bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Desire: A Structural Model of Motivation
Authors: Leather Phil
Published: March 2006

Current approaches to the psychology of human motivation are criticized for being too concerned with “individual satisfactions” and “instrumental performance.”An alternative view of motivation which is based on social relationships mediated by symbolic structures is offered. The essence of this approach is the concept of “desire” which is expressed in terms of a mutually defining relationship between one individual and another. The individual desires the recognition of another individual in order to know himself. It is argued that what we call human needs are not just demands for food, sex, love, etc., but become, through the medium of language, calls to other individuals for their recognition or valuing.
Marital Relationships as a Cause of Death: An Analysis of Occupational Mortality and the Hidden Consequences of Marriage—Some U.K. Data
Authors: Fletcher Ben (C.)
Published: March 2006

There are very large and specific effects of employees' occupations on their life expectancy or mortality rates. In addition, there is an astonishingly close association between the mortality rates of men classified by their own occupation and married women classified by their husband's occupation. The implication of this finding is that a married woman's life expectancy is significantly affected by the occupation her husband is engaged in. It is argued that these two findings cannot be explained by marital partners sharing similar socioeconomic-environmental circumstances; nor by the psychological effects of bereavement; or the transfer of chemical/physical substances and diseases between partners. It is suggested that while each of these factors may have an additive effect on the association reported, they cannot collectively account for its magnitude and occupational specificity. An explanation of the association must center on the occupational risks that males are exposed to at work (particularly the psychological stressors). It is proposed that these occupational risks are transmitted, via the domestic psychological environment, to married women. Thus the males' job risks affect the life expectancy of both partners.
A Meta-Model of the Effects of Goal Characteristics, Feedback, and Role Characteristics in Human Organizations
Authors: Beehr Terry A. , Love Kevin G.
Published: March 2006

Recent literature reviews have attempted to link goal-setting processes with other traditional human relations topics, possibly in a search for explanations of the inconsistent results among some empirical studies. The present reformulation builds upon the models developed in these literature reviews by offering more specific propositions regarding the variables in these models and by integrating these variables with three other organizational themes: participative management, job design and role theory. The model offered here is a meta-model because it is an integration of variables and concepts from several other models. Eleven propositions regarding the direct effects of goal characteristics, feedback, and role characteristics and eleven corollaries regarding the moderating effects of personal and job characteristics are presented.
The Organizational Validity of Management Information Systems
Authors: Markus M. Lynne , Robey Daniel
Published: March 2006

Organizational validity refers to the “fit” between an information system and its organizational context of use. This paper applies the concept to MIS and extends it beyond earlier formulations. The conditions fostering invalid systems and two processes by which organizational validity is achieved, integration and negotiation, are discussed. Finally, the desirability of increasing validity as a strategy of improving system effectiveness is assessed.
Assessing Children's Friendship Expectations: Supplementing the Semistructured Interview with Picture Sequence Tasks
Authors: Bigelow Brian
Published: March 2006

Seventy-five subjects from Grades 2 and 4 were given two tasks to determine their developmental friendship expectation (FE) levels. The first task employed a semistructured FE interview and the second was a picture sequence task similar in format to the Picture Arrangement (PA) subtest of the WISC-R. To control for sequencing ability on the pictorial task, a modification of PA was also administered. Nine FE picture sequences, corresponding to an extant eight-level developmental sequence, were administered to the children. Interviews were coded along the same dimensions. FE levels based on the interview task were marginally more advanced for both grades: 11 subjects were markedly competent and 8 markedly better on the interview; 11 subjects were markedly competent and 10 markedly better on the visual task. Interview FEs showed no significant relationship to age, whereas picture sequence FEs did. This difference was due to the Type II errors on the visual task at Grade 2 and the interview task at Grade 4. Picture sequencing was unrelated to PA or to task difficulty. The visual task was an apparent underestimate of FE level for 65 subjects who scored s FE level 2 on the visual task. However, sole use of the interview created a large underestimate for 10 of 11 subjects who scored > FE level 2 on the visual index. The risk of underestimation was eliminated by additional use of the visual index, and the more advanced the performance on the visual task, the higher the risk of false negative errors on the interview.
Rethinking Corporate Strategy: A Cybernetic Perspective
Authors: Morgan Gareth
Published: March 2006

This paper offers a view of corporate strategy guided by the insights of cybernetics. The approach challenges the conventional wisdom of rational planning and instrumental control which stresses the importance of goal-oriented adaption of organization to environment. In its place an alternative strategy of systemic wisdom is developed. This is based on: (a) an understanding of contexts; (b) an orientation of action away from noxiants; (c) finding value in system relations rather than instrumental ends; and (d) fostering joint rather than individual action. The paper is concerned to understand the requirements and consequences of strategy formulation in turbulent environments.
The Change Agent: A Taxonomy in Relation to the Change Process
Authors: Ottaway Richard N.
Published: March 2006

The article begins with a historical review of the term change agent from its origin in Lippit, Watson, and Westley to current usage in behavioral science literature. More detailed descriptions are provided for research that has been conducted on change agents. Lewin's three-phase paradigm of social change is used to construct a taxonomy of ten categories of change agents involved. Activities and characteristics are proposed for each category, citing recent research efforts to substantiate them.
The Attractiveness of Names
Authors: Hargreaves David J. , Colman Andrew M. , Sluckin Wladyslaw
Published: March 2006

After a brief account of the importance, and neglect, of the psychological study of names, the role of familiarity in liking for names is investigated. Some empirical research on first names and surnames is set in the context of two opposing theories in experimental aesthetics: the “mere exposure” and “inverted-U” hypotheses. A preference-feedback hypothesis that enables us to resolve some apparently contradictory results from the experiments, and to account for the existence of cyclical vogues in first names and other cultural items, is proposed.
Control of Workflow in Organizations: Perspectives from Markets, Hierarchies, and Collectives
Authors: Butler Richard
Published: March 2006

Three types of control bases, namely, dependence, routinization, and collaboration, are identified as means of controlling workflow in organizations. These bases are seen to reflect the dominant methods of control used in market, bureaucratic, and collective organizations, respectively. It is hypothesized that the total amount of control bases available will lead to effective control, but as organizations will tend to economize upon control costs, it is also hypothesized that these three bases tend to be mutually exclusive. Other hypotheses suggest that the greater the complexity of a transaction the less likely that routinization, but the more likely collaboration, is used as a control base. These hypotheses are investigated in the setting of an aerospace research establishment where users of equipment have to link their activities with providers of technical services.
The Interrelationship of Power and Control
Authors: Manz Charles C. , Gioia Dennis A.
Published: March 2006

This paper addresses the interrelationship of power and control. A model is developed suggesting that (a) control of organizational resources (resource control) is the primary source of interpersonal power; (b) interpersonal power is the driving force for controlling individuals (personal control); the type of power used to exercise personal control will influence the controlled/controller relationship; and (d) personal control fosters resource control and thus affects the distribution of intraorganizational power. Several questions and issues relevant to research and practice are raised. Overall, it is argued that to increase our understanding of power and control, greater effort is needed aimed at uncovering their interdependent relationship rather than the usual independent treatment given these two elusive concepts.
The Psychodynamics of Organization Development Consultants
Authors: Tranfield David
Published: March 2006

Preliminary interviewing of organization development consultants suggested that, first, they tended to have a strongly developed ability to idealize, and second, they tended to see themselves as being shy individuals with considerable interpersonal difficulties. Such findings, along with an analysis of organization development values taken from -the literature, were interpreted from an object relations viewpoint. From this a hypothesis regarding the psychodynamics of organization development consultants was developed. Operational measures were devised and data collected using the Object Relations Technique (Phillipson, 1973). Some indicative findings are reported from fieldwork and comparisons made with clinical groups. Discussion of the difficulties of interpretation and implications for practice of this explanatory work conclude the paper.
A Typology of Organization Typologies: Toward Parsimony and Integration in the Organizational Sciences
Authors: Kilmann Ralph H.
Published: March 2006

Numerous typologies have been offered for sorting the major contingencies of organizational functioning. Types of effectiveness, environments, technologies, structures, controls, strategies, goals, decision-making processes, leadership styles, job designs, and cognitive preferences, are just some examples. This paper proposes that the variations in each typology tend to follow a pattern, and that this pattern can be captured by the broader dimensions of closed versus open systems and technical versus social systems. It is argued that greater parsimony and integration of the organizational sciences are achieved by defining, sorting, and researching contingency variations according to the four resulting categories: closed-technical system, closed-social system, open-technical system, and open-social system. This paper concludes with suggestions for new research directions that follow from this metatypology.
The Influence of a Rape Victim's Physical Attractiveness on Observers' Attributions of Responsibility
Authors: Thornton Bill , Ryckman Richard M.
Published: March 2006

Research has provided conflicting results as to the impact of a rape victim's physical attractiveness on observers' attributions of responsibility, attributed in part to methodological considerations. The present study, employing multiple exemplars of attractiveness and multiple dependent measures of responsibility, revealed consistent evidence of an attractiveness bias among observers, with an unattractive victim being assigned greater responsibility in general for her own victimization, as well as specific behavioral and characterological blame, than an attractive victim. The un-attractive victim was also considered to have contributed to her assault by presenting a more provocative appearance than her more attractive counter-part. These biases were stronger for male observers than for females. Although the attractiveness factor differentially influenced the perceived responsibility of a victim, it did not affect attributions toward the assailant.
Modernity Change of Core and Periphery Values of Factory Workers
Authors: Lachman Ran
Published: March 2006

This study examines the proposition that late socialization processes may bring “traditional” people to a level of modernity equal to that of people who had the benefit of modern early socialization. The study suggests that a differentiation should be made between modernity changes in value orientations which are at the core and those at the periphery of the personality system. Its basic proposition is that early socialization influences will affect modernity of both core and periphery value orientations, while late socialization influences will affect modernity of periphery values only. Data analysis indicates that early socialization directly influences modernity of core values and indirectly influences modernity of periphery ones. Late socialization was found to have an effect mainly on periphery values, and even this effect was found to be mostly an indirect effect of early socialization. Late socialization was found to have no independent effect on modernity.
Toward a Typology of Employee Ownership
Authors: Toscanol David J.
Published: March 2006

Employee ownership has received considerable attention in recent years, in part due to claims that it enhances work satisfaction, increases productivity and profitability, and brings some measure of workers' control to the production process. Research in the field, however, indicates that such links are not inevitable and that different forms of employee ownership have different effects on companies and their workforces. Without this recognition, subsequent research and policy recommendations will suffer. The author argues the need to resolve a number of terminological and definitional problems in the field, and contributes to this task through the development of a typology of employee ownership. Three general types of employee ownership-direct ownership, employee stock ownership plans, and producer cooperatives-are isolated and compared according to eight classificatory factors. Subtypes of each of these categories are also advanced. Recognizing the wide variation in employee ownership forms will allow social scientists to explain more clearly the benefits and deficiencies associated with these new ownership arrangements.
Leader Influence Through Operant Principles: A Theoretical and Methodological Framework
Authors: Ashour Ahmed Sakr , Johns Gary
Published: March 2006

Leader influence is analyzed in terms of operant theory. The characteristics of leader-mediated stimuli and the way they are tied to the subordinate's newly exhibited and already acquired behavior are proposed as critical determinants of leader influence. Dependent parameters of leader influence on subordinate motivation and behavior acquisition are identified. The relevant literature on learning and leadership is reviewed and a number of hypotheses are suggested. Constraints on leader influence through the manipulation of reinforcement and punishment are discussed. Requirements of the operant methodology are examined. These suggest that future research on the effects of leader reinforcement should use rigorous experimentation and the procedures of behavior observation.
Job-Type Variations and Antecedents to Intention to Leave: A Content Approach to Turnover
Authors: Thompson Kenneth R. , Terpening Willbann D.
Published: March 2006

Studies concerned with variables involving an individual's decision to leave an organization are categorized into process and content aspects. Variations in previous tests of causal content models are discussed. It was hypothesized that job type acts as a moderating factor affecting the variables indicated as important in the intention-to-leave decision. The results of this study support the hypothesis. Implications of the findings are discussed.
Some Remarks on Theoretical Individualism, Alienation, and Work
Authors: Cooper Robert
Published: March 2006

This paper offers some comments on the relationship between the “individualistic” bias in social scientific conceptions of human behavior and studies of work and organization. It is claimed that such bias suppresses the real nature of the work process which is “communicative” or dialectical and produces an “alienated” conception of social life. Two models of work -the rational and natural models, derived from the writings of Gouldner and Habermas - are then briefly discussed.
Action Learning: A Strategic Approach for Organizations Facing Turbulent Conditions
Authors: Ramirez Rafael
Published: March 2006

This paper presents an overview of a generic strategic approach which organizations can utilize to meet the rapid, complex, interrelated change encountered in turbulent conditions more effectively. The present approach is arrived at by “distilling” the principles embodied in leading edge planning and management strategies. These principles are integrated theoretically within the action learning approach, which considers learning rooted in action to be a most helpful guiding metaphor to enable effective strategies under such conditions. An exploration is then made of the relationship among action learning and other more traditional organizational modes by comparing this relationship with Kuhn's theory of scientific revolutions.
Job Attitudes, Intentions, and Turnover: An Analysis of Effects Using Latent Variables
Authors: LaRocco James M.
Published: March 2006

The effect of attitudes on behavior, intention to perform a behavior on actual behavior, and the simultaneous effects of attitudes and intention on each other, were examined within a sample of U. S. Navy enlisted men. A three-wave longitudinal design was employed in which measures of job satisfaction, organization satisfaction, and intention to reenlist were obtained at two time periods 6 months apart. Approximately 2 years after the initial data were collected, archival records were examined to identify participants whose enlistment had expired. Two hundred sixty such men were identified and their reenlistment decision noted. These men constituted the sample under study. Extending the general model proposed by Alwin, a structural equation analysis was employed. It was shown that the effect of intention on attitude was greater than the effect of attitude on intention. Situational constraints that might override preferences in determining actual behaviors were discussed.
Maslow and the Hierarchical Enactment of Organizational Reality
Authors: Schwartz Howard S.
Published: March 2006

The present paper reinterprets Maslow's hierarchy in a way that is consistent with Maslow's own characterizations of his hierarchy as (a) psychodynamic, (b) psychoanalytic, and (c) a hierarchy of character types. It is demonstrated that the resulting hierarchy represents the differential construction, or enactment, of social and organizational reality. The orientations toward work and work organizations of persons at each stage are derived.
Cognitive and Organizational Structures: A Conceptual Analysis of Implicit Organizing Theories
Authors: Brief Arthur P. , Downey H. Kirk
Published: March 2006

The concept of implicit theories is used to explain how the ideas of organization designers are translated into organizational structures. The concept is also used to explain how organization members respond to structural characteristics. Research strategies for measuring the implicit theories of organizing on which these explanations are based are also discussed.
Marginality and the Organizational Socialization of Female Managers
Authors: Buono Anthony F. , Kamm Judith B.
Published: March 2006

Although social movements and legislation have provided the impetus for women to enter the managerial ranks, relatively few females have become top-level managers. Using the sociological theory of marginality, the paper explores this phenomenon and suggests that women are still caught between emerging corporate and traditional roles. Implications of this marginal status are then examined in the context of the multistaged process of organizational socialization.
Organizational Crisis. Part II: Strategies and Responses
Authors: Milburn Thomas W. , Schuler Randall S. , Watman Kenneth H.
Published: March 2006

The ways organizations respond to crisis can be described in terms of the level of the individual-short, intermediate, and long term-and the level of the organization as a whole-also short, intermediate, and long range. Different kinds of response have disparate implications for organizational effectiveness and survival. Some of the most effective responses can be counterintuitive and are not especially likely to occur, e.g., decentralization in crisis situations. Based upon these considerations and empirical examples of them, several examples of both preventive and management action strategies are described as means to organizational survival and growth.
An Examination of Organizational Commitment in Six Workers' Cooperatives in Scotland
Authors: Oliver Nick
Published: March 2006

This paper describes an exploratory study into organizational commitment in six workers' cooperatives in Scotland. Data was collected using questionnaires and semistructured interviews. The questionnaire was used to gather information about attitudes toward work, social attitudes, and demographic characteristics of the cooperatives' members. The interviews produced more detailed data about motivations for joining cooperatives, and about perceptions of the cooperative environment. The members of the cooperatives appeared to form a highly self-selected group, and produced scores on the scales of organizational commitment that were significantly higher than population norms. The data are interpreted as indicating a close match between the values and goals of the members of the cooperatives and what the cooperatives provided as work organizations. It is argued that this may account for the high organizational commitment scores, using a contingency model of organizational commitment.
Defining Quality of Working Life
Authors: Levine Mark F. , Taylor James C. , Davis Louis E.
Published: March 2006

This paper presents the results of a step-by-step Delphi analysis used to develop a definition and measure of quality of working life [QWL] in a case specific setting. A representative panel of 64 employees from the headquarters of a large insurance company constituted the Delphi panel that engaged in defining QWL utilizing a six-phase Delphi methodology. The results of a 34-item QWL questionnaire developed from that definition were tested with a sizable [n = 450] sample of the company's employees. Those results identified the following seven significant predictors of QWL, four of which extended beyond specific job content: [a] degree to which my superiors treat me with respect and have confidence in my abilities, [b] variety in my daily work routine, [c] challenge of my work, [d] my present work leads to good future work opportunities, [e] self-esteem, [/l extent to which my life outside of work affects my life at work, and [g] the extent to which the work I do contributes to society.
Rationality and Social Justice
Authors: Edney Julian J.
Published: March 2006

Modern ideas of justice stress the social qualities of equity and fairness; on the other hand, modern ideas of rational behavior stress individual, self-serving choices that are basically unconcerned with equity. In these forms, justice and rationality conflict in social situations as it appears they have done since Hobbes' analysis of human nature in the 17th century. Two more recent theories are reviewed here, both concerning this social dilemma: Santayana's Reason in Society, which finds solutions in social inequality (as meritocracy); and Rawls' Theory of Justice which finds solutions in social fairness and which tries to constrain social inequality. Rawls' theory is the more democratic, but at heart it is deliberately nonrational. It appears both theories are actually only partial solutions; Rawls in particular, includes unrealistic assumptions ruling out competition and envy in society. This analysis indicates that Santayana's approach has merit, pointing out that there are functional justifications for inequality. This analysis also advocates the priority of freedom over justice-as-equity, and further points out that under conditions we know as friendship, the original social dilemma may be avoided.
Argot and the Creation of Social Types in a Young Gay Community
Authors: Taub Diane E. , Leger Robert G.
Published: March 2006

This study investigates the existence of various social types in a young gay community (I 7-24 age group) located in the southeastern United States. The social types are identified “emically” through the use of a specific domain of knowledge, gay argot. Gay terms and expressions are grouped using a method similar to factor analysis to locate specific dimensions of behavior in this community. A central concern of this paper is to determine how the concept of “binary opposition” operates among the resulting social types. Binary opposition, which has been identified in studies constructing other folk taxonomies (classification schemes created from the participants' perspective), means that for every entity created in the taxonomy there must be an opposite to that entity (an example would be the “butch-femme” distinction among lesbians). Next, through interviews we investigate the specific attributes that define each of the resulting social types. Finally, we employ componential analysis to determine if there is any logical scheme operating among the types.
Specifying External Relations: Definition of and Actors in an Organization's Environment
Authors: Ulrich Dave
Published: March 2006

Organization-environment concerns have become an increasingly important topic for both academic researchers and organizational practitioners. Unfortunately, some of the academic perspectives on organization-environment relations have emphasized the study of constructs within an organization's environment more than specific activities that an organization may adopt with actors in its environment. This paper proposes a three-step process for bridging academic research and organizational practice around organization-environment relations. First, distinctions between environments as nonmanipulable elements and niches as manipulable elements can be made. Resource dependence, efficiency, and uncertainty perspectives on environments have particular application at organization-niche interfaces. Ecology and uncertainty perspectives have relevance at the organization-environment interface. Second, niches can be at least partially identified through methods used to define strategic groups or populations. Classification and evolutionary analyses are two promising techniques that can be used to define populations and niches. Third, once niches are defined, actors within a niche can be identified and specific relationships between an organization and actors examined.
Measuring Organizational Control: The Reliability and Validity of the Control Graph Approach
Authors: Markham William T. , Bonjean Charles M. , Corder Judy
Published: March 2006

The reliability and validity of the control graph approach to measuring organizational control structure and individual perceptions of control are examined through a review of previous studies and new data from managers, supervisors, and employees in six offices of a government agency. The results suggest that the approach has significant problems with reliability when used to measure organizational structure and problems with validity as a measure of individual perceptions of control structure. A theoretical account of the diversity of control mechanisms operating in organizations is developed to help explain why these problems exist.
Intervention Against Loneliness in a Group of Elderly Women: A Process Evaluation
Authors: Andersson Lars
Published: March 2006

This article describes a method (the CCC design) for undertaking social work with the elderly. The presenting symptom is the experience of loneliness. Also examined is how far the sample was representative of elderly people who had shown interest in institutional living and among whom the experience of loneliness could be expected, and also whether the intervention efforts were undertaken as specified. The results indicate that when subjects are randomly assigned to a treatment they have not sought, the participants, as compared to nonparticipants, seem to be somewhat higher in socioeconomic status and some of its correlates, but lower in self-esteem. On the whole the proposed method seems easy enough to execute and can accordingly be applied to other populations.
A Symbolic Exchange Framework for the Development of Intimate Relationships
Authors: Stephen Timothy D.
Published: March 2006

It is argued that a synthesis of social exchange theory and symbolic interactionism may provide a useful framework for understanding and predicting the development of intimate relationships. A study was conducted to test a central proposition from this synthetic, “symbolic exchange” framework. Evidence was found to support predictions that couples in progressed relationships will show greater symbolic interdependence and that symbolic inter dependence associates positively with relationship commitment and with relationship satisfaction. Findings from the study provided support for the symbolic exchange framework against competing predictions from filter theories of relationship development and provide justification for a program of research investigating the symbolic exchange model.
Perspectives on Intrafamily Violence
Authors: Kratcoski Peter C.
Published: March 2006

This research involves a self-report study of youths who were victims, perpetrators, or observers of violence within the family. The sample includes students attending a senior high school, youths referred to a juvenile court but not incarcerated, and youths residing in juvenile institutions. Each young person completed a questionnaire which included demographic data, family functioning information, school data, and questions on the frequency of specific violent occurrences in the family setting during the past year. The research focuses on self-reported violent behavior these youths directed toward significant others and on violent behavior of adults toward those youths and other children in the family. The relationship between levels of family functioning and intrafamily violence was explored. Such occurrences as spouse-to-spouse violence, sibling-to-sibling violence, and child abuse were examined in terms of their relationship to the amount and direction of youth violence. The characteristics of families with high levels of violence are compared with those of families with an absence of or low levels of violent behavior. It was found that the more effectively the family functioned the less likely it was that intrafamily violence would occur. Methods of increasing the level of family functioning through family counseling and crisis intervention are also described.
Once More unto the System
Authors: Glaser S.
Published: March 2006

It is argued that the concept of “system” is poorly conceptualized largely because of its definitional roots in set theory. Starting from the viewpoint of dimensional analysis, several heuristics to guide the identification and mapping of systems are presented and a theoretical solution to determining system boundaries is outlined.
A Type A-B Person-Work Environment Interaction Model for Examining Occupational Stress and Consequences
Authors: Ivancevich John M. , Matteson Michael T.
Published: March 2006

The physiological, psychological, and organizational effects of occupational stress are not only costly to individual employees and managers, but also to the organization, society, and family. This paper examines the notion of interaction between the employee and the work environment. Stress is defined in terms of a relationship between a person and the work environment. Instead of using a global model of person-environment interaction, a more specific approach incorporating the notion of Type A-B behavior pattern and Type A-B work environment is developed. The paper examines the theory, research, and implications of a person-environment model as an explanation of occupational stress and various behavioral, psychological, and organizational consequences. The model is suggested as a formulation of a dynamic-interactional view that emphasizes the reciprocal person-environment processes found in the workplace. It is proposed that the interaction between Type A-B behavior patterns and Type A-B work environment is a fertile area for further theoretical and empirical research.
The Attenuating Function of Myth in Human Understanding
Authors: Jackson N. V. , Carter P.
Published: March 2006

Ashby's Law of Requisite Variety demands the insertion of a variety attenuator in any homeostatic system to regulate the relationship between the high variety environment and the low variety monitor. We argue that, in the system which is constituted by man and his environment, this function is performed by myth, i.e., that myth is a variety attenuator. The nature of the concept of myth is explored, and a relationship traced between the functions of classical myth and contemporary modes of understanding. Some implications follow, in particular, that serious dysfunctions inevitably occur as a result of overattenuation where the environmental variety increases at a greater rate than man's ability to understand it, as in the present technological age.
Determinants of Attitudes toward Taxation in Britain
Authors: Furnham Adrian
Published: March 2006

This study sets out to investigate the relationship between demographic variables (age, sex, education, vote, and income), psychological beliefs (alienation, Protestant work ethic, and conservatism) and attitudes toward taxation. Over 250 people from a variety of backgrounds completed a number of standardized self-report measures. A factor analysis of the scale revealed five clearly interpretable factors which were later computed into five subscale scores. Analysis of variance showed that the psychological belief variables most differentiated subjects' attitudes toward taxation. A canonical correlational analysis revealed that education, vote, alienation, and Protestant work ethic were most clearly related to the various taxation attitudes. These results are discussed in terms of the previous literature in this area and various suggestions for future research are considered.
Group Identification: The Same Thing to All People?
Authors: Brown Rupert , Williams Jennifer
Published: March 2006

The hypothesis derived from Social Identity Theory that strength of group identification would be positively correlated with intergroup differentiation is tested. Data was obtained from 55 workers in a bakery using semistructured interviews. Analysis showed clear differentiation between the factory departments by subgroups of workers along dimensions of perceived contribution to the running of the factory and expressed friendliness towards out-groups. However, multiple regression analyses revealed that the relationship between group identification and intergroup differentiation was not consistently positive but varied between subgroup and between attitude dimensions. The most reliable predictor of differentiation, consistent with Realistic Conflict Theory, was perceived conflict between ingroup and outgroups.
A Methodological Inquiry of Organizational Noise in Sociotechnical Systems
Authors: Ciborra C. , Migliarese P. , Romano P.
Published: March 2006

Organizational noise concerns the character and consequences of out-of-the-norm events which occur in organizations. The paper defines organizational noise as the unexpected variety which operators of the technical system have to face. The investigation of organizational noise is of twofold importance. First, it helps the analyst to understand how the work organization really functions. Second, it points out the existence of or the possibilities for implementing alternative organizational forms. New organizational forms may emerge from the organized behavior of members facing fluctuations. Two distinctive work-related phenomena are also investigated: self-regulative behavior which absorbs noise and self-organization, for which noise is exploited as a source of new configurations rather then being eliminated. Finally, some implications for methods of organizational analysis are developed.
Commitment, Absenteeism, and Turnover of New Employees: A Longitudinal Study
Authors: Farrell Dan , Petersen James C.
Published: March 2006

Longitudinal data were collected to explore the relationships among loss of commitment, absenteeism, and employee turnover. Using a median-based approach to investigate the structure of withdrawal among 52 nurses and 36 accountants, it was found that both loss of commitment and increased absenteeism preceded turnover. Decreases in commitment were better predictors of turnover than increases in absenteeism, although stayers in both occupational groups were distinguished by unchanging patterns of zero median days absent. Implications for the progression theory of job withdrawal are discussed.
Limits of Cultural Awareness: The Immigrant as Therapist
Authors: Basker Eileen , Dominguez Virginia R.
Published: March 2006

An examination of the limits to the cultural awareness of immigrant therapists raises questions about the context and boundaries of “professional” knowledge. The paper examines alternative models of the therapeutic encounter available to therapists and the influence of personal background and experience on the therapists' actual views of that encounter. Concentrating on verbal expressions as reflections of the therapists' conceptualizations of themselves within the therapeutic encounter, the study finds that most of the therapists seem to ignore or gloss cultural differences in talking about their work, while referring frequently to these same differences in talking about their personal experiences as immigrants.
Social Behavior of Field Independents and Dependents in an Organic Group
Authors: Gruenfeld Leopold W. , Lin Thung-Rung
Published: March 2006

This study hypothesized that the social behavioral of field independent-dependent (Witkin, 1978) subjects in a noncontrived organic group will differ along the task emotionally-expressive dimensions identified by Bales and Cohen (1979). In addition, the study sought to establish discriminant validity for the field independent-cognitive style variable by contrasting it with apparently similar but conceptually different variables, i.e., dogmatism and sociability. Behaviors of field independents and dependents were observed over 25 1 ½-hr sessions, spread over a 4-month period. Social behaviors of participants were rated by both participating and nonparticipating observers at the middle and at the end of sessions by Bales' Interpersonal Rating Forms. Field independence and dependence was found not related to dogmatism or sociability. As hypothesized, field dependents behaved in a responsive, task-oriented, problem-solving mode while field independents behaved in a social-emotional rebellious and resistant mode in the present organic group. It was concluded that field independents show discomfort in the organic group by withdrawing from and rebelling against the task and its leadership. Field dependents accept and are supportive of the socially open-ended task of the organic group and its leadership.
Cooperation Theory and Organizations
Authors: Tjosvold Dean
Published: March 2006

Organizational researchers have largely ignored cooperation theory in their analyses of social interaction in organizations. Considerable experimental and field research by social and educational psychologists indicates the dynamics of cooperatively (positively), competitively (negatively), and individualistically (independently) linked goals and suggests their consequences on relationships and productivity. Results overall indicate that cooperation facilitates social interaction and productivity. However, studies done in organizational contexts with representative tasks are needed to generalize confidently to organizational practice. Organizational researchers can extend cooperation theory to understand the dynamics between superiors and subordinates and the relationships among departments. To make cooperation theory useful, knowledge is needed to identify conditions that affect how organizational members perceive their goal interdependence.
The Experience of Interpersonal Touch During a Personal Growth Program: A Factor Analytic Approach
Authors: Edwards David J. A.
Published: March 2006

Twenty male and 16 female psychology students who participated in a personal growth program in which structures involving interpersonal touch were used filled out a questionnaire evaluating their experience of touching and being touched. Factor analysis yielded five factors. The first, taking up 50% of the variance was labeled “openness to exploration of self-expression and intimacy through touch” and measured the extent to which participants experienced touch as nurturant, celebratory, ludic, and cathartic. The second factor was “perception of touch as threatening” and was independent of the first. Factor 3 was a sexual arousal factor, Factor 4 measured a “serious, caring stance,” and Factor 5 measured perceptionn of oneself as threatening when touching.” Males had higher scores on Factor 3 and females on Factor 1. Correlations between the touch factors and the scales of the Personal Orientation Inventory and the Howarth Personality Questionnaire were also computed and the significant correlations are presented and discussed. The touch factors are discussed in relation to the experience of being touched both in the group setting and in everyday life.
Managers' Pursuit of Individual and Organizational Goals
Authors: Schmidt Stuart M. , Kipnis David
Published: March 2006

This paper examines circumstances under which managers exercise upward influence in order to achieve individual and organizational goals. One hundred and thirteen managers completed a questionnaire describing the frequency with which they influenced their superiors for individual and organizational reasons. Managers also provided information about their own abilities and power in their organizations. Finally, managers described the strategies used to influence their superiors. Principal findings were that (a) managers who exercised upward influence to achieve organizational goals evaluated their own work favorably, directed nonroutinized work units, and had power in their organizations; (b) staff managers exercised upward influence to achieve individual goals more often than line managers; and (c) influence strategies used by managers varied as a function of goals sought from superiors.
Organizational Frames of Reference
Authors: Shrivastava Paul , Schneider Susan
Published: March 2006

This paper proposes the concept of “organizational frames of reference” (OFOR) as a framework for examining the unquestioned assumptions and processes underlying strategic decision-making. Components of OFOR are described and their functions and formation are discussed. Future research questions and management implications are suggested.
Perceived Humor and Social Network Patterns in a Sample of Task-Oriented Groups: A Reexamination of Prior Research
Authors: Duncan W. Jack
Published: March 2006

Nine diverse, task-oriented groups were studied in an effort to relate humor networks and interpersonal relations. Data were collected by means of a self-administered, structured questionnaire. The results did not confirm the assumption that rank-and-file employees are more actively involved in the humor network than are managers. However, in cases where managers were included, they were first accepted as friends. Unlike prior studies, this analysis revealed that when managers were accepted as friends and “admitted” to the humor network they were frequently overchosen as initiators and foci of work-related joking. There was strong evidence that cohesive and noncohesive work groups possess different humor patterns. Interpersonally, overchosen members relative to one criterion of interpersonal relations were overchosen relative to several criteria. Also, in many cases, group members who occupied key humor roles were overchosen on one or more criteria of social interaction. Humor networks were identified as an extension of the larger social environment of work.
Labor Force Participation and Fertility: A Social Analysis of Their Antecedents and Simultaneity
Authors: Van Loo M. Frances , Bagozzi Richard P.
Published: March 2006

The nature of the relationship between labor force participation and fertility is examined for 172 families comprising a marriage cohort. The results show that labor force participation and fertility are spuriously related in that they are under the common influence of sex-role norms, attitudes toward the wife working, and the value or importance of children for the spouses. Comparisons are made among social psychological models, wherein either the husband or wife provides information as they perceive their relationship, and a sociological model wherein group constructs are formed with the husband and wife acting as informants on the pattern of norms guiding their relation. A structural equation methodology is employed to better model measurement error and errors in equations simultaneously.
Education and Work Satisfaction
Authors: Mottaz Clifford
Published: March 2006

This study examines the relationship between education and overall work satisfaction. Data from 1385 workers representing a variety of different occupational groups are analyzed. Basically, the findings indicate that education has an indirect positive effect, but a direct negative effect on overall work satisfaction. More specifically, the data suggests that education may increase work satisfaction by increasing work rewards. Moreover, it appears that most of the educational payoff is in terms of intrinsic rewards, e.g., task autonomy, task significance, and task involvement. On the other hand, the findings also indicate that education which does not lead to greater intrinsic rewards may significantly reduce work satisfaction. Thus, for workers who report equal levels of intrinsic rewards, work satisfaction tends to be considerably lower among the better educated workers. This effect appears to be due to the higher aspirations or work values associated with increased education.
Women in a Man's World: Sexual Harassment
Authors: Hemming Heather
Published: March 2006

Sexual harassment is defined and surveys used to establish its extent, consequences, and most prevalent characteristics of harassers and victims. The psychodynamics of sexual harassment maintains an unequal power structure between the sexes, forcing women into compliance with nurturant or sexual aspects of the traditional sex role. Resistance to group pressure gives a woman the role of deviant. Characteristic group responses to a deviant result in isolation or severe sexual harassment. Refusal to comply with sexual harassment elicits aggression and denigration of the woman. Group responses to a victim create a hostile environment with an increase in the likelihood of further sexual harassment and denigration. ft is possible for work groups to develop sexual equality and integration by changing the male task directive/female nurturant or courting repertoires to express equal power and affiliation between the sexes. Organizational policies to encourage integration are suggested.