Sharon Clarke

Bio: Sharon Clarke is an academic researcher from University of Manchester. The author has contributed to research in topics: Occupational safety and health & Transformational leadership. The author has an hindex of 25, co-authored 55 publications receiving 4356 citations. Previous affiliations of Sharon Clarke include Aston University.

The relationship between safety climate and safety performance: a meta-analytic review.

Abstract: The current study used meta-analysis to examine the criterion-related validity of the relationships between safety climate, safety performance (participation and compliance), and occupational accidents and injuries. Support was found for the study's hypotheses linking organizational safety climate to employee safety compliance and participation, with the latter demonstrating the stronger relationship; however, the subsequent links to accident involvement were found to be weak, suggesting limited support for a fully mediated model. The relationship between safety climate and accident involvement was found to be moderated by the study design, such that only prospective designs, in which accidents were measured following the measurement of safety climate, demonstrated validity generalization. The implications of the findings and suggestions for further research are discussed.

Safety leadership: A meta-analytic review of transformational and transactional leadership styles as antecedents of safety behaviours

Abstract: A theoretical model of safety leadership, which incorporated both transformational and active transactional leadership styles, was tested using meta-analytic path analysis. The final model showed that transformational leadership had a positive association with both perceived safety climate and safety participation, with perceived safety climate partially mediating the effect of leadership on safety participation. Active transactional leadership had a positive association with perceived safety climate, safety participation and safety compliance. The effect of leadership on safety compliance was partially mediated by perceived safety climate and the effect on safety participation fully mediated by perceived safety climate. The findings suggest that active transactional leadership is important in ensuring compliance with rules and regulations, whereas transformational leadership is primarily associated with encouraging employee participation in safety. Therefore, in line with the augmentation hypothesis of leadership, a combination of both transformational and transactional styles appeared to be most beneficial for safety. Avenues for further research and practical implications in terms of leadership training and development are discussed. Practitioner Points Developed and tested a model of safety leadership, which shows that both transformational and active transactional leadership styles are important aspects of effective safety leadership. Study has implications for practitioners who are involved with the design of leadership training and development programmes, as such programmes should be tailored to focus on a range of leader behaviours that encompass active transactional as well as transformational style. Findings suggest that leadership styles have a differential effect on safety compliance and safety participation – thus, training and development programmes should make specific links between leader behaviours and their subsequent influence on employee behaviour.

Human safety and risk management

Abstract: Introduction Establishing the Field Emerging Issues in OHS Research and Practice Risk models and risk management Introduction First-Order Concepts/Approaches to Risk Expanded/Developed Approaches to Risk Meta-Approaches to Risk Further Discussion From sensation and perception through motivation and behavior Introduction Sensation and the Human Senses Perceptual Organization and Interpretation Attention and Vigilance Causal Attribution Behavioral Approach to Motivation Motivating for Safety Conclusions Human error and human factors Introduction Human Error Categorizing Human Error Error Occurrence and Detection Human Factors Interface Design Techniques for Reducing Human Error/Increasing Human Reliability Conclusions Personality and risk liability Introduction Models of Personality and the "Big Five" Accident Proneness "Big-Five" Personality Characteristics and Injury Liability Risk Propensity Individual Differences in Error Liability Personality at Work Conclusions Attitudes, values, and risk behaviors Introduction Understanding Attitudes The Nature of Attitudes Attitudes Toward Safety and Risk Attitudes and Behavior: Some Theoretical Perspectives More Complex Approaches to Attitude -Behavior Links Attitude Change Safety Climate and Safety Attitudes Conclusions The role of stress in safety and risk Introduction Theoretical Models of Stress Workplace Stressors and Injuries Individual Differences and Job Stress Mechanisms Linking Stress with Injuries Stress Interventions Conclusions Managing teams for safe performance Introduction Functions and Benefits of Groups Formation and Types of Groups Team Effectiveness Safety Committee Effectiveness Barriers to Team Effectiveness Managing Effective Work Teams Conclusions Leading and supervising for safe performance Introduction Leadership Theories New Leadership Theories Leadership Failures Leadership Ethics Conclusions Managing human risks Introduction A Risk Management Approach HR Practices Associated with Occupational Health and Safety Managing Safety Risks: An Integrated Approach Conclusions Safety culture Introduction Defining Safety Culture Theoretical Models of Safety Culture Approaches to Developing and Measuring Safety Culture Changing Towards a Positive Safety Culture Safety Culture and Risk Management Conclusions Risk management - conclusions Staged Approaches to Managing Safety Risks Beyond a Standards Approach Integrating Individual and Organizational Adaptive Features Beyond Prevention References

A meta‐analytic review of the Big Five personality factors and accident involvement in occupational and non‐occupational settings

Abstract: Although a number of studies have examined individual personality traits and their influence on accident involvement, consistent evidence of a predictive relationship is lacking due to contradictory findings. The current study reports a meta-analysis of the relationship between accident involvement and the Big Five personality dimensions (extraversion, neuroticism, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness). Low conscientiousness and low agreeableness were found to be valid and generalizable predictors of accident involvement, with corrected mean validities of .27 and .26, respectively. The context of the accident acts as a moderator in the personality-accident relationship, with different personality dimensions associated with occupational and non-occupational accidents. Extraversion was found to be a valid and generalizable predictor of traffic accidents, but not occupational accidents. Avenues for further research are highlighted and discussed.

Perceptions of organizational safety: implications for the development of safety culture

Abstract: Regulatory bodies in the U.K. have emphasized the importance of ‘a positive health and safety culture’ to the safety performance of companies. A key feature of a company's safety culture is shared perceptions amongst managers and staff concerning the importance of safety. This study recorded the perceptions of 312 British Rail train drivers, supervisors and senior managers concerning the relative importance of 25 railway factors. Each level also gave their estimates of the ratings of the other levels. The study found that whilst there was a shared perception of the importance of safety, intergroup perceptions were not realistic. It is argued that accurate intergroup perceptions are essential to the development of mutual trust and understanding between levels, which forms the basis for a positive safety culture. Suggestions for establishing the foundations for a positive safety culture are discussed. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Marketing in Hypermedia Computer-Mediated Environments: Conceptual Foundations

Abstract: The authors address the role of marketing in hypermedia computer-mediated environments (CMEs). Their approach considers hypermedia CMEs to be large-scale (i.e., national or global) networked enviro...

Organizational Climate and Culture

Abstract: Organizational climate and organizational culture theory and research are reviewed. The article is first framed with definitions of the constructs, and preliminary thoughts on their interrelationships are noted. Organizational climate is briefly defined as the meanings people attach to interrelated bundles of experiences they have at work. Organizational culture is briefly defined as the basic assumptions about the world and the values that guide life in organizations. A brief history of climate research is presented, followed by the major accomplishments in research on the topic with regard to levels issues, the foci of climate research, and studies of climate strength. A brief overview of the more recent study of organizational culture is then introduced, followed by samples of important thinking and research on the roles of leadership and national culture in understanding organizational culture and performance and culture as a moderator variable in research in organizational behavior. The final section of the article proposes an integration of climate and culture thinking and research and concludes with practical implications for the management of effective contemporary organizations. Throughout, recommendations are made for additional thinking and research.