bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Patterns of Organizational Commitment and Perceived Management Style: A Comparison of Public and Private Sector Employees
Authors: Zeffane Rachid
Published: August 2005

Organizational commitment and perceived management styles were examined using survey responses from 1418 employees from both public (N = 474) and private (N = 944) sector organizations, operating in Australia. Comparisons between the two groups of employees revealed higher commitment among private sector employees. These differences were consistent with differences in perceived management styles. In agreement with previous research, factor analysis unveiled that the concept of organizational commitment was multidimensional. However, in the present study, that concept was found to incorporate the notion of "corporate loyalty/citizenship" and the notion of "attachment to the organization." The operational concept of management style used in the study was found to incorporate four subdimensions: (factor 1) the degree of "emphasis on flexibility and adaptation"; (factor 2) the degree of "emphasis on rules and regulations"; (factor 3) the degree of emphasis on "hierarchy and role specialization" and (factor 4) the degree of "work-group discontinuity/change." Multiple regression analysis revealed that the degree of organizational commitment as well as the extent of loyalty and attachment to the organization were affected positively by factor 1 and negatively by factor 2, in both public and private sectors. Factor 3 seems to have a positive effect on overall commitment, but more so in terms of the degree of attachment to the organization. Tenure and supervision were also found to have some effect on commitment, but more so in terms of feelings of attachment to the organization (for tenure) and in terms of feelings of loyalty/citizenship (for supervision). Organization size had a moderate negative effect on commitment, but more so in the private sector. Implications and suggestions for future research and management practice are discussed.
Critical Incidents in Communicating Culture to Newcomers: The Meaning is the Message
Authors: Gundry Lisa K. , Rousseau Denise M.
Published: August 2005

Recent hires (n = 149) in 12 electronics manufacturing firms were asked to relate their experiences of formative events and the messages derived from them. Newcomers also described the behavioral norms characterizing their organization, one facet of its culture. Critical incidents newcomers reported were significantly related to their perceptions of behavioral norms. The messages newcomers interpreted from these incidents were coded in terms of positive or negative frame (emphasizing desirable or undesirable outcomes). Positively framed events were related to experiencing the organization's culture as team-oriented. Negatively framed events were related to describing the culture as more control-oriented. Analyses indicate that the critical incidents impact beliefs regarding cultural norms through their effect on the frame of the message newcomers derive from the events. Moreover, team norms were negatively related to role conflict and positively related to role clarity. Findings are interpreted with respect to proactive and reactive roles played by newcomers in their own socialization.
The Dominant Logic of Employer-Sponsored Work and Family Initiatives: Human Resource Managers' Institutional Role
Authors: Kossek Ellen Ernst , Dass Parshotam , DeMarr Beverly
Published: August 2005

This paper argues that concepts from institutional theory and managerial dominant logic can be used to examine human resource managers' institutional role supporting the adoption of employer-sponsored childcare as a form of organizational adaptation to change. Three components of the dominant logic of employer-sponsored childcare were found: management control, environmental, and a coercive component. These components overlap to form an overall management orientation toward employer-sponsored childcare, which are related to management's demographic backgrounds, and their organizational and industry environments. The extent of adoption of employer-sponsored childcare was found to be positively related to (1) the strength of human resource manager's global orientation, and (2) their interpretations of favorable executive attitudes toward employer-sponsored childcare.
The Social Context of Skill Enhancement: Training Decisions of Occupational Health Nurses
Authors: Leiter Michael P. , Dorward Anna L. , Cox Tom
Published: August 2005

A model of mid-career training decisions was examined in a survey of 270 occupational health nurses in the U.K. The model proposed that distinct factors define the facilitation and deterrence of educational involvement, each of which has an impact on employees' interest in pursuing educational programs. Educational interest mediated the impact of facilitators and deterrents on participation in both formal educational programs and autodidaxy. Situational and personal characteristics of employees predicted participation as well. The existence of a training department within the organization and the availability of collegial support also had an impact on actual training involvement, but not on nurses' interest in pursuing training. The article discusses influence of organizational context on the development of professional efficacy through mid-career training. It considers as well suggestions for educational policy for organizations employing occupational health nurses and for the nursing profession.
O Kaerinasai: Factors Related to Japanese Repatriation Adjustment
Authors: Black J. Stewart
Published: August 2005

This study examined anticipatory and in-country individual, job, organizational, and non-job variables and their relationship with work, interaction, and general repatriation adjustment for Japanese managers. The study also directly tested the generalizability of measures and findings of recent theoretical and empirical work on repatriating American managers. Age, total time overseas, role discretion, role clarity, and social status were generally related to repatriation adjustment. Practical and research implications are explored.
Understanding Organizational Culture as the Quality of Workplace Subjectivity
Authors: Allcorn Seth
Published: August 2005

Organization culture contains psychosocial defenses against the experience of anxiety in the workplace. It is, therefore, possible to understand organization culture by the quantity, quality, and permanence of these defenses. Psychoanalytic object relations developmental theory provides a means of understanding psychological defenses. The theory includes three forms of subjective experience, psychodynamics, and psychological defenses-presubjective, intrasubjective, and intersubjective. When these three subjective perspectives are used to understand psychosocial defenses in the workplace, they permit the development of a systematic understanding of organization culture. A taxonomy is provided that uses the three levels of developmental subjectivity and accompanying psychologically defensive processes to understand organization culture. The taxonomy is then found to subsume other theoretical perspectives for understanding organizational dynamics.
Upward Impression Management: Goals, Influence Strategies, and Consequences
Authors: Rao Asha , Schmidt Stuart M. , Murray Lynda H.
Published: August 2005

Employees often seek to create favorable impressions with their managers. An empirical study of the antecedents, process, and consequences of influence strategies in upward impression management found that subordinates have both multiple goals and strategies. Subordinates' strategies varied with their goals in impression management. They also reported using a wider range of strategies than usually attributed to impression management. Managerial ap- praisals were based on their impressions of their subordinates, and perceptions of their influence style. While subordinates may believe that ingratiation will help them get better appraisals, using coalitions appears to lead to favorable impressions and appraisals. Subordinate assertiveness may lead to unfavorable impressions and performance appraisals.
A Longitudinal Study of Psychological Burnout in Teachers
Authors: Burke Ronald J. , Greenglass Esther
Published: August 2005

This longitudinal study examined antecedents and consequences of psychological burnout among human service professionals. Antecedents of psychological burnout included individual and situational characteristics, work stressors, and measures of social support. Consequences of psychological burnout emphasized satisfaction and emotional and physical well-being variables. Participants in the study were 362 school-based educators (teachers and administrators) employed by the same school board. Respondents completed questionnaires sent to them at their schools at two points in time, 1 year apart. Regression analyses of time-lagged data replicated many empirical findings from cross-sectional studies.
Marital Violence: Comparing Women in Violent and Nonviolent Unions
Authors: Anson Ofra , Sagy Shifra
Published: August 2005

The purpose of this study was to explore the degree to which concepts drawn from North American research are applicable to marital violence among Israeli Jews. Interviews were conducted with 161 women after they gave birth in a large medical center, 29 of whom reported at least one occurrence of violent marriage (VM) during the study year. As in comparable North American research, marital violence was associated with economic hardship, with lack of collectiveness in the dyad, and with the conflict solving tactics employed by both spouses. VM women held different attitudes toward husband control and marital violence, and were emotionally dependent on their husbands. Discriminant analysis successfully classified 90% of the cases (67% of VM). The findings can be interpreted in terms of the battered women syndrome as well as in terms of a struggle for power within the family. The data strongly suggest that these may be two distinct patterns of marital violence.
Time-Serial Substitution Effects of Absence Control on Employee Time-Use
Authors: Miners Ian A. , Moore Michael L. , Champoux Joseph E. , Martocchio Joseph J.
Published: August 2005

A 6-year study tracked the effects of a group-level absence control program within a Midwestern urban bus company. By modeling employee time-use options systemically, effects were examined graphically with daily precision. Short-term nonlegitimate absence decreased and time worked increased, but unintended substitution effects occurred as employees discovered legitimate ways to exploit absence and time scheduled off. Propositions for future research and methodological insights are noted.
Construct Dimensions in the Contingency Model: An Analysis Comparing Metric and Non-Metric Multivariate Instruments
Authors: Shenkar Oded , Aranya Nissim , Almor Tamar
Published: August 2005

The diverse conceptualizations, operationalizations and measurements of uncertainty and structure may explain the inconsistent findings obtained for the contingency model. To examine this possibility, the present study simultaneously applies multiple measures of uncertainty and organizational structure using both factor analysis and Smallest Space Analysis to identify the underlying dimensions of those constructs and examine their interrelationships. Results obtained via both methods are compared and their relative merits discussed, and implications for organization and management are delineated.
Intercultural Perceptions at the Workplace: The Case of the British Subsidiaries of Japanese Firms
Authors: Watanabe Satoko , Yamaguchi Ryozo
Published: August 2005

For the purpose of studying the problems arising from cultural and attitudinal differences between the two national groups working together in international business organizations, a survey was conducted among British local employees working in six Japanese owned financial companies and banks in the London area. The 365 valid responses on 11 bipolar semantic differential adjective items were analyzed, and the following findings were obtained; (1) British locals perceive Japanese expatriates as loyal to the organization, as trustworthy, somewhat friendly, competent, patient, and fair, on the one hand, and as secretive, hard to understand, indecisive, and untrusting of others on the other; (2) the perception of the expatriates significantly differs by position, where the locals with higher ranks are likely to perceive the expatriates more negatively than the ones with lower ranks; and (3) there are significant differences in perception as the length of contact varies. The locals who have worked longer tend to view the expatriates more negatively than those who have worked for shorter periods. Policy implications for improved interpersonal relationships between the two groups are discussed.
Group Incentives and Pay Satisfaction: Understanding the Relationship Through an Identity Theory Perspective
Authors: Welbourne Theresa M. , Cable Daniel M.
Published: August 2005

The goal of this paper is to develop a conceptual model based on identity theory to specify the relationship between group incentives and pay satisfaction. Pay satisfaction, as currently measured, does not include items that directly measure group-based rewards, therefore, any changes in pay satisfaction associated with group incentive implementation would be the result of some spillover effect. Identity theory is employed to model this effect by delineating how group incentives tap salient work-related roles; the theory also has implications for various behavioral consequences. The research described in this paper tests two hypotheses derived from the conceptual model. These hypotheses are tested in two quasi-experimental field studies conducted in a high technology firm and a consumer products company that both implemented gainsharing programs. The findings indicate that gainsharing plans can be viewed as either a benefit or as part of individual pay based on the ability of the incentive plan to activate salient work-related roles.
Organizational Culture in High Reliability Organizations: An Extension
Authors: Klein Rochelle Lee , Bigley Gregory A. , Roberts Karlene H.
Published: August 2005

This paper compares organization culture assessments in two high reliability organizations (HROs) with each other, with similar assessments done in other HROs, and with assessments done in other kinds of organizations. It then assesses the consistency of the culture assessments in the two HROs reported here with the theoretical typology of HROs offered by Schulman, and compares the relationship of culture norms to attitudes and role perceptions found in this research with similar relationships found in the HROs. Finally, the paper provides field data from the two organizations reported on here that support Schulman's model.
Group Feedback Analysis Applied to Longitudinal Monitoring of the Decision Making Process
Authors: Heller Frank , Brown Alan
Published: August 2005

The paper describes the application to longitudinal research of a method of data collection which combines quantitative and qualitative material. It is claimed that Group Feedback Analysis (GFA) helps to validate data collected by various methods and produces additional ethnographic material and insight into the process under investigation. When the people who supply the data are experienced in the subject matter, as is the case with managers and other employees in organizational research, GFA makes it possible for them to help with the interpretation of the data instead of leaving it entirely to the researcher. The method, which has previously been used in cross-sectional research, is shown to have utility in a longitudinal design where it can facilitate organizational learning. It can also contribute to the refinement of a theoretical model.
Organizational Renewal: Top Management's Role in a Loosely Coupled System
Authors: Spender J.-C. , Grinyer P. H.
Published: August 2005

A number of writers, March, Simon, Weick, Orton, Pfeffer and Clegg, have dealt with change in loosely coupled systems. But one associated aspect, the role of top management, has yet to be clarified. Drawing on recent empirical research in punctuated change and CEO replacement, we consider how tight coupling might lead to punctuated change while loose coupling facilitates continuous change. But loose-coupling is no simple prescription. It raises questions about the "glue" that holds organizations together through significant change. We argue top management has a crucial role creating and maintaining this cohesion. Rejecting the weaker notion of "shared values," we focus on the cohesive function of behavior and on top management's role in shaping the loosely coupled organization's patterns of practice.
Catalytic Alliances for Social Problem Solving
Authors: Waddock Sandra A. , Post James E.
Published: August 2005

Catalytic alliances (CA) are temporary network organizations created to effect long-term social change through media-based "campaign" efforts to increase public awareness and commitment to action on social problems. Two CA organizations - Hands Across America and the Partnership for a Drug-Free America - are profiled in this paper. Each illustrates the catalytic alliance phenomenon and delineates a number of critical management dimensions. The paper then uses these examples to more precisely define the organizational features and characteristics of catalytic alliances, and to develop a process model of how such alliances are formed.
Managing the Academics: Commodification and Control in the Development of University Education in the U.K.
Authors: Willmott Hugh
Published: August 2005

The paper analyzes a number of major developments in higher education in the U.K during the past decade or so. It explores the connection between changes in the organization and control of academic labor processes (e.g., teaching, administration, and research) and pressures exerted by the dynamics of capitalist development to commodify and control the work of academics. The first section considers the relevance of labor process analysis for understanding these changes. Attention is then paid to the historical development of academic work and, in particular, to the role played by the University Grants Council in providing academics with a significant measure of protection from commodifying pressures. In the remaining sections of the paper, the focus is upon major developments of the past decade or so: (i) the context, character and impact of the 1981 cuts in university expenditure, (ii) the research selectivity exercises of 1986, 1989, and 1992, and (iii) the work of the CVCP's Academic Audit Unit. A central theme of the paper is that the commodification of academic labor and the managerial control of academic work results from politico-economic pressures to demonstrate that funds are being directed in ways that are ostensibly congruent with the commodifying logic and priorities of capitalism.
Socio-Psychoanalytic Perspectives on the Subordinate
Authors: Oglensky Bonnie D.
Published: August 2005

This paper integrates psychoanalytic and sociological concepts to examine what persons do with the role of subordinate in the work situation, specifically in relations with immediate superiors. Focusing on the side of the subordinate, the authority relation at work is viewed as a complex emotional attachment and understood as a dynamic process-one which considerably reflects and conforms around the internal needs, dispositions, and conflicts of the individual in the subordinate position. It is argued that patterns of relating to authority crystallize in the earliest years of life in connection with parents and that by way of patterned movements throughout the life-course, persons choose and modify contexts that sustain these patterns. Recurrent themes relating to subordinates' paradoxical needs and ambivalence around dependency and control are discussed. A case study of an attorney's relations with her superiors is presented to illustrate how these emotional dynamics unfold and are expressed. Special attention is paid to the ways in which dealings with superiors are navigated in a manner reminiscent of earlier ways of being and acting with parents.
Family Functioning and Coping with Change: A Longitudinal Test of the Circumplex Model
Authors: Munton Anthony G. , Reynolds Shirley
Published: August 2005

The Circumplex Model of family functioning suggests that families differ according to their ability to adapt to change. The aim of this study was to test two hypotheses from the model in the context of a longitudinal study of families experiencing geographical relocation. Questionnaires were completed on three occasions by employees and their partners during the process of relocation. Results indicated that there was no relationship between family functioning at Time 1 and subsequent psychological well-being of either employees or their partners. There was some evidence that families who made minor changes in response to their move adapted more successfully than those who did not change or made major changes. The results highlight possible limitations of the Circumplex Model and the need for further longitudinal studies of family adaptation.
Management Styles Within a Multinational Corporation: A Five Country Comparative Study
Authors: Pavett Cynthia , Morris Tom
Published: August 2005

This study examines participatory management systems and productivity in similar plants located in five different countries. Likert's System 4 theory was used as a tool to measure the nature and extent of participation. All five plants were engaged in identical operations that were designed and implemented by its U.S.-based owner. Each of the plants, however, was under the direction of host nationals. Data demonstrated that the degree of participation differed widely between the Italian, Mexican, Spanish, American, and English plants. It appears that the management systems in each of the plants reflects the expectations of the society and the local workforce. The data also revealed significant differences in the levels of productivity. While the most productive plants had the lowest levels of participation, the relationship between productivity and participation was not statistically significant across the five plants. The study concludes that management systems which are culturally congruent can produce equal levels of productivity independent of whether managers are empowered, or operate under centralized, autocratic control.
Leading Cuban-American Entrepreneurs: The Process of Developing Motives, Abilities, and Resources
Authors: Peterson Mark F.
Published: August 2005

Entrepreneurs develop and use motives, abilities, and resources to benefit from an environment conducive to entrepreneurship. The present study builds upon analyses of the Cuban enclave in South Florida to analyze the motives, abilities, and resources that this community's most successful entrepreneurs brought and developed in the U.S. Their motives were influenced by family-linked aspirations and role models, need to achieve through business ownership, and by personally and situationally-rooted propensity to accept the risk of entrepreneurial action. Entrepreneurial abilities came through family mentors, education and business experience, and, in some cases, English language skills. Entrepreneurial resources included resources brought from Cuba, but more significantly resources developed personally in the U.S., or arranged through partners and social contracting. Implications for entrepreneurship research and for prospective entrepreneurs are considered.
Superior and Subordinate Gender and the Acceptance of Superiors as Role Models
Authors: Javidan Mansour , Bemmels Brian , Devine Kay Stratton , Dastmalchian Ali
Published: August 2005

This study investigates the criteria for acceptance of an employee's superior as a role model, with special attention placed on the effect of superior/subordinate gender. The data for the study were collected from 1579 senior managers from three large Canadian public and quasi-public organizations. While significant gender differences were found, they were relatively unimportant determinants of role model acceptance. By far the most important determinant of subordinate acceptance of a superior as a role model is the subordinate's perception of the superior's performance.
Attitudes Toward Women as Managers: Does Interaction Make a Difference?
Authors: Bhatnagar Deepti , Swamy Ranjini
Published: August 2005

This research was designed to explore the relationship between interaction with women managers and attitudes toward women as managers. Data were collected from 101 male bank managers on the extent of their interaction with women managers and their attitudes toward women as managers. Results showed little relation between the extent of interaction with women managers and participants' attitudes. However, there was a significant positive relationship between satisfaction with interaction with women managers and attitudes toward women as managers. Discussions with participants indicated the possibility of their attitudes toward women as managers being influenced by their interaction with women clerks. A second study was carried out on another set of 99 participants with a comparable profile to explore the relationship between interaction with women clerks and attitudes toward women as managers. The earlier pattern of relationships persisted: the extent of interaction with women clerks was not associated with attitudes toward women as managers. But satisfaction with interaction with women clerks, and attitude toward women as managers appeared to relate. Implications for theory, practice, and research are presented.
Do Explanations of Absenteeism Differ for Men and Women?
Authors: VandenHeuvel Audrey , Wooden Mark
Published: August 2005

Despite the consistent finding in the absence literature that women tend to be absent more often than men, little attention has been paid to whether the process of absence differs by sex. This issue is examined using data collected from 1401 Australian employees from 61 different workplaces. Hypotheses suggest that the predictive ability of job satisfaction, age, commuting time, family responsibilities, stressful life events and shift work on absence behavior differs for men and women. To test these hypotheses, a multivariate model is developed and estimated. The results indicate that there are structural differences in the absence behavior of men and women, requiring the estimation of models separately for each sex. Moreover, strong support for all but one of the hypotheses is found. These results show the critical importance of considering the sex of employees when developing explanatory models of absence.
Work and Commitment Among Young Professionals: A Study of Male and Female Dentists
Authors: Kaldenberg Dennis O. , Becker Boris W. , Zvonkovic Anisa
Published: August 2005

This research examines gender differences in personal characteristics, work experiences, work attitudes, and professional commitment for a group of young (age < 45) dentists. While males and females had similar work attitudes, they differed in work experience -males worked more hours, saw more patients, and earned higher incomes. Males had higher scores on affective and behavioral professional commitment measures than did females, but the gender difference was significant only for behavioral commitment. For both females and males, affective professional commitment was related positively to job satisfaction, office cohesion, having young children, and negatively related to stress. The relationship between owning the practice and affective professional commitment was greater for men than women, whereas the relationship between the proportion of office staff who are close friends and affective professional commitment was greater for women than men. For males, behavioral commitment was related positively to being married, being a specialist, working more hours, having higher income and belonging to the professional association. For females, behavioral commitment was related positively to job involvement, office cohesion, and the number of days worked each week. Results suggest that affiliation is related more closely to professional commitment among females, while practice control and productivity are related more closely to professional commitment among males.
Finding New Jobs After a Plant Closing: Antecedents and Outcomes of the Occurrence and Quality of Reemployment
Authors: Leana Carrie R. , Feldman Daniel C.
Published: August 2005

In a longitudinal study of laid-off industrial workers, we examined the factors which influenced whether individuals got reemployed after a plant closing as well as the factors which influenced whether individuals got satisfactorily or unsatisfactorily reemployed. Financial pressures, levels of optimism and self-blame, and the amount of problem-focused and symptom-focused coping that individuals engaged in were significant predictors of reemployment status. There were also significant differences among the unemployed, satisfactorily reemployed, and unsatisfactorily reemployed in terms of adjustment, with the unsatisfactorily reemployed experiencing substantially lower life satisfaction. The paper highlights quality of reemployment as an important issue in understanding individual adjustment to job loss and the ways in which unemployment and unsatisfactory reemployment can be detrimental to individual well-being.
Perceptions of Organizational Politics: Prediction, Stress-Related Implications, and Outcomes
Authors: Ferris Gerald R. , Frink Dwight D. , Galang Maria Carmen , Zhou Jing , Kacmar K. Michele , Howard Jack L.
Published: August 2005

The perceptions of organizational politics model proposed by Ferris, Russ, and Fandt (1989) was tested in this study, and reasonably strong support was found for most of the linkages in the model, including the moderating effects of control and understanding, and the mediating effects of politics between predictors and outcomes. Furthermore, politics was characterized as a potential source of stress in the work environment, contributing to our understanding of the dynamics of politics in organizations. The results of the present study are discussed in light of the implications and directions for future research.
Teams: Panaceas or Prescriptions for Improved Performance?
Authors: Dunphy Dexter , Bryant Ben
Published: August 2005

This paper addresses the contribution of teams to organizational performance. It distinguishes between three types of team attributes: technical expertise, self-management, and self-leadership, reviewing each attribute and assessing its relative contribution to three aspects of organizational performance: cost, value, and innovation. The paper also addresses the issue of the relatively neglected factor of the development costs of establishing and maintaining such groups and advocates a more rigorous approach to making a cost/benefit analysis before instituting teams. Finally, the paper advances a model of team development based on team attributes and performance objectives. Overall, therefore, this paper advances a classification of team attributes which is intended to facilitate team design and development, and which is potentially applicable to all teams in organizations.
A Multidirectional Approach Toward Leadership: An Extension of the Concept of Behavioral Complexity
Authors: Hooijberg Robert
Published: August 2005

This paper explores the idea that behaviorally complex managers are more effective than their less complex counterparts. Behavioral complexity is assumed to have a repertoire and differentiation component. Behavioral repertoire refers to the portfolio of leadership functions managers can perform and behavioral differentiation to the ability of managers to vary the performance of their leadership functions depending on the situation. An empirical examination of the perceptions of the subordinates, peers, and superiors of the behavioral repertoire and differentiation of 282 middle managers from a large Fortune 50 manufacturing company and 252 managers from the public utility industry shows strong support for the notion that behavioral repertoire is positively associated with effectiveness and mixed support for the hypothesized positive relationship between behavioral differentiation and effectiveness.
Introduction to the Special Issue
Authors: Mathews John A.
Published: August 2005

Organizational innovation is now widely seen to be a major source of competitive advantage for firms, along with product and process innovation. One of the major intellectual sources for the current organizational upheavals, in which firms strive for some form of "international best practice," is the sociotechnical systems tradition, which traces its roots back to innovations such as semi-autonomous work teams in manufacturing in the 1960s, associated with the work of the Tavistock Institute. An international Colloquium was staged in Melbourne, Australia, in May 1995, to explore the current relevance and contribution of STS ideas to organizational innovation.
What To Do When You Can't Have It All: Toward a Theory of Sociotechnical Dependencies
Authors: Majchrzak Ann
Published: August 2005

It is often the case that ideal sociotechnical systems (STS) profiles cannot be implemented. Consequently, STS designers often must decide which among the many design features in an ideal STS profile to implement. This paper presents a theory for understanding the dependencies among ideal design features. With such a theory, if choices among ideal features must be made, the relative impact of choosing not to implement one ideal feature on the effectiveness of other ideal features will be better understood. Several propositions are offered based on the theory, including a proposal that not all ideal design features are needed since some can compensate for others. The theory was applied to manufacturing organizations and tested using data obtained from site visits to 86 companies. The results indicated that the theory significantly differentiated higher from lower performing manufacturing organizations. The theory has been embodied in a computational modeling software program that has been used by over 50 industrial sites in the United States. Implications of such a theory for STS practice as well as furthering STS theory-building are discussed.
The Myth of Management: Direction and Failure in Contemporary Organizations
Authors: Bowles Martin
Published: August 2005

Life in organizations and society appears to many social commentators as increasingly more demanding and insensitive to the needs of people. In this paper, the "Myth of Management" is explored to investigate some of the key beliefs and images through which contemporary management is practiced. Myth, in this context, is understood as consisting of beliefs and values which serves to provide meaning for human action. The adoption of a particular mythic frame is argued to direct the management of organizations to particular ends and purposes. Central to a "Myth of Management" are the doctrines of Social Darwinism and Function Rationality, and these are briefly evaluated in their impact on organizational life. An archetypal approach, with particular reference to the archetype of the "hero," is employed to explore the depth dimensions which underpin the formulation and exercise of the "Myth of Management." The conclusion reached is that the myth of management exacts a critical cost on people and society which can only be addressed through a reflective consciousness.
Perspectives on Corporate Control: Implications for CEO Compensation
Authors: Bilimoria Diana
Published: August 2005

This study examines the influence on CEO pay practices of four corporate control perspectives: managerial control, class hegemony, external control, and efficient market. The results indicate the influence of both market and extra-market controls on the determination of CEO pay levels and criteria. Implications for the governance of firms and the study of corporate control are drawn.
Participative Decision-Making: An Integration of Multiple Dimensions
Authors: Black J. Stewart , Gregersen Hal B.
Published: August 2005

Few topics have resulted in as much theory, empirical study, controversy, and practical application as participative decision-making (PDM). Although most past empirical research has assumed that the decision-making process in PDM was unidimensional, this paper explores a multidimensional view and examines the integration of degree of participation and decision-making processes and their relationship with satisfaction and performance. The results suggest that the degree of involvement in generating alternatives, planning, and evaluating results are related significantly to satisfaction and that degree of involvement in generating alternatives and planning are related significantly to performance.
Evolutionary Psychology: Toward a New View of Human Nature and Organizational Society
Authors: Nicholson Nigel
Published: August 2005

The paper argues that evolutionary psychology offers a radical and challenging new perspective on human nature and organizational society. Its roots in a convergence of insights and scientific discoveries from diverse natural and human sciences are described, and how it seeks to avoid common fallacies of earlier biological reasoning about human society. Recurrent themes in human nature and their manifestations are summarized, including sex and personality differences, cognitive and affective biases, social orientations, and preferred modes of social exchange. The paper concludes that we suffer the consequences of poor fit between our inherited natures and many of the constructed environments in organizational society, but that new emerging forms of organization may present us with the opportunities for social relations closer to the ancestral paradigms of our psychology.
A Preliminary Study of the Role of Attunement in Adult Psychotherapy
Authors: McCluskey Una , Roger Derek , Nash Poppy
Published: August 2005

This paper presents the results of a preliminary study on the recognition of affect attunement in adult psychotherapy. Brief extracts from six videotaped therapy sessions were shown to experienced clinicians, who were asked to judge whether the therapist was attuned to the client/patient or not. Clear examples of attunement and non-attunement were obtained and these were then shown to a sample of postgraduate social work trainees. The trainee results showed none of the consistency of the clinicians' judgments: 67% (n = 21) were undecided about the example of attunement, with only 19.3% (n = 6) giving responses which corresponded with those of the clinicians. For the non-attuned extract, just over a third gave a response which coincided with the clinicians, with 42% (n = 13) undecided. The results were used to develop a model for future research on affect attunement, which should provide the basis for the development of strategies for teaching the attunement skills which may be required by therapists.
Alternative Models for Antecedents and Outcomes of Work Centrality and Job Satisfaction of High-Tech Personnel
Authors: Mannheim Bilha , Baruch Yehuda , Tal Joseph
Published: August 2005

Alternative causal models were developed, relating Work Centrality and Job Satisfaction to antecedents and outcomes. The antecedents examined were demographics and need for achievement, and the outcomes included performance, wages, organizational commitment, and career planning. The models were tested using data of Israeli high-tech personnel. Results indicated that organizational commitment, career planning, and wages were significantly affected by work centrality, while performance was positively but nonsignificantly related to it. While all models proved to be acceptable, the best model posited Job Satisfaction as an antecedent rather than an outcome of Work Centrality. It also revealed the importance of demographics for outcomes. Implications are discussed.
Unraveling the Relationship of Distress Levels Within Couples: Common Stressors, Empathic Reactions, or Crossover via Social Interaction?
Authors: Westman Mina , Vinokur Amiram D.
Published: August 2005

Using structural equation modeling analyses we examined the correlation in levels of depression symptoms within couples to determine whether the underlying mechanism is due to common stressors, empathic reactions, or crossover via social interaction. The analyses were based on two waves of data collection from a sample of 354 male Vietnam veterans, Era veterans (veterans who served elsewhere during the period of the Vietnam War), and nonveterans and from their wives or committed partners. The results demonstrated that the correlation in depression symptoms within couples is due primarily to common stressors and crossover via negative social interaction. Common stressful life events increase depression in both spouses, and this in turn increases social undermining, which further increases depression.
Attitudes Toward the Unemployed
Authors: McFadyen Ruth G.
Published: August 2005

The present study examined whether political orientation, experience of unemployment or with the unemployed, and/or occupational background predicted three dimensions of attitudes expressed toward the unemployed in conversation. The three dimensions were: nature of attitude, variability in attitude, and form of attitude. Sixty-seven employed individuals participated. Political orientation was found to be a good predictor of the nature of and variability in attitudes toward the unemployed. It was also a good predictor of the form with which attitudes were expressed in general, with political moderates using fewer generalizations than those who were politically polarized, but it was not a good predictor of the form that people used to express particular types of attitude. Occupational group also predicted the nature of and variability in attitudes toward the unemployed, with other factors constant. Personal experience was a good predictor of the form of attitude expressed. Those with more experience with unemployed people tended to use fewer generalizations. However, personal experience of unemployment or with the unemployed did not predict the nature of attitudes expressed.
The Dutch IOR Approach to Organizational Design: An Alternative to Business Process Re-engineering?
Authors: van Eijnatten Frans M. , van der Zwaan Ad H.
Published: August 2005

This paper presents the current Dutch sociotechnical design approach to integral organizational renewal in a contextual way. Both its design theory and intervention processes are reviewed and some aggregated empirical evidence is presented. Next, the paper compares the ideas developed in the Dutch approach to those presented in its American, Scandinavian, and Australian counterparts. It is concluded that, at a meta-level, they all share the ideal of participative democracy, while at the conceptual level, these distinctive approaches appear quite incompatible. Notwithstanding substantial diversity, it is presumed these approaches can be seen as local manifestations of a single sociotechnical paradigm.
Making Sense of "Quality?"-Toward a Review and Critique of Quality Initiatives in Financial Services
Authors: McCabe Darren , Knights David , Kerfoot Deborah , Morgan Glenn , Willmott Hugh
Published: August 2005

This article provides a broad classification and critique of the theoretical and empirical approaches toward quality initiatives. These are the "technical" managerialist, social managerialist, and critical nonmanagerialist approaches. The technical managerialist approach is based upon the flawed assumption that practice follows policy almost like night follows day. By contrast, focusing on intraorganizational politics and the tensions of hierarchy, social managerialists recognize that outcomes are always a negotiated compromise. A majority of these authors are concerned with rendering quality initiatives more effective for management. In contrast, critical nonmanagerialists refuse to take on uncritically the assumptions and attitudes of management, and are concerned with understanding the forms and content of quality initiatives. The article provides a conceptual framework for guiding and advancing research on quality initiatives, and it offers themes and issues which warrant exploring.
Go and Say, "Wére Shutting": Ju Jutsu as a Metaphor for Analyzing Resistance
Authors: Drummond Helga
Published: August 2005

While it is well known that employees in organizations may successfully resist managerial impositions, relatively little is understood about how resistance operates. The present study utilizes a martial arts metaphor known as ju jutsu to generate insights for understanding how resistance is exercised. The ju jutsu metaphor was chosen because it is a defensive technique whereby a physically weaker person may resist a much stronger one. Ju jutsu as metaphor suggests resistance can be exercised by systematically employing bodily movements which disturb an opponent's balance and/or strike at physiological weak points. By exploring a case study of a successful example of organizational resistance, the ju jutsu metaphor is utilized to generate new perspectives for conceptualizing and analyzing the dynamics of resistance.
Cognitive Style and the Theory and Practice of Individual and Collective Learning in Organizations
Authors: Hayes John , Allinson Christopher W.
Published: August 2005

This paper reviews aspects of two largely disparate literatures from the adjacent fields of individual and organizational learning and identifies some implications for theory and practice. The focus of attention is the extent to which the individual level construct cognitive style can be meaningfully applied to aid the understanding of learning at the level of the organization as well as at the level of the individual. Attention is given to the ways in which consideration of cognitive style can improve the effectiveness of interventions designed to improve individual and organizational performance. Nine categories of intervention are identified.
Organization Learning Disorders: Conceptual Model and Intervention Hypotheses
Authors: Snyder William M. , Cummings Thomas G.
Published: August 2005

This paper presents a conceptual model that proposes how organization learning disorders influence organization performance. The model suggests that organization knowledge mediates the relationship between learning disorders and performance. Specific organization learning disorders are identified for each of the four phases of organization learning: discovery, invention, production, and generalization. The effect of learning disorders on organization knowledge is explored, and intervention hypotheses for treating the disorders are presented.
Socialization and Newcomer Adjustment: The Role of Organizational Context
Authors: Ashforth Blake E. , Saks Alan M. , Lee Raymond T.
Published: August 2005

Research on how the context of work affects HRM practices in general, and socialization practices in particular, is relatively scarce. The present study assesses a model linking context, socialization, and newcomer adjustment. Self-report data from business school graduates after 4 months (N = 295) and 10 months (N = 223) on the job revealed that mechanistic (vs. organic) structure, organization size, and jobs of high motivating potential were each positively associated with organizations' use of what Jones (1986) refers to as institutionalized socialization, and this form of socialization was positively associated with newcomer adjustment. Contrary to expectations, neither a newcomer's bureaucratic orientation nor growth need strength moderated the relationship between socialization and adjustment.