bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Participation, Organization, and Social Cohesion
Authors: Child John
Published: August 2005

There is a demand for the extension of participation in organizational decision-making. If realized, this should strengthen the stability of a democratic society through providing more people with a meaningful experience of democratic processes. At the same time, however, organizations are continuing to become bigger and their control more centralized. This trend is illustrated for Britain. It leads to an increasing remoteness of decision making on policy issues away from employees and members of the public. The effects of bureaucratization, which accompanies growth, exacerbate the remoteness. So far as participation is concerned, a growing contradiction is therefore emerging between social ideology and social reality, and this is not being given adequate recognition. The likely result is a weakening commitment to collective social objectives and a declining perceived legitimacy of social institutions. It is concluded that a resolution of this problem would be assisted by recognizing how the economic advantages of large-scale organization have been exaggerated and how there are organizational design possibilities for avoiding the socially less desirable aspects of bureaucracy.
Toward a Tolerance Theory of Worker Adaptation
Authors: Biddle Derek , Hutton Geoffrey
Published: August 2005

The paper examines the ways in which people can achieve toleration of what is to them, and may appear to others as, an unsatisfying or impoverished work situation. The examination is based on an empirical study of six departments or workshops in an engineering company in the South of England. The analysis is made, not in terms or motives, needs, and attitudes, but in terms of living space-the psychological territory which serves to mediate and protect an individual's inner world and sense of worth. Jobs themselves, and organizational action, define apermitted living space which may or may not be congruent with the individual's required living space. Adaptive actions, to adjust individual living space or to construct group living spaces, are exemplified from the research cases, and shown to affect people's relations with their jobs, supervision, management, and unions. Links are made with the psychology of play and creativity and the social psychology of neighborhood.
Reactions at Work and Their Influence on Nonwork Activities: An Analysis of a Sociopolitical Problem in Affluent Societies
Authors: Gardell Bertil
Published: August 2005

Traditional ways of organizing work in industrialized societies are in conflict with basic human needs related to creativity, influence, and growth. This conflict seems to affect adversely not only work satisfaction and job and labor-market behavior, but also participation in and rewardsfrom nonwork activities such as participation in organized cultural, political, and educational activities. Evidence is also given for adverse effects on selfesteem and mental health. The advance of the Welfare State is seen as the materialfoundation making possible the present change in work values and expectations, calling for increased worker influence on different levels in the production system and for an increased quality of working life. At the same time, however, increased expectations are made toward the quality of nonwork activities and toward greater equality between sexes and generations, e.g., in relation tofamily duties, education, and labor-market opportunities. These value changes callfor a broader approach to social change in working life than is generally implied in sociotechnical approaches to job design and organization of work, including also such issues as shorter working hours, more flexible career patterns, and greater flexibility in the relation between work, family, and nonwork activities.
The Relation of Individual Search Activity to Subjective Job Characteristics
Authors: Dickson John W.
Published: August 2005

A part of the process of managerial problem solving is search. A number of subjective job characteristics, namely discretion, variety, unpredictability, and work interdependence, were examined to determine whether they are able to discriminate between managers who engage in a high level of search activity and managers who engage in a low level of search activity. Discretion was found to be the most important subjective job characteristic. Variety and work interdependence also contribute to the discrimination of managers along the dimension of search activity.
Conflict and Failure in Planned Change
Authors: Lourencol Susan V.
Published: August 2005

Reports of social conflict and failure within organizational planned change are few. This study, based on 15 months of participant observation, historical analyses, and informal interviews, depicts a three-year intervention into a commercial enterprise. The state of the organization and the strategies by which change was introduced are analyzed. Conflict avoidance, both by organization members and the two consultants involved in the change process, are demonstrated, and their conflicting philosophies of induced social change contrasted. Outcomes based on a prescriptive model of change are compared to a model of change providing a guide for choice among behaviors. Lastly, a theory of development based on Kohlberg's notions of conventional and principled morality is imposed on these two approaches to planned change and its implications discussed.
Closest Friendships of Black College Students: Structural Characteristics
Authors: Peretti Peter O.
Published: August 2005

Studies which have been done in the area of friendship focus mainly on social variables significant in friendshipformation. The present research attempted to investigate the perceived structural characteristics of closest friendships of black college students. It analyzed friendship units of both sexes, the same sex, and the opposite sex. Results indicated there were differences in closest friendship structures between homosocial and heterosocialfriendship units. Heterosocial units tended to be smaller than homosocial, and the dyad and dyadic networks seemed to be the most predominate structures.
Hierarchy, Alienation, Commitment, and Organizational Effectiveness
Authors: Evan William M.
Published: August 2005

Four dimensions of organizational hierarchy are identified: inequality of skills and knowledge, inequality of rewards, inequality of authority, and inequality of information distribution. Instead of the prevailing and largely untested hypothesis that hierarchical structure is positively related to organizational effectiveness, an alternative hypothesis is formulated, viz., that it is negatively related. This hypothesis is linked to a causal model interrelating hierarchical structure with work alienation, organizational commitment, and organizational effectiveness. Some evidence for the alternative hypothesis is examined. The four-dimensional concept is then used to assess the burgeoning literature on industrial democracy. The phenomenon of "shop-floor democracy" is conceptualized as involving a process of destratification with respect to allfour dimensions of hierarchy. In view of environmental pressuresfor the rationalization of organizations as well as the secular trend in this direction, a destratification-rationalization hypothesis is formulated: As the positive slope of the relationship between these two clusters of variables increases, organizational effectiveness increases and work alienation decreases. To test this hypothesis an experimental approach, whether in the laboratory or in the field, is essential.
The Quality of Working Life: An Analysis
Authors: Boisvert Maurice Philippe
Published: August 2005

Differences between workers' and researchers' concepts of the quality of working life were identified through the analysis of 155 questionnaires completed by white-collar workers. For workers the concept seems limited to intrinsic work aspects while for researchers its scope extends to the organizational and career domains of action. This difference indicates that misunderstandings are likely to arise that will endanger analysis and remedial actions with respect to the quality of working life.
Police Cynicism and Professionalism
Authors: Lotz Roy , Regoli Robert M.
Published: August 2005

The present study tests for the first time Niederhoffer's assertions that (1) cynicism, a long-standing problem among police, can be reduced by or is incompatible with professionalism and (2) cynicism in early and late stages of one's police career is low, but high in mid-career. Cases in this study are uniformed police personnel in nine Northwest Pacific police departments. The findings lend some support to both propositions but with important qualifications: The cynicism-professionalism linkage is due in part to differential bias, and the mid-career peak in cynicism is not very pronounced.
The Loci of Work Satisfaction: Job, Interaction, and Policy
Authors: Katz Ralph , Van Maanen John
Published: August 2005

Three thousand five hundred subjects from four governmental organizations (two municipalities, one county, and one state) were interviewed to investigate the nature ofjob satisfaction in the public sector. The intent of the study is to examine the relationships between components of satisfaction and various conceptually objective design variables of the work environment including characteristics of the assigned tasks, work assistance, pay, promotions, and communications, among others. Using the techniques of multidimensional scaling and clustering, a tripart locus of work satisfaction is derived involving job properties, interactional features, and organizational policy variables. Each of the loci is shown to be analytically distinct and related to a specific set of design features. The implications of these findings for change programs such as job enrichment are subsequently discussed.
The Predictability of Absence and Propensity to Leave from Employees' Job Satisfaction and Attitudes Toward Influence in Decision-Making
Authors: Nicholson Nigel , Wall Toby , Lischeron Joe
Published: August 2005

Absenteeism and labor turnover rates have not proved to be consistently predictable on the basis of individual attitudes towards work. It is argued that this inconsistency might in part be attributed to three factors: (a) the lack of studies using the individual worker as a unit of analysis; (b) the use of inappropriate measures of labor turnover; and (c) insufficiently broad coverage of worker attitudes in the measures used. In the present study an attempt is made to avoid these problems. Individually reported absence and the propensity to leave were examined as correlates of satisfaction with several work dimensions and attitudes towards influence at different levels of organizational decision-making. It was found that satisfaction, particularly with the work itself, was negatively related to both absence and the propensity to leave. Moreover, perceived influence in decision-making, especially at lower organizational levels, was related to the two dependent variables. The implications of these findings for research and practice are discussed.
Dimensions of Organizational Technology and Structure: An Exploratory Study
Authors: Reimann Bernard C.
Published: August 2005

Based on a review of the literature on organization structure and technology, a model is developed for describing process technology along two dimensions: (1) the degree of use of mass-production technology, and (2) the degree of technical change. Results of a field study indicate that neither dimension of technology is very strongly related to structure. Rather the two dimensions of technology appear to interact in their relationship to structure-especially with respect to the degree of centralization. Among manufacturing firms using relatively low degrees of mass production, centralization is strongly and positively related to the degree of technical change, but among relatively mass-production-oriented firms this relationship is nil. These results are interpreted to suggest that the extent to which a manufacturing organization can or will change its internal structure in response to technological changes may well be contingent on the degree to which it is already committed to using mass-production techniques.
A Longitudinal Study in Participative Decision-Making
Authors: Heller Frank A. , Drenth Pieter J. D. , Koopman Paul , Rus Veljko
Published: August 2005

A framework and method of a three-country comparative study on the process of participative decision-making is described. Research methods, models, and instruments are developed in the context of a longitudinal de-sign. The major hypotheses relate to the situationally determined relation between power decentralization, skill utilization, and effectiveness. The four-year study hopes to provide at least partial answers to some theoretical as well as practical questions in a field of considerable current controversy in Europe.
On the Psychology of the Apollo Moon Scientists: A Chapter in the Psychology of Science
Authors: Mitroff Ian I. , Fitzgerald Inez
Published: August 2005

This paper describes afollow-up study of a 4-year investigation of the scientific attitudes and personalities of a select sample of the Apollo moon scientists. Semantic differentials for the purpose of eliciting the structure of scientific roles and personalities were administered. Also administered were the Leary Adjective Check List and Rotter Incomplete Sentence Blank. The results show not only that there are strong and sharp differences among a small number of different scientific "types," but also that scientists are affectively involved with their work to a high degree. The results of the study lend support to some of Abraham Maslow's provocative ideas regarding the psychology of science.
Separation of Two Adult Populations Identified with Two Levels of Psychological Development
Authors: Isaac D. J. , O'Connor B. M.
Published: August 2005

Results are presented of the third experiment in a series designed to test a discontinuity theory of psychological development. Use is made of the phenomenon of loss of skill under conditions of increasing rate of change of perceptual field. The scores provided by a population mixture of university undergraduates and graduates separate clearly into two groups which are identified with levels 4 and 5 of the theory. The series provides a compound indirect test of the theory and also substantiates earlier problem-solving experiments. A secondary analysis of the results provides indications of the proportions of schoolchildren (and university undergraduates) corresponding to the different levels of psychological development. Much wider differences in development are revealed than are suggested from conventional psychological and educational research.
Human Resource Considerations in Textile Work Redesign
Authors: Armenakis Achilles A. , Feild Hubert S. , Holley William H. , Bedeian Arthur G. , Ledbetter Bureon
Published: August 2005

Evidence is presented that the textile industry is beginning to recognize the severity of the employee turnover problem. Work redesign has been a proposed solution in other industries whereby the intent was to provide employees with work that satisfied their psychological and social needs. However, research has not shown work redesign to produce consistently positive results. Investigators have concluded that individual reactions to job characteristics may be moderated by such variables as their background (urban vs. rural), the existence of a Protestant Work Ethic (strong vs. weak) and the individual's need strength (high vs. low). If the textile industry does undertake work redesign as a solution to the turnover problem, it would be of extreme importance to know what moderates individual reactions to job characteristics. The results of this research indicate that individual need strength is a better moderator than Protestant Work Ethic for employees in a Southeastern textile mill. The authors present alternative ways of dealing with individual reactions to job characteristics so that results of work redesign will be positive.
Organizational Psychology: Good Intentions and False Promises
Authors: Blackler Frank , Brown Colin A.
Published: August 2005

Theory and practice within organizational psychology have been greatly influenced by humanistic psychology in general and theories of self-actualization in particular. Yet the concept of self-actualization is problematic, and may encourage a misguided view of people as exploiting each other and their environments in a hedonistic quest for satisfaction. Applied in an organizational context such an interpretation of the human condition would demean human interactions. Further, organizational psychologists have employed the humanistic paradigm in a search for effective ways of managing organizations while giving insufficient attention to a study of the wider effects that organizations have upon people in society. Coupled with an inadequate model of man such limited horizons may have led them to play an essentially conservative role in their work and to support institutional structures which could be seriously debilitating psychologically. A review of implicit assumptions within the discipline is required.
Economic Strategies and Ethnic Alternatives
Authors: Almirol Edwin B.
Published: August 2005

This paper examines the relationship between economic adaptation and ethnic identity change among the Otomi Indians of Central Mexico. As the Otomies are recruited into more viable economic systems they undergo a change of ethnic identity and social status. The data were gathered through personal interviews and participant observation.
Personnel Practices and Employee Attitudes: A Study of Japaneseand American-Managed Firms in the United States
Authors: Pascale Richard Tanner
Published: August 2005

There has been considerable speculation as to the applicability of Japanese employment practices in industrial settings outside of Japan. This paper reports on a 3 year study of Japanese managed companies in the United States and investigates (1) the extent to which the employment practices of these firms differ from those of matched American firms and (2) whether these differences, if any, contribute to different employee attitudes and behavior as measured by job satisfaction and worker attendance patterns. The findings suggest that Japanese firms in the United States expend more resources per employee on nonpayroll benefits and that employees of Japanese firms in the United States perceive themselves as more satisfied and productive. These perceptions are not supported by worker attendance patterns which found no significant differences between workers at Japanese and American companies.
A Systems-Resource Approach for Evaluating Organizational Effectiveness
Authors: Cunningham J. Barton
Published: August 2005

Systems theorists maintain that all organizations, in order to survive, must be able to fulfill certain basic needs. In this article, these needs relate to: (1) the organization's ability to search out and respond to the properties of the external environment; (2) the organization's ability to use its resources to produce outputs and to maintain and restore the system; and (3) the organization's ability to bargain and optimize its use of resources in an environment with a number of decision-makers, each with different objectives. These criteria are used to evaluate the effectiveness of seven local government organizations.
Group Cohesion, Task Performance, and the Experimenter Expectancy Effect
Authors: Hoogstraten Johan , Vorst Harrie C. M.
Published: August 2005

Three laboratory experiments were done to study the effects of cohesion on task fulfillment and to explore the influence of task fulfillment on the initial level of cohesion. Within four-person groups of freshmen psychology students, cohesion was manipulated successfully by a triple procedure. The level of cohesion was ascertained directly after the induction treatment and again after task fulfillment. Group and individual ability tasks were used in the first and second experiment, while individual learning tasks were used in the third experiment. The hypothesis that cohesion facilitates task performance was partly supported for both individual and group tasks. All eight comparisons of the means favoured the high-cohesion condition; only four of the differences, however, were statistically significant. Performing a group task tended to raise cohesion, whereas individual task performance lowered liking for the group. There were no indications that the findings were a function of a pretest effect of the cohesion questionnaire or the experimenter's awareness of the research hypotheses. The facilitating influence of cohesion on task fulfillment was considered a consequence of heightened drive level of group members.
The Study of Institutions
Authors: Mortimorel Peter
Published: August 2005

Six studies of different types of institutions are described and their main findings reported. It is argued that two important features of this research are that real differences in organization, aims, and climate have been found between units that are ostensibly fulfilling the same function, and that these differences have been shown to have an important influence on the inmates. This second point is developed in a discussion of the different types of outcome measures that are available for evaluation, and the effect this choice has on the results. Finally the implications of these studies for both teachers and educational researchers are briefly discussed.
Problems and Solutions in the Quality of Working Life
Authors: Westley William A.
Published: August 2005

This paper presents an analysis of the type of problems generated by the factory system and the types of modern remedies proposed for those problems. The problems faced by people at work are classified into four types: political (insecurity), economic (inequity), psychological (alienation), and sociological (anomie). Individual remedies such as: worker directors, profit sharing, job enrichment, and sociotechnical design are then examined in terms of their capacity to solve these problems. A distinction between job enrichment and sociotechnical design is made in terms of the first meeting psychosocial expectations, and the latter providing a cultural or normative environment for work.
The Effects of Job Enrichment on Employee Satisfaction, Motivation, Involvement, and Performance: A Field Experiment
Authors: Orpen Christopher
Published: August 2005

The effect of job enrichment on employee responses was investigated in a field experiment conducted in a federal agency among clerical employees, who were randomly assigned to either an enriched or unenriched condition. In the enriched condition, a systematic attempt was made to increase the extent to which the jobs of the employees possessed each of the dimensions of skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback. In the unenriched condition, the employees performed their original duties and tasks. After a 6-month experimental period, the effect of enrichment was examined. The results showed that: (1) Employees in the enriched condition perceived their jobs as more enriched than before; (2) enrichment caused significant increases in employee job satisfaction, job involvement, and internal motivation; (3) enrichment led to significant decreases in absenteeism and turnover; but (4) enrichment had little impact on performance, whether assessed by superiors' ratings or by actual output. These findings, which are described in terms of the Hackman-Oldham theory of job design, are regarded as suggestive evidence that enrichment can cause substantial improvements in employee attitudes, but that these benefits may not lead to greater productivity. It is argued that in order to explain the effect of enrichment on performance, it is necessary to consider other factors besides the psychological states produced by jobs which are seen to have certain characteristics.
Environmental Scanning and Problem Recognition by Governing Boards: The Response of Hospitals to Declining Birth Rates
Authors: Ritvo Roger A. , Salipante Paul , Notz William W.
Published: August 2005

This study investigates the problem of organizational adaptation to environmental change, focusing on the variables of information sources and governing board structures. The overall findings strongly suggest that early problem recognition can be enhanced by the structures and the sources of data used in the decision-making process. An additional hypothesis growing out of a pilot study and supported by the main study concerned the positive impact of a new administrator on early problem recognition. The implications of thesefindingsfor the process of problem recognition are discussed.
Action and Contingency Postulates in Organization-Environment Relations
Authors: Gillespie David F. , Mileti Dennis S.
Published: August 2005

Two models of organization-environment relations are examined. One postulates organizational structure or behavior as contingent on environments; organizations are viewed as adapting to environmental changes. Conversely, the second model postulates environments as dependent upon organizations; organizations are viewed as actively manipulating environments. The two alternative models are empirically assessed and compared on a heterogeneous sample of 27 business corporations. In the contingency model, environmental manipulation is used to predict different dimensions of organizational technology. In the action model, the causal order is reversed; technology is used to predict environmental manipulation. Organizational assets are controlled in both models to eliminate the possible bias of differential resources. We find similar predictive power for both models. Explained variance was about equal, and standardized regression coefficients were similar across the models as well. It is thus concluded that a full understanding of organization-environment interaction will require simultaneous consideration of their effects upon one another.
The Generality of Attitude to Authority
Authors: Rigby Ken , Rump Eric E.
Published: August 2005

Previous research on attitude to authority has not adequately examined the generality of attitudes across different institutional authorities. This problem is distinct from "authoritarianism " and its purported concomitants. In this study, five scales were developed, relating to the Police, the Army, the Law, Teachers, and Symbolic Authority. The five scales showed a high degree of internal consistency on cross-validation. The intercorrelations among the scales, and with a Radicalism measure, demonstrated a high degree of generality in attitude towards institutional authorities. Moderate validity correlations were found with relevant reported activities: church attendance, participation in political demonstrations, and having been in conflict with teachers.
Effects of Changes in Job Characteristics on Some Theory-Specific Attitudinal Outcomes: Results from a Naturally Occurring Quasi-Experiment
Authors: Bhagat Rabi S. , Chassie Marilyn B.
Published: August 2005

The present research examined changes in motivational properties of jobs as measured in the theoretical context of Hackman and Oldham's [19761 job characteristics model through a quasi-experimental design. In an effort to reduce utility costs, a manufacturing organization underwent a planned change from a 5-to a 4-day work week. Changes in characteristics ofjobs in the organization which resulted from the shortened work week were introduced without regard for the motivational consequences of the new schedule. Neither "expectation levels" (King, 1974) nor organizational policies pertaining to the reward system were changed when the 4-day work week was implemented. The overall design of the planned change resembled that of a quasi-experiment, permitting examination of the causal impact of changes in core job dimensions on employee attitudinal outcomes. Measures of core job dimensions and outcome variables were collected before and after the change. Results showed that the group characterized by an increase in the motivational properties of their jobs experienced corresponding changes in theory-specific attitudinal outcomes. While there was no effect on employee growth need strength (GNS) as a result of the changes in motivational properties of jobs per se, high GNS employees did respond more sensitively and predictably to changes in their jobs than did low GNS employees.
When Individual Dispositions and Social Pressure Conflict: A Catastrophe
Authors: Tesser Abraham
Published: August 2005

When a personal dispositional variable is in conflict with social pressure, the resulting behavior is hypothesized to follow a cusp catastrophe. The catastrophe model allows'for discontinuities and bimodality in behavior. Specifically, when social pressure is low, behavior is expected to be a smooth, monotonic function of disposition. When social pressure is high and disposition is low, behavior will be low; when social pressure is high and disposition is high, relevant behavior will be bimodal-some people engaging in low levels of behavior and some engaging in high levels of behavior. In dynamic terms, shifts in dispositions at high levels of social pressure will result in discontinuous, i.e., "catastrophic" changes in behavior. Increments in social pressure at high levels of disposition will result in divergence, i.e., bimodality.
First Impressions, Norms, and Reactions to Threats
Authors: Tedeschi James T. , Malkis Farrell S. , Gaes Gerald G. , Quigley-Fernandez Barbara
Published: August 2005

The impact of first impressions, norms, and opponent's use of power on a target's behavior in a conflict situation was investigated. A simulated opponent was perceived as either good and impotent or bad and potent in a mixed motive situation where the rule of interaction was given as a cooperative or competitive one, and the opponent's exercise of unilateral coercive power was either highly credible or not credible. All three factors affected the responses of the subjects. The general principle underlying the results appears to be one of cooperating when first impressions or a salient norm leads to positive expectations for the interaction, but to respond in the most prudent manner possible and according to how the opponent responds when a negative expectation exists for the interaction.
Group Influences on Success Expectancies Regarding Social Influence Attempts
Authors: Lamm Helmut , Trommsdorf Gisela , Burger Christine , Füchsle Traudl
Published: August 2005

This experiment concerned the generality of the discussion-induced shift toward pessimism found in some previous studies but not found in others. Male university students (N = 95) were presented with one of two fictitious situations in which a protagonist wanted to gain compliance from another person (an employee wants a promotion; a parent wants his child to study more). For each of 16 compliance-gaining behaviors (e.g., promise, warning, invocation of need) the subjects had to indicate, on a 7-point scale, the likelihood that the protagonist would be successful ("objective response mode') or they had to indicate how well they personally could perform the respective influencing behavior ("subjective response mode'). All subjects first made a success-expectancy estimate. In the group condition (24 triads) participants discussed the judgmental issue and then again made a private estimate on each of the 16 items in turn. For the subjects in the control condition (N = 23) group discussion was replaced by further individual thought and note-taking. Discussion-induced shifts toward pessimism were found in the group conditions (p<.01 and .10 in the subjective and objective conditions). Since there was a (modest) overall initial tendency toward the pessimistic pole, this shift can in part be considered as group polarization, thus attesting to the generality of the group polarization phenomenon. (Secondary analyses bearing on the explanation of this polarization are presented.) In addition, secondary analyses show that pessimistic shift also occurred in those discussion cases where there was no initial leaning toward pessimism. The theoretical explanation of these shifts is discussed.
Perception of an Aggressor and His Victim in Relation to Age and Retaliation
Authors: Kanekar Suresh , Duarte Neville T. , Kolsawalla Maharukh B.
Published: August 2005

Evaluation of an aggressor and a victim of aggression was obtained in two separate studies in both of which a small paragraph describing an instance of aggression and its consequence was read by subjects who were college students in Bombay. In the first study, which had a 2 (sex of subject) X 2 (age of aggressor) X 2 (age of victim) X 2 (retaliation versus nonretaliation by victim) factorial design, with 21 subjects per cell, the victim was rated on intelligence, morality, adjustment, and likeability. The second study had exactly the same design and procedure except that it was the aggressor, instead of the victim, that was rated by the subjects, 20 per cell. The nonretaliating victim was evaluated more positively than the retaliating victim and the aggressor received a more negative evaluation, in some conditions, with the nonretaliating rather than retaliating victim. The younger victim was evaluated more negatively with the older rather than younger aggressor and the younger aggressor received a more negative evaluation with the older rather than younger retaliating victim. The results apparently reflect the norms regarding aggression and age in a specific culture and suggest the acceptability of nonretaliation or nonviolence as a powerful moral weapon.
Teacher Education as a Framework for Reducing Authoritarianism
Authors: Sara Nathir G.
Published: August 2005

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a special program on the level of authoritarianism of subjects with high scores on the California F scale. The subjects were graduate students of education, mostly from developing countries. The design called for measuring gain in two equivalent groups one of which received a specially constructed counter-authoritarian treatment while the other was used as a control group. The method of pooling variances was used for data processing, and the results showed a significant reduction in post-test F scores in the experimental group. While the findings demonstrate feasibility of introducing counter-authoritarian influences into teacher training programs, certain issues are raised and discussed, especially in regarding to permanence of such changes as those obtained in this experiment, and the need for support elements in the teaching environment for the purpose of reinforcement.
An Application of Turquet's Basic-Assumption Oneness to the Analysis of a Group in Search of Utopia
Authors: McMillan Susan D.
Published: August 2005

This article examines Turquet's basic-assumption oneness as it applies to the large group setting. Oneness is seen as a group myth serving the major function of avoiding membership schisms, and allows members to avoid the anxiety attendant upon the identity problems that emerge in a large group. One particular group is examined. Here a myth of oneness is supported by the members' institutionalized assumption that they cannot arrive at wrong, bad, or unwise decisions. The unity provided by the myth enables the group to pursue a course that members believe will lead to a utopian society. The myth however prevents members from acting in an independent manner and from examining their beliefs. The dynamics of one particular group session are examined in detail.
Leardership, Job Perceptions, and Influence: A Conceptual Integration
Authors: Ferris Gerald R. , Rowland Kendrith M.
Published: August 2005

A fundamental assumption adopted by most approaches to the study of leadership is that leaders somehow influence subordinate attitudes and behavior. Unfortunately, few systematic attempts have been made to address specifically how the influence process operates. Thus, we have been left with a large amount of research reflecting relationships between leadership and subordinate outcomes, but little in the way of explanation as to how or why such results come about. This paper reviews the effects of leadership on subordinate attitudes and behavior by incorporating subordinate perceptions of the job. A perspective is offered which more clearly articulates the operation of the leadership influence process, viewing it as a contextual influence that impacts on behavior and attitudes of subordinates through their perceptions of job characteristics. This alternative perspective thus casts the integration of leadership and job perceptions in a different conceptual framework. Suggestions for testing the proposed model and implications for future research are discussed.
Unconscious Planning in a Natural Work Group: A Case Study in Process Consultation
Authors: Hirschhorn Larry , Krantz James
Published: August 2005

Gustafson and Cooper have developed a theory of "unconscious group planning" based on the work of Weiss and Sampson. Up to now they have used and developed the theory to clarify and modify the practice and study of Tavistock Self-Study Groups. The authors believe that the theory can be applied to natural work groups as well. They examine the protocol of a day's meeting of the management team of a social service organization. By examining the latent and manifest content of the protocol and by studying the impact of their own interventions as consultants to the team, they show how the group was unconsciously struggling to solve a developmental problem. Most importantly, the group was trying to discover how to criticize their beloved leader in the face of his fear that if they did he might abandon them. The authors suggest that the theory of unconscious group planning may enable theorists and consultants to better understand the problem-solving processes of natural work groups.
The Action Learning Model of Experiential Learning for Developing Managers
Authors: MacNamara M. , Weekes W. H.
Published: August 2005

The purpose of this paper is to collate a theoretical background for the action learning model of management education. The paper relates the learning processes that occur in the action learning model to the basic concepts of group dynamics proposed by Bion. Many writers consider that management education should be active and experienced-based, problemoriented, continuous, supportive, and modified by feedback. Students should have a high level of motivation. The action learning model meets all these criteria. In addition, it has the ability to harness unconscious forces that can be generated in group work if the group is properlyformed and led. Bion identified these forces as the proto-mental system, which derives from the potential valency of each member of the group. The interchange of new learning experiences between the members of the group has been likened to symbiosis by Revans. The potential valency of each member of the group-and hence the symbiotic effect-can be reinforced by the group leader or set adviser and this is a distinctive characteristic of the action learning model.
Precursors of Individual Change: Responses to a Social Learning Theory Based on Organizational Intervention
Authors: Porras Jerry I. , Hargis Kenneth
Published: August 2005

This research investigated the role of 12 personal characteristics as they predisposed 33 first-line supervisors to change their interactions with employees in accordance with a behavioral modeling training program. Questionnaires were administered to groups of trained and control supervisors both before and after a 10-week training period. These instruments measured perceptions of behavioral change as well as a variety of personal characteristics including self-actualization, regard for others and the self, role clarity, role ambiguity, role conflict, stress, control, competence, education level, job tenure, and company tenure. Eight of these twelve characteristics proved significantly predictive of change for trained supervisors while none were predictive for control supervisors. The pattern of predictive characteristics indicated that feelings of well-being may be more conducive to acceptance of organizational training programs than feelings of need. The results are discussed insofar as they shed light on the behavior change hypotheses of social learning theory.
Paths to Turnover: A Re-analysis and Review of Existing Data on the Mobley, Horner, and Hollingsworth Turnover Model
Authors: Dalessio Anthony , Silverman William H. , Schuck John R.
Published: August 2005

Several data sets collected on the Mobley, Horner, and Hollingsworth (1978) model of turnover were re-analyzed with path analytic techniques. Data analyses revealed support for three general hypotheses proposed by Mobley et al. These were: (1) that age has an indirect effect on turnover through job satisfaction, (2) that job satisfaction has an indirect effect on turnover through withdrawal cognitions, and (3) that intention to quit is the immediate precursor of turnover. Although the data supported these hypotheses, inconsistencies were apparent in the data for many specific linkages proposed by Mobley et al. Possible reasons for these inconsistencies include: (1) diversity of samples studied, (2) the unmeasured variables problem, and (3) construct measurement problems. The use of a causal modeling approach developed by Joreskog & Sorborm (1978) is proposed as a possible solution to some of these problems in future research.
Further Examination of the Work Autonomy Scales: Three Studies
Authors: Breaugh James A. , Becker Alene S.
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 three studies designed to evaluate both the construct validity and the perceived usefulness of Breaugh's Work Autonomy Scales. In the first study, confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess the underlying factor structure of the three work autonomy facet measures. Each of several methods for assessing the fit of a theoretical model confirmed that a three-facet model clearly fit the sample data. In Study 2, an experimental design was used to examine the degree to which individuals'self-reports of autonomy actually reflected objective conditions. A close correspondence between the experimental manipulations and subjective ratings of autonomy was found. In Study 3, the perceived usefulness of the information provided by the three autonomy scales was examined. In both an absolute and a comparative sense, i.e., in comparison to measuring autonomy globally, the three autonomy scales were perceived as providing valuable information.
Strategic Decision Making: Influence Patterns in Public and Private Sector Organizations
Authors: Kenny Graham K. , Butler Richard J. , Hickson David J. , Cray David , Mallory Geoffrey R. , Wilson David C.
Published: August 2005

This paper pursues the question of whether differences exist between influence patterns in decision making in public and private sector organizations. Results are reported from an analysis of the interest units appearing in 150 strategic decision-making processes studied in 30 British organizations. We conclude that, while there is an overall similarity in the involvement of types of interest units in the two sectors, there are notable differences in the influence exerted.
Secrecy, Information, and Politics: An Essay on Organizational Decision Making
Authors: Feldman Steven P.
Published: August 2005

The literature on organizational politics has described organizational decision making as a fluid, informal process characterized by conflict and compromise. One of the most important reasons decision making tends to become politicized is because decision situations are uncertain and open to multiple interpretations. The political process develops as coalitions attempt to define the decision context to gain control over the decision-making process. But the concept of information typically used to investigate organizational politics is defined in terms of the ability to predict future states of the world. This definition completely overlooks the socially constructed nature of information and the fundamentally socially constructed nature of the decision-making process. The result has been an ignoring or underestimating of the role the distortion and manipulation of information plays in communicating and decision-making processes. In this essay, information is understood as a socially constructed phenomenon and a concept of secrecy is developed to investigate its effect on decision making. This framework is applied to a battle between staff and line groups for control over the Phone Stores in a Bell Telephone operating company. The concept of secrecy is developed empirically and elaborated theoretically.
Overcoming Hermeticism in Organization Theory: An Alternative to Paradigm Incommensurability
Authors: Hassard John
Published: August 2005

The paper discusses a major logical problem in recent organizational analysis the assumption that while paradigms are incommensurable, movement between them is nonproblematic, i.e., writers suggest paradigms are exclusive yet advocate interparadigm research (Ritzer, 1975; Burrell and Morgan, 1979; Pondy and Boje, 1981; Morgan, 1986). To make sense of this, and to establish an argument for paradigm mediation, we return to the origins of the debate in Kuhn's philosophy of science. In finding much equivocation in Kuhn, and especially in his debate with Popper, we draw upon the "later" Wittgenstein for facilitating Giddens' "relativity without relativism. " The analysis rejects both Kuhn's (1962) "strong" thesis of incommensurability and Popper's (1970) notion of liberal transions, in favor of a middle ground through Wittgenstein's (1953) "language-game of everyday life. "For organizational analysis, the paper argues for being "trained into" new paradigms, given the premise that "unorganized experience cannot order perception" (Phillips, 1977).
Cooperative and Competitive Dynamics Within and Between Organizational Units
Authors: Tjosvold Dean
Published: August 2005

Goal interdependence has been theorized to affect collaboration both within and between groups. Thirty-nine employees of a public health agency were interviewed on specific interactions they had with those either in their own or another work unit. Consistent with previous experiments, employees who concluded that their goals were cooperative had trusting expectations, exchanged information and resources, worked efficiently and productively, and developed confidence for future collaboration. Interactions with competitive goals were characterized by suspicion, little exchange, and low productivity and morale. Results were interpreted as suggesting that independent goals interfere more with interaction between work units than within them.
The Female Professional: Perceived Communication Proficiencies as Predictors of Organizational Advancement
Authors: Shockley-Zalabak Pamela , Staley Constance Courtney , Morley Donald Dean
Published: August 2005

This study investigated self and supervisory perceptions of female employees' communication proficiency, as predictors of organizational effectiveness and promotability. Both self and supervisory evaluations of 15 communication skills were utilized as predictors of female achievement levels in two stepwise multiple regression equations. Results indicated that supervisor evaluation of seven communication competencies accounted for 55% of the variance in promotions while self-evaluations of these competencies accounted for a nonsignificant 14% of the variance in promotions. The most powerful finding of this research is the importance of perceived communication competencies for organizational achievement.