Showing papers in "Human Relations in 1998"
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the prevalence, antecedents, and consequences of work-family conflict among employed women and men in Finland and found that family-work conflict had negative consequences on family well-being.
Abstract: The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence, antecedents, and consequences of work-family conflict among employed women and men in Finland. The data were obtained by questionnaire from a sample of 501 employees working in four organizations. The results showed that work-family conflict was more prevalent than family-work conflict among both sexes, but that there were no gender differences in experiencing either work-family or family-work conflict. Family-work conflict was best explained by family domain variables (e.g., number of children living at home) for both sexes, and work-family conflict by work domain variables (e.g., full-time job, poor leadership relations) among the women, and by high education and high number of children living at home among the men. Family-work conflict had negative consequences on family well-being, and work-family conflict, in particular, on occupational well-being. The findings suggest that in particular improvements in working life are needed to prevent problems i...
648 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a four-dimensional model which shows the multifaceted way in which power works and then use this power model as a lens with which to examine empowerment practices in business.
Abstract: The 1990s have been called the “empowerment era,” yet growing evidence suggests that empowerment programs often fail to meet the expectations of both managers and employees. To provide a better understanding as to why empowerment programs often fail and to suggest how such failures may be averted, we examine the power behind empowerment. Ironically, although power and empowerment are inextricably linked, much of the work on empowerment in the business literature has been devoid of any discussion of power. We present a four-dimensional model which shows the multifaceted way in which power works. In it, we observe the similarities and differences in the ways that different theorists have approached the study of power, notably those ascribing to mainstream, critical, and Foucauldian perspectives. We then use this power model as a lens with which to examine empowerment practices in business. This analysis suggests a number of possible reasons for the failure of business empowerment programs and provides direc...
425 citations
TL;DR: The authors used Latent Variable Analysis (LVA) to assess whether practices identified with high commitment management do form a unity, and found that four progressive styles of HCM were discovered.
Abstract: Are the practices widely associated with the high commitment or involvement model, such as job flexibility and minimal status differences, actually used in conjunction with each other? Or rather are they being used, as some commentators speculate, in a fragmented or ad hoc manner? The authors use Latent Variable Analysis to assess whether practices identified with high commitment management do form a unity. They are simultaneously attempting to see if such practices can be used as indicators for measuring an underlying high commitment orientation on the part of management. The analysis uses data from the 1990 UK Workplace Industrial Relations Survey and its sister survey, the Employers' Manpower and Skills Practices Survey, on the use of a range of high commitment practices across the whole economy. The evidence suggests that there is an identifiable pattern to the use of high commitment practices. Four progressive styles of high commitment management (HCM) were discovered. Though the use of it in its ent...
424 citations
TL;DR: This paper reviewed aspects of two largely disparate literatures from the adjacent fields of individual and organizational learning and identified some implications for theory and practice, focusing on 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 individual.
Abstract: 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.
350 citations
TL;DR: The authors 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 using structural equation modeling analyses.
Abstract: 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.
266 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore gender relations and genderidentity, based upon an ethnography of a Swedish advertising agency, and discuss how gender is constructed in an organizational context.
Abstract: The paper explores gender relations and genderidentity, based upon an ethnography of a Swedishadvertising agency. The organization is of specialinterest as it has a strong gender division of labor,where men hold all senior posts, at the same time ascreative advertising work seems to have much moresimilarity with what gender studies describe as"femininity" rather than with forms of“masculinity”. The paper discusses how gender is constructedin an organizational context. Emphasis on workplacesexuality is related to identity work of men in responseto the highly ambiguous and contested context of advertising work. Tendencies toward the“femininization” of the work and clientrelationships put some strain on (gender) identity formen, triggering a structuring of gender relations andinteraction at the workplace to restore feelings ofmasculinity. The paper problematizes ideas ofmasculinities and femininities and argues for arethinking of their roles in nonbureaucraticorganizations. Also assumptions about a close connection between domination ofmasculinity and of males are criticallydiscussed.
234 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the relationship between individualism-collectivism orientations of potential job seekers and their reactions toward alternative human resource management (HRM) practices in the areas of selection, performance appraisal, reward system, career system, and employment security.
Abstract: In this study, we examined the relationship between individualism-collectivism orientations of potential job seekers and their reactions toward alternative human resource management (HRM) practices in the areas of selection, performance appraisal, reward system, career system, and employment security. Using several subdimensions of individualism-collectivism, we found many significant relationships between individualism-collectivism orientations and preferences for alternative human resource management practices that might affect the effectiveness of alternative HRM practices.
232 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a group-development model was proposed to examine the impact of diversity on group processes and performance, using concepts from Jackson et al.'s (1995), Milliken and Martins' (1996), and other models, as well as their own concepts.
Abstract: Diversity is an increasingly important factor in organizational life as organizations worldwide become more diverse in terms of the gender, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, and other personal characteristics of their members. The exact impact of within-group diversity on small group processes and performance is unclear. Sometimes the effect of diversity seems positive, at other times negative, and in other situations, there seems to be no effect at all. In this article, we suggest that these types of findings might be explained by using a "group-development" model to examine the impact of diversity on group processes and performance. Our model uses concepts from Jackson et al.'s (1995), Milliken and Martins' (1996), and other models, as well as our own concepts, to show how diversity affects group development and performance. Among the concepts included in the model are readily detectable personal attributes, underlying personal attributes, cognitive paradigm dissimilarity, cognitive costs and rewar...
197 citations
TL;DR: The similarities and differences between Lean Production and Sociotechnical Systems (STS) are studied in this article, where the design principles formulate by Cherns have been used to evaluate LP from an STS perspective with respect to work design issues.
Abstract: The similarities and differences be twee n two paradigms, Lean Production (LP) and Sociotechnical Systems (STS) thinking, which currently compe te for the attention of managers and scholars intere sted in improving the design of work syste ms, are studied in this article . In order to find the logic be hind each approach, the design principles formulate d by Cherns have been used to e valuate LP from an STS vie wpoint with respe ct to work design issues. The two concepts differ most with re spe ct to their definition of system boundaries, the control me chanisms they favor and their value bases and assumptions about workers. The way control is e xercise d in e ach concept is closely relate d to the production structure and has far-reaching conseque nce s for the human resource policies practice d. Although e ach approach has some thing to offer the other, the que stion whether the be st ide as of both can be synthe size d in designing a superior overall system cannot be answere d so e asily. In the e nd, it will require more than just choosing features of each approach to apply in combination; the differences in fundamental beliefs about people need to be reconciled in the design of the organization and its syste m.
172 citations
TL;DR: The authors established that teamwork is a function of how team members perceive the team and their role in it and that highly productive teamwork requires that team members recognize the team as a unit and as an attractive work arrangement.
Abstract: This paper establishes that teamwork is a function of how team members perceive the team and their role in it. Social identity theory (Hogg & Abrams, 1993; Tajfel & Turner, 1986) and self-categorization theory (Turner, 1987) offer explanations for the cognitive, evaluative, and emotional processes which motivate individuals to join a social group and enhance their ability to contribute to the maximum of their ability, which would be desirable for many team tasks. Social identity theory posits that the motivation for thinking, feeling, and thus working as a cohesive unit is socially constructed. Highly productive teamwork requires that team members recognize the team as a unit and as an attractive work arrangement. Fundamental assumptions of contemporary management, and management research, are challenged to integrate social identity findings.
160 citations
TL;DR: The authors examined the influence of family-responsive variables and the moderating influence of gender on the retention-relevant outcomes of organizational commitment and turnover intentions of employed parents in a human service authority in Hong Kong.
Abstract: This study examined the influence of family-responsive variables and the moderating influence of gender on the retention-relevant outcomes of organizational commitment and turnover intentions. Data were obtained with the aid of structured questionnaires from employed parents (N = 228) in a human service authority in Hong Kong. Results of regression analysis revealed that satisfaction with work schedule flexibility and supervisor work-family support were related to both retention-relevant outcomes. Contrary to our prediction, gender did not moderate the influence of any of the family-responsive variables on the retention-relevant outcomes. Limitations of the study, directions for future research and implications of the findings for enhancing the effectiveness of family-responsive human resource policies are discussed.
TL;DR: The authors assesses a model linking context, socialization, and newcomer adjustment, and find that mechanistic (vs. organic) structure, organization size, and jobs of high motivating potential are each positively associated with organizations' use of what Jones refers to as institutionalized socialization.
Abstract: 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.
TL;DR: Theoretical perspectives from accountability, impression management, goal setting, and performance evaluation suggest that accountability conditions may influence whether goals are used for impression management or performance-directed purposes as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Theoretical perspectives from accountability, impression management, goal setting, and performance evaluation suggest that accountability conditions may influence whether goals are used for impression management or performance-directed purposes Goal theory and research suggest that goals typically are performance-directed, resulting in elevated performance under certain conditions Alternatively, impression management theory might imply that goals may not always be performance-directed, and the goal-performance relationship may be decoupled in such cases Accountability is proposed as influencing this relationship in addition to main effects on how people approach tasks Two studies tested notions of how accountability influences task approaches and goal uses: a laboratory experiment with university students, and a field study of telemarketers Convergence of results indicates that participants approached tasks and set goals differently according to accountability conditions Furthermore, the goal-perfor
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a conceptual model that proposes how organization learning disorders influence organization performance and suggest that organization knowledge mediates the relationship between learning disorders and performance, and the effect of learning disorders on organization knowledge is explored.
Abstract: 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.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors analyze a survey of the National Black MBA Association to find out whether male and minority network groups have a positive impact on care er optimism, what spe cific e ffects of the se groups are most be ne ficial, an d whe ther groups enhance isolation or discrimination.
Abstract: As companies look for bette r ways to manage diversity, one of the approaches that is emerging is the use of fe male and minority network groups. These groups are not we ll understood, and there has been no quantitative analysis of their impact on minority e mploye es. Social network theory sugge sts that network groups should enhance the social re sources available to women and minorities and in that way enhan ce their chance of caree r succe ss, but some critics of ne twork groups suggest that backlash might produce greater social isolation and discrimination. In this paper, we analyze a survey of me mbers of the National Black MBA Association to find out whether ne twork groups have a positive impact on care er optimism, what spe cific e ffects of the se groups are most be ne ficial, an d whe ther groups enhance isolation or discrimination. Results indicate that ne twork groups have a positive ove rall impact on care er optimism of B lack managers , an d that this occurs primarily via e nhance d me ntoring. Network groups have no effect on discrimination, e ither positive or ne gative. The re are some indications of greate r isolation, but also some indications of gre ate r contact with Whites.
TL;DR: In this article, a new concept of "system domain" and related concepts of system domain fabric, and system domain defenses are proposed in order to account for the difficulties in sustaining organizational change in organizations that share a similar primary task.
Abstract: It is argued that for organizational learning to occur maladaptive social defenses within the organization have to be altered. The origins of the concept of social defenses are traced through the work of Jaques and Menzies. A new concept of "system domain," and related concepts of "system domain fabric," and "system domain defenses," are proposed in order to account for the difficulties in sustaining organizational change in organizations that share a similar primary task. "Organizational learning" is defined as occurring when there is co-evolution of "organizational container" and "contained." The article distills variables from three successful consultancy/action research projects which are characteristic of organizations that are learning, and it is hypothesized that the creation of "organizational awareness" is necessary for organizational learning to occur.
TL;DR: In this paper, a shift away from "up-or-out" in professional service firms is explained as part of a wider set of changes in internal labor market arrangements and management methods.
Abstract: A shift away from "up-or-out," the conventional promotion system in professional service firms, has been explained as part of a wider set of changes in internal labor market arrangements and management methods. This is investigated empirically in a sample of large partnerships in one profession. Up-or-out was used by less than one-third of the sample of firms but is common among the largest firms. Internal reforms to the professional firm do not fully explain its rarity; up-or-out appears to be adaptable to new forms of management and internal labor market policies. This raises a number of questions about the utility of theoretical explanations of how professional service firms work or are changing.
TL;DR: The authors conducted interviews with top managers at 29 U.S. companies and found that mechanistic shifts reduce the likelihood of large-scale strategic reorientation as declining firms attempt to recover.
Abstract: Past researchers have observed that declining organizations often experience mechanistic structural changes that centralize authority, increase reliance on formalized procedures, and reduce the amount of information flowing to top managers. Many have proposed that this "mechanistic shift" in declining organizations reduces their adaptive capability by making innovative organizational change in response to decline less likely. However, despite much research on declining firms and their turnaround attempts, many questions about mechanistic shifts remain, such as: (1) To what extent do declining firms become systematically mechanistic when trying to recover from decline? (2) What aspects of declining firms' situations make mechanistic shifts more likely? (3) Do mechanistic shifts reduce the likelihood of large-scale strategic reorientation as declining firms attempt to recover? We sought answers to these questions through an analysis of data from in-depth interviews with top managers (mostly CEOs) at 29 U.S....
TL;DR: The authors argued that insults are an important social and organizational phenomenon, which causes powerful emotions and enters peoples personal histories, and suggested that insults involve a perpetrator, a target and, often, an audience.
Abstract: The author argues that insults are an important social and organizational phenomenon, which causes powerful emotions and enters peoples personal histories. It is suggested that insults involve a perpetrator, a target and, often, an audience. The intention to insult is not necessary, as some insults are the result of misunderstanding or accident. However, the experience of being gratuitously offended and the corresponding feelings of shame, guilt, and anger are fundamental to insults. Several types of insults are observed, such as exclusion, stereotyping, obliteration of significant identity details, ingratitude, scapegoating, rudeness, broken promises, being ignored or kept waiting. Even more potent insults result from the defamation or despoiling of idealized objects, persons, or ideas. Different insult dynamics are noted; these include an apology, a commensurate retaliation, a disproportionate retaliation and possible escalation, a retaliation against a surrogate and weaker target than the perpetrator o...
TL;DR: The traditional approach to appropriation is characterized by such concerns as skill-formation, commitment to the organization, shared corporate values, and a reliance on formally constituted governance structures with a putative integrative ethos as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: This paper posits the concept of "appropriation" to explain the underlying ethos and rationale for seeking to secure the contribution of people to organizational functioning. Human resource management (HRM) practice is therefore largely underpinned by the objective of appropriating the human resource "value." This is ignored by the practitioner-oriented literature which has a financial interest in helping organizations to secure this value, and by the academic literature which is unwilling to confront the contradictions and uncomfortable truths inherent in such activities. The traditional approach to appropriation is characterized by such concerns as skill-formation, commitment to the organization, shared corporate values, and a reliance on formally constituted governance structures with a putative integrative ethos. This paper advocates a reconstitution of the appropriation regime to incorporate the concepts of knowledge and learning. We draw from the innovation management literature to highlight the pro...
TL;DR: In this paper, a typology of organizational change within which to situate and analyze innovation in social policy is presented, arguing that this typology is an essential tool both for social policymakers and for those concerned with its analysis.
Abstract: Over the last decade, the search for innovation has become a core component of much social policy formulation and implementation. This search, however, has often been undertaken with little attempt to define the actual nature of innovation or to classify its different modes. This paper reports recent research which has developed a typology of organizational change within which to situate and analyze innovation in social policy. It argues that this typology is an essential tool both for social policymakers and for those concerned with its analysis.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore the genesis and operation of business process reengineering within a medium-sized U.K. bank from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s and argue that BPR is likely to be constituted by and through political relations, and that it will reconstitute organizational forms and norms, in a highly political fashion.
Abstract: In this article, we explore the genesis and operation of Business Process Reengineering (BPR) within a medium-sized U.K. bank from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s. We dismiss the claims of those evangelical gurus who assume that BPR can be decontextualized and decoupled from organizational politics and posit that BPR can be managed instantaneously and unproblematically. Instead we argue that BPR is likely to be constituted by and through political relations, and that BPR in turn will reconstitute organizational forms and norms, in a highly political fashion. We endeavor to build upon current approaches toward organizational politics. We illustrate that politics is not simply about resistance to some putative organizational norm of stability or uniformity as BPR's gurus imply. Nor does it derive "exclusively" from diverse interest groups pursuing separate or conflicting ends that can be juggled and managed as processual or pluralistic accounts of organizational change tend to assume. Neither, in this insta...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe organizational symbolism from a sociology of knowledge perspective and consider both the theoretical and extra-theoretical bases of the symbolic approach, and illustrate the distinctive principles of symbolic approach with respect to other methods used in the study of organizations, the concepts on which it is based, and the organizational issues on which they have shed significant light.
Abstract: This article describes organizational symbolism from a sociology of knowledge perspective and considers both the theoretical and extra-theoretical bases of the symbolic approach. It illustrates the distinctive principles of the symbolic approach with respect to other methods used in the study of organizations, the concepts on which it is based, and the organizational issues on which it has shed significant light. Symbolist studies of organizations have refocused scholarly attention on the multidisciplinary understanding of the logos, ethos, and pathos of organizational life. They have done so by stressing the production of knowledge tout court, rather than concerning themselves with the applicability of the organizational knowledge acquired by this approach for managerial purposes. Organizational symbolism is described in the article as a fluctuating and emerging social construction whose growth and spread has been fostered by support within academia.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore how cognitive style preferences for adaptation-innovation affect the likelihood that employees will voice ideas for organizational change toward their supervisors and find that adaptors are more likely to voice conventional ideas when they are dissatisfied rather than satisfied with work and perceive their supervisors as effective rather than ineffective voice managers.
Abstract: This article reports two studies exploring how cognitive style preferences for adaption-innovation affect the likelihood that employees will voice ideas for organizational change toward their supervisors As hypothesized, Study 1 demonstrates that innovatively compared to adaptively predisposed police officers are less likely to voice conventional ideas and more likely to voice novel ideas for solving work-related problems Besides a replication of these findings, Study 2 shows how work satisfaction and the quality of the supervisor as voice manager shape the impact of adaption-innovation on employee likelihood to voice That is, compared to innovators, adaptors are more likely to voice conventional ideas when they are dissatisfied rather than satisfied with work and perceive their supervisors as effective rather than ineffective voice managers On the other hand, innovators compared to adaptors report greater likelihood to voice novel ideas when they are satisfied rather than dissatisfied with work and p
TL;DR: In this paper, seven task-oriented teams worked together for between 4 and 6 months on a project and at the end of the task, members were each subject to four task-performance ratings: from self, superior, team-peers, and a consultant who was part of the team.
Abstract: Seven task-oriented teams worked together for between 4 and 6 months on a project. At the end of the task, members were each subject to four task-performance ratings: from self, superior, team-peers, and a consultant who was part of the team. There were fewer than chance differences between the different teams on the congruence measures so the data was combined. While the congruence between self and manager, self and peer, and self and consultant ratings were very low, the manager-peer, manager-consultant, and peer-consultant congruence was overall high. Observable behaviors like forward planning and communication showed overall highest congruence while less observable cognitive variables showed much lower congruence. These results are similar to previous studies in the area. Implications of the use of these ratings in management development are considered.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined work attitudes of 286 females and 416 males employed in 27 female-owned and 29 male-owned small businesses in three industries: construction, manufacturing, and distribution.
Abstract: Using the construct of job satisfaction, this study examined work attitudes of 286 females and 416 males employed in 27 female-owned and 29 male-owned small businesses in three industries: construction, manufacturing, and distribution. Job satisfaction scores (dependent variables) were analyzed with regard to the interaction of owner-employee gender. Demographic and job-related variables were also considered. The gender-moderated results are discussed in terms of methodological implications for conducting research regarding work attitudes.
TL;DR: This article examined the influence of individual characteristics and organizational justice on employee benefit satisfaction, and explored the role of flexible benefit plans, and found that the concept of process justice had the greatest effect on satisfaction.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of individual characteristics and organizational justice on employee benefit satisfaction, and to explore the role of flexible benefit plans. Employees from three Canadian organizations were surveyed. A total of 285 usuable questionnaires were returned, for a response rate of 42%. The variables in the model accounted for more than 40% of the variance in benefit satisfaction. The findings showed that while distributive and procedural justice were useful in predicting benefit satisfaction, the concept of process justice had the greatest effect on satisfaction. Among the variables, communication had the greatest impact. The effect of flexibility, although significant, was ambiguous. Sociodemographic factors had a very limited effect when perceptual variables were introduced into the equation. The paper also sets out the limitations of the study and its practical implications, and makes some suggestions for future research.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a series of action-and policy-oriented projects on the distribution of influence and power among the members of an organization, from prehistorichunting societies to companies working through theworldwide web, and conclude that organizational influence sharing has made only limited progress during the last 50 years.
Abstract: Organization of any kind, from prehistorichunting societies to companies working through theworldwide web, operate with a distribution of influenceand power among their members. This distribution of influence has consequences at three levels: forthe people working in the organization, for theorganization itself, and, from time to time, for membersof society outside the organization. A series of action- and policy-oriented projects on thedistribution of influence were developed by or incollaboration with the Centre for Decision MakingStudies of The Tavistock Institute over a quarter of acentury. They started with a seven-country comparativeresearch on top management decision making, followed bytwo 12-country studies on Industrial Democracy and a5-year longitudinal program in seven companies in three countries. These and two longitudinalprojects in Britian, one on a motor car manufacturer andthe other on an airport, used a similar conceptualframework. The article draws on the evidence from this program of work, describes the evolvingtheoretical model and concludes that organizationalinfluence sharing appears to have made only limitedprogress during the last 50 years. Four explanations are put forward: overidealistic expectations;a tendency to ignore the need for certain necessaryantecedents, like competence; a tendency to act as ifinfluence sharing is not subject to contingencies like the nature of tasks; and probably mostimportantly, the almost universal tendency to designinfluence sharing measures through uncoordinatedmechanistic social engineering.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present the current Dutch sociotechnical design approach to integral organizational renewal in a contextual way and compare the ideas developed in the Dutch approach to those presented in its American, Scandinavian, and Australian counterparts.
Abstract: 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.
TL;DR: In this article, a two-phase study employed a combination of qualitative and quantitative methodology to study absenteeism in a complex, hospital setting and identified the bases of employees' beliefs about what is acceptable and expected in terms of absence behavior.
Abstract: A two-phase study employed a combination of qualitative and quantitative methodology to study absenteeism in a complex, hospital setting. The primary focus was to identify the bases of employees' beliefs about what is acceptable and expected in terms of absence behavior. Through a series of employee interviews, two different absence cultures were identified. We found evidence that employees' normative perceptions were influenced by their prior personal absence, and by the average level of absence within both their immediate work group and the absence culture to which they belonged. Perceived norms were also shown to predict future individual absence (total days absent) 1 year later. Theoretical and practical implications of this research were discussed.