bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Economic Locus of Control
Authors: Furnham Adrian
Published: August 2005

This study set out to examine the application of the locus of control concept to economic behavior and devise a scale to measure these beliefs. Based on other applied locus of control scales, a questionnaire was devised to examine these beliefs which was investigated psychometrically. The scale yieldedfour interpretable factors which were related to established scales. The scale that discriminated most concerned chance economic locus of control beliefs which was related to sex, age, and income. The use of the economic locus of control scale for investigating aspects of organizational and occupational behavior is discussed.
Distributed Leadership and Skilled Performance as Successful Organization in Social Movements
Authors: Brown M. H. , Hosking D. M.
Published: August 2005

This paper adopts a social psychological perspective to the study of social organization analyzed in terms of the skills of organizing. The arguments are intended to be general but discussion is grounded in research on womens' centers in Britain. Drawing on Hosking's work on small groups, leadership, and organization, and Brown's doctoral research on womens' centers, we focus on interlocking cognitive and social orders and the manner of their achievement. "Order" is found to be negotiated more or less successfully, the degree of success achieved depending on skilled performance in four main areas. These are outlined and illustrated. In the case of the womens' organization, a core value was found to be that of "distributed" leadership; they are argued to be successful to the degree that this is achieved.
The Design of Conferences and the Evolving Role of Democratic Dialogue in Changing Working Life
Authors: Gustavsen Bjirn , Engelstad Per H.
Published: August 2005

The use of encounters of various types, such as workshops and conferences is, today, very common in organizational change projects. The design of encounters can be guided by different types of theory. In Norway, a development has occurred which implies the application of democratic theory to encounters. They are used for the explicit purpose of training the participants in democratic procedures. Such training is crucial as the concept of workplace democracy is no longer defined in terms of specific patterns of organization but in terms of how the patterns are created. The use of democratic dialogue for the purpose of changing working life implies a new role for democratic dialogue because, contrary to what was the case in the emergent phase of the liberal democracies, work experience must be the basis for participation.
Experimental Results Toward the Customization of Information Systems
Authors: Yaverbaum Gayle J. , Sherr David M.
Published: August 2005

The information-seeking process is explored. We present positive evidence that people follow discernable patterns when searching for a solution to a problem. The experimental task was a management game designed to explore the information choices people make when seeking a solution to a problem. This research has strong positive evidence that: (1) it is possible to observe patterns of information use during decision making and (2) characteristics of a user of information systems do not appear to be linked to the information-gathering process. It provides the first step toward the possible improvement of the analysis of management information system requirements. Future research into the efficacy of the method is needed to build upon the current findings.
Personalized vs. Socialized Power Needs Among Working Women and Men
Authors: Chusmir Leonard H.
Published: August 2005

Nonmanagerial and professional women subjects have significantly higher socialized power (s Pwr) needs than their men colleagues but similar needs for power (n Pwr) and personalized power (p Pwr). Although s Pwr and n Pwr correlate negatively with degree of job commitment, age, and number of children for the total sample and for the male subset, the same is not true for the females. The level of sex-role conflict and family pressure is higher for the women, however, and possible job commitment implications are discussed.
How Managers Really Communicate
Authors: Luthans Fred , Larsen Janet K.
Published: August 2005

In contrast to other studies of managerial communication, this investigation combined direct observation of managers in the natural setting with self-report measures to try to determine how managers really communicate. More specifically, the canonical correlation technique was used to analyze the relationships between communication behavior and managerial activities. A two dimensional managerial communicator model emerged. The first dimension represents a continuum from Humanistic Interactor (who interacts more frequently both upward and downward and exhibits more staffing and training/developing activities) to Mechanistic Isolate (who communicates very little but frequently engages in conflict management activities). The second relationship reveals a continuum from Informal Developer (who communicates spontaneously and is involved in training/developing activities) to Formal Controller (who uses scheduled communication interaction and exhibits monitoring/controlling activities). This model provides an empirically based framework for answering the important question of how managers really communicate.
Social Interaction in Blind People: An Experimental Analysis
Authors: Kemp Nigel J. , Rutter Derek R.
Published: August 2005

Although a considerable amount of research has been conducted on social interaction in blind people, two main weaknesses may be identified in the literature; very few of the reports have been based on controlled, experimental analyses, and little attempt has been made to relate the findings to social psychological theory. The purpose of the present paper is to try to redress the balance, and there are two main objectives: to offer a description of how blind people behave in conversations, and to use that description to reexamine our own model, the model of cuelessness. Ten blind-blind, ten blind-sighted, and ten sighted-sighted pairs were observed in a series of laboratory discussions, and measures were taken of the content of what was said, the style which was used, and the impressions the subjects formed of their partners and of their own behavior. Blind people, it emerged, behaved perfectly normally for the most part, and the pattern confirmed our model; the fewer the social cues the greater the psychological distance, and the greater the psychological distance the more task-oriented and depersonalized the content and, in turn, the less spontaneous the style and the less likely a favorable outcome.
Culture, Charisma, and the CEO: An Essay on the Meaning of High Office
Authors: Feldman Steven P.
Published: August 2005

The collective attribution of meaning to offices of authority and the constraints this attribution imposes on the. individuals who occupy these offices is little understood in the study of bureaucratic organization. In this essay, the relationship between the CEO and the vice-presidents in a Bell Telephone operating company is analyzed with regard to this phenomenon. An interpretive concept of culture is employed to gain access to the locally constructed system of symbols that these managers used to guide their behavior. The concept of institutional charisma is utilized to bring into focus the part of the cultural system that was used to attribute meaning to relationships of authority. My approach is contrasted with the management as symbolic action approach and the historical-interpretive approach to the study of culture in organizations. The former is found to be based on a false dichotomy between expressive and substantive levels of reality which limits its range of applicability. The latter is found to rely too heavily on the factor of change and to overlook what Weber called the "eternal yesterday" in human behavior.
Intimacy, Violence, and the Police
Authors: Erez Edna
Published: August 2005

Past research on domestic violence has concentrated on violence between married couples and concluded that "the marriage license is a hitting license." The present study questions this link and demonstrates that violence reported to the police is not restricted to married couples but is also prevalent among unmarried or dating couples as well as divorced ones. A link between intimacy and violence is suggested. Violence among couples with ongoing relationships is similar in its intensity, time, and place of occurrence compared with violence patterns among divorcees. Divorcees tend to resort to the police to settle less serious incidents. The legal definitions of the violent incidents reflect different degrees of liberty that intimates with different marital status may take with each other. The proportion of arrest are similar for all categories of intimates.
Signwork
Authors: Manning P. K.
Published: August 2005

Research literature contains a number of definitions of organizations. Organizations are defined here as communication processing systems which transform diverse information into culturally patterned and constrained messages. Organizations encode and decode messages and thus create social realities. The paper investigates the utility of semiotics, the science of signs, to uncover the precise modalities of symbolic communication characteristics of complex organizations that produce enstructured and bounded systems of meaning. Semiotics argues tht signs convert sound and image into communication; insofar as organizations do much the same, they produce sign work. The paper investigates a police communications system (PCS) in a very large British urban constabulary by means of ethnographic field work: observation, written records, and tapes of calls to the police. Message form and content (syntagms and paradigms) are described, the application of these paradigms or associative contexts is shown in one segment of the PCS, and the process of interpretation of meaning over time, or semiosis, is detailed. The relationship between generative meaning within the organization over time and police practice is discussed. In the conclusion, some limitations upon the semiotic-message-processing view of organizations are outlined. It is concluded that the coding of a communicational unit is socially contextual as well as physically and temporally situated. It manifests conventionalized and stabilized sign functions. The institutional codes which serve this stabilization function are displayed in practice, thus fieldwork and observation must be combined with formal modes of analysis.
Social Dislocations and the Search for Genealogical Roots
Authors: Jacobson Cardell K.
Published: August 2005

Popular and professional wisdom argues that rapid social change results in a search for genealogical roots. Indeed, interest in genealogy followed the industrial revolution of the nineteeth century, World War I, and World War I. The same notion can be applied to the individual level. Individuals who experience social dislocation such as geographical or social class mobility, it is posited, would be more interested in genealogy than those who do not experience such changes. Family size or changes in family size from one generation to another and birth order may also be related to interest in the study of one's genealogical roots. Finally, ethnicity may be related to genealogical interest. To test these hypotheses, a sample of genealogists and a sample of other hobbyists were compared. Information about their geographical and social backgrounds and a variety of other topics was obtained in a survey. In general, the social dislocation hypotheses are not supported. Stayers rather than movers, and older immigrant groups rather than new immigrant groups show interest in their genealogical roots.
Gender Differences in Work Satisfaction, Work-Related Rewards and Values, and the Determinants of Work Satisfaction
Authors: MottazI Clifford
Published: August 2005

This study investigates possible gender-related differences in perceptions of work rewards, work values, overall work satisfaction, and the determinants of work satisfaction. Data from 1385 workers representing a variety of occupations are analyzed. Basically, the analysis identifies a number of similarities as well as differences between male and female workers regarding their perceptions and attitudes about work. Additionally, two explanations of the gender-work satisfaction relationship are examined. They are the expectancy and value explanations. The available data provides conditional support for the value explanation. The implications of these findings are subsequently discussed.
Love Styles Revisited: A Cross-National Comparison with Particular Reference to South Africa
Authors: Stones Christopher R.
Published: August 2005

Previous research has shown that distinct attitude profiles toward love exist in North America and Uganda, as a representative of an African culture. Given the social upheaval currently occurring in South Africa and the particular nature of its official policy toward ethnic relations, the present paper aimed to compare and contrast the attitudes toward love in South Africa with those prevalent in the other two cultures. The data suggest that although the notion of Romantic Power appeared to be cross-culturally equivalent, there were distinct international differences in Romantic Idealism and Conjugal Love attitudes. The policy of Apartheid served as an explanatory vehicle.
Fusing Goal Integration
Authors: Paolillo Joseph G. P. , Jackson John H. , Lorenzi Peter
Published: August 2005

Several mechanisms have been proposed to understand and deal with differences between individual and organizational goals, including the socialization, accommodation, and exchange processes. A model which fuses these processes with the control-compliance framework is presented. This model suggests alternative strategies for gaining individual-organization goal integration. Research implications regarding the model are discussed.
Toward an Heuristic Theory of Diffusion
Authors: Emery Merrelyn
Published: August 2005

Diffusion is re-examined within an open systems model which takes into account the causal texture of the extended social field as well as the more traditional theoretical concerns. It focuses on methods developed to help people learn to participate in, and exercise more control over, their workplaces and communities. Diffusion is increased as the design and management of these learning events become congruent with their purposes and environmental trends. Structures and processes which encourage learning through working participatively are a precondition for the appearance of the motivation to diffuse. Behind these factors lies the affect system, and it is argued that the key to effective diffusion is the generation of the positive affects of excitement and joy. "The joy of learning" which produces diffusion contrasts with group assumptions and a "hatred of learning" which is often the result of traditional teaching.
Organizational Commitment in a Male Dominated Profession
Authors: Aranya Nissim , Kushnir Talma , Valency Aharon
Published: August 2005

The paper analyzes the organizational commitment of North American male andfemale accountants working in professional organizations. Unlike others, the present study controlledfor the critical variables of type of occupation, level and subject of higher education, and type of organization. The independent variables were age, gender, tenure, organizational level, cognitive affective orientation to the job, professional commitment, overalljob satisfaction, and intrinsic and e-xtrinsic need satisfaction. It was found by an analysis of covariance that women tended to have lower levels of organizational commitment than men. However, an hierarchical regression analysis indicated that sex did not significantly explain the variance beyond the demographic and cognitive-affective variables. Women were also less satisfied than men in terms of overall job satisfaction and extrinsic satisfaction.
Evaluation Research on Quality Circles: Technical and Analytical Implications
Authors: Steel Robert P. , Shane Guy S.
Published: August 2005

The unprecedented rapidity with which quality circle principles and techniques have caught on in U.S. and European industry belies the fact that a dearth of evaluation research exists documenting quality circle program outcomes. A review of the available studies constituting this literature revealed that this research has frequently been susceptible to a common set of methodological deficiencies. However, even the results of well-designed quality circle evaluation studies may be misleading if relevant organizational circumstances are not given due consideration when a change agent selects quality circles from his or her repertoire of organizational development (OD) interventions. The effectiveness of quality circles, and for that matter organizational intervention procedures in general, depends upon the compatibility of the intervention and attributes of the organization's situation, the demand placed upon tangible and intangible resources, and the type of response desired from participants.
In the Crawlspace of the Organization
Authors: Ingram Larry C.
Published: August 2005

Although Goffman advocated comparative study of underlife at the time that he wrote Asylums, little work has been done by students of organization. The present paper offers a comparison of underlife in three different types of establishment by focusing on "crawlspace," those symbolic dimensions of organization which allow or compel participants to engage in secondary adjustment. The important dimensions are assumptions about self, normative patterns, sactions, and general meaning of membership/participation in the organization.
Getting a Better Job: Antecedents and Effects
Authors: Kirjonen Juhani , Hänninen Vilma
Published: August 2005

The effect of improvement of working conditions on symptoms of mental distress was examined in a longitudinal study of metal industry employees. The aim was to investigate the changes in working conditions, job satisfaction, and indices of mental health among the employees who were promoted or changed employer compared to those who had stayed in the same job during the 5-year follow-up period. Results show that work content and physical work environment had significantly improved in the job change groups compared to the control group. Job dissatisfaction, life dissatisfaction, and stress symptoms had decreased significantly in the job change groups only among the male blue-collar workers. The most powerful predictors of changes in job stress and general distress were changes in work content and changes in the quality of physical work environment. The multiple correlations obtained in the regression analyses ranged between 0.29-0.36.
Employee Ownership and Older Workers
Authors: Granrose Cherlyn Skromme
Published: August 2005

This paper examines the response of older workers to an employee ownership alternative when A&P shut down all supermarkets in one geographic area of the United States. Older workers lost more benefits and were more dissatisfied with the contract negotiations that resulted in employee ownership but this dissatisfaction was not related to willingness to pledge money to become an employee owner. Older workers who were not old enough to retire, who were willing to take risks, and who believed in entrpreneurism were most likely to want to become employee owners, but, in general, employee ownership does not appear to be a particularly desirable solution to problems of unemployment among older workers.
The Job Characteristics Model and Growth Satisfaction: Main Effects of Assimilation of Work Experience and Context Satisfaction
Authors: Bottger Preston C. , Chew Irene K-H.
Published: August 2005

This article argues that behaviors which predict individual variance in satisfaction do not necessarily co-exist with the need for activities which lead to satisfaction. Specifically, we examine the effect of sensitivity to performance variations on growth satisfaction. We label this sensitivity "assimilation of work experience" (A WE). In contrast to growth need strength (GNS), A WE is shown to have a main effect on growth satisfaction independent of job scope and context satisfaction. In addition, the claim that the job scope/growth satisfaction relationship is stronger for low than high context satisfaction is examined. We contend that the theory also predicts a main effect of context satisfaction on growth satisfaction. Three samples comprising middle level managers, lower level managers, and sales representatives are studied. Total sample size is 1702. Multiple regression is the primary analytical method.
The Factorial Structure of the Meaning of Working
Authors: Harpaz Itzhak
Published: August 2005

The structure of the Meaning of Working (MO W) was empirically analyzed through factor analysis. Interviews were conducted with samples from ten occupational groups, as well as a representative sample of the labor force, to determine the dimensions constituting the structure of work meanings. The original 39 variables resulted in 13 interpretable factors which were categorized into the following work domains: centrality of work as a life role, societal norms about working, valued work outcomes, importance of work goals, and work role identification. An unexpected domain, consisting of nonwork areas of life, also emerged as significant.
Temporality and Reflexivity: Toward the Creative Engagement of Consciousness
Authors: Hopkins Heather
Published: August 2005

All experience is located in consciousness in some temporal order. This is assigned meaning through reflexivity and integrated into an enduring concept of self. However, experiences which are inconsistent with the individual's self-concept will constitute a threat creating division between those experiences which are under the control of the self and those which are not. In this way, work imposes a distinction between time which the individual can control and time which is assigned to the control of another. This paper considers the role of radical reflexivity in reuniting subjective experience with perceived "objective" reality in the synthetic creative act.
A Changing Health Care Decision-Making Environment
Authors: Weiner Joan L. , Boyer E. G. , Farber Neil J.
Published: August 2005

The increasing pressure to contain costs is bringing a new member to the "traditional" health delivery team, the professionally(and nonmedically-) trained administrator. In this paper, we examine the root differences in attitudes of physicians and this emerging administrative group exhibited in response to simulated life-threatening scenarios. When cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is indicated, physicians in our sample focus on the future "worth" (or quality) of the patient's life; administrators, however, are more likely to focus on the existing "worthiness" of the patient. These differences lead us to conclude that equitable health care delivery programs in the United States, balancing quality, availabity, and cost efficiency, will require new broader-based management systems both at the macrosystem as well as at the single institution levels.
The Influence of Occupational Image Subculture on Job Attitudes, Job Performance, and the Job Attitude-Job Performance Relationship
Authors: Birnbaum Dee , Somers Mark John
Published: August 2005

The occupational image subcultures associated with the nursing role (professional, traditional, bureaucratic, and utilitarian) affected job attitudes and the job attitude-performance relationship, but did not seem to have a direct effect on job performance. Implications of these findings are discussed and a model linking occupational and organizational socialization to job attitudes and job performance is presented.
Youth's Conception of Life-Cycle Stages: The Israeli Case
Authors: Rapoport Tamar , Barnett Sharon J.
Published: August 2005

Conceptions held by contemporary adolescents about the four major life stages were examined among a sample of 347 Israeli adolescents. Subjects were asked to characterize in one sentence the terms "adult," "youth, " "child, " and "old person." A content analysis of the data, based on structural categories developed by the authors (biological aspects, roles, and personal resources), showed that youth conceive of all the stages predominantly in terms of personal resources, i.e., assets and characteristics utilized in social behavior. In addition, a strong positive attitude toward youth, a strong negative attitude toward old age, and ambivalence toward childhood and adulthood were discerned. The findings are explained in terms of major social characteristics of youth's transitional life stage (marginality and moratorium) within Israeli society. This sociological perspective is suggested as a useful addition to the more common psychological one in explaining youth's conception of the life cycle.
Sources of Social Information: A Longitudinal Analysis
Authors: Thomas Joe G.
Published: August 2005

The degree to which co-workers, supervisors, doctors, instructors, family members, and patients are used to gather information regarding task characteristics was studied over a 3-month period. The influences of information sources changed as nurses and students gained work experience. Differences in information source influence was also found between nurses and student nurses. The findings support the social information processing approach to the study of task characteristics; however, relevant sources of social information should be expanded beyond the influence of co-workers and supervisors.
Job Enrichment and Job Satisfaction in Quality of Working Life and Nonquality of Working Life Work Sites
Authors: Ondrack Daniel A. , Evans Martin G.
Published: August 2005

Quality of Working Life (QWL) programs are designed to increase the enrichment of jobs, the autonomy of workers, and the degree of collaboration among workers and between workers and management. This study examines the impact of QWL programs in five petrochemical plants by contrasting worker attitudes and job perceptions in these plants with perceptions from those in the same industry as well as from those in plants in different industries. Few differences between the QWL and non-QWL petrochemical plants were found; there were some differences between petrochemical and nonpetrochemical plants.
Public Sector Professionals: Job Characteristics, Satisfaction, and Aspirations for Intrinsic Fulfillment through Work
Authors: Cherniss Cary , Kane Jeffrey S.
Published: August 2005

Previous research on job satisfaction in government employees has not distinguished professionals from other high status groups such as managers. Professionals and blue-collar workers employed in a state government in the U.S. (N = 252) were compared in order to learn more about the quality of the professional work experience. Data on job satisfaction, task characteristics, and aspirations for intrinsic fulfillment through work were collected via a questionnaire. Results suggested that there was no difference between the two groups in job satisfaction. However, professionals rated their jobs as significantly lower in skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and knowledge of results. Professionals also believed that their jobs should provide less intrinsic fulfillment than did the blue-collar workers. It was speculated that professionals employed in government maintain minimal levels of job satisfaction despite less fulfilling jobs by reducing their aspirations for fulfillment in work.
Principles of Sociotechnical Design Revisted
Authors: Cherns Albert
Published: August 2005

This paper is a review of the author's 1976 "Principles of Sociotechnical Design." While most of the principles set out there have stood the test of time and experience, modifications are needed. In particular, the principles that govern the process of design and the activities of the design team are even more closely bound up with the principles governing the design itself. Some new principles are proposed. More attention is given to the needs of the organization as a society.
Symbolic and International Perspectives on Leadership: An Integrative Framework
Authors: Griffin Ricky W. , Skivington Kristen Dahlen , Moorhead Gregory
Published: August 2005

This paper presents the development of a Symbolic Interactional Leadership model. The model integrates three emergent streams of thought, symbolic action, reciprocal interactions, and interactionalpsychology, into afresh approach which offers considerable advancement over simple, unidirectional, bivariate, static models. Implications for future theory and research are discussed.
Organizational Commitment: Analysis of Antecedents
Authors: Luthans Fred , Baack Donald , Taylor Lew
Published: August 2005

A model of the antecedents (personal-demographic, organizational relationship, and person-organization fit) of organizational commitment was empirically analyzed. The study used a sample of employees (N = 406) from a wide variety of organizations to test the hypotheses. The results of the multiple regression analysis supported the hypothesized relationships and the proposed model on the antecedents to organizational commitment. In particular, this study uncovered heretofore unknown implications that attributional processes such as locus of control have on organizational commitment as well as supporting previous research on the impact of demographics and leader behavior. Overall, the antecedent model, tested empirically, has important practical implications for predicting employees' organizational commitment.
Sexual Attitudes and Contraception Among Females Across Five College Samples
Authors: Kelley Kathryn , Smeaton George , Byrne Donn , Przybyla D. P. J. , Fisher William A.
Published: August 2005

The generalizability of the findings showing a relationship among sexual attitudes, sexual and contraceptive behavior, and responses to statements about sexual topics was investigated. Females (n = 722) attending five state and private universities in urban and rural locations were administered the Sexual Opinion Survey, a questionnaire dealing with sexual and contraceptive behavior, and semantic differential items involving sexual matters. Associations generally occurred between the expression of more positive sexual attitudes and the reporting of behaviors and attitudes supportive of effective contraceptive activity. Analysis of variance of the questionnaire responses indicated main effects for both the campus setting and erotophobia-erotophilia for nearly all of the items. A correlational analysis found significant relationships in the predicted directions between sexual attitudes and responses to most of the survey items by subjects in each campus setting.
Assessing Organizational Commitment in a Developing Country: Pakistan, A Case Study
Authors: Alvi Shafiq A. , Ahmed Syed W.
Published: August 2005

This study examines commitment of male and female employees to their organizations in a less affluent society (Pakistan). It uses a blend of the "exchange" and "role" theories as its basic framework. Results indicate that both groups of workers are highly committed to their organizations. Unlike the results of most previous studies involving industrialized societies, the degree of female commitment in Pakistan appears to be much higher than that of male workers, and age seems inversely related with commitment. Also, the psychological and role-related factors seem to exert greater influence on commitment than the exchange-based and personal factors.
Cosmopolitan-Local: A Cross-Lagged Correlation Analysis of the Relationship Between Professional Role Orientations and Behaviors in an Academic Organization
Authors: Cornwall Jeffrey R. , Grimes Andrew J.
Published: August 2005

This paper examines the development of professional role orientations. The theoretical foundation of this study is Gouldner's (1957, 1958) research of the cosmopolitan-local construct. The focus is on the relationship between the five dimensions of the cosmopolitan-local construct and professional behaviors. Examination of the relationship of professional role orientations and professional behaviors involves the use of cross-lagged correlations of the role-orientation scales with professional behavior variables using data collected in a university at two points in time. The results indicate that the relationships with significant values show professional behaviors influencing professional role orientations over time.
The Expectations and Experiences of a Sojourning Temporary Resident Abroad: A Preliminary Study
Authors: Weissman Diane , Furnham Adrian
Published: August 2005

This study investigated the relationship between the expectations of a group of sojourning Americans before they came to England, and their experience 6 months after arriving. Nearly 60 Americans were contacted before leaving and completed two questionnaires, one relating to their expectations and the other a measure of mental health. These expectations were related to various demographic variables, especially mental health. After 6 months, a number of sojourners were contacted who filled out a similar pair of questionnaires. Although there were few differences between expectations and experiences, mental health was associated with the larger differences between expectations and experiences. The results are discussed in terms of self-fulfilling prophecies. Limitations of the study are also discussed.
The Effects of Interaction with Gay Persons on Attitudes Toward Homosexuality
Authors: Lance Larry M.
Published: August 2005

This investigation focused on the influence of exposure to and interaction with gay persons on heterosexual self-reported attitudes of comfort with homosexuality. A group-administered questionnaire, including a 25-item scale by Hudson and Ricketts to measure the perceived degree of dread or discomfort of contact with homosexuals, was used in human sexuality classes at a southeastern metropolitan university during 1983. Findings taking into account the total scale scores, as well as the 25 individual item scores. suggested that exposure to and interaction with homosexuals results in a self-reported attitude of reduction in discomfort with homosexuals.
New and Old Friendships: Attributed Effects of Type and Similarity of Transacted Resources
Authors: Törnblom Kjell Y. , Fredholm, Eva M. , Jonsson Dan R.
Published: August 2005

This study examined outside observers' judgments of the influence of the nature and similarity of transacted resources on the growth of new and old friendships. A number of hypotheses were developed and tested in a questionnaire study in which female subjects responded to vignettes describing exchanges between two male friends. The design was a 2 (particularistic vs. universalistic resources) x 2 (similar vs. dissimilar resources) x 2 (new vs. old friendship) factorial. A new friendship was (with few exceptions) considered to grow more when similar particularistic rather than similar universalistic or dissimilar resources were exchanged, and when similar universalistic rather than dissimilar resources were exchanged. There were few corresponding differences for an old friendship, however. Also, the exchange of similar particularistic resources, as well as the exchange of dissimilar resources, were seen as more conducive to the growth of a new rather than of an old friendship. The exchange of similar universalistic resources was seen to affect new and old friendships about the same. Overall, the nature of resources transacted, i.e., their degree of particularism/universalism, was the most important cue in subjects'predictions about the development of friendship.
Factors Influencing Pay Decisions: Balancing Managerial Vulnerabilities
Authors: Martin David C.
Published: August 2005

This study investigated the pay raise distributions of allocators when their job situations make them particularly dependent on subordinates. The study compared recommended pay raises when the worker was a high or average performer, had high or low specialized expertise relative to the particular work unit circumstances, and either used no influence attempt, voiced an inequity complaint, or engaged in ingratiating behaviors involving complimenting the manager and expressing conformity with the manager's views. The situation was described as one in which high performance was important, the staff was somewhat underpaid, and availability of alternative employment in the external job market was good. As expected, larger raises were assigned people with better performance. However, allocators also gave significantly higher pay raises when the subordinate had high specialized expertise relative to the particular circumstance. Contrary to predictions, however, influence attempts were not significantly better than no action in obtaining pay raises, although an inequity complaint was significantly more successful than ingratiating behaviors. The implications of the findings for future research are discussed.
Union Membership and Attitudes Toward Participation in Determining Conditions of Work in the Federal Government
Authors: Gaertner Karen N. , Gaertner Gregory H.
Published: August 2005

Data from five federal installations are examined in order to determine the relationship between union membership and (1) perceived influence over the determination of working conditions, and (2) satisfaction with participation in determining work conditions in this sector. Union members, compared with nonmember bargaining unit employees, show lowerperceivedparticipation in determining their annual performance standards and less satisfaction with their influence in creating these standards. Lower satisfaction with influence persists even when perceived amount of influence is controlled, supporting the argument that union members in the federal government seek more influence in determining their conditions of work than nonmembers. These results are not indicative of job dissatisfaction or of distrust between labor and management. Rather, they appear to reflect a positive desire among union members for more influence in the agency.
A Path Analysis of a Model of the Antecedents and Consequences of Organizational Commitment
Authors: DeCotiis Thomas A. , Summers Timothy P.
Published: August 2005

An attitudinal model of organizational commitment was tested using a sample of 367 managerial employees. Several aspects of the organization: perceived structure, process, and climate, as well as job satisfaction were found to be predictive of commitment. Job satisfaction and commitment were found to be equally predictive of voluntary turnover. Commitment was found to be predictive of individual motivation and objective job performance, but not of supervisors' ratings of job performance.
Employee Reactions to Disciplinary Action
Authors: Greer Charles R. , Labig Chalmer E.
Published: August 2005

While the use of disciplinary actions in the workplace is common, few studies have investigated employee reactions to these actions. Using survey data collected from 177 firefighters, associations between various aspects of meting out discipline and employee reactions are examined in an exploratory study. Results reveal that the pleasantness with which disciplinary action is administered appears to be the most important factor in lessening discipline's potential for generating emotional reactions and deterioration of supervisor/subordinate relationships. In addition, perceived appropriateness of discipline is related to the degree to which prior relations were positive, accuracy of supervisor's diagnosis of the situation, and presentation of a reason for discipline. Cessation of targeted behaviors was least explained by the variables of the study suggesting that the factors that account for effective behavior change through disciplinary action are in need of identification.
The Psychodynamics of Regression in Work Groups
Authors: Diamond Michael A. , Allcorn Seth
Published: August 2005

Individual regression in groups stems from anxiety arising from each individual's attempt to construct a psychodynamic equilibrium between one's demands for adequate self-identity (individuality that is not a threat to other group members) and group membership (affiliation that is not a threat to one's identity). The dilemma of reconciling needs for individuality and group membership provokes annihilation anxiety in which one resorts to regressive action in order to protect one's self from anxiety associated with uncertain object-relations, annihilation and feelings of persecution, and loss of affiliation. As a result, group cultures often are characterized by unconscious actions and shared fantasies stemming from the sum of individual regressed and primitive coping defenses. Individual regression and other primitive defensive actions are observable at the group level of analysis, and lend themselves to description as a group culture. The psychodynamics of individual and group regression with four work-group typologies is illustrated. Each typology represents a predominant coping pattern observed in groups as members attempt to contain their basic anxiety.
Depersonalization: A Valid Dimension of Burnout?
Authors: Garden Anna-Maria
Published: August 2005

A major underlying assumption in burnout research is that burnout is a phenomenon to be found primarily in the human services professions. The focus of this study is the effect this assumption has had on conventional definitions of burnout. The generalizability of the concept of depersonalization, frequently cited as a part of burnout, is tested in a nonhuman services occupation. In addition, the study controls for the effect of Jungian psychological type, since one particular Jungian type is overrepresented in the human services. It was found that depersonalization was not a salient construct in this occupational setting. Further, the construct was not the unidimensional one said to exist in the human services. It was also found to be type-specific. Negative reactions to other people were associated with the burnout measure only for that Jungian type which predominates in the human services. Another Jungian type, which is underrepresented in that occupational arena, reacted with a greater degree of personalization. The concept of depersonalization may, therefore, not only not be applicable across all situations but not applicable across all individuals.
Alternative Ethics: The Relationship between the Wealth, Welfare, Work, and Leisure Ethic
Authors: Furnhaml Adrian , Rose Maria
Published: August 2005

This study attempted to devise and evaluate four belief systems regarding how people acquire their money and spend their time: the Protestant Work Ethic (P WE) which emphasizes the positive feature of work, the leisure ethic which sees recreation rather than work as the main means to personalfulfillment, the wealth ethic which stresses the accumulation of wealth to ensure independence from others and work, and the welfare ethic which is based on the idea that one should exploit state benefits as a primary source of income. As predicted, the PWE was significantly negatively correlated with the leisure and welfare ethic which were themselves positively correlated. The wealth ethic was significantly correlated with the leisure ethic. Correlations between subscale scores derived from factor analysis and other related measures showed an interesting and predicted pattern of work-related beliefs. Results are discussed in terms of developing and testing belief systems associated with the PWE.
Team Sports Models as a Generic Organizational Framework
Authors: Keidell Robert W.
Published: August 2005

This paper identifies theoretical parallels between Keidel's triadic sports-model framework and several other constructs from the literatures on organization, strategy/planning, structure, and style/culture. It is argued that the sports models as a set offer a potentially unifying conceptual framework, because these models embody generic patterns of part. part and part:whole relations. Three possible relations among triadic elements are identified and found to be reflected in the sports-model framework. Research implications of this framework are discussed.
A Paradoxical Conception of Group Dynamics
Authors: Smith Kenwyn K. , Berg David N.
Published: August 2005

Most of the research literature on group dynamics has either ignored the subject of within-group conflict or sought ways to "resolve" it as a consequence of its seemingly dysfunctional effects. We argue that there are many processes experienced as conflictual because of the models members use for understanding and managing actions, feelings, and thoughts that are in "apparent opposition." We contend that by understanding the paradoxical nature of these group processes many of the conflicts associated with these "apparent contradictions" are "released" and, hence, not in need of "resolving" because they are experienced as essential to group life, rather than extraneous. Underlying theory about the paradoxical nature of group experiences is expounded, and seven group dynamics are examined using a paradoxical epistemology. These are the paradoxes of identity, disclosure, trust, individuality, authority, regression, and creativity.
Management Success as a Function of Performance on Specialized Cognitive Tests
Authors: Gordon Harold W. , Charns Martin P. , Sherman Eileen
Published: August 2005

The importance of specialized cognitive function attributed to the right or left cerebral hemispheres is demonstrated for performance of management level jobs. The results are a first step to validate the often-repeated notion that managers should have good right hemisphere skills to manage effectively, especially for complex jobs. This series of studies employs a valid measure of cognitive function attributed to the hemispheres of the brain and a recently-developed technique for the analysis of work. The results suggest that specialized cognitive function interacts with job complexity and magnitude to predict performance ratings.
Predictors of the Effectiveness of Supervisory Social Power
Authors: Abdalla Ikhlas A. H.
Published: August 2005

The objectives of this research are: (1) to examine the relative importance of ten superior's, subordinate's, and situational attributes as determinants of the effectiveness of six supervisory bases of social power in the Arabian Gulf region, and (2) to extend the validity of previous research findings regarding the determinants of supervisory social power. Data were collected from 255 middle management Arab personnel from a wide variety of organizations in the State of Kuwait. Results obtainedfrom factor analysis indicate that three processes of influence are available to the superiors of middle managers: reward-punishment, position-organization, and expert-referent processes of influence. The internalization-influence process identified by Kelman (1958) was not obtained largely due to cultural influences. In addition, multiple regression results indicate that the educational level of the subordinate has dominating negative effect on the three influence processes. Most of the other determinants have significant relationships with one or two influence processes, but several of these relationships are not in the expected direction. Implications of the findings for the exercise of power in the Arabian Gulf region's organizations are discussed.
Sex-Role Salience: An Important Component in the Measurement of Sex-Role Identity
Authors: Ravinder Shashi
Published: August 2005

This study describes the development of a new instrument of sex-role identity, the Ravinder Sex Role Salience Reptest (2RS Reptest). The 2RS Reptest is based on Kelly's Personal Construct Theory and recent advances in sex-role development models. In particular, this instrument incorporates the notion of sex-role salience, and makes it possible to characterize an individual as masculine, feminine, androgynous, or sex-role transcendent. The findings revealed support for the validity of the measure and illustrated the utility of using such an instrument for the measurement of sex-role identity.