bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Yet Another Agenda for Law and Order: British Criminal Justice Policy and the Conservatives
Authors: Savage Stephen P. , Nash Mike
Published: March 2007

The British government has recently launched a new package of legislation for criminal justice, one that is widely regarded as marking a return to traditional right-wing strategies of increased police powers and harsher punishments for offenders. This paper examines that development against the backcloth of Conservative policy for law and order as it has developed since the Conservative government came into office in 1979. It concludes that it is now possible to identify three clear phases in criminal justice policy under the Conservatives, each linked to wider political objectives. The effect of such policy shifts has been to destabilize the criminal justice system and to subordinate criminal justice policy to political expediency.
The Federal Penitentiary Service of Argentina
Authors: Bouley Eugene E.
Published: March 2007

This paper describes the organization, components, missions, and goals of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Argentina. The Federal Penitentiary Service provides for the custody of all prisoners who are under the jurisdiction of federal courts, provincial prisoners who are sentenced to more than five years imprisonment, and provincial prisoners for whom the province cannot provide adequate facilities. Argentine federal prisoners are predominantly young, male, urban, less educated, and blue-collar. A majority of the prisoners are first offenders and a very large majority are in pretrial confinement. Most pretrial prisoners are released without further judicial action.
Progress and Problems in the Prison Systems of Central and Eastern Europe
Authors: Walmsley Roy
Published: March 2007

After the major political changes that took place in 1989-1991, the countries of central and eastern Europe have made reform of the criminal justice system a priority requirement in the progress towards democratic institutions. This paper focuses on developments in the prison systems and describes the progress made and the problems faced in implementing the international standards for the management of prisons and the treatment of prisoners, in particular the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners and the European Prison Rules. There is much variation between the countries of the region but there has been enormous progress in developing these prison systems in accordance with international standards and best practice. However, many serious problems remain, including overcrowding, the poor state of prison buildings, the conditions of pretrial detention, the limited resources available to operate the systems, delays in passing new legislation, the recruitment and retention of good quality staff, problems of ensuring positive staff attitudes and of finding employment for prisoners, and, in many countries, the problems of tuberculosis and its treatment. The paper concludes with suggestions for actions that need to be taken at the national level (by the governments concerned and their prison administrations) and at the international level in cooperation with others.
Delegation and Organizational Structure in Small Businesses
Authors: Johnston Michelle A.
Published: March 2007

Two studies examined the influences of small business managers’ social expectations of others in close, nonbusiness relationships (attachment patterns) on their relationships with employees, tendencies toward delegation, and businesses’ organizational structures. Attachment patterns were predictive of a managers’expectations of others in business settings and the way in which they chose to structure decision-making authority in the organizations. Managers who were secure in their close relationships (e.g., with spouse, with parents) were more likely to have decentralized organizations. Managers who preferred to maintain distance in close relationships had largely centralized organizations. Those managers who found it difficult to get as close to others as they would like had ineffective patterns of delegation.
Self-Limiting Behavior in Women
Authors: Dickerson Amy , Taylor Mary Anne
Published: March 2007

Research suggests that some women may be reluctant to pursue certain tasks because they lack confidence in their ability to succeed. This study was an exploration of the basis of this type of self-limiting behavior. Global self-esteem and task-specific self-efficacy were used as predictors of task choice and task preference. Results suggested that task-specific self-efficacy was a stronger predictor of whether a woman would choose a leadership task rather than a group-member task. In addition, task-specific self-efficacy predicted the strength of the woman’s preference for the group-member task. The implications of this finding and recommendations for shifting task-specific self-efficacy for leadership roles are discussed.
To Do or Not to Do? Noncooperative Behavior by Commission and Omission in Interfirm Ventures
Authors: Ariño Africa
Published: March 2007

This article contributes to researchers’ understanding of interfirm collaboration by examining the interpartner relationship in terms of cooperative behavior. In particular, this article focuses on the effect that a firm’s perception of its partner’s behavior has on the firm’s own behavior. Noncooperative behavior is distinguished by omission and by commission. By analyzing questionnaire data from a sample of 81 companies, it is shown that a firm’s perception of its partner’s behavior has a stronger association with the firm’s own behavior when the partner is perceived to behave noncooperatively by commission than by omission.
Group Methods in Training Paralegals for The Los Angeles City Attorney's Office
Authors: Biggs Barbara E. , Funk John C.
Published: March 2007

Group methods have been used successfully in a program to train paralegals as hearing officers in misdemeanor matters for the city attorney of Los Angeles. During training, the future officers (1) defined and experimented with their new roles, (2) became more aware of the intra- and inter-personal levels of process during a hearing, (3) learned to listen carefully, hear accurately, and communicate clearly, and (4) acquired enough legal information to perform competently on the job. During the first six months after training, these officers were able to divert 7,965 cases from the courts. It is estimated that they will save the city at least $125,000 per year.
Growth Groups and the Personal Orientation Inventory
Authors: Ritter Kathleen Y.
Published: March 2007

The Personal Orientation Inventory (POI) is frequently used to measure changes that have occurred in participants as a result of an encounter- or growth-group experience. The positive results from many studies led this author to attempt to explain possible reasons why some of the groups she has facilitated have failed to demonstrate significant gains as reflected on the POI. The nine groups discussed were held at three different edu cational institutions; the participants were students in master's degree programs in counseling. The pseudo-self-actualizing tendency of counsel ing students is explored, and rationale is presented as to why the POI should be used with other instruments-if it is used at all-to measure group change in this population.
The Effect of Personal Growth and Assertive Training Classes on Female Sex-Role Self-Concept
Authors: Wheelan Susan A.
Published: March 2007

This study investigated the effect of personal growth and assertive train ing classes on the sex-role self-concept of 116 women enrolled in personal growth classes and seventy women enrolled in assertive training. All classes met for ten weeks. During the first session, subjects were asked to supply demographic information; during the first and ninth sessions, they completed the Bem Sex-Role Inventory. A significant difference (t (69) = 3.021, p < .01) was noted from pre- to post-test for subjects in assertive training. The subjects increased their acceptance of masculine charac teristics. No significant differences were noted from pre- to post-test for subjects in personal growth (t (115) = 1.79). It was concluded that per sonal growth and assertive training may be effective approaches. How ever, their impact on female sex-role self-concept is different. Choice of classes should be dependent on the needs of clients and their goals.
A Method for Coping with Conflict in Problem-Solving Groups
Authors: Likert Rensis , Likert Jane Gibson
Published: March 2007

The problem-solving method that is most often used in problem-solving groups is likely to create relationships among the members of the group that will lead to a win-lose solution. Some members will like the solution; others will be unhappy with it. When an additional step is added, the probability of the group reaching a win-win solution is greatly increased. This step is the listing of the conditions that the group members feel a solution must meet for it to be acceptable to them. This listing of essential conditions should occur after the problem is stated and before the group searches for possible solutions. This step decreases the probability that members will remain emotionally involved with particular solutions. It depersonalizes the problem-solving process and increases the likelihood that the final solution will be win-win and acceptable to all.
Assessing Organizational Change Approaches: Toward a Comparative Typology
Authors: Hellriegel Don , Slocum John W.
Published: March 2007

Eleven organizational change approaches were reviewed and analyzed in terms of the impact they have on major system variables in organizations, the type of change agent most likely to utilize each approach, and the relative affective, cognitive, and trusting behaviors required by the client system for the successful implementation of each approach. Different approaches are linked to different change-agent styles and needs of the client system.
Informal Helping Relations in Organizations: A Cross-Cultural Comparison
Authors: Etzion Dalia , Adler Seymour , Zeira Yoram
Published: March 2007

This study explores the nature of informal helping processes in Israeli organizations. Results are compatible with earlier findings on informal helping relations in North American organizations, although certain dif ferences between the two studies are noted. Informal help as described by Israeli and North American respondents is closely tied to formal organi zational structures and processes. Israeli managers perceived the helping interactions in their organizations to be more active and directive than did the American managers in the American organizations. Implications of and possible dysfunctions caused by training programs designed to improve informal helping are discussed, and considerations for defining informal help are suggested.
Organizational Consultants, Conspirators, and Colonizers
Authors: Woodworth Warner
Published: March 2007

An argument is made that the discipline of organization development needs to be scrutinized from a critical perspective. Thus, a series of value-laden objections to mainstream consulting practices and organizational theory are raised: consultants function as the servants of those in power, technical assistance often breeds further dependence on outside expertise, neutrality serves as a cloak for subtle partisanship, and the field suffers from an overemphasis on emotionality rather than structure and macrorelationships. Underlying this critique is a plea for the legitimacy of advocacy intervention and a recognition of the political and economic context within which the practationer operates.
Progress in Organization Development Research
Authors: Roberts Nancy C. , Porras Jerry I.
Published: March 2007

Despite the frequent criticisms of OD in the behavioral science literature, there are four major areas ofprogress in OD: progress in operationalizing the concept of change; progress in improving measurement processes and procedures; and progress in designing statistical procedures used to analyze OD intervention data. The authors are encouraged by recent developments in OD research which point to a more solid base on which to build OD practice and theory.
Situational Constraints and Employee Affective Reactions: A Partial Field Replication
Authors: O'Connor Edward J. , Peters Lawrence H. , Rudolf Cathy J. , Pooyan Abdullah
Published: March 2007

Results from prior laboratory investigations have shown that when inhibit ing situational constraints are present on a job, workers' performance is lower and they report experiencing greater frustration and less satisfaction with their jobs. The present research was undertaken in order to replicate, within a field setting, a portion of previous findings dealing with these negative impacts of situational constraints. In the current study, the presence of inhibiting constraints was found to be associated with higher employee frustra tion and lower satisfaction scores. Results were generalized across numerous managerial and nonmanagerial jobs located throughout a diversity of organiza tions. Implications for future research and practice are discussed .
Groupthink: Hypothesis in Need of Testing
Authors: Moorhead Gregory
Published: March 2007

This article reviews the major tenets of the groupthink hypothesis of Irving Janis, as well as the research on which it is based. In addition, previous research on group dynamics related to groupthink is briefly reviewed and compared to groupthink propositions. Finally, guidelinesfor research to test the propositions of groupthink are proposed.
Strategies for Implementing Change: An Experiential Approach
Authors: Armstrong J. Scott
Published: March 2007

An attitude survey and a role-playing case were used to identify the typical approaches people use to implement important changes in organixations. This typical strategy, suggested or used by over 90% of the subjects, was not successful in producing change in any of thefourteen role-playing trials. However, with ten minutes of instruction in the "Delta Technique," 86% of the subjects were suc cessful in introducing change in another fourteen role-playing trials. The "Delta Technique" consists of simple rules drawn from half a century of research.
Group Interactional Processes: Individual and Group Level Effects
Authors: Mossholder Kevin W. , Bedeian Arthur G.
Published: March 2007

Though it is generally held that groups can influence individual behavior and affective responses, the majority of group studies fail to test for such effects. Using data collected at an individual level to make inferences con cerning the effects of group level processes on individual behavior and atti tudes often results in unrecognized inaccuracies. Similarly, operation alizing group constructs through within-group aggregation of individual responses across groups for inferential purposes is also problematic. This article demonstrates a multilevel approach for examining the individual and group level influences of a social interaction variable on various indi vidual outcomes. In doing so, it illustrates a means for simultaneously considering micro and macro organizational phenomena.
The Shift in OD from Process to Product
Authors: Azzaretto John F.
Published: March 2007

Early concepts of OD where practitioners facilitated the change process have recently given way to expert consultants directing the change through purposeful planning and systematic methodolo gies. The focus ofmany contemporary OD efforts is on the methods, techniques, or intervention approaches used to bring about the de sired change. The shift in the approach used by OD consultants from facilitating the change process to purposefully directing indi vidual and organizational change has brought about confusion and trouble at the core of OD theory and practice. This article ar gues for the return to OD practice where the responsibility for initi ating and implementing change resides with the client organization or individual, not the expert consultant.
Problem-Solving Strategies: A Comparison by Problem-Solving Phases
Authors: Price Kenneth H.
Published: March 2007

In a laboratory experiment subjects worked on two case problems using one of five different strategies. The first problem required subjects to generate ideas to solve the problem (idea generation phase), whereas subjects were given a standardized set of alterna tives to solve the second case and asked to select the best alterna tives (idea evaluation phase). Results suggested that the more the problem-solving strategy approached one of an individual work ing alone, the greater the number of "good" ideas generated. In idea evaluation, the interactive strategies did not differ from each other in terms of decision quality. Group performance was inferior to the best individual working alone and approximated the level of the average individual working alone. Reasons for process losses were discussed.
Quality of Work Life and the Small Organization: A Four-Year Case Study
Authors: Sørensen Peter F. , Head Thomas C. , Stotz Dick
Published: March 2007

This article reports on a successful four-year Quality of Work Life program undertaken at a small suburban community service or ganization. The process included survey feedback, Likert's three variable model, as well as a quasi-experimental design for evalua tion. Conclusions include observations on QWL in general as well as implications for the small business.
Reactance in Closed Groups: The Effect of Belief in Powerful Others
Authors: Reardon Richard , Rosen Sidney , Bryant LeAnne Dickey
Published: March 2007

This study was designed to test the assumption that the number of sources persuasion technique, because of its implicit social pres sure properties, can induce reactance in some subjects in small closed groups. It was predicted that these subjects could be identi fied with a locus of control instrument. Female subjects, in six- person mock juries, were given the Levenson (1974) Locus of Control Scale, and then read the transcript of a trial of a man ac cused of attempted manslaughter. Later, subjects received bogus feedback about the information considered important by others in a mock message-exchange "deliberation." They were led to believe that the information came from one other juror or from each other juror. Results showed that a strong belief in powerful others led to greater influence with five sources than one source; lack of such a belief led to the opposite pattern, consistent with a reactance re sponse. Corroborative evidence was found in the selective attention revealed in subjects' cognitive generation activity.
Sex Differences in Career Progression Strategies Preferred by University Faculty
Authors: Lewis Kathryn E. , Bierly Margaret M.
Published: March 2007

A dramatic change in U. S. business in the last decade has been the advancement of women into the upper echelons of the corporate hierarchy. Although sex differences in "tactics" or "strategies" used for career advancement in business organizations have been investi gated, this work has not been extended to academic organizations. The 586 full-time teaching faculty at a California State University were surveyed regarding importance assigned to characteristics and behaviors associated with career advancement. Sex differences were found on 1 of the 12 faculty characteristics. Men report placing more importance on the desire for challenge than women. Sex differences were found on 3 of the 12 faculty behaviors. Men report that they more frequently give top priority to their job and engage in research or scholarly activity more often than women. Women report that they more frequently "dress professionally. " Post hoc sex by tenure comparisons found that tenured men report they engage more frequently in research or scholarly activity than do tenured women. None of the remaining five post hoc comparisons showed significant differences.
The Role of Identification in Mentoring Female Protégées
Authors: Bowen Donald D.
Published: March 2007

It is widely accepted that young women have few opportunities to receive effective mentoring, because: (1) few females occupy executive positions; and (2) women cannot identify with males. Results presented here do not support these assumptions. Effectiveness appears to be determined by functions performed, not sex or identification.
Role Profiles for Managers in Different Functional Areas
Authors: Paolillo Joseph G.P.
Published: March 2007

This study systematically assessed the various roles essential to managers in different functional areas of organizations. A sample of 352 production, sales, and staff managers from both large and small organizations in a variety of industries was asked to rate the various roles required by their positions. The analysis of variance results indicates that 6 of the 10 roles are influenced by functional area. A quadratic discriminant analysis was utilized to identify a role profile for managers in the different functional areas. Implications for management development are discussed.
Managerial Values Across Functions
Authors: Posner Barry Z. , Randolph W.Alan , Schmidt Warren H.
Published: March 2007

This study examined how organizational difficulties might be traced to differences in managerial values across functions. Managers in personnel, marketing, finance, and manufacturing were surveyed regarding their values. Several significant differences were found that could relate to organizational problems, but there were also numerous similarities on which to bridge these differences.
The Politics of Pay
Authors: Benson Philip G. , Hornsby Jeffrey S.
Published: March 2007

Forty-four job evaluators, selected from eight different job evaluation teams, were asked to complete a survey describing their perceptions of various interpersonal influence tactics as applied to the group dynamics of job evaluation committees. In addition, measures were obtained for gender, self-esteem, need for dominance, and need for affiliation, for each job evaluator. Multiple regressions indicated a number of significant relationships between individual-difference variables and the self- reported use of interpersonal influence strategies in job evaluation committees. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for the group dynamics involved within job evaluation committees.
Behavioral Norms and Expectations
Authors: Cooke Robert A. , Rousseau Denise M.
Published: March 2007

Organizational culture—the shared beliefs and values guiding the thinking and behavioral styles of members—traditionally has been assessed by qualitative methods. However, quantitative approaches such as culture surveys offer important advantages for both cross-sectional organizational research and data-based cultural change programs. The Organizational Culture Inventory, an instrument designed for such uses, profiles the culture of organizations and their subunits in terms of behavioral norms and expectations. Following a review of concepts relevant to culture (e.g., dominant cultures, subcultures, cultural direction, and intensity), this article presents the theoretical framework underlying the culture inventory. Data provided by members of diverse organizations are used to show that there is agreement within organizations, and significant differences across organizations, with respect to the norms and expectations measured by the inventory. At the same time, subcultural differences within organizations are shown to occur across hierarchical levels. Supplementary data on preferred norms indicate that members of different organizations agree that the ideal cultures for their firms would promote achievement-oriented, affiliative, humanistic, and self-actualizing thinking and behavioral styles. The implications of these findings are discussed for the use of the Organizational Culture Inventory in the context of research and change programs.
Cooperative and Competitive Interdependence
Authors: Tjosvold Dean
Published: March 2007

Collaboration between departments is often needed to deliver high quality services to customers. Results of interviewing 27 managers from an engineering consulting firm and 43 employees of a utility company using the critical incident method- indicate that experimental findings on cooperation and competition generalize to organizational settings. Employees who believed their goals were cooperative interacted effectively, made progress on the task, and strengthened their work relationships. Employees also used the organization's tasks, rewards, and values to conclude that their goals were cooperative or competitive. Results identify major dimensions of interaction between departments and specify consequences of effective and ineffective collaboration between departments.
Relationship of Transformational and Transactional Leadership with Employee Influencing Strategies
Authors: Deluga Ronald J.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of the study was to compare manager-employee influencing dynamics within the framework of transformational and transactional leadership theory. A total of 117 employees of a manufacturing firm anonymously completed the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire-Form 5 (Bass, 1985a) and the Profile of Organizational Influence Strategies-Form M (Kipnis & Schmidt, 1982). Multiple regression analyses supported the predictions that (1) perceived transactional leadership would be more strongly inversely related to reported employee upward influencing behavior than transformational leadership, and (2) transformational leadership would be more closely associated with leader effectiveness and employee satisfaction with the leader than transactional leadership. Results are examined in terms of the apparent volatile nature of transactional leadership-employee influ encing systems. Transformational leadership-employee influencing interactions are viewed as more effective in promoting organizational productivity. The practical implications of these findings are also discussed.
Promise and Prospects
Authors: Bedeian Arthur G. , Armenakis Achilles A.
Published: March 2007

Building on Tennis's comments, the authors identify various factors that must be considered in order to put the development and application of the alpha, beta, gamma change typology in perspective. In doing so, they argue that the change typology's birth and growth shows a strong similarity to that of "normal science." After commenting on the small number of investigators involved in research on the change typology and the limited set of outlets in which this research has been published, the authors address the question of what needs to be done to accelerate the advancement of the typology and its acceptance by consultants and practitioners.
Pat on the Back Versus Kick in the Pants
Authors: Korukonda Appa Rao , Hunt James G.
Published: March 2007

This laboratory study developed a leader categorization model to provide an application of cognitive inference to understanding the impact of leader reward and punishment behaviors. In addition to traditional leader contingent and noncontingent reward and punishment behaviors, the study divided noncontingent rewards and punishment behav iors into discretionary and required. It was found that whereas both contingent and noncontingent rewards aroused feelings of positive affect toward the leader, it took contingent punishment to result in a significantly higher improvement in production between the first and second production periods. Practitioner implications of these findings are discussed.
"I Don't Care What They Say, as Long as They Spell My Name Right"
Authors: Kydd Christine T. , Ogilvie John R. , Slade L. Allen
Published: March 2007

Managers receive numerous signals from their organizations regarding future career possibilities. Such signals can be interpreted in a variety of ways and can have important implications for future behavior on the job. In a field experiment, four organizational signals were presented to 157 middle-level managers in Fortune 500 companies. The effects of those signals on perceptions of reputation and the subsequent effect of reputation on turnover intentions were examined. Results of repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance indicated that both signal characteristics examined, the sign and level of publicity of the signal, as well as their interaction, had significant effects on perceived internal and external reputation. Multiple regression analyses found that perceptions of external reputation were significantly associated with an increased probability of search and probability of leaving, but not with intentions to leave the present organization. Implications for organizations concerning the communication of feedback to managers are discussed.
The Mediator as Leader
Authors: Ross William H. , Conlon Donald E. , Lind E. Allan
Published: March 2007

This study investigated the effects of different mediator behavioral styles and disputant knowledge regarding negotiation deadline on bargaining behavior. A 2 x 2 factorial design varied mediator behavioral style (task-oriented versus person-oriented) and deadline certainty (certain versus uncertain) in a simulated laboratory dispute. Disputants with task-oriented mediators made larger initial offers and reached settlement more rapidly under uncertain-deadline rather than certain-deadline conditions. Subjects with person-oriented mediators did not differ significantly in the size of their initial offers or speed of settlement across deadline condition. Similar interactions emerged for a number of attitudinal measures. The results suggest that person-oriented mediators are effective regardless of deadline uncertainty, while the effectiveness of task-oriented mediators is contingent on the ambiguity inherent in the dispute. Implications of the results for procedural and distributive justice theory and research are also discussed.
Career Commitment
Authors: Colarelli Stephen M. , Bishop Ronald C.
Published: March 2007

Because of the longitudinal nature of careers, career commitment would seem to be important for career development and progression. Yet it has received little attention in the career literature. This article addresses the role of career commitment in career development and examines some personal and situational correlates of career commitment. The sample includes both managerial ( n = 341) and professional ( n = 85) employees. Among the variables examined, one of the strongest correlates of career commitment was having a mentor. Practical implications are discussed, including those for mentoring and organizational career development programs.
The Emergence, Transmission, and Acceptance of Themes in a Temporary System of Interacting Groups
Authors: Wheelan Susan A. , Krasick Carole L.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of the descriptive research presented in this article was to investigate the process of these emergence, transmission, and acceptance in a system of interacting groups. Twenty-five sessions of a group relations conference were audiotaped and transcribed, and a content analysis was performed on the final sessions to determine the themes that had gained acceptance during the conference. The identified themes were competition, acceptance-ejection, anger, differences-labels, and seduction. These themes were traced through all 25 sessions to determine when they emerged and how they were transmitted from group to group. Themes did not emerge randomly, nor were they initiated or transmitted by influential members or leaders. There are similar patterns of emergence and transmission within similar group types, across group types, and within the system as a whole. Although some variation does exist, there are discernible patters, and these patterns resemble those describe in the literature on group development.
Work Group Performance Measurement and Feedback
Authors: Jones Steven D. , Buerkle Michelle , Hall Ann , Rupp Lisa , Maut Georg
Published: March 2007

A comprehensive performance measurement system was developed for two departments of a small retail corporation. The measurement system measured key dimensions of performance and integrated multiple measures into a composite index using a ProMES (productivity measurement and evaluation system) methodology. Subsequent to development, the measurement system was used in one of the departments as a monthly feedback system. A significant improvement in overall performance occurred in the department receiving feedback, whereas no improvement was found in a comparison department that did not receive feedback. In addition to the effects of feedback, a process methodology was used to assess users' reactions to the measurement system. Qualitative analysis procedures indicated that their reactions were slightly positive, although many suggestions for improvements were offered. Changes to the measurement system were made as a result of the suggestions.
Gender Stereotyping of the Managerial Role among Students in Canada and the United States
Authors: Norris Jeanne M. , Wylie Anne M.
Published: March 2007

Previous studies cite sex role stereotyping as a potential cause of discrimination and a barrier to women's movement into managerial ranks. This study explores the impact of mother's education and employment history on the pattern of sex role stereotyping by both male and female college and university students in Canada and the United States. No significant differences are found between national samples. Regardless of mother's background, male college students characterize the managerial job in distinctly masculine terms whereas female students do not.
Employee Responses to Performance Feedback from the Task
Authors: Renn Robert W. , Prien Kristin O.
Published: March 2007

A large body of research has examined the effects of feedback on work attitudes and behaviors. However, the role of individual differences in feedback-response relations has not been as thoroughly examined. In this field study, the moderating effects of global self-esteem (SE) on the relationship between performance feedback from the task and several work attitudes and behaviors were examined. As predicted, SE interacted with the frequency of performance feedback from the task to account for significant amounts of additional variance in job performance, general job satisfaction, absenteeism, and job search intentions. Specifically, low SEs had lower performance, absenteeism, and job search intentions than high SEs in relation to frequent performance feedback from the task. High SEs reported greater job satisfaction than low SEs in response to frequent task-derived performance feedback. The discussion centers on the implications the findings have for future research and for human resource management.
Attributional Effects of Equal Employment Opportunity
Authors: Larwood Laurie
Published: March 2007

The Americans With Disabilities and Rehabilitation Acts extend equal employment opportunity to categories that include those of individuals with seemingly self-inflicted and voluntary disabilities. This article applies attribution theory to examine a number of theoretical and practical issues, which indicate that inclusion of self-selected or achieved role groups may result in a compliance backlash harmful to equal employment opportunity. A pilot study supports the conclusion that individuals seen as causing their own problems are viewed as less desirable employees. The article suggests need for caution in extending EEO coverage and offers guides for program success. Implications are also discussed for development of a managerially-based social contract theory.
Top Management Team Tenure and Top Manager Causal Attributions at Declining Firms Attempting Turnarounds
Authors: Barker Vincent L. , Patterson Paul W.
Published: March 2007

Do members of long-tenured top management teams perceive organizational problems differently than members of shorter-tenured teams? We examined this question using the reasons that chief executive officers and other top managers at firms attempting turnarounds offered for their firms' performance declines. Drawing insights from social psychology and the literature on organizational decline and turnaround, we predicted that top managers who were members of management teams where many top executives had been replaced would be more likely to attribute performance problems to causes that were internal to the firm, stable, and controllable than top managers from longer-tenured teams. The results confirmed our predictions and suggest that the composition of the top management team, which can be altered through the replacement of executives, is strongly associated with the perception of problems at firms attempting to recover from firm-threatening performance declines.
Dealing with Scarce Resources
Authors: Tjosvold Dean , Poon Margaret
Published: March 2007

Organizational power ad politics researchers contend that the conflicts over scare resources intensify competition and conflict but can be useful for an effective distribution of resources. A total of 59 mars with budget responsibilities from both expanding and retrenching organizations were interviewed on specific budget conflicts. Consistent the power perspective. these conflicts could be productive. Open-minded discussion of opposing views contributed to making these conflicts useful for productivity, relationship development, and unity. In contrast with organizational power theorizing, cooperative goals, not competition, shaped the productive management of conflicts over scarce resources.
Wrongful Firing in Violation of Public Policy
Authors: Baucus Melissa S. , Dworkin Terry Morehead
Published: March 2007

Wrongful firings in violation of public Policy have received inadequate attention from managers and researchers. Such firings involve ethical issues, including employees for refusing to engage in wrongdoing, reporting organizational wrongdoing, or exercising a legal right or duty. We develop a model of the wrongful firing in violation of public policy process, based on our qualitative analysis of 63 legal cases. The model specifies that these firings arise when managers confuse an organizational problem with the employee who raises the issue. Management either fires the employee immediately or labels the employee a “deviant,” often harassing or pressuring the employee to conform and then firing the employee when he or she does not comply. We outline ways researchers can test and extend our model, and we offer specific recommendations for managers interested in preventing firings in violation of public policy
Stigmatization Revisited
Authors: Gilbert Jacqueline A. , Stead Bette Ann
Published: March 2007

This research examined whether diversity management provides a perception of enhanced employee qualifications and competence. In the first experiment, a sample of 179 undergraduate business students at two universities answered questions after viewing a recruitment bulletin, a job description, and an application. There was a significant difference in perceptions between female and male job types (lab technician and electrician) and in perceptions of qualified candidates according to job type. Women hired under diversity management were viewed as more qualified than were affirmative action hires when applying for a perceived male job type. A total of 220 undergraduate business students participated in a second experiment designed to illuminate differences between diversity management and affirmative action for racial groups. Racial minorities hired under diversity management were viewed more positively than were those hired under affirmative action. Diversity management is seen as a successful strategy for employing women and racial minorities.
Ecological Robotics
Authors: Duchon Andrew P. , Kaelbling Leslie Pack , Warren William H.
Published: March 2007

There are striking parallels between ecological psychology and the new trends in robotics and computer vision, particularly regarding how agents interact with the environment. We present some ideas from ecological psychology, including control laws using optic flow, affordances, and action modes, and describe our implementation of these concepts in two mobile robots that can avoid obstacles and chase or flee moving targets solely by using optic flow. The properties of these methods were explored further in simulation. This work ties in with that of others who argue for a methodological approach in robotics that forgoes a central model or planner. Not only might ecological psychology contribute to robotics, but robotic implementations might, in turn, provide a test bed for ecological principles and a source of ideas that could be tested in animals and humans.
An Intelligent Design for Manufacturability System for Sheet-metal Parts
Authors: de Sam Lazaro Anthony , Engquist David T. , Edwards Dean B.
Published: March 2007

A knowledge-based system used for the design of sheet-metal parts is described in this paper. The system is called Sheet Metal Advisor and Rule Tutor (SMAART) and acts as an advisor to engineers designing sheet-metal parts for high volume—low cost production using progressive dies. SMAART uses a commercial object-oriented development environment and has been designed to interface with different CAD systems. It also integrates a feature-based CAD module. When SMAART discovers the violation of a design rule, the engineer is alerted via an advisory window and then has the opportunity to change that part of the design to improve its manufacturability.
Avoiding Conflicts in Architectural Subsystem Layout
Authors: Gross Mark D.
Published: March 2007

The paper describes an approach to avoiding interference conflicts in the layout of pipes, wires, ducts, and other building elements in a distributed design process Conflicts are avoided by dedicating spatial zones in the design (CAD) editors that have been programmed with the spatial constraints for their components When the subsystem designs are reintegrated, conflicts are limited to locations where the zones intersect, and solutions can be designed and provided in a library that is indexed by the intersecting zones.
iDCSS: Integrating Workflow, Conflict and Rationale-Based Concurrent Engineering Coordination Technologies
Authors: Klein Mark
Published: March 2007

Product development has increasingly become a cooperative endeavor that requires effective coordination in the face of highly com plex interdependencies exposed by distribution over participants, time and perspectives Distinct coordination support technologies have emerged for each of these kinds of distribution, but all face important limitations This paper presents an integrated model of concurrent engineer ing coordination that synergistically combines existing coordination approaches in a way that avoids many of their individual limitations and com bines their strengths An initial implementation of this model is presented and challenges for future evolution of this technology are identrfied
A Study of Work Flow Model and Its Application to Concurrent Engineering
Authors: Masui Hisayuki , Udagawa Yosihisa
Published: March 2007

Since CAD objects are frequently changed or added to in concurrent engineering, the following items are necessary
Multiagent Knowledge-Based Environment for Concurrent Engineering Applications
Authors: Sobolewski M.
Published: March 2007

The systematic integration of humans with the tools, resources, and information assets of an organization is fundamental to concurrent engineering (CE) In an integrated environment, all entities must first be connected, and they then must work cooperatively Services that support "concurrency"—through communication, team coordination, information sharing, and integration—in an interactive and formerly serial product development process provide the foundation for a CE environment Product developers working concurrently in their application domains need "built-in" tools and "operated-in" tools in a computer-aided CE environment The latter group of tools evolves over time and requires continuous extensions and changes since each next product development is either new or an improvement of the previous one Product developers need a CE programming environment in which they can build programs from other developed programs, built-in tools, and knowledge bases describ ing how to perform a complex design process In every system, some part handles details unique to each user In client/server systems, this is typically a client program In monolithic systems, some program modules maintain status information for each user and provide an interface to other system modules In a multiagent model, system components dedicated to individual users are agents acting on behalf of those users (roles) Multiagent systems distribute intelligence throughout the entire system allowing individual system objects to remain simple and interactions be tween objects is minimized through the use of agents, which adapt automatically to changes in components These are futures that are necessary in large flexible design and manufacturing systems This paper describes a type of system integration provided by means of a multiagent knowledge-based environment that encompasses programs, CAx tools, and knowledge bases The presented approach is illustrated by selected examples
Virtual Prototyping of Die Design Part Two: Algorithmic, Computational, and Practical Considerations
Authors: Wuerger David , Gadh Rajit
Published: March 2007

This paper presents the implementation of the algorithms used to compute the die-open directions for a near-net-shape manufac tured part described in "Virtual Prototyping of Die Design Part One. Theory and Formulation." In this approach, a set of concavity features is used to determine the die-open directions for a given part by first determining the convex hull of the geometry and then by performing a boolean subtraction between the convex hull of the part and the three-dimensional solid model of the original part geometry. This will pro vide the set of concavity features that restrict the possible die-open directions for the part. A set of possible die-open directions is deter mined for each concavity feature. The set of directions common to all concavity features is then determined to be the set of die-open direc tions for the part. The convex hull of a part (which is a convex part) has unrestricted draw, implying that a convex part can be oriented in any fashion inside a die. The algorithms for this approach, its computational analysis, and strengths and weaknesses of the implementation are discussed in this paper.
Designing Collaborative Work in IDEF0 Using Interface Model
Authors: Kumagai Satoshi , Itoh Kiyoshi
Published: March 2007

Practical experience shows that the IDEF0 notations form a comprehensive and complete set of definitions, but also that the work associated with an actual implementation of the methodology reveals some problematic aspects surrounding use of the ICOM nota tions. In this paper, the authors introduce an interface model that aims to solve problems associated with implementation of the IDEF0 methodology.
Optimization and Management of Concurrent Product Development Processes
Authors: Baake Uwe F. , Stratil Paul , Haussmann Dieter E.
Published: March 2007

As a result of the continually growing challenges of intense competition, new development process and technology innovations may shortly replace current structures in the product development and production process chain. The globalization of markets does not only create new business opportunities but also is challenged by new, worldwide competition. As a result, there is a need to reduce product de velopment times, to realize highly concurrent engineering processes and to integrate company-wide resources as well as local and global suppliers. Such processes require highly skilled experts, fast and stable procedures and lean and flexible organizations. This report illus trates the introduction of new methods and tools for engineering, allowing faster and higher integrated development and production pro cesses within an international environment. Experiences of the proposed methods will be briefly outlined in this approach that have already been proved in Europe and Southern America.