bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Work Autonomy Scales: Additional Validity Evidence
Authors: Breaugh James A.
Published: August 2005

Recently, Breaugh (1985) developed an instrument that measures three facets, i.e., method, scheduling, and criteria, of work autonomy. This paper presents the results of several analyses designed to evaluate the construct validity of these work autonomy scales. One set of analyses involved the use of confirmatory factor analysis to assess the underlying factor structure of the three work autonomy facet measures. Both indices for assessing the fit of a theoretical model confirmed that a three-facet autonomy model clearly fits the sample data. A second set of analyses involved subgroup comparisons. As predicted, unionized employees reported less autonomy in all three areas than non-union workers. Also as hypothesized, individuals in supervisory positions reported having more autonomy than those not in supervisory positions. The paper also reports a number of additional analyses relevant to the construct validity of the work autonomy scales. When the results reported in this paper are taken in combination with those reported in Breaugh (1985) and Breaugh and Becker (1987), there is substantial evidence supporting both the construct validity and the importance of the work autonomy facet scales.
Alexithymia in Organizational Life: The Organization Man Revisited
Authors: Kets de Vries Manfred F. R.
Published: August 2005

In this article, the organization man is looked at from a different perspective within the context of a relatively recent clinical construct called alexithymia. Alexithymia, meaning literally no words for moods, is basically a communication disorder. The construct has been introduced in psychiatry and medical psychology because of a consistent body of clinical and phenomenological observations relating to a particular way of interacting emotionally. More specifically, it refers to individuals with an extreme reality-based cognitive style, an impoverished fantasy life, a paucity of inner emotional experiences, a tendency to enagage in stereotypical interpersonal behavior, and a speech pattern characterized by endless, trivial, repetitive details. As a clinical syndrome, integrating and telescoping co-variant characteristics, it alerts the clinician to a cluster of otherwise most likely unobserved but frequently related cognitive and affective patterns. Alexithymia as a clinical construct also helps us better understand the relationship between early bodily experiences, how via the route of mental representation of thoughts and feelings a vocabulary for emotions develops. It is hypothesized that there is an interesting parallel between the organization man and those people with an alexithymic disposition. It is postulated that certain types of organizations, e.g., compulsive and depressive, not only legitimize but also foster this type of behavior. In addition, we suggest that certain management styles, e.g., the detached CEO, the systems person, and the social sensor, are characterized by alexithymic patterns. In conclusion, a few propositions are made for ways of dealing with the negative repercussions of the alexithymic executive.
The Paradigm Plague: Prevention, Cure, and Inoculation
Authors: Holland Ray
Published: August 2005

Although it is debatable whether Kuhn's concept of paradigm formation and change applies to the social and behavioral sciences, it has been very widely used to justify new descriptions, methods, and theories in these fields. Such is the dominance of paradigm arguments that fragmentation into incommensurable theoretical positions and specialties threatens to further undermine the credibility of the human disciplines. Some recent proposals by Hassard (1988) for overcoming paradigm hermeticism are noted, and the results of an experiment in reflexive professional education are put forward as one way out of the hermit's cave.
Coping with Home Dialysis
Authors: Littlewood Jane , Hardiker Pauline , Pedley Jill , Olley Debbie
Published: August 2005

This paper describes and discusses the results of an exploratory and smallscale study of 20 renal patients treated by dialysis at home. The conceptual framework explored tasks and coping alongside the uncertainty, powerlessness, and scarcity experienced by people undergoing home dialysis. The range of coping strategies, styles of coping, and illness role which were adopted by the respondents, and the implications of these are examined in relation to theories of coping, defending, and adaptation.
The Eye of the Needle: Cultural and Personal Transformation in a Traditional Organization
Authors: Westley Frances R.
Published: August 2005

This paper, based on ethnographic material gathered in interviews in a North American automobile manufacturing company, explores a particular, idiosyncratic culture in the process of change. It is argued that resistence to the planned change (a socio-technical re-design) demonstrated by organizational participants resulted in part from the clash between deeply held cultural assumptions and those implicit in the socio-technical re-design. Transformation when it occurred tended to be spearheaded by ideological conversion on the individual level facilitated by internal change agents as much as by the consultants. This case illustrates the truly systematic nature of change and the need to take into account structural, cultural, and personal transformation in any change effort.
Illusions of Management Control? Effects of Self-Serving Attributions on Resource Commitments and Confidence in Management
Authors: Schwenk Charles R.
Published: August 2005

Past research has demonstrated that executives discussing the performance of their organizations tend to take credit for good performance and lay blame on the environment for poor performance. Two experiments were conducted to test the effects of this pattern of self-serving attributions on student subjects' confidence in management and their allocation of financial resources. Results of both experiments showed that executives' communications taking credit for good performance reduce recipients' confidence in management and resource commitments. Implications of these results for management practice and for future research are discussed.
Teller Job Satisfaction and Organization Commitment as They Relate to Career Orientations
Authors: Wright Penny L.
Published: August 2005

In a study of 264 bank tellers, different job characteristics were found to be associated with job satisfaction and organization commitment based on career orientation. For career tellers, satisfaction and organization commitment are enhanced by participation in decision making, job challenge, promotion opportunities, and a people-oriented supervisory style. For the non-career-oriented teller, job satisfaction and organization commitment will be affected positively through association in a cohesive, effective work group. Non-career tellers prefer a supervisory style characterized by a task orientation.
A Content, Correlational, and Factor Analytic Study of Seven Questionnaire Measures of the Protestant Work Ethic
Authors: Furnham Adrian
Published: August 2005

A review of the literature revealed seven, quite different self-report measures of the Protestant Work Ethic (PWE). This study set out to compare and contrast these different measures by content, correlational, and factor analysis. Over 1000 English-speaking respondents completed all seven scales. Content analyses revealed seven dimensions to the PWE measures, and correlational analyses confirmed this. Factor analyses yielded five readily interpretable factors. The results are discussed in terms of the multi-dimensional nature of the PWE beliefs, the psychometric evaluation of the different scales, and the difficulty of defining the PWE in current contexts.
The Role of Job Outcomes and Values in Understanding the Union's Impact on Job Satisfaction: A Replication
Authors: Evans Martin G. , Ondrack Daniel A.
Published: August 2005

In this paper, the consequences of being a union member for a person's job satisfaction is explored. Berger, Olson, and Boudreau (1983) suggest that union membership is related to the job outcomes that people receive and the job values that they hold (or else that people with particular values choose unionized work settings); so that if these factors are controlled, it is hypothesized that there is no effect of union membership on job satisfaction. Using a sample of male employees in union and non-union worksites in southwestern Ontario, this hypothesis is explored with a focus on satisfaction with work itself and satisfaction with pay. Berger et al.'s (1983) findings were replicated, i.e., after controlling for job complexity, there was no relationship between unionization and satisfaction with work itself. However, contrary to the hypothesis, a relationship between unionization and satisfaction with pay was found. This result may be due to (1) unionization enhancing perceived fairness of pay, or (2) the fact that measuring and controlling for fringe benefits in this analysis could not be done.
Exploring the Dynamics of the End-User Environment: The Impact of Education and Task Differences on Change
Authors: Yaverbaum Gayle J. , Culpan Oya
Published: August 2005

Myriads of researchers have investigated the link between information system use and end-user satisfaction. In spite of the proliferation of such research, many questions remain. This study explores the end-user environment by studying motivation and satisfaction of computer users over a 6-month interval. The Job Diagnostic Survey (JDS), designed by Hackman and Oldham, was employed to measure job core characteristics of 44 computer end-users. Scores were compared those of an earlier survey administered within the same organizations. We find that differences in perceived job motivation can be traced to task and education. Furthermore, we conclude that the type of educational program offered by organizations is vital to information system satisfaction.
Promotions and Employees' Perceived Mobility Channels: The Effects of Employee Sex, Employee Group, and Initial Placement
Authors: Beehr Terry A. , Juntunen Debra L.
Published: August 2005

Information from questionnaires and personnel records (perceived and actual promotions in previous 5 years, hierarchical level, and perceptions of ways of obtaining promotions-mobility channels) was gathered on 14 administrative/professional and supervisory/technical university employees to determine how mobility patterns and employee perceptions of them vary as a result of employees' sex and different starting points in the organization. Two 2 x 2 MANCOVAs (employee sex x employee group and employee sex x starting level), with age and education held constant, showed main effects for employee group and starting level, a marginal main effect for employee sex, and an employee sex x starting level interaction. Employees'sex and their positions in the organization, whether initial vertical placement or the (bargaining) group in which the employee works, are important in promotions and employees' perceptions of the promotion process.
Rational Integration: Restoring Rationality to Organizational Analysis
Authors: Klein Jonathan I.
Published: August 2005

A "rational integration" model is proposed to explain why organizations, according to Allison (1971), tend to be mutually perceived as "rational actors" exhibiting goal consensus. It is suggested that the perception of rational action is attributable not merely to cognitive error but also to rational behaviors, performed both by elements of the perceived rational actor and by members of other organizations with which it transacts. The discussion addresses practical implications of rational integration, including problems and opportunities, and strategies for overcoming or exploiting them. The discussion also demonstrates how (1) the proposed model may enhance knowledge of organizations, and (2) research may contribute to this knowledge. Finally, by assigning causality to both "objective" social structure and the "subjective" perception of it, the proposed model can benefit social analysis in general by demonstrating an approach that integrates the structural and interpretive schools through a newly-proposed paradigm called "meta-structuralism. "
The Effects of Quality Circles on Performance and Promotions
Authors: Buch Kimberly , Spangler Raymond
Published: August 2005

This study was designed to test the developmental effects of quality circles (QCs) on participants' job performance and promotions. A quasiexperimental design was used to compare 118 circle members with 118 noncircle employees. In the year following the circle intervention, circle members received significantly greater performance ratings and were promoted morefrequently than non-members. The developmentalproperties of the QC process believed responsible for these findings are discussed. Other possible explanations for the results are also proposed: visibility, positive evaluation bias, and anticipatory socialization.
Social Identity and Intergroup Perceptions in Minority-Majority Contexts
Authors: Kelly Caroline
Published: August 2005

This study investigates intergroup perceptions between the members of minority and majority factions of a political party. Two hypotheses were tested derivedfrom the social identity approach to intergroup relations. First, it was predicted that minority group members would display higher levels of intergroup differentiation than majority group members, associated with a lower level of intergroup understanding. Second, it was predicted that, within each group, level of ingroup identification would be positively related to intergroup differentiation. A postal questionnaire was completed by 136 members of the British Labour Party, 92 supporters of the majority group, and 44 supporters of the minority group. Findings confirmed both hypotheses, and further investigation suggested that the significance of ingroup identification derived from its impact on ingroup ratings rather than on outgroup ratings. The implications of these findings for the underlying dynamics of intergroup differentiation are discussed.
The Pragmatics of Institutional Racism: Beyond Words
Authors: Howitt Dennis , Owusu-Bempah J.
Published: August 2005

The modern arguments about the apparent emergence of a "new"racism are noted and discussed. While this "new" racism refers to forms of racist talk which lack the crude bigotry often associated with racism, there seems to be an inconsistency between concern about such a development and the recorded levels of crude racism in the community as evidenced by racial attacks and harassment as well as indicators of racial inequality. Research into responses to Black people compared to White people attempting to join an organization is presented and discussed in the light of these modern ideas. The organizations in question were voluntary social service ones who were approached by volunteers, through letters, about the availability of voluntary work with the organization. Some of the letters of enquiry were signed by a person using the name Croft and others using the name Kumari. These were deliberately chosen to represent White and Black applicants. Differences between the replies to the Black and White signed letters were analyzed in order to assess discrimination on the basis of the race of the applicant. While White and Black applicants were just as likely to receive replies, the amount of encouragement given to the two types of applicant differed significantly with White applicants receiving the highest levels of encouragement. Furthermore, there was evidence that there was greater "embarrassment" at refusing a White person work than for a Black person. If the applicant was refused voluntary work, White people were much more likely to be made suggestions of other organizations to approach for work, for example. The work of "excusing" rejection primarily went into replying to White applicants, there seemed to be less of a problem rejecting Black applicants. Contrary to some views about present-day racism, racial discrimination required no special justification in language.
Transformational Leadership and Multiple Levels of Analysis
Authors: Yammarino Francis J. , Bass Bernard M.
Published: August 2005

Transformational leadership was clarified conceptually in this study by focusing on leader-follower interactions in terms of multiple levels of analysis: individuals, dyads within groups, and groups. The focal leaders were 186 United States Navy Officers who were graduates of the United States Naval Academy and on active duty assigned to the surface warfare fleet. Data about the officers were collected from 793 senior subordinates of the officers via a mail survey. Results from within and between analysis (WABA) suggest that the network of relationships was based primarily on individual differences in subordinates' perceptions of leadership and outcomes. Transformational leadership as compared to transactional or laissez-faire leadership was related more strongly to subordinates' extra effort and satisfaction with the focal officers and the officers' effectiveness.
A Re-examination of the Side-Bet Theory as Applied to Organizational Commitment: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Cohen Aaron , Lowenberg Geula
Published: August 2005

Contradictory research findings make it almost impossible to arrive at generalized conclusions about the side-bet theory despite the amount of attention this theory has received. In an attempt to resolve the argument about the ability of the theory to explain the formation of organizational commitment, this study examines previous findings of relevant correlational data from 50 published studies, using the Hunter, Schmidt, and Jackson (1982) metaanalysis procedure. Results show that 11 side-bet variables have estimates of low population correlations with organizational commitment. For most of the side-bet variables, no meaningful or generalizable relationships with organizational commitment were found. The results indicate that there is very little empirical support for the side-bet theory. Three possible conclusions are proposed. Discussion of the implications of each conclusion and how they relate to future investigation of the side-bet theory concludes the paper.
The Impact of Family Resources, Control Coping, and Skill Utilization on the Development of Burnout: A Longitudinal Study
Authors: Leiter Michael P.
Published: August 2005

Mental health workers (N= 122) provided information regarding burnout, coping styles, and resources in their work setting and their family. Resources from both work setting and family were found to be related to subsequent levels of burnout at a 6-month interval. A LISREL model testing procedure provided support for the hypothesis that each resource area, family, work setting, and coping style, was independently related to changes in burnout over time. Each of the three aspects of psychological burnout showed a distinct relationship with the resource measures. Emotional exhaustion was related only to family resources, while depersonalization was related to both work-setting and family resources. Diminished personal accomplishment was not related to family resources, but was related to both work-setting resources and coping styles. The implications of the results for including family coping in a model of burnout and occupational stress are discussed.
Social Identity and the Handicapping Functions of Stereotypes: Children's Understanding of Mental and Physical Handicap
Authors: Abrams Dominic , Jackson Debra , St. Claire Lindsay
Published: August 2005

Data from a pilot study established that, in reference to people with mental handicap and physical disabilities, I1-year-old subjects tended only to use the terms "mentally handicapped," "physically handicapped," and the colloquial term "divvy." The main study asked children to rate a target child ascribed one of these labels (or the label "normal"), and to complete a measure of social distance from that target. In addition, subjects were divided into those with high or low prior contact with people with mental handicap. Subjects did not distinguish among the attributes of the different non-normal labels, but did differentiate between these and normal, indicating they generally simply employ a "normal/abnormal" categorization of others. In line with predictions derived from social identity theory, social stereotypes were unaffected by interpersonal contact. There was no effect of label on measures of anticipated interpersonal social distance. Implications for "mainstreaming" and ways of re-shaping stereotypes are discussed.
Making a Technological Innovation Work: Collaboration to Solve Problems
Authors: Tjosvold Dean
Published: August 2005

How employees depend and interact with each other can affect their ability to solve problems and implement innovations. Fifty retail store personnel were interviewed on specific difficulties they had to cope with as they used their new laser scanning technology. Results indicate that cooperative goals and interaction contributed to progress, efficiency, and confidence. The study identifies antecedents to cooperative and competitive goals and categorizes and describes cooperative and competitive problem-solving behaviors and their consequences on the organization.
The Definition of Organizational Politics: A Review
Authors: Drory Amos , Romm Tsilia
Published: August 2005

A survey of the literature on organizational politics (OP) reveals a lack of consensus among authors on a definition of this term. This paper presents a review and discussion of the various OP definitions in an attempt to further clarify the nature of this intriguing and important field of study. The definition elements are discussed in terms of their implications for future research toward the understanding of OP in work organizations.
Individual Responses to Job Loss: Empirical Findings from Two Field Studies
Authors: LeanaI Carrie R. , Feldman Daniel C.
Published: August 2005

This research examined the responses and coping strategies that laid-off employees use to deal with job loss. Data were gathered from two samples: (1) 198 former industrial workers who lost their jobs through a plant closing, and (2) 163 managerial, clerical, and technical employees who lost their jobs after the space-shuttle Challenger disaster. Financial distress and attachment to the previous job were the strongest predictors of negative reactions to job loss. In general, the findings regarding coping strategies, e.g., job search and retraining, were mixed: some coping strategies were positively related to reemployment although there were no strong predictors of individual use of such strategies. For both samples, there were no consistent findings concerning the effects of company assistance programs or the length of time spent out of work. The implications of these results for future research, theory, and practice are discussed.
The Assessment of Perceived Environmental Uncertainty and Economic Performance
Authors: McCabe Donald L.
Published: August 2005

Most models of the strategy formulation process suggest organization performance is related, to at least some degree, to the ability of top management to accurately assess the external environment and to reach a degree of consensus in this assessment. The research reported here tested these assertions within two distinct industry segments, U.S. producers of corrugated shipping containers and U.S. passenger airlines, andfound very limited support for these relationships. The results suggest that in complex, unstable environments, accuracy and consensus in assessing environmental uncertainty may actually detract from organization performance. Directions for future research are recommended.
The Dimensionality of Work Autonomy Revisited
Authors: Brady Gene F. , Judd Ben B. , Javian Setrak
Published: August 2005

An attempt was made to replicate previous successful efforts to construct three subscales measuring different facets of work autonomy. Compared to previous attempts, where cross-occupational samples were taken, the present study drew from a relatively homogeneous sample of dental hygienists (n = 89). Factor analysis failed to replicate the three distinct subscales. Rather, one single nine-item measure of autonomy was formed which, for construct and divergent validity purposes, was predictably associated with variables with which theoretically it should be associated, and was predictably not associated with variables with which theoretically it should not be associated. Implications for the further development of a multidimensional measurement of work autonomy are discussed.
Environmental Dependence and Departmental Structure: Case of the Marketing Function
Authors: Dastmalchian Ali , Boag David A.
Published: August 2005

This paper reports the results of a study examining the relationships between market and customer dependencies and the structure of the marketing departments (boundary-spanning units) in 44 electronics/telecommunications companies in Canada. Data were collected by means of personal interviews with senior management and marketing officials in each company. The results show that product market dependency has positive effects on specialization and the level of integration of the marketing function, while customer dependency has a positive impact on centralization of decision making in the departments. When these relationships were compared in high and low performing firms in the sample, they were mostly evident only in more succesful ones. In addition, product market dependency had a positive impact on departmentalformalization in more successful units. Implications of the findings for research on dependence-structure relationships are discussed.
Humor, Power, and Change in Organizations
Authors: Dwyer Tom
Published: August 2005

This paper analyzes joking relationships that are targeted at persons or at those affairs which actors interpret as representing persons. A theory of social relations of work is outlined; the literature illustrates that joking relationships have a content that reflects these relations. The form of joking relationships is then analyzed using Caplow's triad theory; this theory allows humor to be seen as a product of power relations and the contesting of these. The theory claims to be able to predict the likelihood of joking relationships between actors of various degrees of power, and the consequences of these, conservative, revolutionary, or improper for the organization. Jokes are analyzed in terms of the theory. Humor analysis can, in a complementary reasoning, be seen as a methodological tool that helps unmask organizational power relations. A number of reflections are drawn about humor in organizations subject to post-industrial change. Humor has no essence; it is inserted into the dynamics of social life and its contents and form reflect social relations, power distributions, and changes in both.
A Reexamination of Autonomy in Light of New Manufacturing Practices
Authors: Klein Janice A.
Published: August 2005

Individual and/or group autonomy have long been considered critical dimensions of job design in participative work settings. Autonomy has typically been defined as discretion over pace of work and work methods (Hackman & Oldham, 1980), and in an effort to provide autonomy, buffers have traditionally been inserted into the work flow to break task interdependencies. The use of such buffers, however, runs counter to today's new manufacturing practices of just-in-time (JIT) inventory and standardized work. This paper, therefore, examines the effects of introducing such practices on levels of autonomy in different operations. In mature sociotechnical plants where employees have become accustomed to independent decision making, the introduction of process controls can diminish individual autonomy. But, there is an opportunity to exchange individual decision making with a form of collective autonomy which is limited to task design as opposed to task execution. Furthermore, individuals can still retain autonomy in cases where it does not affect the overall coordination of production activity. Last, the introduction of new process controls offers the opportunity for participative decision making in situations where hierarchical centralized decision making was once the norm.
A Study in Economic Psychology: Children's Saving in a Play Economy
Authors: Webley Paul , Levine Mark , Lewis Alan
Published: August 2005

Economic Psychology extends the study of psychology and, in this case, the investigation of the socialization process in the economic realm. Thirty children, ten each aged 6, 9, and 12, took part in a "play economy" which consisted of four adjoining rooms, representing opportunities to save (one room was a "bank") or temptation to spend, e.g., another room contained a sweet shop with real sweets. Children were given 90 tokens over the period of the game and had to save 70 in order to purchase a desired toy which had been chosen at the outset. This study was designed as an extension of an earlier one which used a more restricted environment (a board game). The results took two forms: (1) a simple analysis of the "success" rates of children in terms of their saving, and (2) the recording of children's own constructions of the play economy and of savings behavior, based on their verbal accounts and explanations. While the results showed a predictable pattern of increased understanding of savings (especially institutional saving) and improved savings "success" rates with increasing age, the information gathered from the accounts showed that younger children developed "rational" strategies which were not necessarily inferior when viewed in a wider social context.
Is Job Satisfaction an Antecedent or a Consequence of Psychological Burnout?
Authors: Wolpin Jacob , Burke Ronald J. , Greenglass Esther R.
Published: August 2005

A modified version of a process model of psychological burnout proposed by Cherniss (1980) was used to study the relationship between job satisfaction and burnout. The research involved a secondary analysis of longitudinal data collected from 245 school-based educators from a single Board of Education. The results showed that negative work setting characteristics and marital dissatisfaction were associated with greater work stressors, which in turn were associated with increased burnout, which in turn resulted in decreased job satisfaction. When the longitudinal design was employed, psychological burnout appeared to have a causal relationship to job satisfaction, not vice versa.
Racism in Baseball Card Collecting: Fact or Fiction?
Authors: Regoli Bob
Published: August 2005

The focus of this paper is on the impact (if any) of a player's race/ethnicity on the value of his rookie baseball card. Data on the race/ethnicity of 29 (17 white and 12 nonwhite) members of the Baseball Hall of Fame and the value of their rookie baseball card were obtained from three sources. The principal finding of the study is that race/ethnicity and the value of a player's rookie baseball card are not related. The paper concludes with an explanation for the finding and recommendations for future research.
A Current Look at the Job Satisfaction/Life Satisfaction Relationship: Review and Future Considerations
Authors: Rain Jeffrey S. , Lane Irving M. , Steiner Dirk D.
Published: August 2005

We review the literature on the relationship between job satisfaction and life satisfaction on its theoretical, empirical, and methodological bases. Our review indicates that recent theoretical work is too often characterized by repeatedly confirming the spillover hypothesis to the exclusion of advancing further theoretical developments. The greater sophistication of statistical analyses is cited as one of the few recent methodological advances. Our review focuses on theoretical and methodological developments needed in future research. The areas of multiple links between job and life satisfactions, life stages, and satisfaction as a disposition are described as potential areas for theoretical advances. Methodologically, we suggest improvements by focusing attention on construct validity and the use of longitudinal designs.
From Linear to Interactive Logics: Characteristics of Workplace Development as Illustrated by Projects in Large Mail Centers
Authors: Gustavsen Bjørn , Hart Horst , Hofmaier Bernd
Published: August 2005

The 1960's and 1970's saw a mushrooming interest in research-based experiments with new forms of work organization. From the latter 1970's, this interest started to decline. When, today, new initiatives are taken to bring research back into the process of workplace restructuring, there is a need to analyze the experiences with the experimental-like projects of the past with a view to defining their limitations and seeing to what extent alternative strategies for change can be developed. Based on Scandinavian experience, the article contains a discussion of field experiments and related approaches, and outlines an alternative in terms of broadly oriented interactive change processes where human communication is the leading element rather than, i.e., a specific theory of design. Projects in mail centers are used as illustrations.
Interdisciplinary Teams and the Control of Clients: A Sociotechnical Perspective
Authors: Teram Eli
Published: August 2005

The literature on interdisciplinary teams discusses the relations between professionals independently of issues related to client processing. With a sociotechnical perspective, this paper examines how interdisciplinary work may well generate increased opportunities for unwarranted client control. A case example from the services for the mentally handicapped demonstrates how team members from vocational and residential programs "pool" control mechanisms in a way that compromises their primary organizational goals; such pooling may be a phenomenon that occurs in other fields too. Sociotechnical concepts elucidate how interprofessional relations affect and are affected by client-worker interactions, suggesting stricter criteria for evaluating technically-required cooperation in settings where the control of clients is an important contingency for workers. It is also argued that administrators should monitor team decisions, in particular those related to which clients cross what organizational boundaries, when, and why.
Ideology, Solidarity, and Work Values: The Case of the Histadrut Enterprises
Authors: Bar-Hayiml Aviad , Berman Gerald S.
Published: August 2005

Organizational culture is examined in the industrial enterprises of the Histadrut (General Federation of Labour in Israel), a unique organization built on the ideal of a multifunctional free workers' society. Two research concerns are addressed in this study: (1) the patterning of cultural elements in these organizations, and (2) the degree to which the original collectivist underpinning of the culture of the organization persists in its enterprises.
Mastery and Frequency of Managerial Behaviors Relative to Sub-unit Effectiveness
Authors: Shipper Frank
Published: August 2005

This research was undertaken in response to a review which called for a behavioral approach to the study of leadership. The subjects of the study were the managers of sub-units in a hospital. Eleven managerial behaviors were assessed using their subordinates as untrained observers, and behaviorally-anchored questionnaires. Effectiveness was assessed by industrial engineering measures of performance and employee attitude. The results indicate that managers of sub-units of high and low morale and/or performance exhibited significantly different levels of mastery of managerial behaviors. In contrast, no differences in frequency of managerial behaviors were observed for either high or low morale units, and only one managerial behavior was observed to be significantly more frequent for managers of high and low performing units. Whereas, higher frequency of managerial behaviors was found, overall, to be associated with low and not high performing sub-units.
Decision Making in the Graduate Selection Interview: An Experimental Investigation
Authors: Anderson Neil R.
Published: August 2005

Critical deficiencies in the coverage of existing selection interview research are noted, and the paucity of studies into interviewer impression formation admonished. Perceptual links between candidate non-verbal behavior (NVB) and interviewer impressions of personality are examined in an experimental study of interviewer impression formation. Subjects (n = 68) reviewed four videotaped vignettes of the opening stages of a graduate recruitment interview where candidate NVB was manipulated using a 2 x 2 factorial design. Contrary to existing social psychological research, results indicate that subject interviewers were able to recognize experimental changes in candidate NVB. Furthermore, multiple regression analyses revealed that subjects' impressions of candidate personality were substantially linearly dependent upon the facial-area NVBs of eye contact and positive facial expressions. Evaluations of eye contact fundamentally determined perceptions of competence and strength of character, while positiveness of facial expressions primarily affected impressions of linking and motivation. Implications for validating interviewer perceptual links, intentional impression management by interviewees, interviewer training, interviewee training, and future research are discussed.
Career Commitment in Human Service Professionals: A Biographical Study
Authors: Cherniss Cary
Published: August 2005

Twenty-five human service professionals were studied at two points in time: during the first year of their careers and 12 years later. Questionnaires and in-depth biographical interviews were used to gather data aobut the Ss' careers and personal lives. Quantitative analyses indicated that age, attitude toward life, and job satisfaction were positively correlated with career commitment. Marrieds were significantly more committed than singles, and career changers were less committed to their present careers than were those who had not changed careers. Qualitative analysis identified several other factors that might enhance career commitment, including a challenging work experience before entering the present career, positive professional development experiences, supportive organizational climates, and interesting work. The results were used to develop a theoretical model of career commitment in which professional self-efficacy plays a central role.
The Group and the Shadow: Explorations and Echoes of Relatedness in a Small Study Group Setting
Authors: Forrest Russell
Published: August 2005

An account of the experience of work with four small study groups at the Scottish Institute of Human Relations in Edinburgh is presented using a method of group analysis recording previously reported by Bennis and Shepard (1956). The aim of the groups was to provide the members with an opportunity to study overt and covert processes involved in developing group membership. The consultant's framework refers to Bridger (1980) and is related to the work of Bion (1961), Foulkes (1964), and Anzieu (1984). The paper argues that there are three distinct phases in group life in a narrative structure. These are discussed within a wide range of theoretical constructs, from developmental studies of infants (Stern, 1985), quantum physics (Bohm, 1980), anthropology (Leach, 1983), mythology (Levi Strauss, 1986), and analytical psychology (Jung, 1964). It is concluded that the individual search in groups for personal and social meaning helps to make manifest certain universal and recurring themes.
Value Congruence and Satisfaction with a Leader: An Examination of the Role of Interaction
Authors: Meglino Bruce M. , Ravlin Elizabeth C. , Adkins Cheryl L.
Published: August 2005

Organizations are increasing their use of sophisticated techniques, including video, to communicate with employees. They are also relying more on the use of "stories" and "legends" about leaders as a way of reinforcing their culture. An important issue in both of these trends is the relationship between the actions or behavior of the leader as depicted in the story or message and the values of the individuals who are the target of the story or message. This study examined this issue as it related to interpersonal affect. Sixty-three banking executives, 61 evening MBA students, and 102 full-time undergraduate students completed a work values survey and later viewed one of two video-taped presentations of leadership behavior. Results showed that congruence between a subject's values and the rated values of a leader was associated with greater anticipated satisfaction with the leader. This effect did not depend on the uncertainty of the leader's behavior, but seemed to be contingent on the subject having had substantial prior experience with the type of leadership behavior illustrated.
Group Decision Fiascoes Continue: Space Shuttle Challenger and a Revised Groupthink Framework
Authors: Moorhead Gregory , Ference Richard , Neck Chris P.
Published: August 2005

This paper reviews the decision situation surrounding the decision to launch the space shuttle Challenger in January 1986 in the light of the groupthink hypothesis. A revised framework is presented that proposes time and leadership style as moderators of the manner in which group characteristics lead to groupthink symptoms.
Beyond the Call of Duty: A Field Study of Extra-Role Behavior in Voluntary Organizations
Authors: Schaubroeck John , Ganster Daniel C.
Published: August 2005

The present study investigated factors influencing voluntary organization members' engaging in a specific extra-role behavior, participation in a telethon, on behalf of their organizations. Affective organizational commitment was hypothesized to mediate the relationship between intrinsic satisfaction and the voluntarism criterion, and organization purpose (service vs. non-service) and organization membership size were hypothesized to moderate the relationship between commitment and voluntarism. PROBIT regression analyses indicated that affective commitment explained the voluntarism effects of intrinsic satisfaction. The effect of commitment on voluntarism was found to occur only among service organizations. Although it did not moderate the effect of commitment, size was negatively related to voluntarism.
Antecedents and Consequences of Emotional Exhaustion in the Airline Reservations Service Sector
Authors: Saxton Mary Jane , Phillips James S. , Blakeney Roger N.
Published: August 2005

The present study investigated several potential antecedents and consequences of emotional exhaustion in a sample (N = 859) of computer-monitored telephone reservation agents. The agents performed their tasks in an environment characterized by tight managerial control and relatively little decision-making latitude. The results of regression analyses indicated that job satisfaction, job-related tension, age, and tenure on the job were each uniquely associated with reports of exhaustion. Exhaustion was, in turn, significantly related to intentions to leave, absenteeism, and actual job change. Supplemental causal modeling of the data using LISREL VI suggested that the implied causal linkages between emotional exhaustion and these outcomes provided a reasonable, albeit imprecise representation of the data.
The Mentor/Protege Relationship: A Biological Perspective
Authors: Bushardt Stephen C. , Fretwell Cherie , Holdnak B. J.
Published: August 2005

The mentor/protege relationship can be conceptualized within the context of biological dimorphism with sex roles reflecting different reproductive strategies that evolved by natural selection. Mentor/protege roles mimic the male/female mating roles in humans, often causing conflicts that are seldom understood within the limited context of mentoring. This article examines similarities in reproductive strategies and mentoring in terms of demographics, selection criteria, and acquisition strategies. Underlying sexual themes are identified and their impact on the mentor/protege relationship discussed, along with implications and directions for future research.
Overt Funding, Buried Goals, and Moral Turnover: The Organizational Transformation of Radical Experiments
Authors: Holmes Len , Grieco Margaret
Published: August 2005

Over recent years, there has been a growth in the development of organizational initiatives by local community groups, particularly those espousing radical values and goals. However, often these groups must obtain funding from more powerful sponsors, usually national or local government agencies. In order to obtain such funding, the community organizations must disguise their founding values and goals which are contradictory to the understanding upon which public policy is based. The resulting tension between public and covert goals leads to turnover of personnel subscribing to founding values, and thus to transformation of the organization away from radical intent. This paper analyzes this process in the case of two major radical organizational experiments.
Change in the Small Group: A Dissipative Structure Perspective
Authors: Smith Charles , Gemmill Gary
Published: August 2005

In living systems that are experiencing highly turbulent conditions, dissipative self-organization sometimes takes place and results in greater viability. The potential applications of the paradigm of dissipative self-organization to the study of change dynamics in small groups are explored. A certain type of change in groups is likened to change in dissipative structures found in the physical world, and group effectiveness amid complex and turbulent environments is seen to require the key elements of dissipative self-organization: an ongoing tolerance for error and for deviation from an established order, a breaking of existing system relationships so that new ones may emerge, a reflective, self-referencing mode, and a creative process of boundary reparation and movement into new configurations. Lewin's model of change in social systems is extended here through the application of the self-organization paradigm. Instead of utilizing Lewin's formulation of a discrete movement through phases, the emphasis is placed on continual change taking place amid turbulence or near-chaos conditions. The group's ability to be self-organizing, by opening to turbulence and functioning at its boundaries, and by experimenting, self-referencing, and repairing boundaries is discussed as a crucial factor in group effectiveness amid such conditions.
Organizational Citizenship: A Review, Proposed Model, and Research Agenda
Authors: Schnake Mel
Published: August 2005

Organizational citizenship was recently proposed as a form of job performance which may be more strongly related to job satisfaction than performance measures employed in previous job satisfaction-job performance research. However organizational citizenship holds more promise for organizational behavior research than merely its relationship to job satisfaction. Organ (1988a) argues that organizational citizenship, in the aggregate, promotes the effective functioning of the organization. Citizenship is defined as "supra-role behavior," that is, behavior which goes beyond formal job descriptions but which is desired by an organization (Organ, 1988a). Examples include helping co-workers who fall behind in task performance, keeping a work area clean, accepting temporary assignments without complaint, volunteering for tasks that are not assigned, and making suggestions which will improve the department (Bateman & Organ, 1983; Smith, Organ & Near, 1983). This paper presents the results of the studies which have been conducted to date, suggests directions for future research, and proposes a model of organizational citizenship to guide this research.