FN ISI Export Format
VR 1.0
PT J
TI Intergroup leadership: How leaders can enhance performance of humanitarian operations
AF Salem, Mojtaba
   Van Quaquebeke, Niels
   Besiou, Maria
   Meyer, Louisa
AU Salem, M
   Van Quaquebeke, N
   Besiou, M
   Meyer, L
SO Production and Operations Management
VL 28
BP 2877
EP 2897
PY 2019
AB International humanitarian organizations (IHOs) always strive to improve their operational performance in the field. While anecdotes from practice suggest that IHO field office leadership plays a crucial role in this regard, these claims have not been deeply substantiated by primary data. In response, we collected survey data from 125 humanitarian workers, concentrated in disaster response and development programs, on the issues of field office leadership and operational performance. Building on the operations management and organizational behavior literature, we find that leaders who adopt an intergroup leadership style can significantly improve operational performance via enhancing cooperation between local and expatriate subgroups inside a field office. Notably, we find that the intergroup leadership style becomes more effective as humanitarian workers become more entrenched within cohesive subgroups. These results should help IHOs to better select and train their field office leaders and achieve higher operational performance.
ER