Showing papers in "Journal of Applied Psychology in 1994"

Evidence that task performance should be distinguished from contextual performance.

Abstract: This study tests the merit of the distinction made by W. C. Borman and S. J. Motowidlo (1993) between task performance and contextual performance. Supervisors rated 421 U.S. Air Force mechanics on their task performance, contextual performance, and overall performance. Data on length of air force experience, ability, training performance, and personality were also available for many of these mechanics. Results showed that both task performance and contextual performance contribute independently to overall performance. Experience is more highly correlated with task performance than with contextual performance, and personality variables are more highly correlated with contextual performance than with task performance. These results support the distinction between task performance and contextual performance and confirm that performance, at least as judged by supervisors, is multidimensional

Percept-Percept Inflation in Microorganizational Research: An Investigation of Prevalence and Effect

Abstract: Analysis of 42,934 correlations published in 581 articles not only revealed general evidence that self-report methods have produced percept-percept inflation in microresearch on organizations but also suggested that this effect is diminished when 1 or both covariates are demographic variables. Further analysis of a subsample of 11,710 correlations indicated that percept-percept inflation has influenced research on particular bivariate relationships but has not had the broad, comprehensive effects envisioned by critics. These findings challenge the validity of general condemnations of self-report methods, suggesting instead that domain-specific investigations are required to determine which areas of research are especially susceptible to percept-percept effects

Organizational socialization: Its content and consequences.

Abstract: Content dimensions of the socialization domain were defined in order to determine relationships between learning particular features of a job/organization and the process and outcomes of socialization. Six socialization dimensions-performance proficiency, politics, language, people, organizational goals/values, and history-were supported by a factor analysis on data from 594 full-time professionals. The socialization process was then examined by comparing three groups of respondents who did not change jobs, changed jobs within the organization, or changed jobs and organizations. Results showed these groups had significantly different response patterns on all dimensions

Does mental practice enhance performance

Abstract: Mental practice is the cognitive rehearsal of a task prior to performance. Although most researchers contend that mental practice is an effective means of enhancing performance, a clear consensus is precluded because (a) mental practice is often denned so loosely as to include almost any type of mental preparation and (b) empirical results are inconclusive. A meta-analysis of the literature on mental practice was conducted to determine the effect of mental practice on performance and to identify conditions under which mental practice is most effective. Results indicated that mental practice has a positive and significant effect on performance, and the effectiveness of mental practice was moderated by the type of task, the retention interval between practice and performance, and the length or duration of the mental practice intervention. Mental practice refers to the cognitive rehearsal of a task in the absence of overt physical movement. When a musician practices a passage by thinking it through or when an athlete prepares for an event by visualizing the steps required to perform the task, he or she is engaging in mental practice. A number of studies have examined the effects of mental practice on performance. Whereas the research of Kelsey (1961) and Ryan and Simons (1982) supports the efficacy of mental practice for enhancing performance, Beasley (1978) reported negative results. An astute reviewer may be able to estimate the direction and magnitude of effect of the relationship between mental practice and performance from the preponderance of evidence across the majority of studies. For example, Richardson (1967a) concluded that most studies support the efficacy of mental practice on performance. However, Richardson, and later Corbin (1972), noted that this evidence was inconclusive. Because different studies use different types of tasks, with different types of subjects, and report different study statistics, it is difficult if not impossible to integrate these disparate research studies on an intuitive level to draw firm conclusions on the effectiveness of mental practice. The purpose of this study was to integrate the literature on mental practice, summarize the overall effects of mental practice on performance, and specify the conditions under which mental practice is most effective.

Organizational commitment: The utility of an integrative definition.

Abstract: The authors report a series of 9 studies (N = 2,734) in which they evaluated the construct definition, measurement, and validation of organizational commitment (OC). An integrated examination of a wide range of antecedents of the various dimensions of OC was conducted. Results support the existence of 3 major OC dimensions (affective, continuance, and normative), with 2 subdimensions (personal sacrifice and lack of alternatives) for the continuance dimension. Results suggest that the widely used Organizational Commitment Questionnaire assesses primarily the affective dimension. Results provide various levels of support for the set of proposed antecedents. Implications for construct definition, measurement, and future research are discussed

Consumer satisfaction and perceived quality : complementary or divergent constructs ?

Abstract: Conflicting models exist in the literature of the process through which perceived quality and/or satisfaction affect behavioral intentions. Further, virtually no theoretical framework has been explicitly developed to help combine perceived-quality models with satisfaction models. this article applies a theoretical framework to help build a model that attempts to explain the relationships among disconfirmation of expectations, perceived quality, satisfaction, perceived situational control, and behavioral intentions. The study compares the ability of two models to help explain the relationship among these variables.

Expatriate managers and the psychological contract.

Abstract: The authors investigate employer practices toward expatriate managers and how those practices relate to retention-relevant outcomes (e.g., organizational commitment, intent to quit, and intent to return early to a domestic assignment). The psychological contract is investigated as a mediator of this relationship. A model in which the psychological contract mediates the relationship between organizational practices and retention-relevant outcomes is empirically constructed. The authors also refine the construct of the psychological contract and report managers' experiences as expatriates

The validity of employment interviews: A comprehensive review and meta-analysis.

Abstract: This meta-analytic review presents the findings of a project investigating the validity of the employment interview. Analyses are based on 245 coefficients derived from 86,311 individuals. Results show that interview validity depends on the content of the interview (situational, job related, or psychological), how the interview is conducted (structured vs. unstructured; board vs. individual), and the nature of the criterion (job performance, training performance, and tenure; research or administrative ratings). Situational interviews had higher validity than did job-related interviews, which, in turn, had higher validity than did psychologically based interviews. Structured interviews were found to have higher validity than unstructured interviews. Interviews showed similar validity for job performance and training performance criteria, but validity for the tenure criteria was lower. The interview is a selection procedure designed to predict future job performance on the basis of applicants' oral responses to oral inquiries. Interviews are one of the most frequently used selection procedures, perhaps because of their intuitive appeal for hiring authorities. Ulrich and Trumbo (1965) surveyed 852 organizations and found that 99% of them used interviews as a selection tool. Managers and personnel officials, especially those who are interviewers, tend to believe that the interview is valid for predicting future job performance. In this article, we quantitatively cumulate and summarize research on the criterion-related validity of the employment interview. Our purpose in this article is threefold. First, we summarize past narrative and quantitative reviews of criterion-related validity studies of the employment interview. Second, we report research that extends knowledge of the criterion-related validity of interviews through meta-analyses conducted on a more comprehensive database than has been available to earlier investigators. Third, we examine the criterion-related validity of different categories of interviews that vary in type and in structure.

Further assessments of Meyer and Allen's (1991) three-component model of organizational commitment.

Abstract: The construct validity of J. P. Meyer and N. J. Allen's (1991) 3-component model of organizational commitment was assessed. Despite the large error components associated with some of the items from Meyer and Allen's scales, the existence of 3 facets of commitment (affective, continuance, and normative) was generally supported by a confirmatory factor analysis of data from 2,301 nurses. Moreover, some of the expected differential relationships of these facets to antecedents and outcomes of commitment were observed in both the nurse sample and a sample comprising 80 bus operators. However, the facets generally did not relate strongly or differentially to a set of rating and nonrating measures of job performance

Does the medium matter? The interaction of task type and technology on group performance and member reactions.

Abstract: The authors investigated the hypothesis that as group tasks pose greater requirements for member interdependence, communication media that transmit more social context cues will foster group performance and satisfaction. Seventy-two 3-person groups of undergraduate students worked in either computer-mediated or face-to-face meetings on 3 tasks with increasing levels of interdependence: an idea-generation task, an intellective task, and a judgment task. Results showed few differences between computer-mediated and face-to-face groups in the quality of the work completed but large differences in productivity favoring face-to-face groups. Analysis of productivity and of members' reactions supported the predicted interaction of tasks and media, with greater discrepancies between media conditions for tasks requiring higher levels of coordination. Results are discussed in terms of the implications of using computer-mediated communication systems for group work. In this study we tested the following general hypothesis: As group-member interdependence on tasks increases, communication media that transmit more social context cues will have a greater impact on group performance and satisfaction. For tasks with high needs for coordination, groups interacting face-toface will perform better and be more satisfied than will groups interacting in computer-medi ated discussions. For tasks with low needs for coordination, communication media will have little effect on group outcomes. We expected that these different media would be more or less effective for different types of tasks because both tasks and media affect the group-interaction process and the group-interaction process affects group outcomes (Hackman & Morris, 1975; McGrath, 1984). In the present study, we focused on the kinds of computermediated communication systems (CMCSs) in which the primary function is to foster information transfer through typed text (e.g., computer conferences and, to some extent, electronic mail). Many of the results of research on group decision support systems are excluded from this discussion. Because the primary

The role of dispositional and situational antecedents in prosocial organizational behavior: An examination of the intended beneficiaries of prosocial behavior.

Abstract: Research has not adequately separated the factors responsible for prosocial behaviors intended to benefit specific individuals from those intended to benefit an organization. Antecedents of the behaviro of 100 secretaries were examined as a function of the beneficiary of the behavior. The value of concern for others and empathy explained significant variance in prosocial behaviors directed only at specific individuals (prosocial individual behavior). Perceptions of reward equity and recognition explained significant variance in behaviors directed only at the organization (prosocial organizational behavior). With these effects removed, the relationship between job satisfaction and prosocial organizational behavior was no longer significant, whereas the relationship between job satisfaction and prosocial individual behavior remained significant.

Effects of procedural and distributive justice on reactions to a selection system.

Abstract: Procedural and distributive justice were examined in an employee selection situation. Along procedural justice dimensions, job relatedness of and explanation offered for the selection procedures were manipulated. Distributive justice was examined through manipulation of a selection decision and collection of a priori hiring expectations. Dependent measures included fairness reactions, recommendation intentions, self-efficacy, and actual work performance. Undergraduates (n = 260) were selected/rejected for paid employment. Job relatedness influenced performance and interacted with selection decision on perceptions of distributive fairness and self-efficacy. Explanations influenced recommendations of rejected applicants. Interactions between hiring expectations and selection decision were observed on perceived fairness and recommendation intentions.

Assessing the developmental components of managerial jobs.

Abstract: The authors describe the development of and build validity evidence for the Developmental Challenge Profile (DCP), an instrument for assessing the developmental components of managerial jobs. Factor analysis of responses from 692 managers resulted in the creation of 15 DCP scales. Assessments of internal consistency, confirmation of the factor structure, and test-retest reliability provided further psychometric support for the scales. The existence of expected relationships between the scales and reports of on-the-job learning, job transitions, objective features of the jobs, and psychological states of the job incumbents provided validity evidence and supported use of these scales in management development research and applications

Time management: test of a process model

Abstract: Although the popular literature on time management claims that engaging in time management behaviors results in increased job performance and satisfaction and fewer job tensions, a theoretical framework and empirical examination are lacking. To address this deficiency, the author proposed and tested a process model of time management. Employees in a variety of jobs completed several scales; supervisors provided performance ratings. Examination of the path coefficients in the model suggested that engaging in some time management behaviors may have beneficial effects on tensions and job satisfaction but not on job performance. Contrary to popular claims, time management training was not found to be effective.

Construct validation of two instruments designed to measure job involvement and work centrality.

Abstract: The authors clarified the relationship between 2 concepts that have been confused, and often used interchangeably, in the literature. Job involvement was defined as the degree to which one is cognitively preoccupied with, engaged in, and concerned with one's present job. Work centrality was defined as the degree of importance that work, in general, plays in one's life. Questionnaire measures consistent with these definitions were constructed and tested. Data were collected from 313 human services employees. Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that, consistent with the authors' hypothesis, job involvement and work centrality appear to be 2 distinct constructs. There was also evidence to confirm the hypothesis that there are 2 distinct components of job involvement: job involvement-role and job involvement-setting

Predicting job performance: Not much more than g..

Abstract: The roles of general cognitive ability (g) and specific abilities or knowledge (s) were investigated as predictors of work sample job performance criteria in 7 jobs for U.S. Air Force enlistees. Both g and s (the interaction of general ability and experience) were defined by scores on the first and subsequent principal components of the enlistment selection and classification test (the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery). Multiple regression analyses, when corrected for range restriction, revealed that g was the best predictor of all criteria and that s added a statistically significant but practically small amount to predictive efficiency

Hunter and Hunter (1984) revisited: interview validity for entry-level jobs

Abstract: The present investigation provides a reanalysis of the employment interview for entry-level jobs that overcomes several limitations of J. E. Hunter and R. F. Hunter's (1984) article. Using a relatively sophisticated multidimensional framework for classifying level of structure, the authors obtained results from a meta-analysis of 114 entry-level interview validity coefficients suggesting that (a) structure is a major moderator of interview validity; (b) interviews, particularly when structured, can reach levels of validity that are comparable to those of mental ability tests; and (c) although validity does increase through much of the range of structure, there is a point at which additional structure yields essentially no incremental validity. Thus, results suggested a ceiling effect for structure. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed

Self-efficacy beliefs: Comparison of five measures.

Abstract: In 2 studies, the researchers compared 5 ways of operationalizing self-efficacy that are commonly found in the literature and assessed the antecedents and consequences of self-efficacy on the basis of A. Bandura's (1986) conceptualization. Results indicated that measuring self-efficacy by using a task-specific, 1-item confidence rating showed the lowest convergent validity with the other self-efficacy operationalizations and showed the least consistency in its correlation with the hypothesized self-efficacy antecedents and outcomes. Furthermore, self-efficacy magnitude and self-efficacy strength (combining all the certainty answers) appeared to be inferior to self-efficacy composites based on combining only the strength items where the magnitude response was «yes, I can perform at that level»

Job and life attitudes of male executives.

Abstract: Despite executives' important positions in organizations, their attitudes have not received much research attention. To remedy this deficiency, the authors tested a hypothesized model of executive attitudes involving job satisfaction, life satisfaction, job stress, and work-family conflict. Using data from a large, representative sample of male executives (because of the small number of female executives in the study, the analyses were confined to men), the authors obtained LISREL results indicating support for the overall model and the specific relationships within the model. These results--the first to simultaneously consider job satisfaction, life satisfaction, job stress, and work-family conflict--constitute the most comprehensive evidence to date on executive attitudes. The meaning and contributions of the findings are discussed.

Investigation of perceived environment, perceived outcome, and person variables in relationship to voluntary development activity by employees.

Abstract: The authors examined perceived environment, perceived incentive and outcome, and person constructs for relationships with interest and participation in voluntary learning and development activity by nonmanagement employees. All 3 groups of constructs were related to development activity. In relationships with development activity, perceived outcome and environment variables interacted with workers' personal values relevant to aspects of a development setting, illustrating the potentially important role that differences in values may play in a development setting, illustrating the potentially important role that differences in values may play in a development context. Additionally, small relationships were observed between several demographic variables and values within a development setting. Results provide implications for the design and implementation of successful development programs and highlight the need to carefully consider individual differences in this context when targeting many different types of employees for participation.

Using socially fair treatment to promote acceptance of a work site smoking ban

Abstract: Announcements of a work site smoking ban were made to 732 clerical workers. The presentations differed in the amount of information given about the need for the ban and the degree of interpersonal sensitivity shown over the personal impact of the ban. Immediately after the announcement, questionnaires were completed to assess participants' acceptance of the ban. High amounts of information thoroughness and of social sensitivity, given separately, enhanced acceptance of the ban, but their combined effects were even greater. Although heavy smokers were least accepting of the ban, they showed the greatest incremental gain in acceptance after exposure to thorough information presented in a highly sensitive manner. By contrast, nonsmokers' acceptance of the ban was uniformly unaffected by the way it was presented to them. Regardless of how much they smoked, all participants recognized the procedural fairness associated with giving thorough information in a socially sensitive manner.

The impact of perceived group success-failure on motivational beliefs and attitudes: a causal model.

Abstract: Two models describing the theoretical relationship among the constructs of perceived group success-failure, individual and collective levels of job-specific efficacy and outcome expectancy, satisfaction, and organizational commitment were developed Model 1 proposed that the causal relationship between group success-failure and subsequent attitudinal variables (satisfaction and organizational commitment) is completely mediated by efficacy and outcome expectancy variables The second model proposed a direct causal link from perceived group success-failure to the attitudinal variables and omitted questionable causal paths from personal efficacy and collective outcome expectancy to the attitudinal variables The competing models were subjected to structural equation path model analysis The second model produced an adequate fit between theory and data Implications for organizations are discussed

Effects of conceptions of ability on anxiety, self-efficacy, and learning in training

Abstract: A field experiment of 76 employees studied the effects of induced conceptions of ability as either an acquirable skill or fixed entity on computer anxiety, computer efficacy beliefs, and the acquisition of declarative knowledge, drawing from social cognitive theory. The setting was an introductory microcomputer training course. The findings indicate that trainees in the acquirable skill condition experienced a significant decrease in computer anxiety between the pre- and posttraining assessments; however, trainees in the entity condition did not experience a significant change in computer anxiety. Also, trainees in the acquirable skill condition experienced a significant increase in computer efficacy beliefs, and trainees in the entity condition experienced a significant decrease in computer efficacy between the pre- and posttraining assessments. Contrary to expectations, the effects of the training intervention on the acquisition of declarative knowledge were not mediated by computer anxiety and computer efficacy beliefs. The significant results are consistent with deductions made from social cognitive theory.

A Confirmatory Test of a Model of Performance Determinants

Abstract: The total variance in any observed measure of performance can be attributed to 3 sources: (a) the correlation of the measure with the latent variable of interest (i.e., true score variance), (b) reliable but irrelevant variance due to contamination, and (c) error. A model is proposed that specifies 3, and only 3, determinants of the relevant variance: declarative knowledge, procedural knowledge and skill, and volitional choice (motivation). The 3 determinants are defined, and their implications for performance measurement are discussed. Using data from the U.S. Army Selection and Classification Project (Project A), the authors found that the model fits a simplex pattern to the criterion data matrix. The predictor-determinant correlations are also estimated

Validity of observer ratings of the big five personality factors.

Abstract: The authors examined the validity of observer ratings (supervisor, coworker, and customer) and selfratings of personality measures. Results based on a sample of 105 sales representatives supported the 2 hypotheses tested. First, supervisor, coworker, and customer ratings of the 2 job-relevant personality dimensions—conscientiousness and extraversion—were valid predictors of performance ratings, and the magnitude of the validities were at least as large as for self-ratings. Second, supervisor, coworker, and customer ratings accounted for significant variance in the criterion measure beyond self-ratings alone for the relevant dimensions. Overall, the results suggest that validities of personality measures based on self-assessme nts alone may underestimate the true validity of personality constructs. In the past 10 years, the views of many personality psychologists have converged regarding the structure and concepts of personality. Generally, researchers agree that there are five robust factors of personality that can serve as a meaningful taxonomy for classifying personality attributes (Digman, 1990). This taxonomy has consistently emerged in longitudinal studies; across different sources (e.g., ratings by self, spouse, acquaintances, and friends); with numerous personality inventories and theoretical systems; and in different age, sex, race, and language groups. It also has some biological basis, as suggested by evidence of heritability (e.g., Costa & McCrae, 1992; Digman, 1990). Although the names for these factors differ across researchers, the following labels and prototypical characteristics are representative: (a) extraversion (sociable, talkative, assertive, ambitious, and active), (b) agreeableness (good-natured, cooperative, and trusting), (c) conscientiousness (responsible, dependable, able to plan, organized, persistent, and achievement oriented), (d) emotional stability (calm, secure, and not nervous), and (e) openness to experience (imaginative, artistically sensitive, and intellectual). The emergence of the five-factor model has enabled researchers to conduct construct-oriented meta-analytic reviews of the predictive validity of personality (Barrick & Mount, 1991; Hough, Eaton, Dunnette, Kamp, & McCloy, 1990; Tett, Jackson, & Rothstein, 1991). Although these reviews have adopted slightly different personality frameworks, the conclusions can be summarized in terms of the Big Five taxonomy. The Barrick and Mount (1991) and Hough et al. (1990) reviews demonstrated that only one dimension of the Big Five, conscientiousness (achievement and dependability in the Hough et al. frame

An Alternative Approach to Method Effects by Using Latent-Variable Models: Applications in Organizational Behavior Research

Abstract: Recent research in the area of organizational behavior on social desirability and negative affectivity as potential sources of artifactual covariance is reviewed. Next, an example of a latent-variable structural equation approach is presented as a more appropriate strategy for analyzing method effects that circumvents problems associated with prior statistical techniques. This example illustrates the specification of a structural equation model with and without method effects and describes the sequence of model comparisons that provides direct tests for the presence of method effects and for the impact of these effects on estimates of substantive relationships. Finally, this latent-variable approach is discussed with regard to other potential applications involving method effects. An important stream of research on method variance in organizational behavior studies has attempted to directly measure some of the variables associated with common effects of method

Bias against overweight job applicants in a simulated employment interview.

Abstract: This study assessed whether moderately obese individuals, especially women, would be discriminated against in a mock employment interview. Potential confounding factors were controlled by having 320 Ss rate videotapes of a job interview that used the same professional actors appearing as normal weight or made up to appear overweight by the use of theatrical prostheses. Results suggested that bias against hiring overweight job applicants does exist, especially for female applicants. Bias was most pronounced when applicants were rated by Ss who were satisfied with their bodies and for whom perceptions of their bodies were central to self-concept. The decision not to hire an obese applicant was, however, only partially mediated by personality attributions. Implications and limitations of these results are discussed.

Condemning and condoning racism: A social context approach to interracial settings.

Abstract: Campus racial harassment provided the context for an experiment, replicated over 3 different campus samples, regarding the effects of social influence on Whites' reactions to racism. Hearing someone condemn racism led Ss to express significantly stronger antiracist opinions than occured following exposure to a no-influence control condition. Furthermore, hearing someone condone racism led Ss to adopt significantly less strong antiracist positions that when no other opinions were introduced. The robust social influence effects were obtained regardless of whether the source was White or Black or whether Ss responded publicly or privately. A social context approach to interracial settings is discussed

Dimensions that make a difference: examining the impact of in-role and extrarole behaviors on supervisory ratings

Abstract: Levels of in-role and extrarole performance were experimentally manipulated in a 3 X 2 withinsubjects design. Dimensions capturing both in-role and extrarole behaviors (i.e., citizenship behaviors directed toward other individuals) strongly influenced various measures of rater search strategies as well as the ratings given by 116 supervisors evaluating secretarial performance. Furthermore, as predicted by D. W. Organ (1990), dimension ratings assigned to ratees with high levels of extrarole behavior displayed significantly more halo than ratings given to ratees with neutral levels of extrarole behavior. Tests for the effects of level of extrarole behavior on 2 measures of rater accuracy produced contradictory results. Implications are discussed.

An examination of the psychometric properties and nomological validity of some revised and reduced substitutes for leadership scales.

Abstract: Confirmatory factor analysis in two large samples (N = 411 and N = 1,235) was conducted to examine the convergent and discriminant validity of the 74-item (revised) and 41-item (reduced) versions of the substitutes for leadership scales recently developed by Podsakoff, Niehoff, MacKenzie, and Williams (1993), and Podsakoff, MacKenzie, and Fetter (1993). Following this, the reliabilities and subscale intercorrelations of the two versions of the scale were compared in order to determine how faithfully the 41-item version represents the 74-item scale. Next, the reliabilities of both versions were compared with the reliability of Kerr and Jermier's (1978) original scale, and their nomological validity was evaluated