The detection of psychiatric illness by questionnaire

What makes organizations so similar? We contend that the engine of rationalization and bureaucratization has moved from the competitive marketplace to the state and the professions. Once a set of organizations emerges as a field, a paradox arises: rational actors make their organizations increasingly similar as they try to change them. We describe three isomorphic processes-coercive, mimetic, and normative—leading to this outcome. We then specify hypotheses about the impact of resource centralization and dependency, goal ambiguity and technical uncertainty, and professionalization and structuration on isomorphic change. Finally, we suggest implications for theories of organizations and social change.

The iron cage revisited: Institutional isomorphism and collective rationality in organizational fields (Chinese Translation)

This article reports a meta-analytic test of a two-dimensional work stressor framework with respect to stressors' relationships with strains, motivation, and performance Hindrance stressors had a 

https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/20159696.pdf

A Meta-Analytic Test of the Challenge Stressor–Hindrance Stressor Framework: An Explanation for Inconsistent Relationships Among Stressors and Performance

New Patterns of Management.

This paper presents a framework for studying the concepts of fit and flexibility in the field of Strategic Human Resource Management (Strategic HRM) focusing on HRM practices, employee skills, and employee behaviors and reviews past conceptual and empirical work within that framework. A model of Strategic HRM is presented and this model is used to explore the concepts of fit and flexibility as they apply to Strategic HRM. The concepts of resource and coordination flexibility are applied to Strategic HRM, and the implications of the framework for both the practice of and research on Strategic HRM are discussed.

Toward a Unifying Framework for Exploring Fit and Flexibility in Strategic Human Resource Management

Two studies were conducted to investigate the predicted effect of empowerment on employees' job knowledge. Study 1 developed a measure of job knowledge, based on knowledge elicitation techniques, for use in work settings. Study 2 used that measure to examine change in employee knowledge following an empowerment initiative. Findings showed a substantial increase in job knowledge, particularly among less experienced employees. Improvements were also recorded for employee self-confidence and strain, but not for motivation or job satisfaction. The wider theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

The effect of empowerment on job knowledge: An empirical test involving operators of complex technology

Using an interruptions framework, this article proposes and tests a set of hypotheses concerning the relationship of meeting time demands with job attitudes and well-being (JAWB). Two Internet surveys were administered toemployees who worked 35 hr or more per week. Study 1 examined prescheduled meetings attended in a typical week (N = 676), whereas Study 2 investigated prescheduled meetings attended during the current day (N = 304). As proposed, the relationship between meeting time demands and JAWB was moderated by task interdependence, meeting experience quality, and accomplishment striving. However, results were somewhat dependent on the time frame of a study and the operational definition used for meeting time demands. Furthermore, perceived meeting effectiveness was found to have a strong, direct relationship with JAWB.

https://interruptions.net/literature/Rogelberg-JAP06-2006-00819-008.pdf

"Not Another Meeting!" Are Meeting Time Demands Related to Employee Well-Being?

An organization’s workspace, the physical environment an organization provides for its employees to carry out their work activities, constitutes the second largest financial overhead (after human resources) for most organizations (McCoy, 2005). Of the workspace provided, most employees in developed countries work in some form of office environment (Duffy, 1997) and studies of this practice have found that it has a powerful role in shaping a diverse range of psychological and behavioral outcomes, including individual work motivation (e.g., Oldham & Brass, 1979), job satisfaction (e.g., Veitch, Charles, Farley, et al., 2007), and patterns of interactions (e.g., Boyce, 1974; Ives & Ferdinands, 1974; Sundstrom & Sundstrom, 1986). Furthermore, the impact of offices upon their occupants’ personal productivity has been estimated to be somewhere in the region of 20% (e.g., Leaman & Bordass, 2005). Within the organizational literature, offices have been typically described as either traditional (sometimes referred to as enclosed or cellular offices) or open-plan. Traditional offices tend to house one or two individuals in private rooms, enclosed by walls, often containing most of the amenities required for their job (Danielsson & Bodin, 2008). Open-plan offices are characterized by a lack of interior walls, tend to be larger and contain greater numbers of workers, with individual workstations arranged within the office in groups (Brennan, Chugh, & Kline, 2002; Brookes & Kaplan, 1972). Workspace design, however, is currently under organizational scrutiny due to the changing nature of work. It is evident that many organizations are re-evaluating their facilities to ensure

The Physical Environment of the Office: Contemporary and Emerging Issues

The aim of this investigation was to test hypotheses about meeting design characteristics (punctuality, chairperson, etc.) in relation to attendees’ perceptions of meeting effectiveness. Two studies were conducted: Study 1 investigated meetings attended in a typical week (N = 958), whereas Study 2 examined the last meeting attended on a particular day (N = 292). A number of design characteristics (in particular agenda use and quality of facilities) were found to be important in predicting perceived effectiveness. Attendee involvement served as a key mediator variable in the observed relationships. Neither meeting type nor size was found to affect the relationships of the design characteristics and involvement with effectiveness. Meeting size, however, was negatively related to attendee involvement. The findings help us to better understand relationships between design characteristics and attendees’ perceptions of meeting effectiveness. Meeting organizers can use the findings to guide administration of meetings, with potential to enhance the quality of meetings. Meetings are a common organizational activity but are rarely the focus of empirical research. The use of two complementary studies, to our knowledge, provides a unique account of the contribution of design characteristics to perceptions of meeting effectiveness.

/pdf/perceived-meeting-effectiveness-the-role-of-design-beq2wn0zu2.pdf

Perceived Meeting Effectiveness: The Role of Design Characteristics

Collaboration between nonprofit and business sectors is widely regarded as a value creation process that benefits society, business, and nonprofit organizations (NPOs). This process, however, has rarely been considered from a nonprofit perspective. In this paper, we discuss a new framework to assist NPOs in developing strategic collaborations with businesses. We argue that, by being strategically proactive rather than reactive to what businesses might offer, NPOs can increase the scale of their cross-sector collaborations and thus enhance their sustainability. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Desmond Leach

Papers

The effect of empowerment on job knowledge: An empirical test involving operators of complex technology

"Not Another Meeting!" Are Meeting Time Demands Related to Employee Well-Being?

The Physical Environment of the Office: Contemporary and Emerging Issues

Perceived Meeting Effectiveness: The Role of Design Characteristics

Collaboration Between Nonprofit and Business Sectors: A Framework to Guide Strategy Development for Nonprofit Organizations