Showing papers in "Human Relations in 2000"
TL;DR: Work/family border theory as mentioned in this paper is a new theory about work/family balance that addresses how domain integration and segmentation, border creation and management, border-crosser participation, and relationships between bordercrossers and others at work and home influence work and family balance.
Abstract: This article introduces work/family border theory - a new theory about work/family balance. According to the theory, people are daily border-crossers between the domains of work and family. The theory addresses how domain integration and segmentation, border creation and management, border-crosser participation, and relationships between border-crossers and others at work and home influence work/family balance. Propositions are given to guide future research.
2,230 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors suggest that feelings play a central role in the leadership process and that emotional intelligence, the ability to understand and manage moods and emotions in the self and others, contributes to effective leadership in organizations.
Abstract: This paper suggests that feelings (moods and emotions) play a central role in the leadership process. More specifically, it is proposed that emotional intelligence, the ability to understand and manage moods and emotions in the self and others, contributes to effective leadership in organizations. Four major aspects of emotional intelligence, the appraisal and expression of emotion, the use of emotion to enhance cognitive processes and decision making, knowledge about emotions, and management of emotions, are described. Then, I propose how emotional intelligence contributes to effective leadership by focusing on five essential elements of leader effectiveness: development of collective goals and objectives; instilling in others an appreciation of the importance of work activities; generating and maintaining enthusiasm, confidence, optimism, cooperation, and trust; encouraging flexibility in decision making and change; and establishing and maintaining a meaningful identity for an organization.
1,809 citations
TL;DR: The relationship between micro and meso-level discourse analysis (i.e. specific social texts being the primary empirical material) and ''grand and mega-level' discourse analysis as mentioned in this paper is investigated.
Abstract: Discourse is a popular term used in a variety of ways, easily leading to confusion. This article attempts to clarify the various meanings of discourse in social studies, the term's relevance for organizational analysis and some key theoretical positions in discourse analysis. It also focuses on the methodological problem of the relationship between: a) the level of discourse produced in interviews and in everyday life observed as `social texts' (in particular talk); b) other kinds of phenomena, such as meanings, experiences, orientations, events, material objects and social practices; and, c) discourses in the sense of a large-scale, ordered, integrated way of reasoning/ constituting the social world. In particular, the relationship between `micro and meso-level' discourse analysis (i.e. specific social texts being the primary empirical material) and `grand and mega-level' discourse (i.e. large-scale orders) is investigated.
1,617 citations
TL;DR: Critical Management Studies (CMS) as discussed by the authors is a popular area of research in management, and it has attracted a growing interest in recent years, with a combination of political, institutional and epistemological trends.
Abstract: We have recently witnessed a growing, if still arguably marginal, interest in `Critical Management Studies' (CMS). Our aim in this paper is to reflect upon the popularization of CMS; more specifically, we propose to examine the various factors that have contributed to its emergence, and to review the significance of its project. We start by exploring the conditions of possibility for CMS and point to a combination of political, institutional and epistemological trends. In the second part of the paper, we consider what constitutes `CMS' and suggest that whilst it draws upon a plurality of intellectual traditions, CMS is unified by an anti performative stance, and a commitment to (some form of) denaturalization and reflexivity. Finally, we articulate the polemics around which CMS politics have been contested, in particular we review the debates between neo-Marxism and post-structuralism, and discuss the issue of engagement with management practice.
933 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors surveyed senior managers of companies representing computer, banking, and utility industries in the United States and found that intuitive synthesis was positively associated with organizational performance in an unstable environment, but negatively so in a stable environment.
Abstract: Although intuitive processes are critical for effective strategic decision making, there is little in the way of applied research on the topic. Apart from many popularized treatments of intuition in the literature today, there are only a handful of serious scholarly works on the subject. The majority of them are essentially theoretical in nature; field research in management settings is virtually nonexistent. This study examined this neglected but important process in strategic decision making. We surveyed senior managers of companies representing computer, banking, and utility industries in the United States and found that intuitive processes are used often in organizational decision making. Use of intuitive synthesis was found to be positively associated with organizational performance in an unstable environment, but negatively so in a stable environment.
666 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined employees' perception of their organization's readiness for large-scale change in two divisions of a national sales organization transitioning to work teams and found that individual attitudes and preferences, work group and job attitudes, and contextual variables were important in understanding readiness for change.
Abstract: Employees' perception of their organization's readiness for large-scale change was examined in two divisions of a national sales organization transitioning to work teams Results indicated that individual attitudes and preferences, work group and job attitudes, and contextual variables were all important in understanding readiness for change Study findings are discussed in terms of strategies for implementing the transition to team-based work and large-scale organizational initiatives Implications for research and theory-building are also discussed
651 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors outline a model of how discourse can be mobilized as a strategic resource, which consists of three circuits, i.e., in circuits of activity, individuals attempt to introduce new discursive statements, through the use of symbols, narratives, metaphors, etc.
Abstract: In this article, we outline a model of how discourse can be mobilized as a strategic resource. The model consists of three circuits. First, in circuits of activity, individuals attempt to introduce new discursive statements, through the use of symbols, narratives, metaphors, etc. aimed at evoking concepts to create particular objects. These activities must intersect with circuits of performativity. This occurs when, for example, concepts are contextually embedded and have meaning for other actors; when symbols, narratives and metaphors possess receptivity; and when the subject position of the enunciator warrants voice. Third, when these two circuits intersect, connectivity occurs as the new discursive statements `take'. Using an illustrative example of an international NGO operating in Palestine, we show how an individual brought about strategic change by engaging in discursive activity.
609 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors hypothesized that moral awareness is influenced by issue-related factors (magnitude of consequences of the moral issue and issue framing in moral terms) and social contextrelated factors(competitive context and perceived social consensus that the issue isethically problematic).
Abstract: Individuals' awarenessof moral issues is an important first step in the ethicaldecision-making process. Relying on research in social cognition andbusiness ethics, we hypothesized that moral awareness is influenced byissue-related factors (magnitude of consequences of the moral issueand issue framing in moral terms) and social contextrelated factors(competitive context and perceived social consensus that the issue isethically problematic). The hypotheses were tested in a fieldexperiment involving 291competitive intelligence practitioners.Results generally supported the hypotheses. Qualitative analysisyielded additional insights into the content of respondents' moralawareness.
457 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored the evolution of trust within a particular inter-university, multi-disciplinary research team, and developed a model depicting the development and interrelation of different types of trust.
Abstract: Inter-organizational and multi-functional networking are increasingly portrayed as new and potentially more effective forms of organization, especially where innovation is important. This is as true for academic work undertaken within universities as it is for business organizations; multi-disciplinary and inter-institutional collaboration being specified as highly desirable by the major research funding bodies. Integrating mechanisms are essential if such networks are to be effective in co-ordinating the work of a diverse range of partners. Importantly, they are required for the development of trust. Thus, the literature stresses that trust between the parties is central to the effective operation of such networks. This paper explores the evolution of trust within a particular inter-university, multi-disciplinary research team, and develops a model depicting the development and interrelation of different types of trust within this network. The difficulties this research network experienced in developing ...
429 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a picture of membership is built up from two perspectives: the first considers the structure of collaboration, and argues that ambiguity and complexity in structure may be demonstrated over many dimensions; the second adds another layer of complication through exploring the dynamics of the way in which membership structures change over time.
Abstract: This paper is concerned with the role that membership structures of inter-organizational collaborations have on the achievement of collaborative advantage in the context of tackling social issues. Based on action research involving participants in a wide variety of collaborative situations, the paper aims to explore the nature of the membership of collaborations in practice. A picture of membership is built up from two perspectives. The first considers the structure of collaboration, and argues that ambiguity and complexity in structure may be demonstrated over many dimensions. The second adds another layer of complication through exploring the dynamics of the way in which membership structures change over time. The paper concludes by examining the implications for practitioners and policy makers of this picture in terms of its effect on the design of collaborations and on the factors which tend to lead to colloborative inertia instead of collaborative advantage.
400 citations
TL;DR: Zhang et al. as discussed by the authors investigated the main effect of demographic variables on organizational commitment and the moderating effect of gender and education on the relationship between OC and turnover intentions based on a survey of 333 employees in the People's Republic of China.
Abstract: This study investigates the main effect of demographic variables on organizational commitment (OC) and the moderating effect of gender and education on the relationship between OC and turnover intentions (TI) based on a survey of 333 employees in the People's Republic of China (PRC). Only position positively influenced employees' OC while other demographic variables had no main effects on OC. Gender was found to moderate the relationship between OC and TI but education did not. The results demonstrated that, under the influence of traditional Chinese culture, Chinese employees behave differently from their western counterparts. These differences were explained in terms of cultural variables, particularly, personalism and guanxi (personal relationship network).
TL;DR: The role of organizational commitment as a mediator between the Islamic work ethic (IWE) and attitudes toward organizational change was investigated in this paper, where the authors used a sample of 474 employees from 30 organizations in five districts in the United Arab Emirates.
Abstract: This study investigates the role of organizational commitment as a mediator between the Islamic work ethic (IWE) and attitudes toward organizational change. The study uses a sample of 474 employees from 30 organizations in five districts in the United Arab Emirates. The results of path analysis indicate that the IWE directly and positively influences various dimensions of both attitudes toward organizational change and organizational commitment. Furthermore, affective commitment mediates the influences of the IWE on both affective and behavioral tendency dimensions of attitudes toward organizational change. On the other hand, continuance and normative commitments mediate the influences of the IWE on cognitive dimension of attitudes toward change, while continuance commitment mediates the influences of the IWE on the behavioral tendency dimension of attitudes toward change. Implications, limitations and lines of future research are discussed.
TL;DR: The LISREL results, based on a sample of 286 male employees from an open-cut coal mine in remote central Queensland, Australia, indicate that the community variables of family isolation and kinship support have the largest total (direct and indirect) effects on life satisfaction.
Abstract: Although the relationship between job and life satisfaction has attracted much attention, little research has been undertaken in geographically remote settings. The present study addresses this deficiency by testing a causal model that incorporates job-related, personal, environmental, and community-related variables. The LISREL results, based on a sample of 286 male employees from an open-cut coal mine in remote central Queensland, Australia, indicate that the community variables of family isolation and kinship support have the largest total (direct and indirect) effects on life satisfaction. Job satisfaction is found to be the next most important factor, and mediates the impact of routinization, industrial relations (IR) climate, promotional opportunity, work overload, family isolation, kinship support, positive affectivity, community participation, and negative affectivity on life satisfaction. In addition, job satisfaction is observed to have a stronger effect on life satisfaction than vice versa. The...
TL;DR: In this article, a model of cultural negotiation linking organizational events with issue domains was proposed as points of departure for negotiations. But they found that structural/contextual influences together with individuals' culturally determined sense-making with regard to specific organizational events are more useful determinants of negotiated outcomes.
Abstract: This study expands theoretical research on negotiated culture by testing basic assumptions in the context of a German-Japanese joint venture. Data collected by semi-structured interviews are analyzed using textual analysis software to uncover key issues that became catalysts for negotiation. Results include a model of cultural negotiation linking organizational events with issue domains as points of departure for negotiations. Results show that aggregate models of cultural difference are useful only to the extent that they serve as latent conceptual anchors guiding individuals' cultural responses to events. The study shows that structural/contextual influences together with individuals' culturally determined sense-making with regard to specific organizational events are more useful determinants of negotiated outcomes. Authors conclude that, while it is unlikely we can predict organizational culture formation in complex cultural organizations, we can understand the process of cultural negotiation and as a ...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore how notions of the client and client service are constructed within two ''Big 5'' professional services firms and argue that the client is a central term in the socialization of trainee accountants within these firms and the emergence of their professional identities.
Abstract: In this article we explore how notions of the client and client service are constructed within two `Big 5' professional services firms. Drawing upon a range of qualitative materials, we argue that the client is a central term in the socialization of trainee accountants within these firms and the emergence of their professional identities. We illustrate this with reference to recruitment, appraisal and daily work practices. We then move on to consider the power effects of a discourse that privileges the client in this way by attending to what is `written out' of such a discourse. We suggest that management control, friends, family and the profit motive are all written out. However, we also point to what such a discourse enables, both materially and symbolically, for the trainees in the study.
TL;DR: This article used confirmatory factor analysis to test four alternative structures for the items in the scales in two samples (n = 871, n = 1915) and found that the five scales have acceptable internal reliability.
Abstract: Validation evidence is provided for scales that measure five aspects of affective well-being in relation to the work context: anxiety-comfort, depression-pleasure, bored-enthusiastic, tiredness-vigour and angry-placid. Confirmatory factor analysis is used to test four alternative structures for the items in the scales in two samples (n = 871, n = 1915). Analyses in both samples support one structure. The final scales have acceptable internal reliability. The unique explanatory power of each scale is suggested by partial correlations with theoretically related variables. Confirmatory factor analysis indicates that the five factor solution has a better fit with the data than other first order solutions with fewer factors. Second order factor analysis shows that two superordinate factors, corresponding to negative and positive affect, can account for the relationships amongst the five first order factors.
TL;DR: This article examined the impact participation in decision-making (PDM) had on the relationship between perceptions of organizational politics and expressions of job satisfaction among 1251 public sector employees and found that the effect of PDM on job satisfaction was robust at high levels of perceived politics.
Abstract: The present study examined the impact participation in decision-making (PDM) had on the relationship between perceptions of organizational politics and expressions of job satisfaction among 1251 public sector employees. We hypothesized that perceptions of organizational politics would reduce job satisfaction and that the detrimental effect of poltics on job satisfaction would be weakest among workers who engage in consensus decision-making with their supervisors. We used confirmatory factor analyses to determine whether the variables used in this study reflected distinct constructs. Then, we used correlational analysis and hierarchical moderated multiple regression analyses to test the hypotheses. Results indicated that the variables reflected distinct constructs and confirmed the hypotheses. Examination of the interaction indicated that the effect of PDM on job satisfaction was robust at high levels of perceived politics.
TL;DR: This article examined perceived political behaviors as a critical, yet largely overlooked, component in the traditional organizational politics perceptions model and found that the use of reactive/defensive political behaviors exacerbated the negative effects of perceived organizational politics on outcomes.
Abstract: This study examined perceived political behaviors as a critical, yet largely overlooked, component in the traditional organizational politics perceptions model Further, this study developed an expanded version of the traditional antecedents to politics perceptions and examined the mediating effect of perceptions of politics in the model Results from 260 full-time employees suggested that the use of reactive/defensive political behaviors exacerbated the already negative effects of perceived organizational politics on outcomes Further, the set of variables that come from the job/work environment were found to explain more variance in perceptions of organizational politics than the set of organizational or individual variables Finally, perceptions of politics demonstrated mediation effects between the antecedent variables and job satisfaction, job anxiety, and intent to turnover Discussion centers around the expanded model and the need to conceptually and empirically link politics perceptions with politi
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors report the findings of research into the strategic change narratives that emerged in three organizations in which the senior management were seeking to respond to deregulation of the economy in which they were operating.
Abstract: Sensegiving constitutes a key process in the management of strategic change. Often this takes the form of narratives that provide a portrayal of events surrounding the change. This article reports the findings of research into the strategic change narratives that emerged in three organizations in which the senior management were seeking to respond to deregulation of the economy in which they were operating. The results illustrate both the existence of such narratives and the variation in form that they can take.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe an ethnographic study of a crowd event in which there were changes in the intergroup relationships over time. And they demonstrate the explanatory power of a dynamic and interactive approach to social categorization by exploring situations in which definitions of context and/or categories are not purposefully manipulated.
Abstract: Reicher has recently developed the social identity model of crowd behaviour based on self-categorization theory (SCT). This model begins to tackle the thorny theoretical problems posed by the dynamic nature of crowd action (Reicher, 1996b). The present paper describes an ethnographic study of a crowd event in which there were changes in the inter-group relationships over time. It is suggested that the laboratory evidence in support of SCT is complemented by ethnographic research of this type. By exploring situations in which definitions of context and/or categories are not purposefully manipulated, we can demonstrate the explanatory power of a dynamic and interactive approach to social categorization.
TL;DR: In this article, a survey of 1146 ethical investors in the UK found that people are prepared to put their money where their morals are although there is no straightforward trade-off between principles and money.
Abstract: This paper reports on a questionnaire survey of 1146 ethical investors in the UK. Ethical investing usually means that certain companies are excluded from one's portfolio on non-economic grounds, e.g. because they manufacture armaments, test chemicals on live animals, or have poor pollution records. Is this an example where moral commitment rather than economics is driving economic decision making? Ethical investors were found to be neither cranks nor saints holding both ethical and not so ethical investments at the same time. A case is made that people are prepared to put their money where their morals are although there is no straightforward trade-off between principles and money. A broader analysis than that based on rational economic man is recommended: an economic psychology.
TL;DR: Tang et al. as discussed by the authors investigated the effect of money ethic endorsement on the intrinsic job satisfaction-withdrawal cognitions relationship, and found that money ethics endorsement was a moderator for both relationships.
Abstract: The present study expanded Judge's (1993) study and tested the hypotheses that people's Money Ethic endorsement (Tang, 1992, 1995) would moderate the intrinsic job satisfaction-withdrawal cognitions relationship and the intrinsic job satisfaction-voluntary turnover relationship in a sample of mental health and mental retardation professionals. Results suggested that Money Ethic endorsement was a moderator for both relationships. For employees with high Money Ethic endorsement, their voluntary turnover was high regardless of their intrinsic job satisfaction. Employees with low Money Ethic endorsement and low intrinsic job satisfaction had the lowest voluntary turnover. Thus, in this sample, just a pull (high Money Ethic) is needed to experience turnover. Money Ethic endorsement predicted actual turnover behavior, but withdrawal cognitions did not. Money Ethic endorsement was not a mediator of the intrinsic job satisfaction and turnover relationship. Results are discussed in terms of the small, but growing ...
TL;DR: In this paper, a worker's beliefs that a supervisor can be trusted as being composed of three main elements - beliefs in the supervisor's predictability, benevolence and fairness.
Abstract: The article presents results that indicate that trust and job design are complementary concepts in understanding outcomes like intention to quit and satisfaction. We conceptualized a worker's beliefs that a supervisor can be trusted as being composed of three main elements - beliefs in the supervisor's predictability, benevolence and fairness. This was motivated in part by a desire to conceptualize trust in a way that distinguished it from leader-member exchange (LMX) quality. The capacity of this measure of trust to predict self-reported outcomes was then compared with a job's motivational potential score, as a way of testing the trust measure's criterion validity. To do so, the results from two separate surveys were analysed. The first was based on the questionnaire responses of 535 employees in the telephone industry in the province of British Columbia; the second, of 230 service station employees from across Canada. In the studies reported here, supervisor relationships accounted for a significant amo...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined three models of the relationships between commitment foci and work outcomes such as turnover intentions, actual turnover, and absenteeism, and concluded that the relationship between commitment focal points and outcomes is direct.
Abstract: This study examined three models of the relationships between commitment foci and work outcomes such as turnover intentions, actual turnover, and absenteeism. The first is based on the traditional literature that argues that the relationship between commitment foci and outcomes is direct. The second is based on Morrow's model of universal forms of work commitment. According to this model, job involvement mediates the relationship between the other commitment foci and outcomes. The third model is based on the conceptualization proposed by Randall and Cote. According to their model organizational commitment and occupational commitment should mediate the relationship between commitment foci and out-comes. In the study 283 nurses from three small hospitals in Israel were surveyed with a response rate of 62 percent. The results of path analysis (LISREL VIII) showed a better fit to the data of the Randall and Cote model. The article concludes with implications regarding the continuing assessment of Morrow's con...
TL;DR: In this paper, a more sophisticated understanding of organizational discourse is developed, in which discourse is viewed as a duality of communicative actions and structural properties, recursively linked through the modality of actors' interpretive schemes.
Abstract: Existing approaches to organizational discourse, which we label as 'managerialist', 'interpretive' and 'critical', either privilege agency at the expense of structure or the other way around. This tension reflects that between approaches to discourse in the social sciences more generally but is sharper in the organizational context, where discourse is typically temporally and contextually specific and imbued with attributions of instrumental intent. As the basis for a more sophisticated understanding of organizational discourse, we draw on the work of Giddens to develop a structurational conceptualization in which discourse is viewed as a duality of communicative actions and structural properties, recursively linked through the modality of actors' interpretive schemes. We conclude by exploring some of the theoretical implications of this conceptualization and its consequences for the methodology of organizational discourse analysis.abs>
TL;DR: In this article, the authors report managerial views of the responsibilities of teams, team members and functional specialists under lean production, based on the findings of an international study of management practices in the automotive components industry.
Abstract: This paper reports managerial views of the responsibilities of teams, team members and functional specialists under lean production, based on the findings of an international study of management practices in the automotive components industry. The findings show limited evidence of shopfloor worker autonomy under lean team-working or of increases in technical skill; blue-collar specialists remain responsible for maintenance activities. However, the Taylorist separation of planning and execution appears to be partially reversed as operators are expected to make significant contributions to problem solving, innovation and improvement activities. Personnel issues remain largely the prerogative of senior management and white-collar specialists. The role of middle managers appears to be `hollowed out' as shopfloor employees, particularly team leaders, take more responsibility for some activities. The findings emphasize the importance of distinguishing between the roles of members and leaders within teams, and b...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined empirical evidence on the impact of the introduction of a quasi-market in healthcare in the UK on professionals, especially doctors, and found that professionals have not uniformly lost power, some have gained considerably.
Abstract: This article examines empirical evidence on the impact of the introduction of a quasi-market in healthcare in the UK on professionals, especially doctors. Data are drawn from two longitudinal studies occurring between 1990 and 1994, of aspects of the changes to the health system. Data collection involved a range of methods, including observation, interviews, questionnaires and archival material. The findings show that a unilateral analysis of the impact of the quasimarket on professionals is inadequate to understand the situation. The responses of the professionals to change have had a major influence on the outcomes. Professionals have not uniformly lost power, some have gained considerably. Explanations of the variance of impact and the substantial power shifts have to take account of a range of contextual factors. The market has not had a major impact on the technical autonomy of the doctors. Consequential structural changes have produced a new category of professional managers who are actively managing their colleagues' performance.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a post-hoc analysis of a cultural compatibility index that was developed as part of a multi-study survey that they conducted, and provide evidence of the measure's integrity in two different national cultures.
Abstract: Though the concept of `culture clash' has been widely discussed and written about in the context of mergers and acquisitions, the literature has been relatively silent about how to empirically measure this phenomenon. Given the difficulties associated with developing and testing such a measure - especially gaining access to sufficient numbers of firms which have recently experienced a merger - it is not surprising that little has been done. In this paper, we present a post-hoc analysis of a cultural compatibility index that was developed as part of a multi-study survey that we conducted. In addition, we provide evidence of the measure's integrity in two different national cultures. The analysis is based on a survey of executives of acquired British and French firms as to their perceptions of compatibility with the organizational values of the buying firms. We found evidence to suggest that the measure is a reliable and valid congruence index within and across national contexts.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore what teamworking means for employees' lives within an automobile manufacturing company and question the taken-for-granted assumption within managerialist accounts that teamworking will simply be welcomed by, and is beneficial for, employees.
Abstract: Recent managerial discourses share similar assumptions about organizations and the means to their greater efficiency. One of these is a faith in teamworking as a method of ensuring that human resources are effectively mobilized to achieve the unquestioned benefits of any specific technology or prescriptive programme. In this article we will explore what teamworking means for employees' lives within an automobile manufacturing company. We question the taken-for-granted assumption within managerialist accounts that teamworking will simply be welcomed by, and is beneficial for, employees. We also offer a ray of hope to those critics who warn of the normalizing effects of teamworking. We argue that, just as there is no single form of teamworking, there is also no single experience of teamworking. We broadly identify the reactions of three types of employees as a heuristic device. First, there are those who seem `bewitched' by the discourse of teamworking and who internalize its norms and values. Second, there...