PPMO
Principles of People Management & Organisations inclusive exam tips
Lecture 1: Introduction & Leadership, innovation and learing
Paper Bezuijen et al. : How to get radical creative ideas into a
leader’s mind? Leader’s achievement goals and subordinates’ voice
of creative ideas
Paper Sijbom: Pygmalion and Employee Learning: The Role of
Leader Behaviors
Lecture 2: Entrepreneurship
Mair, J., Rathert, N. (2025). Social Entrepreneurship.
Martin, R. L., & Osberg, S. (2007). Social entrepreneurship: The case for
definition
Lecture 3: Organizational culture & Change Management
Schein, E.H. (2010). Organizational Culture and Leadership (4th edition).
Stouten, J., Rousseau, D. & De Cremer, D. (2018). Successful Organizational
Change: Integrating the Management Practice and Scholarly Literatures
Oreg, S. (2006). Personality, context, and resistance to organizational change.
Lecture 4: Organizational strategy
Barney, J. (1991). Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal
of management, 17(1), 99-120.
Porter, M. E. (1996). What is strategy? Harvard Business Review, Nov/Dec, 37-
54.
Nag, R., Hambrick, D. C., & Chen, M. J. (2007). What is strategic management,
really? Inductive derivation of a consensus definition of the field. Strategic
Management Journal, 28(9), 935-955
Lecture 5: Equality, diversity and Inclusion in Organizations
Amis, J. M., Mair, J., & Munir, K. A. (2020). The organizational reproduction of
inequality. Academy of Management Annals, 14(1), 195-230.
Leslie, L. M. (2019). Diversity initiative effectiveness: A typological theory of
unintended consequences. Academy of Management Review, 44(3), 538-563.
Lecture 6: Management Consulting & Exam Preperation
Kieser, A. (2002). Managers as marionettes? Using fashion theories to explain
the success of consultancies. Management consulting: Emergence and
dynamics of a knowledge industry, 167-183.
Schein, E. H. (1990). A general philosophy of helping: Process
consultation. Sloan Management Review, 31(3), 57-64
Sturdy, A. (2009). Popular critiques of consultancy and a politics of
management learning? Management Learning, 40(4), 457-463
,Lecture 1: Introduction & Leadership,
innovation and learning (role of leaders in
learning and innovation)
Papers: Bezuijen et al. (leader achievement goals) · Sijbom (Pygmalion effect)
Paper Bezuijen et al. : Leader Achievement Goals &
Creative Voice
This paper explains why leaders react differently to new ideas based on
their personal goal orientations.
Why are creativity and innovation important?
In today’s dynamic and competitive environment, creativity and
innovation are important for organizational success.
Learning and innovation are closely connected, and both are needed to:
1 Further develop a process
2 Create a competitive advantage by streamlining business
processes
3 Stay successful in a dynamic global environment
Why are leaders important for innovation and learning?
Employees generate creative ideas (innovation starts bottom-up), but
leaders decide whether these ideas are used (powerful position because
they control resources, decision-making and strategic direction).
So, leaders are important because they:
1. Have power and authority
2. Control resources (financial, human and strategic)
3. Have an overview of the organization and its long-term goals
4. Decide which ideas move forward and which not
5. Control communication and access to higher-level decision makers
In conclusion, leaders can provide or withhold support for bottom-up
creativity. They control whether employees’ ideas are transferred to
higher-level decision makers. So, they influence whether ideas are
developed further or disappear. Therefore, leaders fulfil a key role in the
process of converting these voiced creative ideas into new and improved
ways of doing things. Leaders act as gatekeepers of innovation, because
they decide which ideas will be implemented or rejected.
Consequences of leader openness or resistance
If leaders are open to new ideas -> organizations can develop
new products or processes -> innovation can improve ->
organization can gain competitive advantage -> organization stays
relevant in a changing environment.
, If leaders are not open to new ideas -> organizations may miss
important opportunities -> valuable ideas may never be
implemented -> competitors may innovate faster -> the
organization can fall behind in the market.
EXAMPLE KODAK
Kodak invented one of the first digital cameras. Although it had early
digital technology, leadership did not fully support it because they were
focused on their film business. As competitors embraced digital
innovation, Kodak lost its competitive position and went bankrupt. ->
shows that leader openness is crucial for long-term success, and when
leaders do not act upon changes in the market, their companies can fall
behind.
Why do leaders sometimes reject good ideas?
Even though leaders have more power and easier access to (better)
resources, not all leaders implement promising ideas from ‘lower level’
employees. Reasons can be
perspectives, hierarchy, authority, or personal achievement goals. It may
feel like subordinates question the competency and skills of the leader,
leading them to possibly resent new ideas. Because of this, leaders may
ignore useful ideas, resist change or prefer familiar solutions.
Achievement goal theory
Theory about why some leaders adopt these ideas while others
reject them -> key factor is LEADER ACHIEVEMENT GOALS
Achievement goals definition: competence‐relevant goals that
individuals adopt and pursue in achievement situations, including the
workplace.
They explain why people are motivated, how they react to
challenges and how they respond to new ideas. The goals can differ
across domains.
Types of Achievement Goals
1. Mastery-Approach (MAp)
Focus -> learning and improvement (self-referenced improvement,
focussed on their own)
Characteristics:
1. Focus on developing
competence.
2. Self-referenced improvement.
3. Want to gain new skills.
4. Want to master new situations.
, 2. Mastery-Avoidance (MAv)
Focus -> avoiding incompetence based on task-referenced or self-
referenced standards (what to be the same or better than how they did it
before).
Characteristics:
1. Avoid losing competence.
2. Avoid performing worse than before.
3. Performance-Approach (PAp)
Focus -> performing better than others (compare their self to others)
Characteristics:
1. Competitive orientation.
2. Other-referenced competence.
3. Concerned with status.
4. Performance-Avoidance (PAv)
Focus -> avoiding looking incompetent (goals focussed on avoiding
failure compared to others)
Characteristics:
1. Fear of failure compared to others.
2. Concerned with reputation
CONCLUSION
Leaders with mastery goals
Develop and gain competence by acquiring new skills and
mastering new situation
Focus on learning and growth
Subordinate creativity can facilitate their competence and
performance as leaders, even though it may challenge the content
of the current state of affairs.
See creative input as useful information
Are open to new perspectives and less defensive
So, more positive reactions and adoption of ideas.
Leaders with performance goals
• Focus on other-referenced competence
• Relative competence may be an important and crucial factor.
• Leaders may feel threatened and criticized (wants to be better than
others)
So, more opposition to creative ideas.
Concluded, the goals of a leader influence their openness to new
ideas.
Principles of People Management & Organisations inclusive exam tips
Lecture 1: Introduction & Leadership, innovation and learing
Paper Bezuijen et al. : How to get radical creative ideas into a
leader’s mind? Leader’s achievement goals and subordinates’ voice
of creative ideas
Paper Sijbom: Pygmalion and Employee Learning: The Role of
Leader Behaviors
Lecture 2: Entrepreneurship
Mair, J., Rathert, N. (2025). Social Entrepreneurship.
Martin, R. L., & Osberg, S. (2007). Social entrepreneurship: The case for
definition
Lecture 3: Organizational culture & Change Management
Schein, E.H. (2010). Organizational Culture and Leadership (4th edition).
Stouten, J., Rousseau, D. & De Cremer, D. (2018). Successful Organizational
Change: Integrating the Management Practice and Scholarly Literatures
Oreg, S. (2006). Personality, context, and resistance to organizational change.
Lecture 4: Organizational strategy
Barney, J. (1991). Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal
of management, 17(1), 99-120.
Porter, M. E. (1996). What is strategy? Harvard Business Review, Nov/Dec, 37-
54.
Nag, R., Hambrick, D. C., & Chen, M. J. (2007). What is strategic management,
really? Inductive derivation of a consensus definition of the field. Strategic
Management Journal, 28(9), 935-955
Lecture 5: Equality, diversity and Inclusion in Organizations
Amis, J. M., Mair, J., & Munir, K. A. (2020). The organizational reproduction of
inequality. Academy of Management Annals, 14(1), 195-230.
Leslie, L. M. (2019). Diversity initiative effectiveness: A typological theory of
unintended consequences. Academy of Management Review, 44(3), 538-563.
Lecture 6: Management Consulting & Exam Preperation
Kieser, A. (2002). Managers as marionettes? Using fashion theories to explain
the success of consultancies. Management consulting: Emergence and
dynamics of a knowledge industry, 167-183.
Schein, E. H. (1990). A general philosophy of helping: Process
consultation. Sloan Management Review, 31(3), 57-64
Sturdy, A. (2009). Popular critiques of consultancy and a politics of
management learning? Management Learning, 40(4), 457-463
,Lecture 1: Introduction & Leadership,
innovation and learning (role of leaders in
learning and innovation)
Papers: Bezuijen et al. (leader achievement goals) · Sijbom (Pygmalion effect)
Paper Bezuijen et al. : Leader Achievement Goals &
Creative Voice
This paper explains why leaders react differently to new ideas based on
their personal goal orientations.
Why are creativity and innovation important?
In today’s dynamic and competitive environment, creativity and
innovation are important for organizational success.
Learning and innovation are closely connected, and both are needed to:
1 Further develop a process
2 Create a competitive advantage by streamlining business
processes
3 Stay successful in a dynamic global environment
Why are leaders important for innovation and learning?
Employees generate creative ideas (innovation starts bottom-up), but
leaders decide whether these ideas are used (powerful position because
they control resources, decision-making and strategic direction).
So, leaders are important because they:
1. Have power and authority
2. Control resources (financial, human and strategic)
3. Have an overview of the organization and its long-term goals
4. Decide which ideas move forward and which not
5. Control communication and access to higher-level decision makers
In conclusion, leaders can provide or withhold support for bottom-up
creativity. They control whether employees’ ideas are transferred to
higher-level decision makers. So, they influence whether ideas are
developed further or disappear. Therefore, leaders fulfil a key role in the
process of converting these voiced creative ideas into new and improved
ways of doing things. Leaders act as gatekeepers of innovation, because
they decide which ideas will be implemented or rejected.
Consequences of leader openness or resistance
If leaders are open to new ideas -> organizations can develop
new products or processes -> innovation can improve ->
organization can gain competitive advantage -> organization stays
relevant in a changing environment.
, If leaders are not open to new ideas -> organizations may miss
important opportunities -> valuable ideas may never be
implemented -> competitors may innovate faster -> the
organization can fall behind in the market.
EXAMPLE KODAK
Kodak invented one of the first digital cameras. Although it had early
digital technology, leadership did not fully support it because they were
focused on their film business. As competitors embraced digital
innovation, Kodak lost its competitive position and went bankrupt. ->
shows that leader openness is crucial for long-term success, and when
leaders do not act upon changes in the market, their companies can fall
behind.
Why do leaders sometimes reject good ideas?
Even though leaders have more power and easier access to (better)
resources, not all leaders implement promising ideas from ‘lower level’
employees. Reasons can be
perspectives, hierarchy, authority, or personal achievement goals. It may
feel like subordinates question the competency and skills of the leader,
leading them to possibly resent new ideas. Because of this, leaders may
ignore useful ideas, resist change or prefer familiar solutions.
Achievement goal theory
Theory about why some leaders adopt these ideas while others
reject them -> key factor is LEADER ACHIEVEMENT GOALS
Achievement goals definition: competence‐relevant goals that
individuals adopt and pursue in achievement situations, including the
workplace.
They explain why people are motivated, how they react to
challenges and how they respond to new ideas. The goals can differ
across domains.
Types of Achievement Goals
1. Mastery-Approach (MAp)
Focus -> learning and improvement (self-referenced improvement,
focussed on their own)
Characteristics:
1. Focus on developing
competence.
2. Self-referenced improvement.
3. Want to gain new skills.
4. Want to master new situations.
, 2. Mastery-Avoidance (MAv)
Focus -> avoiding incompetence based on task-referenced or self-
referenced standards (what to be the same or better than how they did it
before).
Characteristics:
1. Avoid losing competence.
2. Avoid performing worse than before.
3. Performance-Approach (PAp)
Focus -> performing better than others (compare their self to others)
Characteristics:
1. Competitive orientation.
2. Other-referenced competence.
3. Concerned with status.
4. Performance-Avoidance (PAv)
Focus -> avoiding looking incompetent (goals focussed on avoiding
failure compared to others)
Characteristics:
1. Fear of failure compared to others.
2. Concerned with reputation
CONCLUSION
Leaders with mastery goals
Develop and gain competence by acquiring new skills and
mastering new situation
Focus on learning and growth
Subordinate creativity can facilitate their competence and
performance as leaders, even though it may challenge the content
of the current state of affairs.
See creative input as useful information
Are open to new perspectives and less defensive
So, more positive reactions and adoption of ideas.
Leaders with performance goals
• Focus on other-referenced competence
• Relative competence may be an important and crucial factor.
• Leaders may feel threatened and criticized (wants to be better than
others)
So, more opposition to creative ideas.
Concluded, the goals of a leader influence their openness to new
ideas.
