bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dentists and Dentistry: Attitude Changes toward the Chosen Profession
Authors: Eli Ilana , Judes Herbert , Allerhand-Alexander Yoram
Published: August 2005

Do dentists tend to change their attitudes toward dentistry once they graduate from dental school and enter their clinical practices? In this longitudinal study, an analysis of attitude changes among dentists towards their profession is carried out. Apparently, even 8 years after graduation from dental school, dentists maintain their basic attitudes regarding traits important to the performance of the "competent" professional. In spite of the decrease in concensus among the group members, the basic rating of traits keeps the original sequence of importance set during the dental school period: peopleoriented traits ranked the highest, science-oriented traits ranked in the middle, and status-oriented traits ranked the lowest. This fact suggests that even though changes occur in the respondents' lives (from students to professionals), their basic norms and attitudes remain unchanged. When their professional self-image is concerned, the dentists display quite a uniform view, which attests to a relatively high level of satisfaction on the self-assessment of their ability to fulfill the "humane" (people-oriented) traits of their profession. On the other hand, the science-oriented component is considered a source offrustration and the dentists fail to find it satisfactory in their professional activities.
Social Darwinism: A Determinant of Nuclear Arms Policy and Action
Authors: Clark Alfred W. , Trahair Richard C. S. , Graetz Brian R.
Published: August 2005

A quota sample of 679 people completed a questionnaire about their view of the world, their preferred nuclear defense policy, and their political activity. Results showed that people with a low adherence to a social Darwinist world view favored nuclear disarmament and a nonbelligerent defense policy, whereas people with a high adherence favored nuclear arms and a belligerent defense policy. The results also showed that, irrespective of a benign or hostile world view, people's feelings of learned helplessness erected a barrier to political action. But, people lower on social Darwinism overcame the barrier and engaged in more political action than people higher on social Darwinism; and these people were more inclined to vote for, or change their political allegiance to vote for a party that favored nuclear disarmament. The findings demonstrate the importance of social Darwinism as an ideology determining preferred nuclear arms policy and political action and commitment. Also, the findings provide some support for Tomkins's polarity theory.
Career Experiences, Perceptions of Employment Practices, and Psychological Commitment to the Organization
Authors: Gaertner Karen N. , Nollen Stanley D.
Published: August 2005

The relationships among career experiences, perceptions of company employment practices, and psychological commitment to the firm are explored in this paper. Psychological commitment is defined as non-instrumental attraction to and identification with the goals and values of the organization, excluding propensity to stay in the organization. Results show that employee perceptions of the organization's adherence to career-oriented employment practices, including internal mobility, employment security, and training and development, are more strongly related to psychological commitment than other characteristics of the work context, including participation, supervisory relations, and instrumental communication. Results are discussed in terms of internal labor market employment practices.
Self-Serving Attributions in the Face of Reality: The Effect of Task Outcome and Potential Causes on Self-Other Attributions
Authors: Elliott Gregory C.
Published: August 2005

This experiment investigated self-serving attribution strategies designed to account for one's own and another's success or failure at an interpersonal judgment task. Using the dimensions of stability and locus of potential causes first proposed by Weiner, analysis was made of self-other differences in attributions of ability, task difficulty, effort, and luck. Results showed that the tendency toward self-serving attributions was modified by the reality constraints of relative task outcomes, with one exception. Regardless of outcomes, subjects never admitted that the other exerted more effort than they did at the task. For the other potential causes, self-other differences in attributions were dependent on the observed outcomes. The results are discussed in light of the stability and locus characteristics of each potential cause and the complex concerns that govern self-serving attributions.
Non-Work Factors and Job Satisfaction Revisited
Authors: Liou Kuo-Tsai , Sylvia Ronald D. , Brunk Gregory
Published: August 2005

The responses of 1473 subjects were utilized to examine the relationship between job satisfaction and extra-work satisfaction to test Wilensky's three hypothesized relationships. The current study regressed job satisfaction against the social trust of respondents, their sense of social equity, institutional confidence, and their satisfaction with government's handling of nationalproblems. These social attitudinal indices were added to factors utilized in previous research such as objective job factors, demographic variables, general life satisfaction, and their levels of social involvement. The results produced two previously unreported extra-work attitudinal contributors to job satisfaction: social trust and institutional confidence. The findings supported Wilensky's spillover theory but produced no evidence in support of Wilensky's segmentation or compensation alternatives.
Academic Professionals: A Study of Conflict and Satisfaction in Professoriate
Authors: Copurl Halil
Published: August 2005

Professional role conflicts of faculty in a research university are examined using confirmatory factor analysis. Results support the "compromise model" of professional bureaucracies with three decision arenas. Technical core of teaching function and purely administrative matters rarely create role conflicts while the area of collective decision making is the fertile ground for role incompatibilities of faculty. Role conflicts experienced by faculty are not found to be related to general job satisfaction but are significantly correlated with faculty disaffection in decisions that affect their work and work environment.
Work Rewards, Work Values, and Organizational Commitment in an Employee-Owned Firm: Evidence from the U.K.
Authors: Oliver Nick
Published: August 2005

This study examines the influence of employee work values, demographic characteristics, and organizational rewards on levels of organizational commitment, involvement, identification, and loyalty in a U.K. employee-owned firm. The idea that commitment can be understood as afunction of the 'fit" between employee values and organizational rewards was explored. Under multiple regression analysis, demographic variables made little impact on levels of commitment, but both organizational rewards and work values showed significant relationships to commitment. Employees who showed strong participatory values exhibited relatively high commitment; those with strongly instrumental values showed relatively lower commitment, providing some support for the 'fit" model. The implications of these findings for theory and practice in the area of employee ownership are discussed.
Stress, Type-A, Coping, and Psychological and Physical Symptoms: A Multi-Sample Test of Alternative Models
Authors: Edwards Jeffrey R. , Baglioni A. J. , Cooper Cary L.
Published: August 2005

Theoretical and empirical organizational stress research typically focuses on some combination of stress, personality factors, coping, and symptoms of ill health. Though these factors are typically considered important, there is considerable disagreement regarding the underlying process by which they are interrelated. This article discusses and empirically evaluates seven alternative conceptual models specifying the interrelationships among stress, personality (in this case, Type-A behavior pattern), coping, and psychological and physical symptoms, using data from 1468 adults in four occupations. Results generally support three models which incorporate linear effects and fail to support four models which incorporate nonlinear, i.e., interactive, effects. Implications for research are discussed.
Transformations of Life Structure and Personal Paradigm During the Midlife Transition
Authors: Wolfe Donald , O'Connor Dennis , Crary Marcy
Published: August 2005

In this exploratory study, data were collected from 64 men and women experiencing midlife transitions. Transformations of life structure during the phases of midlife transition were noted. Some changes (degree of conflict, temporariness, and fulfillment potential) were best accounted for by the act of progressing through the steps of this major transition in life; other changes in life structure (complexity, flexibility, and self-determination) were better accounted for by an internal process of paradigm shifting.
The Moderating Effect of the Type A Behavior Pattern and Locus of Control upon the Relationship Between Change in Job Demands and Change in Psychological Strain
Authors: Newton T. J. , Keenan A.
Published: August 2005

This paper examines (1) the relationship between changes in job demands and changes in psychological strain across time, and (2) the moderating effect of the Type A behavior pattern (TABP) and locus of control, or internality-externality (I-E) on this relationship. TABP and I-E were hypothesized to moderate job demands because they appear as factors likely to affect the longer-term coping patterns of individuals, or coping styles. Among the job demand variables, increases in qualititative "low-load" were most strongly predictive of increases in psychological strain. Significant moderating effects were observedfor both TABP and I-E. With the TABP, a uniform pattern offindings emerged in that all the significant partial correlations were negative in direction, indicating that where job demands increased, Type As experienced less psychological strain than Type Bs. With I-E, however, the direction of the partial correlations varied dependent on the type of job demand.
Stress and Contradiction in Psychiatric Nursing
Authors: Handy Jocelyn
Published: August 2005

This article examines the relationship between the organizational structure and ideology of the psychiatric system and the daily actions and subjective experiences of psychiatric nurses. It presents empirical data from an in-depth case study in which psychiatric nurses attempt to deal with the stresses of their work by developing various collective coping strategies which eventually become embedded in the daily routines of the institution, intensifying the very problems they were originally intended to solve. The article is divided into three main sections. The first section examines recent sociological theorizing concerning the contradictory role of the psychiatric system within modern society. The second section presents empirical data illustrating the ways in which the structural contradictions of the psychiatric sector affect the daily lives of all who participate in the system, while the final section discusses the need for organizational level interventions to relieve occupational stress in welfare institutions.
Switching Cognitive Gears: From Habits of Mind to Active Thinking
Authors: Louis Meryl Reis , Sutton Robert I.
Published: August 2005

The phrase "switching cognitive gears" is used to call attention to the fact that cognitive functioning involves the capacity to shift between cognitive modes, from automatic processing to conscious engagement and back again. Effectiveness may be as much a function of an actor's capacity to sense when a switch is appropriate, as to process in one or another mode. In this paper the authors develop a perspective on the switch from automatic to active thinking and the conditions that provoke it. They apply the perspective to work settings and identify types of situations in which actors are expected to switch from habits of mind to active thinking. They propose further work to develop a framework for understanding the switch from active thinking to automatic.
Close Coupling in Work-Family Relationships: Making and Implementing Decisions in a New Family Business and at Home
Authors: Wicker Allan W. , Burley Kim A.
Published: August 2005

This research examined the relative influence of husbands and wives in decisions concerning several activities that occur in both the home and the business. Ratings by 24 women who with their husbands had recently opened a retail or service establishment indicated that influence was significantly related to (1) setting (wives had more influence at home), (2) activity (wives had most influence in decisions about division of labor), and (3) particular setting-activity combinations. Such a differential pattern of influence may reflect a way of resolving conflicting norms of equality and husband dominance. Additional findings suggest the operation of an equity norm: Wives' influence at home and in the business varied according to the number of hours they worked, and according to whether the business was "gender typed." Qualitative data indicated that couples rarely discussed division of labor in either setting, although this issue was a frequent source of family tension. Two years later, most of the respondents from the 15 firms that survived reported that the business had positively affected their marriages.
Aspects of Time in Organization
Authors: Hassard John
Published: August 2005

The paper examines temporal aspects of organization. It argues that a major element of human socialization is the structuring of time-sense within formal organizations. Notable here is the process whereby family, school, and workplace teach us rigid time disciplines. These institutions segment activities into precise temporal units and condition us to an "organized" time-consciousness. This conditioning sees us subscribe to times which are external and specialized. The paper argues that in industrial societies, the external and highly specialized organization has become not only the main regulator of time, but also its primary claimant.
Locus of Control as a Moderator of the Relationship Between Perceived Influence and Procedural Justice
Authors: Sweeney Paul D. , McFarlin Dean B. , Cotton John L.
Published: August 2005

A survey of 172 employees of a consumer products manufacturing firm was used to test hypotheses about procedural justice. Some reviewers have noted that perceptions of procedural justice are enhanced by the degree of perceived influence workers have in decision making. However, not all research on this topic is consistent. We suggest that the perceived influence-procedural justice relation may be moderated by an employee's locus of control orientation. Our data support this hypothesis. Perceived influence was more likely to lead to perceptions of procedural justice for internals than externals. Implications of these results are discussed.
Turning Facts into Stories and Stories into Facts: A Hermeneutic Exploration of Organizational Folklore
Authors: Gabriel Yiannis
Published: August 2005

This paper analyzes three organizational stories which the author encountered in different work and military organizations. Each story reveals a dual structure, a recital, which varies in different accounts, and a common core, referred to here as the myth. These myths are seen as collective fantasies, fulfilling shared desires and offering either opportunities for cathartic discharge or a partial inoculation against misfortune. It is argued that the meanings of organizational myths are neither transparent nor unambiguous, often expressing ambivalent and contradictory wishes and permitting different or competing interpretations. The three myths discussed in this paper were all found to be symbolic means of turning passivity into activity, powerlessness into control, and of offering consolations against pain and suffering.
The Structural Imperatives of International Advocacy Associations
Authors: Young Dennis R.
Published: August 2005

Recent decades have witnessed a significant increase in the number of voluntary, nonprofit associations established to address solutions to major international social problems such as threats to world peace, environmental pollution, illness and disease, social injustice, and poverty. Many of these associations are based in a single country, but others are international in scope. This paper is concerned with the latter. While rapid progress in communications and transportation technology has undoubtedly facilitated the development of these associations, such organizations still face formidable barriers to effective operation including those of language and cultural differences, political separation, interferences with free trade and interchange across national borders, and remaining costs and problems of long distance communication and travel. It is the thesis of this paper that international, voluntary associations which advocate for solutions to global issues are successful when they adopt particular organizational structures and strategies to accommodate these problems. In particular, decentralized and federated structures suggest themselves as more viable for the international advocacy arena. This paper reviews relevant literature and elaborates on the theoretical expectations for successful structuring of international associations devoted to advocacy on global issues. Based on this analysis, a series of hypotheses is developed for future empirical investigation.
The Impact of Personnel Selection and Assessment Methods on Candidates
Authors: Robertson Ivan T. , Iles Paul A. , Gratton Lynda , Sharpley David
Published: August 2005

Evidence will be presented of the impact of the assessment and selection techniques used in a management development program in a major UK financial services organization. The assessment techniques involved are situational interviews and two different assessment centers. Drawing on a questionnaire study of 141 managers, data are presented concerning the impact of such techniques on organizational commitment and job and career withdrawal cognitions. The results suggest that assessment procedures and decisions have some impact on candidates' post-assessment attitude to the organization and their intention to leave their jobs and careers. The article also presents data on the reactions of the participants to the selection and assessment process. A preliminary theoretical view of the impact process is presented and discussed.
Support for Profit Sharing and Organizational Commitment: A Path Analysis
Authors: Florkowski Gary W. , Schuster Michael H.
Published: August 2005

This study tested propositions from Florkowski's (1987) profit-sharing model based on the responses of 160 individuals. As predicted, performance-reward contingencies and pay equity were significant determinants of plan support. Profit-sharing support, in turn, was an important determinant of organizational commitment. The hypothesized link between influence on decision making and plan support was not substantiated, nor was there evidence that job satisfaction moderated the relationship between support for profit sharing and organizational commitment.
Perceptions of Influence in Managerial Dyads: The Role of Hierarchy, Media, and Tactics
Authors: Barry Bruce , Bateman Thomas S.
Published: August 2005

Relationships among dyadic structure, the influence tactics used by managers, the communication media they employ, and perceived influence success were investigated in a field study. Surveyed managers (n = 139) responded to questions about their patterns of communication and influence with respect to a single other individual in the organization. Dyadic relationship (upward, downward, or horizontal) affected influence tactics and media usage; these behaviors in turn were found to be selectively related to influence success, depending on the dyadic relationship between agent and target of influence.
Does Job Re-Design Theory Explain Job Re-Design Outcomes?
Authors: Kelly John
Published: August 2005

A review of 31 methodologically rigorous case studies and experiments in job re-design showed only limited support lor the Job Characteristics Model. Where job re-design led to employee perceptions of improved job content then employees were also likely to experience higher job satisfaction. Job performance improvements however were not significantly associated with job perceptions, intrinsic work motivation, or job satisfaction, although they were associated with pay rises and job losses among employees. These findings are accounted for by a twin-track model which suggests that the determinants of performance are different from the determinants of satisfaction. While job re-design appears to give employees higher job satisfaction, there is no strong evidence that in and of itself it motivates them to higher performance.
Language, Technology, Gender, and Power
Authors: Wilson Fiona
Published: August 2005

This paper stems from a concern with how women are linguistically excluded in organizations. The paper will focus mainly on the form of language associated with technical change. Using research data the paper explores how metaphors are used within organizations which are in the process of adopting new technical systems, and what their use achieves. It is argued that men seek, knowingly or unknowingly, to facilitate the technological change process by drawing upon linguistic resources which reproduce relations of power. These resources are constituted as discourses of "battle," "maleness," and of "religious evangelism," expressed through metaphor. The language also serves the function of providing a vehicle for change; it marks out the "rules" as to how change is to be achieved; it not only helps differentiate "saints" from the "sinners" but helps re-enforce the power and all-encompassing dominance of male ideology in organizations. Language creates a reality which is gender-biased.
The New Black Bourgeoisie
Authors: Cashmore Ellis
Published: August 2005

The emergence of a British ethnic minority business class over the past decade promises much for the future of black people, but may deliver very little in terms of material improvement. Like its U.S. counterpart, which grew in the aftermath of the 1960's disorders, the British Black bourgeoisie is a product of post-riot developments. Many members of Britain's Afro-Caribbean and South Asian populations have lost faith in their power collectively to change society and are focusing on improving themselves as individuals. But a hitherto undetected form of racism threatens to undermine the efforts of the Black bourgeoisie to turn its particular successes into something more permanent for the black population generally. Business owners are forced to practice "racism-by-proxy," deliberately excluding blacks from their workforces.
Conflicting Ideologies: Structural and Motivational Consequences
Authors: Schneider Susan C.
Published: August 2005

Conflicting ideologies are revealed in different beliefs about how to design organizations. Beliefs regarding, for example, the extent of centralization of decision making and specialization of roles and tasks, in turn, influence motivation and behavior. This paper demonstrates how ideology influences organizational structure and the behavioral consequences by comparing the "medical" and "community" models of mental health care delivery. Although rational arguments would suggest that organizational structure, in terms of degrees of centralization and specialization, should be determined by goals and technologies, the ambiguity of these goals and technologies encourages organizational structure to be driven by ideology. Conflicting ideologies need to be incorporated so that the tension thus created will encourage the emergence of a different perspective on mental health service delivery.
Creating Networks for Rural Economic Development in Norway
Authors: Levin Morten
Published: August 2005

Regional economic development is a social change process. This paper focuses on how the creation of social networks can support economic development. Action research methodology, the theoretical foundations of which are presented, was used to support network development. The paper describes and analyzes the social shaping of several types of new networks in coastal Norway over the 5-year period of 1986-1991. Networks linking entrepreneurs resulted in establishing several new enterprises. The shaping of networks for interorganizational cooperation promoted the survival and growth of existing economic activity. Networks that developed between the public and private sectors also promoted economic development and a new role for the public sector, network broker, emerged. This new role required public sector initiatives, provision of necessary resources, and active and equal participation among all parties involved in the development effort.
Features of Emerging Action Research
Authors: Chisholm Rupert F. , Elden Max
Published: August 2005

Widely divergent forms of action research are emerging to meet requirements of new organizational and social environments. Cases in this special issue are tangible examples of these innovative AR efforts. This article identifies key dimensions that cut through the cases and allow for comparison and contrast. These dimensions include (1) the system level of the charge target, (2) the degree of organization of the research setting, (3) the degree of openness of the AR process, (4) the goals and purpose of the research effort, and (5) the role of the researcher(s). Dimensions are used to locate cases and to support discussion of qualitative aspects that are crucial to understanding. Several general learnings derived from the dimensional analysis and discussion are described.
Social Accounts in Conflict Situations: Using Explanations to Manage Conflict
Authors: Sitkin Sim B. , Bies Robert J.
Published: August 2005

Considerable attention has been given to different behavioral strategies of conflict management (e.g., avoidance, compromise, collaboration). However, conflict theory and research has overlooked a simple, but effective strategy for managing conflict: the use of social accounts or explanations. In this paper, we review the literature on the use of social accounts in conflict situations and find it supports the argument that social accounts can be an effective conflict- management strategy. Based on this analysis, we propose several promising directions for future theory development and research concerning the role of social accounts in conflict situations. In addition, we identify tradeoffs and dilemmas created when social accounts are used to manage conflict.
Lessons from the National Alliance of Business Compact Project: Business and Public Education Reform
Authors: Waddock Sandra A.
Published: August 2005

This paper reports on some of the key outcomes of the National Alliance of Business's Compact Project, a 12-city demonstration project intended to establish collaborations among businesses, public schools, and government. Factors related to problem recognition, definition and crystallization, the macroenvironmental context, and the emergence of a systemic orientation toward school improvement are associated with more and less successful outcomes. Reframing processes pervade development of a vision about education, the ways in which institutions relate to each other, as well as their orientation toward solving educational problems. More successful cities in the project adopted a systemic approach rather than more limited programmatic efforts to change the schools.
Savers and Borrowers: Strategies of Personal Financial Management
Authors: Livingstonel S. , Lunt P.
Published: August 2005

Saving and borrowing are traditionally and stereotypically thought of as opposites, with different motivations and consequences. Through a questionnaire survey of economic position, practices, and attitudes, the present paper examined the relation between saving and borrowing among British respondents. While saving and borrowing were found to be determined by different economic, social, and psychological factors, they did not describe mutually exclusive strategies of financial management. Saving regularly could also be distinguished from having savings. In all, six strategies were identified (combining saving or not saving, borrowing or not borrowing, and having or not having savings). Each combination was found to have specific discriminating characteristics. Savers and borrowers were found to have different psychological motivations, seeing debt either as a failure or as a normal part of everyday life. Many people retained savings or carried on saving at the same time as having debts: they were found to feel more in control and optimistic about their financial position than those who had debts but no savings. A further group had neither debts nor savings: they adopted an inflexible approach to financial management. Each group of people with different financial management strategies was illustrated by a case study.
Determinants of Employee Job Satisfaction: An Empirical Test of a Causal Model
Authors: Agho Augustine O. , Mueller Charles W. , Price James L.
Published: August 2005

The job satisfaction model embedded in the Price-Mueller turnover model was revised and estimated. The revised model examined the effects of a series of environmental, job characteristics, and personality variables that were excluded from the Price-Mueller model. Two-wave longitudinal data were collected from 405 employees of a 327-bed Veterans Administration Medical Center. Four different models representing refinements of the proposed model were estimated using LISREL maximum likelihood methods. The exclusion of important job characteristics (role conflict, supervisory support, and task significance) by the Price-Mueller model was not found to have a significant impact on the explanatory power of the revised model. However, the exclusion of an environmental factor (opportunity) and a personality variable (positive affectivity) was found to be a serious omission. Overall, it was found that the degree to which employees like their job is influenced by a combination of characteristics of the environment (opportunity), the job (routinization and distributive justice), and personality variables (positive affectivity and work motivation). Fifty-seven percent (57%) of the variance in job satisfaction was explained by the revised model, as compared with 49% for the Price-Mueller model.
Normative-Affective Choices
Authors: Etzioni Amitai
Published: August 2005

This paper posits a view of human nature in which normative commitments and affective involvements govern individual choices. The infusion of normative influence is seen to be through its effect on the loading of personal priorities and its intrusion on the linear sequencing of personal decision making.
Logos and Eros: The Vital Syzygy for Understanding Human Relations and Organizational Action
Authors: Bowles M. L.
Published: August 2005

The paper assesses the relationship between eros and logos, or what stereotypically are commonly referred to as feminine and masculine, in the way they are expressed in contemporary organizations. It is argued that a scientific culture defines an organizational reality where logos monopolizes the consciousness of everyday experience. This creates a lopsidedness which manifests itself in the partiality of human experience. History and myth are used to explore the directions with which logos achieved its supremacy. The deficiencies of current organizations are used to argue that a wider frame of reference is required for those who manage them.
Storytelling: An Instrument for Understanding the Dynamics of Corporate Relationships
Authors: Hansen Carol D. , Kahnweiler William M.
Published: August 2005

An important aspect of corporate culture is its ability to influence relationship dynamics. This article examines how organizational stories can be used to study often unstated and perhaps unconscious codes for resolving conflicts, approaching decision-making, determining perceptions of positive and negative organizational forces, guiding role behavior, and the like. Stories are also defined, prior research is described, and the advantages and disadvantages in using this technique are discussed. We explain how our methodology can uncover comparative relationship patterns for human resource development professionals and business leaders in Fortune 500 companies.
Work/Family Fit as a Mediator of Work Factors on Marital Tension: Evidence from the Interface of Greedy Institutions
Authors: Piftman Joe F.
Published: August 2005

This study tests the notion that the relation between work hours and marital quality is mediated by the perceived fit between work and family. A structural model was developed to examine this hypothesis in a sample of 407 male U.S. Army members and their wives, where both spouses' perceptions of the husband's work are considered. A sample of military families was used for this study because, at the interface between "greedy institutions" (Coser, 1974), the clash of demands between the role domains of work and family may be accentuated. Strong support for the mediation hypothesis was obtained. Actual work hours were unrelated to marital tension, and predicted only wives' satisfaction with husbands' work hours and with husbands' work settings. For husbands, satisfaction with work hours and job satisfaction were positively related to work/family fit, which, in turn, negatively predicted marital tension. No direct associations were seen for work variables on marital tension, but significant indirect relations are mediated by work/family fit. The model reveals parallel findings for wives. The spouses' perceptions of husbands' jobs, work/family fit, and marital tension were all reciprocally related, suggesting a number of avenues by which each partner's attitudes can indirectly affect the other's.
The Effects of Absence Culture on Individual Absence
Authors: Martocchio Joseph J.
Published: August 2005

This field study provided empirical evidence for the effects of absence culture on individual absenteeism among employees (N = 264) within five clerical units. Absence culture was derived from the aggregation of an individual-level measure of the beliefs about the perceived costs (i.e., deterrent outcomes) and benefits (i.e., encouraging outcomes) of being absent from work. It was hypothesized that these individual beliefs about absence could be aggregated meaningfully to the unit level. In addition, it was hypothesized that absence culture would explain a significant amount of variance in individual absence beyond the effects of demographics and general work attitudes. Paid and unpaid absence data for the 3-month period following collection of the beliefs measures were collected from organizational records. This study demonstrated support for the existence of an absence culture and its impact on individual absence. Implications for managing absence and suggestions for future research are discussed.
The Relationship Between Interpersonal Attachment Styles and Work Difficulties
Authors: Hardy Gillian E. , Barkham Michael
Published: August 2005

Hazan and Shaver (1990) have argued that attachment theory can be used to predict relationships between adult attachment types (love) and aspects of work behavior. They found that anxious/ambivalent attachments were associated with poorer work performance. Avoidantly attached individuals tended to be overinvolved with work which resulted in effective work performance but disrupted home life. The present study aimed to develop scales of insecure attachment problems for use with a clinical population and to further replicate Hazan and Shaver's findings. In this context the study also looked at the effects of psychological interventions on attachment difficulties. Using data from 219 depressed clients receiving psychological treatment for stress at work, differences in orientation to work were associated with the two insecure attachment groups as predicted. The anxious/ambivalent scale correlated significantly with reported anxiety about work performance and relationships at work. In contrast, the avoidant scale correlated with concern over hours of work and difficulties in relationships at home and with social life. The study also found that relationship problems associated with insecure attachments were significantly helped by psychological treatments.
Healthy Mind; Healthy Organization— A Proactive Approach to Occupational Stress
Authors: Cooper C. L. , Cartwright S.
Published: August 2005

The direct and indirect costs of occupational stress can be measured in both humanistic and financial terms. Therefore, financially healthy organizations are likely to be those which are successful in maintaining and retaining a workforce characterized by good physical, psychological, and mental health. In drawing upon recent empirical studies, this paper examines a wide range of issues including: factors intrinsic to the job, corporate culture, managerial style, style of work organization and physical layout, home/work interface, etc., which impact on employee health and well-being, and so determine the financial health and profitability of the organization. It also addresses the efficacy of various intervention strategies in reducing employee stress, and their implications for organizational practices and human resource policies.
Organizational Behavior Revisited
Authors: Warner Malcolm
Published: August 2005

This article attempts to reappraise over 100 years of theorizing about organizations. It starts by looking again at the chronology of the development of the field and examines problems of categorization and periodization. It reviews the Classical Approaches, including Scientific Management, then Human Relations and the arrival of Organizational Behavior as an interdisciplinary field of study. It then goes on to discuss the challenges to the mainstream paradigm and radical criticisms of its values and methodologies. In the Discussion following, the limitations of mainstream work is further examined vis-A-vis its generalizabilily, its cultural biases, and the gap between theorists and practicing managers. It concludes that O.B. had probably benefitted from these criticisms and from adopting a wider frame of reference, if at the cost of theoretical integration and cohesion.
Occupational Stress, Social Support, Job Control, and Psychological Well-Being
Authors: Daniels Kevin , Guppy Andrew
Published: August 2005

The effects of social support, job control, participative decision making practices, and locus of control upon the relationship between occupational stress and psychological well-being have been well discussed and researched. In order to synthesize these areas of research, a 1-month follow-up study of 244 accountants was conducted. The results indicated complex interactions between stressors, locus of control, and social support or job autonomy in predicting psychological well-being, controlling for initial measures of well-being. These interactions reveal that an internal locus of control, and social support/job autonomy synergistically buffer the effects of stressors upon well-being.
Blindness Rehabilitation Agencies and Organizational Environments
Authors: Shanks-Meile Stephanie L. , Dobratz Betty A.
Published: August 2005

Previous research has suggested that the extent to which rehabilitation agencies must compete over clientele affects the structure and behavior of organizations. Institutional theory suggests, however, that increased competition is unlikely to affect the rehabilitation process and client outcomes. In this paper, multiple regression analysis on survey data from 135 agencies in 22 states suggested that organizational structure and behavior were not affected. However, increased competition did appear to lead to a greater retention of clientele while personnel constraints appeared to increase the referral of clients to other agencies. Since agencies have less control over funding and other related scarce resources, clientele appear to be the manipulable resource which can be referred or retained to meet organizational needs.
An Examination of the Relationships Between Work Commitment and Nonwork Domains
Authors: Cohen Aaron
Published: August 2005

The goal of this research was to examine the relationship between work commitment forms (e.g., organizational commitment, occupational commitment, job involvement, Protestant work ethic, work involvement) and nonwork domains. Nurses from two hospitals in Western Canada were surveyed. A total of 238 usable questionnaires were returned: a response rate of 47%. The findings showed that nonwork domains affect all work commitment forms examined in this study, especially organizational commitment. It was also found that variables representing nonwork domains affect work commitment forms in different ways. For some commitment forms, such as organizational commitment, there is a strong effect of one variable (e.g., organizational support of nonwork) while for other commitment forms, such as job involvement, there is a complex three-way interaction effect. The main conclusion of this study is that the relationship between work commitment and nonwork domains should receive further attention in future research.
The Effects of Career Salience and Life-Cycle Variables on Perceptions of Work-Family Interfaces
Authors: Chi-Ching Yuen
Published: August 2005

In recent years, the life-stages theory on work-family interfaces has attracted considerable attention. Being based on theories of adult development, the life-stages theory has a strong biological/physiological overtone. It overlooks individual differences in values, attitudes, and orientations, as well as the effects of such differences on perceptions of work-family interfaces. In this context, the present paper explored the effects of career salience and life-cycle variables on life-role salience. The findings showed that career salience interacted with life-cycle variables such that life-cycle variables affected the perceptions of men and women with different career orientations differently. The study involved a stratified sample of 429 Business Administration graduates from a local university.
The Turnover Process in Organizations: An Exploration of the Role of Met-Unmet Expectations
Authors: Pearson Cecil A. L.
Published: August 2005

An assessment of the turnover process was undertaken with subjects of railway track maintenance crews. The differences between the responses of workers who left the crews and others who retained membership for the study were partially explained by the met-unmet expectations framework, and there was some evidence to suggest a variety of work related factors are a source of employee perceptions. However, to obtain a fuller understanding of the processes of employee reactions further theoretical articulation is required.
Organizational Change and the Provision of a Secure Base: Lessons from the Field
Authors: Kahn William A.
Published: August 2005

In this article I lay groundwork for a theory of practice related to organization members' dependency on change agents. A promising place to begin such a theory of practice is attachment theory, a framework developed in child developmental psychology that focuses on how relationships between children and attachment figures (typically parents) facilitate or undermine children feeling secure. Using material from an organizational diagnosis and change project I conducted from multiple theoretical perspectives, I show how I as a change agent created and undermined a secure attachment with organization members. I then offer implications about how change agents-as temporary attachment figures-may undermine or facilitate fundamental change in organization members' patterns of relating.
A Longitudinal Study of a Multivariate Model of the Stress Process Using Structural Equations Modeling
Authors: Scheck Christine L. , Kinicki Angelo J. , Davy Jeanette A.
Published: August 2005

This study developed and tested a longitudinal multivariate model of the stress process using an intensive structural equations modeling (SEM) approach. The use of latent variables permits a powerful test of the causal relationships between stress process constructs. Anderson and Gerbing's (1988) two-stage process of analysis was followed: A measurement model was examined in Stage One of the analysis; structural verification of the proposed stress process model using a panel design was tested in Stage Two. Findings from both stages contribute to our understanding of stress by uncovering some dynamic components underlying the stress process. This study offered a sophisticated methodological examination into the complexity inherent in uncovering the dynamics of the stress process.
Measuring Coping: A Review and Critique
Authors: Oakland Susan , Ostell Alistair
Published: August 2005

Coping is thought to be a major component in the relationship between the experience of stress and health. Currently, the most popular method for measuring coping is the quantitative, methods-foci approach which was developed by Lazarus and his colleagues (Aldwin, Folkman, Schaefer, Coyne, & Lazarus, 1980). Through a critical review of studies using this approach, and by drawing on qualitative data from a study of stress, coping and health among headteachers, this paper argues that these widely-used measures need refining. Qualitative data show that the efficacy of coping actions and the adequacy of external resources are two pivotal variables in the coping process, both of which are completely overlooked in quantitative coping checklists. More broadly, it is argued that alternative methodologies must be considered if we are to better understand the role of coping in the stress/health relationship.
The Company Car Driver, Occupational Stress as a Predictor of Motor Vehicle Accident Involvement
Authors: Cartwright Sue , Cooper Cary L. , Barron Andrea
Published: August 2005

The relationship between occupational stress and worksite accidents has increasingly become the focus of research attention. However, few studies have considered the "spillover" effect of work related stress on employee behavior outside the specific work domain. This article reports the findings of our study to investigate the possible effects of occupational stress on the incidence of road accidents among company car drivers. Using motor vehicle claims data, stress levels were compared between accident-free (ACCF) and accident-involved (ACCI) drivers of a large car fleet operated by an international retailing organization. Comparisons were also made between different divisions/subsidiary companies within the organization. Despite the relatively small sample (n = 236) and the retrospective limitations of the study, the findings would indicate that occupational stress is playing a role in predicting accident rates among company car drivers. It is suggested that organizational initiatives aimed at stressor reduction and the improvement of individual coping skills may make an important contribution in reducing motor vehicle accidents.