserve, the closest things I could think of is promotion-prevention or conscientiousness, but neither of these are really on target. Also, aren't some cultures famous for having something like a long-term orientation? Surely, there's an individual difference correlate?

    Cheers,
    Will
    Tel +31 (0)10 40 82 537
    wfelps@rsm.nl
    Webpage: www.rsm.nl/wfelps

    Hey Will,

    I have a few OB-related questions I thought you might be able to answer:

    - Are you aware of any research (OB or otherwise) on screening applicants (leaders in particular) for long-term orientation? In other words, if I were a potential employer interviewing applicants for a management position, what steps could I take to maximize my chances of hiring someone with a strong long-term orientation (e.g. someone who consistently prioritizes long-term investment and sustainability over short-term opportunities that might sabotage long-term outcomes)?
    - Are there reliable instruments for measuring long-term orientation?
    - Are there incentive structures that can reliably encourage long-term-oriented behavior and discourage short-term behaviors that might sabotage long-term outcomes?

    I'm very interested in these questions, so I'd greatly appreciate any input you might have.

    Cheers,
    O




    --
    Xiaobei LI

    PhD Candidate
    School of Organisation and Management
    Australian School of Business
    The University of New South Wales (UNSW)
    Sydney  NSW 2052
    AUSTRALIA

    Email: xiaobei.li@gmail.com


  • 14.  Is "long-term orientation" a concept?

    Posted 03-20-2009 04:05
    Dear Colleagues,
     
    You may wish to consult the works of the late Elliot Jaques who spent a lifetime studying time. He also took "time span" as an indicator of a persons mental or work capacity to successfully take managerial roles.
    Cordially,
    Leopold Vansina, Ph.D.
    Prof. emeritus KUL/UCL Belgium
    -----Original Message-----
    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU]On Behalf Of Xiaobei Li
    Sent: 19 March 2009 16:02
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Subject: Re: [OB-LIST] Is "long-term orientation" a concept?

    Hi, Will:
     
    I came across one article developing and validating a measure for the concept of 'long-term orientation':
     
    BEARDEN, W. O., MONEY, R. B. & L.NEVINS, J. (2006) A Measure of Long-Term Orientation: Development and Validation. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 34, p456.
     
    Hope this helps.
     
    Cheers,
    Xiaobei

     
    On 3/19/09, Neal Ashkanasy <n.ashkanasy@business.uq.edu.au> wrote:

    Dear Will and OB List Members

     

    You may wish to check the chapter my colleagues and I wrote for the GLOBE Book:

     

    Ashkanasy, N. M., Gupta, V., Mayfield, M. S., & Trevor-Roberts, E. (2004). Future Orientation. In R. J. House, P. J. Hanges, M. Javidan, P. W. Dorfman, & V. Gupta. Culture, leadership, and organizations: The GLOBE study of 62 societies (pp. 280-340). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

     

    Cheers

    Neal M. Ashkanasy, PhD

    Visiting Professor of OB & HR

    Singapore Management University

     

    Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Organizational Behavior

    Associate Editor, Emotion Review

     

    Professor of Management

    UQ Business School

    The University of Queensland

    Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia

    CRICOS No.: 00025B

    Phone: +617 3365-7499

    Fax: +617 3346-9254

    e-mail: n.ashkanasy@uq.edu.au

    http://www.business.uq.edu.au/display/teach/Neal+Ashkanasy

     

     

     

     

     

    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Will Felps
    Sent: Wednesday, 18 March 2009 5:15 PM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Subject: [OB-LIST] Is "long-term orientation" a concept?

     

    Hello Listserve Members,

    A question for the community. A friend (see below) asks a question about "long-term orientation", a plausible seeming concept, but one that I am not familiar with much research on.  Is anyone in the community able to alleviate my ignorance?  Any help is greatly appreciated.

    Btw, before appealing to the listserve, the closest things I could think of is promotion-prevention or conscientiousness, but neither of these are really on target. Also, aren't some cultures famous for having something like a long-term orientation? Surely, there's an individual difference correlate?

    Cheers,
    Will
    Tel +31 (0)10 40 82 537
    wfelps@rsm.nl
    Webpage: www.rsm.nl/wfelps

    Hey Will,

    I have a few OB-related questions I thought you might be able to answer:

    - Are you aware of any research (OB or otherwise) on screening applicants (leaders in particular) for long-term orientation? In other words, if I were a potential employer interviewing applicants for a management position, what steps could I take to maximize my chances of hiring someone with a strong long-term orientation (e.g. someone who consistently prioritizes long-term investment and sustainability over short-term opportunities that might sabotage long-term outcomes)?
    - Are there reliable instruments for measuring long-term orientation?
    - Are there incentive structures that can reliably encourage long-term-oriented behavior and discourage short-term behaviors that might sabotage long-term outcomes?

    I'm very interested in these questions, so I'd greatly appreciate any input you might have.

    Cheers,
    O




    --
    Xiaobei LI

    PhD Candidate
    School of Organisation and Management
    Australian School of Business
    The University of New South Wales (UNSW)
    Sydney  NSW 2052
    AUSTRALIA

    Email: xiaobei.li@gmail.com


  • 15.  Is "long-term orientation" a concept?

    Posted 03-20-2009 05:20
    dick moreland wrote:
     
    Will:Thee is considerable research on "impulsivity," which involves the inability to resist short-term temptations in favor of a long-term goal.  It appears to be just one of four or five "temperaments," which are personality characteristics that have an especially strong genetic component (and are thus very difficult to change).  You might also take a look at work by developmental psychologists on the "delay of gratification" among children.

    I quite agree with Dick. I understand EI by its proper term, and I think EI helps smooth our interaction with the situation and/or  others, has little to do with short-term or long-term orientation. as Dick points out, instant or delayed gratification might have genetic cause. i would add that physical and social moulding is also very important. Say, a person who has had a bitter life tends to discern long-term and important gains from right-away gains. 
    I speculate that EI might be made up similarly: genetically(thus helping the speed of information processing), and socially, thus EI is not easily improved significantly.
     
    Sheng Zhao

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