bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The numerical abilities of industrial trainee apprentices
Authors: HITCH G. J.
Published: August 2011

Three tests were devised to assess in some depth elementary numerical abilities in a sample of 95 industrial trainee apprentices many of whom had passed CSE mathematics. The tests covered basic aspects of a variety of topics, including arithmetic manipulation of natural numbers, decimals and fractions; approximation; magnitude; ratio; and percentage. The results supported the following general conclusions: (i) arithmetic with natural numbers was performed relatively well, but decimals and especially fractions were performed badly; (ii) there were elementary conceptual difficulties with decimals and fractions, which were compounded in the case of fractions by difficulties of selecting and applying special rules during manipulation; (iii) proficiency in natural number arithmetic was not strongly associated with ability in other basic skills; (iv) frequency of pocket calculator usage as assessed by questionnaire was not significantly related to performance in any of the tests. These results have implications for both the selection and training of school‐leavers. It is also suggested that the tests themselves may be useful for the assessment and diagnosis of basic numeracy.
Prediction of officer retention prior to commissioning*
Authors: BUTLER RICHARD P. , BRIDGES CLAUDE F.
Published: August 2011

Improved selection techniques may help the all‐volunteer Army to diminish a problem of retaining qualified personnel after their initial tour of duty. This report describes and validates the Military Career Commitment Gradient (MCCOG), an instrument designed to predict, prior to actual commissioning, whether an individual will remain on active duty after his initial tour. Shortly before commissioning, two consecutive classes of seniors at the US Military Academy were given the MCCOG. Their scores had adjusted correlations of 0.54 and 0.39 with the criterion—on active duty versus not on active duty—seven years later. Potential uses of the MCCOG are discussed.
An evaluation of the Job Characteristics Model
Authors: WALL TOBY D. , CLEGG CHRIS W. , JACKSON PAUL R.
Published: August 2011

This study explored the validity of the Job Characteristics Model within a job redesign context. The findings upon which the model is based (Hackman & Oldham, 1975) were closely replicated with an homogeneous group of shop‐floor employees. However, path analyses showed that the evidence, both for the present investigation and that reported by Hackman & Oldham, was not fully consistent with the model. The implications of the findings are discussed.
Correlates of individual perceptions of organizational climate
Authors: PAYNE ROY , MANSFIELD ROGER
Published: August 2011

The possible factors affecting the ways individuals perceive differently the climate of their employing organization are discussed, and the effects of three sets of possible determinants are examined empirically using data from a sample of 387 persons working at different levels in 14 organizations. The results tend to show that the perceptions of significant others may have greater influence than either variables reflecting the individual's position or objective indicators of organizational structure or context. However salary is found to be a better predictor than the literature would lead one to expect.
Decision‐making style as a function of occupational group, decision content and perceived importance
Authors: ARROBA TANYA Y.
Published: August 2011

Thirty‐five managers and 29 manual workers were asked to list 16 decisions which they had already made and to rate these for perceived degree of importance. The content of the decision, work related or personal, was noted. In subsequent interviews, details were obtained of the decision‐making behaviour used in 523 decisions, and these were assigned to a style category; ‘no thought’, ‘compliant’, ‘logical’, ‘emotional’, ‘intuitive’ or ‘hesitant’. Analysis of the four‐way contingency table showed that occupational group, content of the decision and perceived importance were each independently associated with decision‐making style. Occupational group was also related to the content of the decisions listed, and with use of the ‘no thought’ and ‘logical’ styles; content of the decision was related to use of the ‘logical’ and ‘emotional’ styles; and perceived importance was associated with use of the ‘emotional’, ‘intuitive’, ‘no thought’ and ‘logical’ styles.
Identifying sources of occupational stress among dentists
Authors: COOPER CARY L. , MALLINGER MARK , KAHN RICHARD
Published: August 2011

This study examined the sources of job stress among 150 dentists. It was found that the ‘dentist at risk’ tends to be older, somewhat anxious, and feels he is perceived as an ‘inflictor of pain’, with pressures from his work stemming from trying to sustain and build a practice, too little work, administrative difficulties and having to cope with difficult patients.
Some correlates of progressive farm behaviour
Authors: HUNDAL P. S. , SINGH SATVIR
Published: August 2011

The study was designed to determine motives and personality characteristics associated with differential rates of farm output. Three analyses were undertaken: (1) intergroup comparisons for the mean scores obtained after dichotomizing the sample (n = 400) at the median increase in farm output; (2) Comparisons of the extreme 10 per cent with highest and lowest farm output; (3) brothers who were in the above‐median and below‐median groups. All the analyses indicated that nAch and a few related variables were positively associated with progressive farm behaviour, while anxiety and religious interest were negatively linked.
Relationships between diversity of interests, age, job satisfaction and job performance
Authors: ARVEY RICHARD D. , DEWHIRST H. DUDLEY
Published: August 2011

The relationships between age and diversity of interests in general, and in job‐specific occupational areas on the one hand, and salary treatment (as a measure of performance) and intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction on the other hand, were investigated for 291 scientists and engineers. Results for young and old but not intermediate‐age subjects indicated that high diversity of interests in general occupational areas, as measured by the Strong Vocational Interest Blank, was related to a salary‐based measure of performance. Diversity of interests in general and in job‐specific occupational areas was linearly and positively related to intrinsic satisfaction. Age demonstrated a significant positive relationship to extrinsic satisfaction.
Expectancy theory prediction of willingness to be retrained: The case of ratings' advancement in the Israeli merchant navy
Authors: EREZ MIRIAM
Published: August 2011

The study focused on the motivational determinants of ratings' willingness to enrol in a retraining course for commissioned rank. The utility of the VIE theory of motivation was tested by examining the independent contribution of ΣVI, E and ΣVI ×E to explained variance in the criterion. Data were collected by means of individual structured interviews. Using analysis of variance the results indicated that E was the only predictor from the motivational model.
Career orientations and intra‐occupational choice: A survey of engineering students
Authors: TAYLOR ROBERT
Published: August 2011

This paper reports a questionnaire survey of final‐year engineering students at Imperial College, London. Results indicate considerable self‐selection between students' career orientations and their job choices. Most students took jobs in engineering and most of these were within the branch of their training. Those students entering R & D or design had different career orientations from those entering ‘operations' or from those leaving engineering. The findings also illustrated that three general characteristics associated with inter‐occupational choice theory could be observed in a particular intra‐occupational context.
Locus of control and achievement values of entrepreneurs
Authors: PANDEY JANAK , TEWARY N. B.
Published: August 2011

This report is based on a study conducted on 44 subjects who were applicants for industrial units. The technical committee recommended selection of the applicants on the basis of their entrepreneural potential. A 2 × 2 analysis of variance design emerged on the basis of the committee's judgement (selection or rejection) of each applicant and age of the applicants. Achievement values (vAch) and locus of control of subjects were measured. The results revealed that the applicants selected by the committee showed significantly greater amount of vAch and more internality on the scale of locus of control. The subjects above 35 years in age were found to be lower in vAch combined with less internality than those who were below 35 years of age. Interaction effects did not reach significance for any of these variables. Correlation coefficients of the measures further supported the above results. The implications of these findings are shown in terms of entrepreneural selection and development.
Personality and work environment congruence of mid‐life career changers
Authors: THOMAS L. EUGENE , ROBBINS PAULA I.
Published: August 2011

This study examines two hypotheses derived from Holland's theory of careers: that persons will move toward work environments more congruent with their personality type, and that persons working in environments highly congruent with their personality will be more satisfied than those whose personality‐environment congruence is low. Personality type of 61 middle‐aged males who had changed from managerial or professional careers was determined by means of the Strong–Campbell Interest Inventory, and work environment types of former and present occupations were determined by transforming Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) designations to Holland work environment types. A majority of the respondents were not found to move into careers more congruent with their personality type, and men who entered more congruent occupations were not more satisfied with their new careers than were those men whose new careers were less congruent. These contradictory findings are discussed in terms of developmental changes which occur at mid‐life, and the need for determining salience of work in the life structure of each individual.
The in‐tray (in‐basket) exercise as a measure of management potential
Authors: GILL R. W. T.
Published: August 2011

An increasing emphasis is being placed on more effective ways of identifying and developing future managers, administrators and executives. The in‐tray (in‐basket) exercise, which simulates or samples the typical contents of an executive's in‐tray and is dealt with by assessees under standardized conditions, may have a significant contribution to make. The major research findings with the technique are reviewed in relation to the assumptions on which its utility depends. These concern face validity, content validity, concurrent and predictive validity, procedures for assessment of in‐tray performance and the empirical determination of assessment criteria. Experimental data suggesting high relative face validity in graduate recruitment and adequate inter‐rater reliability in senior executive promotion procedures are reported. Its utility in relation to the concept of achievement‐versus‐aptitude, to trainability testing and to equal opportunity at work is suggested, and avenues for future research are indicated. Finally a brief review is given of the extent of the use of the technique by organizations and its strengths, advantages and possible further applications.
Applying Holland's vocational categories to leisure activities
Authors: TAYLOR K. F. , KELSO G. I. , COX G. N. , ALLOWAY WENDI J. , MATTHEWS JANET P.
Published: August 2011

A Leisure Checklist (LC), consisting of 36 items keyed to Holland's six vocational categories, was completed by 907 Year 10 students. Correlations between LC scores and nominated spare time activities supported the LC's validity. Consistent correlations were found among respondents' LC scores and the Holland categories of their inventoried vocational interests (VP1) expressed vocational interests (Future Possibilities), and school subject preferences. These associations among educational, vocational, and avocational choices suggest that Holland's categories, and possibly the LC, could be useful in future research on the relationship between work and leisure.
Effects of response instructions and question style on the ease of completing forms
Authors: BARNARD P. J. , WRIGHT P. , WILCOX P.
Published: August 2011

Three series of experiments are reported. Each series is concerned with a different aspect of efficient data collection via formalized question and answer protocols. In series 1 it is found that people are faster endorsing an answer (e.g. circle what does apply) than negating one (e.g. delete what does not apply). In series 2 it is found that people are faster responding to statements offering multiple alternatives within a sentence frame (e.g. I am single/married) than responding to yes/no questions (e.g. Are you married?). However this advantage for sentence frame questions depends on the multiple alternatives being at the end of the sentence rather than at the beginning. Series 3 addresses administrative issues. Here it is found that error‐checking procedures are faster when the form‐filler has endorsed rather than negated items. It is also found that many form‐fillers ignore instructions about how to respond. The implications of these findings for the revision of forms to meet the requirements of automated data processing facilities are discussed. Throughout, the economic consequences of good form design are emphasized.
A note on teacher stress and locus of control
Authors: KYRIACOU CHRIS , SUTCLIFFE JOHN
Published: August 2011

In a questionnaire survey of 130 comprehensive school teachers, occupational stress as indicated by a self‐report measure was found to be positively associated with the teachers' generalized belief in external control over reinforcement (measured using Rotter's Internal–External locus of control scale) as predicted.
Size of psychiatric hospitals and nurses' job satisfaction
Authors: RUMP E. E.
Published: August 2011

Previous research has suggested that workers in large institutions may express lower job satisfaction than those in smaller units, but that the latter may be seen as having some disadvantages. It was hypothesized that this would be so for nursing staff in three psychiatric hospitals of different sizes, and that the lower satisfaction within the largest hospital would be associated with problems of interpersonal communication. A questionnaire study with a total of 483 respondents confirmed the relationship between size and job satisfaction, and the relevance of facets involving communication. It was also confirmed that a small hospital may have particular problems, despite generally high morale.
Effects of Type A Behaviour, Intolerance of Ambiguity, and Locus of Control on the Relationship Between Role Stress and Work‐Related Outcomes
Authors: KEENAN A. , McBAIN G. D. M.
Published: August 2011

This study investigated the relationships between role stress measures in the form of ambiguity, conflict, and overload and psychological strain (tension at work and job dissatisfaction) in a sample of 90 middle managers. Role stress was associated with low job satisfaction and high levels of tension at work, but these relationships were moderated by personality characteristics. Individuals with Type A personality showed stronger relationships between role ambiguity and psychological strain than those with Type B personality. Also, role ambiguity was significantly associated with high tension at work in individuals classified as externals on Rotter's Locus of Control scale, but not in those classified as internals. Individuals were classified as either tolerant of ambiguity or intolerant of ambiguity on the basis of their scores on Budner's Measure of Intolerance of Ambiguity. Role ambiguity was significantly associated with psychological strain in the latter group but not in the former.
The Use of Reference Reports in Personnel Selection: A Review and Evaluation
Authors: MUCHINSKY PAUL M.
Published: August 2011

Of all the techniques used in personnel selection, reference reports are the most under‐researched. This paper reviews the current research on reference reports from four perspectives: (1) their frequency of use in business and industry; (2) their desired and empirical content; (3) their evaluation as selection instruments via traditional psychometric criteria (i.e. reliability and validity); and (4) legal considerations and constraints associated with their use. While the existing literature on reference reports indicates that they are frequently used as a selection device, their psychometric properties do not warrant the extensive use they receive. Reference reports are characterized by low inter‐rater reliability and low criterion‐related validity. Problems of leniency and restriction in range in reference reports are discussed. The impact of recent legislation influencing the use of reference reports in personnel selection is reviewed. The paper concludes with an evaluation of the utility of reference reports as a selection device in personnel management.
Individual Differences in Perceptions of Occupations and Occupational Reinforcers
Authors: SHUBSACHS ALEXANDER P. W. , DAVISON MARK L.
Published: August 2011

Individual differences in subjective occupational perceptions were investigated. Forty‐three students and 11 vocational counsellor/researchers judged the similarity of all possible pairs of 18 occupations, three from each of Holland's categories. Subjects rated each occupation on 11 occupational reinforcers. The unity of all but Holland's Conventional category was supported by the configuration of occupations in a four‐dimensional representation obtained from a multidimensional scaling (MDS) of the similarity judgements. Holland's hexagonal arrangement of the categories was not supported. Regressing occupational reinforcer ratings on to MDS dimensions indicated that the reinforcers were generally a significant component of occupational perceptions. The Independence reinforcer, however, was a significant component only for the counsellor/researchers and Compensation was more salient to the students than to the counsellor/researchers.
An empirical test of a leadership contingency model for teaching behavioural science concepts to managers
Authors: ROSEN NED A. , GEORGIADES NICHOLAS J. , McDONALD GAIL
Published: August 2011

This study tests the assumption that classroom training dynamics characteristic of many management training programmes (in this case concerned with teaching behavioural science concepts) closely parallel leadership‐group process dynamics in organizational settings outside the classroom. Accordingly, a situational leadership model incorporating three categories of variables is proposed and operationalized. The variable categories include: Traditional Instructor Qualifications; the Technological Favourableness of the Teaching Situation for the Instruction; and the Initial Motivational Favourableness of the Training Situation for the Instructor. Data are presented on 39 diverse groups of managers exposed to a specific but not atypical behavioural science training system. A total of 832 managers were involved, of whom approximately 20 per cent were female.

The findings support the argument that a situational leadership/influence model may be usefully applied to the teaching processes in the industrial classroom. The findings also indicate that it may not be necessary in all cases to consider instructor differences in style or personality as vital to group effectiveness.
Classification of vocational interest factors on the Brook Reaction Test*
Authors: ATHANASOU J. A. , HALL P. , FOX G. A. , JENKINS J.
Published: August 2011

The Brook Reaction Test (BRT) is an objection word association test that provides an indirect measure of 22 personal interests. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether there were factors underlying 10 vocational interest categories on the BRT and a further category designated in the BRT Manual as ‘unclassified’. The BRT was administered as part of a battery of selection tests to 325 males. The 11 scales were analysed using a principal components analysis and a varimax rotation carried out on the first six factors. The six factors identified accounted for 69***.8 per cent of the variance and were largely bipolar in nature: Factor I, people vs. practical; Factor II, unclassified interests; Factor III, aesthetic vs. business; Factor IV, literary vs. secretarial; Factor V, biological sciences vs. agriculture; Factor VI, physical sciences vs. outdoor. A hierarchical cluster analysis applied to these 11 scales confirmed the factor solution and demonstrated the independence of the interest categories. Findings were related to: (i) three earlier factorial studies of the BRT; (ii) further evidence concerning its construct validity; and (iii) Holland's hexagonal classification of occupations and ACT‐OCS work‐task dimensions. Implications of the findings for practical test usage in guidance and selection are outlined, especially the necessity to score all the 11 vocational scales.
New work attitude measures of trust, organizational commitment and personal need non‐fulfilment
Authors: COOK JOHN , WALL TOBY
Published: August 2011

Within research on the quality of working life the variables of trust, organizational commitment and the fulfilment of personal needs play an important part. Yet relevant measures with adequate psychometric support are difficult to locate, especially ones applicable to blue‐collar British working populations. The present paper introduces new measures of these variables, each of which has a number of subscales. Internal homogeneity, reliability and factor analytic data are described which show the scales to be psychometrically adequate and stable. To support the future use of the measures for diagnostic and evaluative purposes, normative data are also provided.
‘Found experiments' in accident research: Report of a study of accident rates and implications for future research
Authors: BOYLE A. J.
Published: August 2011

The epidemiological technique known as the ‘found experiment’ was used to investigate whether or not an industrial sample showed non‐random differentiation with respect to individual accident rates. For the particular sample ‘found’, it was possible to control for such conditions as differences in the jobs being done and the environment in which they were undertaken, the period of exposure to risk, and the age and experience of the employees. Non‐random differentiation was found within the sample over the period of 8 years and 9 months for which accident records were available, in that the distribution of accidents over the sample did not differ significantly from the negative binomial distribution. This differentiation was also found to be stable over time, since the correlation between individuals' accident rates in the first and second halves of the period was + 0.67. Implications for future accident research of these findings and of the use of the ‘found experiment’ technique were discussed.
On the nature of higher‐order skills
Authors: WELFORD A. T.
Published: August 2011

Skill is discussed in terms of efficient ‘strategies’ for relating demands of jobs to human physical and mental capacities. Strategies differ between individuals and within individuals on different occasions. Also, for most normal tasks, not one but several strategies are employed to map different aspects of demand on to corresponding capacities, performance being limited by the capacity most fully used. Strategies tend to be organized hierarchically, with longer‐term strategies coordinating shorter‐term. It is the former which constitute what are commonly regarded as higher‐order skills. Similar principles appear to underlie both shop‐floor skills and those involved in management, intellectual and other non‐manual activities.

Much laborious research is needed to determine the basic capacities important in various types of work and how far training can be given which is general rather than specific to particular jobs. However, present knowledge already provides important implications for training flexibility of skill, and for the selection of personnel.
Investigating the employment interview: A consideration of counselling skills
Authors: LEWIS CHRISTOPHER
Published: August 2011

Research into interviews has largely been ignored by organizations, perhaps because the findings are fragmented and difficult to translate into meaningful improvements. The initial research concern was with the outcome of the interview, which was superseded by an interest in its content, with little attention being paid to the interview process. This has led to erroneous assumptions by researchers concerning the nature of the interview, assumptions that have ‘dehumanized’ the process.

Considering the ‘good’ interviewer as one who possesses some of the attributes of the ‘good’ counsellor might be fruitful. If this is the case, organizations wishing to improve their interview efficiency would at least have an identifiable solution at their disposal: they could either recruit only interviewers believed to possess these attributes, or develop them in their existing selection staff.
A note on job type and applicant race as determinants of hiring decisions
Authors: TERPSTRA DAVID E. , LARSEN JOHN M.
Published: August 2011

Seventy‐two male and female graduate students in management evaluated 12 fictitious job applicant resumés with respect to three types of jobs (Black‐held, neutral, White‐held). Four resumés per job were evaluated, which represented a high qualifications White, a high qualifications Black, a low qualifications White, and a low qualifications Black. The subjects rated the job applicants as to hirability and starting salary assignment. Additionally, the subjects indicated the one job applicant they would hire for each job if only one applicant could be hired. Analyses of variance revealed that Blacks received significantly higher hirability and salary assignment ratings than Whites for the Black‐typed job, while Whites were rated more favourably than Blacks for the White‐typed job. The ‘one choice’ data indicated a similar pattern.
A study of trainability testing
Authors: ROBERTSON I. T. , MINDEL R. M.
Published: August 2011

Trainability testing is examined in the context of more general research on work‐sampling. Links between trainability testing and theoretical issues concerning point‐to‐point correspondence between predictor and criterion are discussed. Results of an experiment examining the value of trainability tests in six craft trades are presented. They indicate that, in general, the tests used exhibit acceptable levels of predictive validity over a 3 week follow‐up period. Potential uses and areas where further research is needed are also discussed.
Differences in stage of occupational field and subfield choice among students of three engineering subfields
Authors: KRAUSZ MOSHE , IZRAELI DAFNA N.
Published: August 2011

First‐year students in three engineering subfields were compared in terms of reported stage of both field (engineering) and subfield choice as well as on several biographical variables. There were some differences, albeit insignificant, in stage at which the field was chosen. However, significant differences were found in stage of subfield choice: electrical engineering students (EE) chose the subfield earlier than did either mechanical (ME) or industrial engineering (IE) students. EE essentially made a one‐step choice of both field and subfield, whereas ME and IE, despite differences between them, made a two‐step choice process: the subfield was selected at a later stage than was the field itself.
The use of the General Health Questionnaire as an indicator of mental health in occupational studies
Authors: BANKS MICHAEL H. , CLEGG CHRIS W. , JACKSON PAUL R. , KEMP NIGEL J. , STAFFORD ELIZABETH M. , WALL TOBY D.
Published: August 2011

This paper examines the psychometric properties of an existing measure of mental health, the GHQ‐12, as revealed in three studies involving employees in an engineering firm (n = 659), recent school‐leavers (n = 647), and unemployed men (n = 92). The measure was shown to be psychometrically sound in all cases, with a Likert scoring method providing a more acceptable distribution of scores than the more commonly deployed ‘ GHQ score ’ for use in parametric statistical analyses. Scores on GHQ‐12 were found to be much higher (indicating lower mental health) for those who were unemployed, higher for women than for men in one sample, and unrelated to age, job level and marital status.
Causal inferences between leader reward behaviour and subordinate performance, absenteeism, and work satisfaction
Authors: SZILAGYI ANDREW D.
Published: August 2011

A longitudinal field study, using corrected cross‐lag correlations, investigated the causal inference relationships between perceived leader reward behaviour and subordinate performance, absenteeism, and work satisfaction in a controller's department of a merchandising organization. The results revealed that: (a) perceived positive leader reward behaviour served as a source of causation for subordinate performance and work satisfaction; (b) perceived punitive leader behaviour acted as a source of causation for subordinate work dissatisfaction; and (c) subordinate performance and absenteeism served as sources of causation for perceived punitive leader behaviour. The results support the belief that perceived performance‐contingent rewards given by the leader can be a significant influence on subordinate attitudes and behaviour.
The effects of unemployment on the psycho‐social development of school‐leavers
Authors: GURNEY ROSS M.
Published: August 2011

School‐leavers deal with important developmental tasks which are to some extent interwoven with the transition from school to the adult work world. But many school‐leavers are currently being denied work opportunities. This study used Erikson's notions of psycho‐social development to investigate the impact of unemployment on students leaving school and attempting to secure their first job. Those who found work, particularly girls, showed significant psycho‐social development while those who returned to school or were unemployed showed none.
A note on individual differences in the subjective evaluation of flexitime
Authors: SHAMIR BOAS
Published: August 2011

Clerical employees' perception of changes in their lives and feelings following the introduction of flexitime are examined and reveal considerable individual differences. These perceptions are combined into an index of subjective evaluation of flexitime. Relationships between this index and other variables are examined.
A note on Steers & Braunstein's behaviourally based measure of manifest needs
Authors: WILLIAMS ALLAN P. O. , WOODWARD SALLY
Published: August 2011

For several reasons the Manifest Needs Questionnaire is an attractive instrument for assessing the needs for achievement, affiliation, autonomy and dominance. The instrument was used in a study of career aspirations among 346 young employees within a financial institution. With the qualified exception of the dominance scale the instrument showed unsatisfactory psychometric properties with this sample. It should be used only with caution, until more is known about its suitability for different groups of employees.
The measurement of mothers' work attitudes
Authors: PARRY GLENYS , WARR PETER
Published: August 2011

Existing job attitude measures are least appropriate in research concerning employed mothers with dependent children. Three scales are introduced which cover the mother's attitude to both her employment and domestic work roles, and the strain which may be generated by their interaction. Data from 185 working‐class mothers are reported and associations with employment status, positive and negative affect, life satisfaction and social supports are described. Evidence is presented about the scales' internal consistency and validity, and it is concluded that they are suitable for use with this important and sizeable group of workers. The items are published in full.
Construct validity through facet analysis: Scheduling tests do not necessarily measure scheduling ability
Authors: RIDGWAY JIM
Published: August 2011

A problem which commonly faces psychologists who are concerned with selection is that of increasing the predictive validity of an existing battery of psychometric tests. The problem arises because, typically, the construct validity of tests is established post hoc. This paper describes a way in which the construct validity of test can be established operationally, via facet analysis. The search for novel predictive validity can then proceed in a systematic way, rather than by the conventional ‘shotgun’ approach. As an example, it describes the construct validation of a test which has been used in the selection of the pilot and navigating officers of aircraft.
Unexplained physical symptoms in eight organizations: Individual and organizational analyses
Authors: SCHMITT NEAL , COLLIGAN MICHAEL J. , FITZGERALD MICHAEL
Published: August 2011

Data collected from 826 people in eight American organizations concerning mass reports of symptoms and various possible indicants of stress were subjected to correlational and regression analyses. In addition, using the argument that illness was actually an organizational phenomenon, company means of 41 predictor variables were correlated with company means on the symptoms variable. The three sets of analyses indicate that reported symptoms are related to work pressure, employee income, family disharmony and dissatisfaction with company personnel practices. Limitations of the data collection effort are noted and recommendations for future investigations are made.
Job status and white‐collar members' union activity
Authors: BLYTON PAUL , NICHOLSON NIGEL , URSELL GILL
Published: August 2011

The study looks at membership activity and intra‐union relations in one branch of NALGO, the local government union, organizing across all job levels of the white‐collar hierarchy, including managerial grades. From the findings of research on small‐group behaviour and studies of blue‐collar unions, it was hypothesized that members' job status in the managerial system would be positively related to their union activity, and that status would also moderate the predictability of grievance‐raising behaviour from attitudes. The results broadly support these expectations and are discussed in terms of transfer between management and union systems of competence, commitment and influence
The psychological impact of unemployment on managers and professional staff
Authors: SWINBURNE PENNY
Published: August 2011

Twenty unemployed managerial/professional staff were interviewed in depth to investigate from an individual perspective the psychological impact of unemployment in relation to three broad areas: (a) feelings about becoming unemployed; (b) the process of structuring time and (c) the job search. The experience of unemployment varied according to individual circumstances but some broad trends could be identified. Overall, the same phasic reaction as reported previously was being experienced but the phases were being passed through more slowly. Some possible reasons were suggested. The need was reiterated for further information on the psychological impact of unemployment and the factors moderating it as a basis for action.
A note about social power through ingratiation among workers
Authors: PANDEY JANAK
Published: August 2011

This paper reports data from a field experiment which suggest that ingratiating tactics are used to control and limit the decision freedom of another person who has power to give pay‐offs.
Women as managers in Northern Ireland
Authors: CROMIE STANLEY
Published: August 2011

Explanations are sought for the small proportion of female managers in Northern Ireland. A series of hypotheses about the job involvement of certain men and women and about the attitudes of men and women towards women as managers are tested. Results based on a survey of 99 women and 79 men indicate that there are no differences in the job involvement of men and women at the same job level, and that men are less predisposed to accept women as managers than are women. These results offer some explanation for the small number of female managers in the Province.
A facet structure for nurses' evaluations of ward designs
Authors: KENNY CHERYL , CANTER DAVID
Published: August 2011

In order to provide an understanding of the contribution made by the design of hospital wards to the well‐being of nurses at work a model is proposed for the structure of ward evaluations. Use is made of facet theory to generate the model. A questionnaire is developed on the basis of the model by combining elements of the facets to create the questions. The model also predicts a pattern of correlations between questionnaire items on the basis of the facet elements of which they are composed. The predicted structure contains a facet concerning levels of interaction, which is axial to two further facets. One of these, dealing with the objects of the nurses' interaction, plays a polarizing role, being modulated by the third facet which concerns whether the object being interacted with provides patient care and comfort directly or indirectly. Taken together the three facets provide the hypothesis of a cylindrex for nurses' evaluations.

Clear empirical evidence for the cylindrex is provided as a result of a three‐dimensional smallest space analysis carried out on the responses given by 1921 nurses in 144 wards in 23 hospitals throughout England, to a 93 item questionnaire developed as the result of a series of three pilot questionnaires. The implications of the cylindrex for future research and the development of design proposals are discussed.
The content of interest inventories: Job titles or job activities?
Authors: CROWLEY A. D.
Published: August 2011

This study compared two widely used forms of interest inventory item—the job title and the job activity. It was found that, contrary to the claims of questionnaire designers, interest patterns resulting from job titles are almost identical to those resulting from job activities. Scales employing job titles evoke marginally more consistent and stable responses amongst schoolchildren, but neither approach offers a substantial advantage in reducing the effects of perceived status or sex bias. Discrepancies between responses to the two forms are likely to be the product of several influences requiring further investigation in a guidance interview.
A comparison of attitudes towards risk among business managers
Authors: DICKSON GORDON C. A.
Published: August 2011

This paper presents an experimental investigation of comparisons in attitudes towards risk between risk managers and non‐risk managers. The two groups of managers responded to a number of hypothetical business decisions and their risk‐taking attitude in each decision was measured by expressing the degree to which their actual choice differed from the expected monetary value as a fraction of the absolute value of the expected monetary value. Fifty per cent of the decisions involved a prospect of profit or break even, while the remainder held out only the prospect of a loss or no loss. A significant difference was detected in the attitudes of managers in each group. There was a great similarity in attitude over all subjects in those decisions involving profit but in potential loss‐producing problems the risk managers were considerably more risk averse. Rather than resulting in a contempt for loss the risk managers' familiarity with loss‐producing events would seem to have led them to a far higher degree of caution. The adaptability of non‐risk managers to the loss situation together with the methods of management education are both called into question by these findings.
Towards an attributional theory of the selection interview
Authors: HERRIOT PETER
Published: August 2011

It is proposed that the low reliability and validity of selection interviews are partly explicable in terms of the nature of the attributions made to personal characteristics. Specifically, appropriate attributions based on out‐of‐role behaviour are not made because of attributional biases and/or conflicting role expectations. Both these factors result in the drawing of dispositional attributions from behaviour which is inappropriate for such inferences. Training of interviewers to minimize attributional biases and maximize agreement of role expectations at the beginning of each interview are recommended, both as tests of the theory and as remedial measures.
Supervisory behaviour as a source of perceived task scope
Authors: GRIFFIN RICKY W.
Published: August 2011

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of intended supervisory behaviours on employee perceptions of task characteristics. The subjects were 29 first‐line manufacturing supervisors and two employees of each supervisor. To measure intended supervisory behaviours, interviews were conducted with each supervisor, while perceptions of task characteristics were obtained by questionnaire from the subordinates. Results indicated a very high level of convergence between intended supervisory behaviours and employee perceptions of their tasks. Implications for future task design research are discussed.
A comparison of managerial traits in Hong Kong and the USA
Authors: EVANS W. A. , SCULLI D.
Published: August 2011

The study is an application of Ghiselli's work on managerial talent to Hong Kong. Ghiselli's Self Description Inventory was administered to groups of managers, workers and engineers in Hong Kong and the results were compared with results obtained on similar groups in the USA. The results were broadly similar and indicate that Ghiselli's Self Description Inventory is potentially useful in cultures other than the USA. Specific differences between the results of the American and Hong Kong managers are discussed in terms of cultural variations.
Cross‐cultural determinants of occupational affect
Authors: HAZER JOHN T. , TZENG OLIVER C. S. , REISSMAN LARRY , LANDIS DAN
Published: August 2011

The present study is a cross‐cultural investigation of the determinants of occupational affect. Data used were from Osgood et al.'s (1975) occupational category in the Atlas of Affective Meaning. Cross‐culturally common concepts were rated on functionally equivalent semantic differential scales by high school students in 30 cultures. Using the Tzeng‐Osgood (1976) model for validating componential analyses, standardized ratings of 24 occupational concepts on three affective dimensions (Evaluation, Potency, and Activity) were predicted from cross‐cultural denotative components. Results indicated that, for almost all cultures, Skill and Morality components were the most important determinants of occupational affect and Sex displayed high variability. Comparisons of data from black and white American samples are also discussed.
Determinants of continued and discontinued participation in pre‐retirement training: An Israeli case study
Authors: HARPAZ ITZHAK , KREMER YAEL
Published: August 2011

A pre‐retirement training programme, the first of its kind in Israel, was offered to older workers in five industrial and public service organizations. After training, structured interviews were conducted with 138 workers, who formed two groups according to their rate of attendance at training sessions: continued and discontinued participation in the programme. An attempt was made to identify the characteristics of these groups, in terms of 12 independent variables. Multiple regression and discriminant analyses revealed that the best explanatory and discriminating variables were: occupational level, contact with grandchildren, attitude towards pre‐retirement training, perceived attitude of management towards older employees, initiative versus dependence, and enjoyment of present job. On the basis of these variables, group membership was correctly predicted for 67 per cent of the sample population. The results may be useful for predicting participation among a similar population, and for reaching out to workers who otherwise seem unlikely to participate in pre‐retirement training.
Mutual perception of managerial performance and style in multinational subsidiaries
Authors: STENING BRUCE W. , EVERETT JAMES E. , LONGTON PETER A.
Published: August 2011

The study reports on the stereotypes of their own group and of each other held by local and expatriate managers in 34 American, British and Japanese multinational companies operating in Singapore. The 365 respondents were asked to assess each of the four national groups of managers on 18 items, each consisting of a pair of adjectival antonyms. It was found that the 18 items could be reduced to two principal components explaining about half their total variance, and that the two principal components were consistent between the four national groups of respondents. The two principal components were readily interpretable as relating to performance (functional/dysfunctional) and style (open/closed). The stereotype assessments were reduced to these two dimensions, permitting a discussion of the differences between the autostereotypes and the high and low contact heterostereotypes held by the national groups. Deviations around the group means were used to obtain regressions of the heterostereotype scores against the autostereotype scores. The results support a stereotype projection model, but with each of the principal components being projected independently, and with opposite sign.
Sex and decision making in the selection interview: A real‐life study
Authors: ELLIOTT A. G. P.
Published: August 2011

To throw light on the effects of sex on the judgements made in the employment interview a study was carried out on the interview results of 200 male and 200 female candidates for work in a bank. Interview records showed significant differences between male and female interviewers: the latter saw candidates as better dressed, better groomed, more cooperative, more alert and more cheerful. However, on three evaluative scales—impact on workmates, impact on customers, and an overall rating—there was no difference between them. Knowledge of test results played a significant, though small, part with male interviewers but not with female interviewers. The implications of the findings are discussed.
The measurement of rehabilitation centre social climates
Authors: CORNES PAUL , HORTON DAVID
Published: August 2011

It is often claimed that medical and vocational rehabilitation facilities generate psychosocial atmospheres appropriate to their respective rehabilitative functions. But such claims have rarely been formally examined. This study set out to develop scales to measure Employment Rehabilitation Centre (ERC) social climates, and to use those scales to evaluate the extent to which the officially proclaimed aim of creating in ERCs social climates comprising an amalgam of ‘industrial’ and ‘therapeutic’ elements is achieved in practice. This article describes the development of five scales for this purpose from inverse association analysis of an item pool administered to client samples in five centres. It also reports assessments of the psychometric properties of the scales and presents comparisons between ERCs. It concludes that work to date has produced a means of measuring ERC social climates and that application of the scales shows that ERCs vary in the extent to which the broad policy aim of creating environments comprising both ‘industrial’ and ‘therapeutic’ elements is achieved.