Showing papers in "Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology in 2007"

On the relations among work value orientations, psychological need satisfaction and job outcomes: A self-determination theory approach.

Abstract: Using self-determination theory, two studies found that holding an extrinsic, relative to an intrinsic, work value orientation was associated with less positive outcomes (i.e. less satisfaction with, dedication to and vitality while on the job) and more negative outcomes (i.e. higher emotional exhaustion, short-lived satisfaction after successful goal-attainment, and turn-over intention). These relations were not limited to job outcomes, but also emerged using indicators of employees' general mental health. Moreover, income level did not moderate these relations. Study 2 found that holding an extrinsic, relative to an intrinsic, work value orientation was detrimental to employees' job outcomes because these orientations thwarted the satisfaction of the basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness at work.

Employee commitment and support for an organizational change: Test of the three-component model in two cultures

Abstract: Although commitment is commonly identified as an essential element for the effective implementation of organizational change, little empirical evidence exists to support this claim. We conducted two studies to replicate and extend findings pertaining to Herscovitch and Meyer's three-component model of commitment to an organizational change. In the first study, we examined relations within and across time between employees' commitment (affective, normative and continuance) and level of support for a strategic initiative undertaken by a Canadian utility company in response to deregulation. In the second study, we tested the model in a sample of managers in an Indian organization undergoing major restructuring. In both studies we found considerable support for the relations between commitment and support predicted by the model. However, we also found evidence for potential culture differences. Implications for theory, research and change management practice are discussed.

Productivity, counterproductivity and creativity: The ups and downs of job insecurity

Abstract: Organizations frequently downsize in the hopes of creating a ‘lean and mean’ company able to be flexible and quick to adapt to changing environmental needs. The purpose of the current research was to assess the effects of job insecurity on productivity, counterproductivity, and creativity in a simulated organizational environment and a field setting. In the first study, 104 non-traditional undergraduate students (M ¼ 30:48 years) participated in a laboratory experiment that manipulated the threat of lay-offs (job insecurity) and measured creativity and productivity over two time periods. Compared to control group participants, results indicate that participant productivity increased in the condition of higher levels of job insecurity, whereas creative problem solving decreased. In the second study, 144 employees in five organizations completed a survey measuring their job insecurity perceptions, enactment of counterproductive work behaviours, and creative problem-solving ability. Regression analyses indicate that job insecurity predicted lower creativity scores, yet was also related to lower numbers of counterproductive work behaviours. Taken together, these studies suggest that job insecurity may have adverse effects on creativity, yet moderately beneficial effects on productivity. Results are interpreted in light of the increasing prevalence of job insecurity and organizational downsizing in today’s workplace. Commercial rivalries around the globe, government deregulation of industry, and the ever-increasing pace of organizational technology change have led organizations worldwide to take extreme measures in order to remain competitive. Organizational restructuring in the form of corporate downsizing, mergers and acquisitions, plant closings, and workforce reorganizations affect millions of workers each year. According to the Society for Human Resource Management (2001), 43% of US organizations conducted employee lay-offs in 2000 and 2001, with corporate reductions averaging 10–13% of the workforce.

Personal initiative, commitment and affect at work

Abstract: This paper reports two studies on the relationships between employees' personal initiative, affect and commitment. The results of Study 1 among 390 health care sector employees show that individuals' self-rated personal initiative is related to affect as well as affective commitment to four distinguishable foci, namely the organization, supervisor, work-group and career. Commitment explains unique variance in personal initiative, even when controlling for demographic variables and positive and negative work affect. As Study 1 relied solely on self-report data, multi-source data were gathered for Study 2 (N = 80). This allowed retesting the hypotheses using both self- and manager-ratings of initiative. Results showed that commitment explains variance in both self- and manager-rated initiative beyond demographics and affect. For self-rated initiative, team commitment explains most variance, whereas for manager-rated initiative, organizational commitment does.

'Taking a sickie': Job satisfaction and job involvement as interactive predictors of absenteeism in a public organization

Abstract: Correlations between absenteeism and work attitudes such as job satisfaction have often been found to be disappointingly weak. As prior work reveals, this might be due to ignoring interactive effects of attitudes with different attitude targets (e.g. job involvement and organizational commitment). Drawing on basic principles in personality research and insights about the situational variability of job satisfaction judgments, we proposed that similar interactions should be present also for attitudes with the same target. More specifically, it was predicted that job involvement affects absenteeism more if job satisfaction is low as this indicates a situation with weak constraints. Both attitudes were assessed in a sample of 436 employees working in a large civil service organization, and two indexes of absence data (frequency and time lost) were drawn from personnel records covering a 12-month period following the survey. Whereas simple correlations were not significant, a moderated regression documented that the hypothesized interaction was significant for both indicators of absence behaviour. As a range of controls (e.g. age, gender, job level) were accounted for, these findings lend strong support to the importance of this new, specific form of attitude interaction. Thus, we encourage researchers not only to consider interactions of attitudes with a different focus (e.g. job vs. organization) but also interactions between job involvement and job satisfaction as this will yield new insights into the complex function of attitudes in influencing absenteeism. © 2007 The British Psychological Society.

Determinants of job mobility: A theoretical integration and extension

Abstract: The goals of this paper are to conceptually integrate and extend the diverse literature on job mobility. We introduce a multi-level theoretical framework that describes how individuals' job mobility unfolds. Three theoretical perspectives inform this framework. The structural perspective suggests that macro-level factors (e.g. economic conditions and industry differences) determine the opportunity structure of job mobility in the labour market. The individual difference perspective suggests that dispositional attributes affect a person's preferences for and subsequent behaviours associated with job mobility. The decisional perspective, grounded in the theory of planned behaviour (Ajzen, 1991), suggests that decisions to engage in job mobility are based on the evaluation of three factors: subjective norms, the desirability of the mobility option and individuals' readiness for change. The article concludes with a discussion of the multi-level nature of determinants of job mobility and directions for future research.

Job satisfaction as mediator: An assessment of job satisfaction's position within the nomological network

Abstract: Job satisfaction's position within the nomological network and the mechanism outlined by theories of social exchange suggest that job satisfaction functions as a mediator of the relationship between various antecedent variables and volitional workplace behaviours. We extend social exchange theory to include perceptions of the total job situation and develop a model that positions job satisfaction as a mediator of the relationships between various internal and external antecedent variables, and three volitional workplace behaviours: citizenship behaviours, counterproductive workplace behaviours, and job withdrawal. The fit of a fully mediated model is good and all four classes of antecedents (dispositions, workplace events, job characteristics, job opportunities) contributed uniquely to the prediction of satisfaction. Job satisfaction is also shown to mediate most antecedent-consequence relationships, although two important exceptions are evident. A direct link from pro-social disposition to OCBs, and a direct link and one from anti-social disposition to counterproductivity, suggest that job satisfaction does not fully moderate the relationships between dispositions and contextual behaviours.

Trait conscientiousness, leader-member exchange, job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behaviour: A test of an integrative model

Abstract: Competing theoretical models were tested, linking organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB) to trait conscientiousness, job satisfaction and leader-member-exchange (LMX) quality. Meta-analytic structural equation modelling results provide strongest support for a model wherein more conscientious employees display more OCB, which enhances LMX quality, leading to greater job satisfaction. In-turn, employees reciprocate their higher job satisfaction by demonstrating more OCB. Beyond supporting the view that OCB represents employee reciprocation for the satisfying job experiences typically stemming from higher-quality LMX, our findings help to legitimize the notion that OCB may be used, particularly by more conscientious employees, as a means of nurturing higher-quality LMX and to gain access to more satisfying job experiences.

Diversity training: Putting theory into practice

Abstract: Diversity training initiatives are an increasingly large part of many organizations' diversity management portfolio. Little is known, however, about the effectiveness of such initiatives. In this article, we demonstrate how increased adherence to the principles of established social psychological theory can guide and make more coherent the development of diversity initiatives. Likewise, outcomes of diversity training can inform and make more practical social psychological theory and research. In short, both diversity trainers and academics would benefit from greater dialogue, as well as grappling with the tensions that naturally arise when theory and practice collide.

Relationships between leader and follower organizational identification and implications for follower attitudes and behaviour

Abstract: We present a multi-sample multi-level approach that examines the link between leader and follower organizational identification, and follower attitudes. Study I comprises 367 school teachers and 60 head teachers in Germany. The results illustrate a significant relationship between head teacher and school teacher school identification. Moreover, indirect relations between head teacher school identification and school teacher job satisfaction and self-reported citizenship behaviours, mediated by school teacher school identification, are predicted and supported by the data. The findings are replicated within Study 2, comprising 233 school teachers and 22 head teachers. Finally, a third study replicates the findings in a different sector using a sample of 314 travel agents in 127 travel agencies and their leaders. Taken together, leader's self-construal in terms of the organization is related to follower organizational identification, and therefore leads to greater follower satisfaction and to a greater willingness to exert extra effort on behalf of the organization.

Goal orientations and the seeking of different types of feedback information

Abstract: Based on the goal orientation model of feedback-seeking behaviour, goal orientations are proposed to influence employees in the type of information they seek from knowledgeable others in the work environment. As hypothesized, a survey conducted among 170 medical residents of a Dutch university hospital showed that a learning-approach goal orientation had a positive relationship with the seeking of self-improvement information and a negative relationship with the seeking of self-validation information. In contrast, a performance-approach goal orientation was negatively related to the seeking of self-improvement information, while a performance-avoidance goal orientation was positively related to the seeking of self-validation information. Unexpectedly, a performance-avoidance goal orientation was also found to be positively related to the seeking of self-improvement information.

Turnover intention and performance in China: The role of positive affectivity, Chinese values, perceived organizational support and constructive controversy

Abstract: This study examines antecedents of turnover intention and job performance in China. The total sample consisted of 153 employees in a toy manufacturing factory in South China. Data from matched supervisor and subordinate responses supported the hypotheses that the workplace experience of perceived organizational support related to turnover intention which in-turn related to individual job performance. Findings also indicated that the employees with traditional values and positive affectivity related significantly to perceived organizational support.

A multi-level perspective on the synergies between work and family

Abstract: In this paper we lay the conceptual foundation for work-family facilitation. Work-family facilitation is a process representing the synergies between the domains of work and family. We formally define facilitation as the extent to which an individual's engagement in one social system, such as work or family, contributes to growth in another social system. We develop the process through which facilitation occurs, provide a model and case studies of this process, and delineate additional theoretical and empirical research necessary to understand work-family facilitation so that it can be managed and cultivated within organizations.

Doing good, doing harm, being well and burning out: The interactions of perceived prosocial and antisocial impact in service work

Abstract: Service employees often perceive their actions as harming and benefiting others, and these perceptions have significant consequences for their own well-being. We conducted tw os tudies to test the hypothesis that perceptions of benefiting others attenuate the detrimental effects of perceptions of harming others on the well-being of service employees. In Study 1, as urve yo f3 77 transportation service employees and 99 secretaries, perceive dp rosocial impact moderated the negative association between perceived antisocial impact and job satisfaction, such that the association decreased as perceived prosocial impact increased. In Study 2, as urve yo f7 9s chool teachers, perceived prosocial impact moderated the association between perceived antisocial impact and burnout, and this moderated relationship was mediated by moral justification; the results held after controlling for common antecedents of burnout. The results suggest that perceptions of benefiting others ma yp rotect service employees against the decreased job satisfaction and increased burnout typically associated with perceptions of harming others. Implications for research on burnout, job satisfaction, positive organizational scholarship and job design ar e discussed.

How innovation can alleviate negative consequences of demanding work contexts: The influence of climate for innovation on organizational outcomes

Abstract: This study examines climate for innovation as a method by which negative organizational consequences of demanding work may be lessened. It was expected that a climate for innovation would enable employees to develop coping mechanisms or improved work-related processes which counteract negative consequences of work demands. Extending the job demands-resource model (Karasek, 1979), we predicted and found that among the sample of 22,696 respondents from 131 healthcare organizations, organizational climate for innovation alleviated the negative effects of work demands on organizational performance. Thus, this study informs climate theories and guides practitioners' efforts to support the employees. © 2007 The British Psychological Society.

Challenging the status quo: What motivates proactive behaviour?

Abstract: To replicate and extend previous research regarding antecedents of proactive behaviour at work, we examined four forms of work motivation (job self-efficacy, role breadth self-efficacy, intrinsic work motivation and role orientation) in a sample of 98 employees in software development using co-worker rated proactive behaviour as an outcome. Correlations indicate that whereas intrinsic motivation and job self-efficacy were not related to co-worker rated proactive behaviour, role orientation and role breadth self-efficacy showed significant relationships. This study stresses the importance of role breadth self-efficacy in enhancing proactive behaviour at work.

The effects of service climate and the effective leadership behaviour of supervisors on frontline employee service quality : a multi-level analysis

Abstract: A supervisor's behaviour may not be the only factor that determines the performance of team members (Kerr & Jermier, 1978). Taking this postulation as a basis, we formulated a model to describe how service climate moderates the effects of the leadership behaviour of supervisors. When the organization and working environment are not conducive to providing a good service to colleagues and customers, the supervisor's leadership behaviour makes an important difference. However, when the service climate is good, a supervisor's leadership behaviour makes no substantial difference. This hypothesis was supported in an examination of the service quality of 511 frontline service providers as sampled from 55 work groups in 6 service organizations. The employee service quality was low when both the service climate and the supervisor's leadership behaviour were lacking. However, when the service climate was unfavourable, effective leadership behaviour played a compensatory role in maintaining performance standards towards external customers. When the leadership was ineffective, a favourable service climate nullified the negative effect on service quality to internal customers.

A circular and dynamic model of the process of job design.

Abstract: We present a model of the process of job design that attempts to develop theory in five ways. First, critical variables in the model include performance, perceived competence, trust, knowledge and self-efficacy. Second, job design is proposed to be a dynamic and circular process, with the variables acting as both predictors and outcomes. Third, the process is seen, at least in part, as a social one, involving job-holders, supervisors and peers. Fourth, we identify some of the contingencies affecting the model. Finally, we specify the causal ordering of events and speculate on the nature of the time lags involved in the process. We make a number of model-based predictions and consider the implications of the model for theory, research and practice.

Perceived similarity and complementarity as predictors of subjective person-organization fit

Abstract: We examined whether subjective person-organization (P-O) fit arises from perceptions of similarity, complementarity or some combination of both. Data were collected from 209 employees of various occupational and organizational backgrounds. Results indicated that individuals distinguish between fit that occurs through similarity and complementarity, and that both explain unique variance in subjective P-O fit. Subjective fit was associated with higher levels of job satisfaction and organizational commitment, and reduced turnover intentions. Furthermore, the results suggest that subjective fit mediates the relationship between perceived similarity/complementarity and work attitudes.

Male and female managers' ability to read emotions: Relationships with supervisor's performance ratings and subordinates' satisfaction ratings

Abstract: The present study examines the direct and indirect effect of managers’ accuracy in ‘reading’ non-verbal emotional expressions and their supervisors’ performance ratings and subordinates’ satisfaction with the manager .D ata from working managers and their supervisors and subordinates wer eu sed to test the study’ sh ypotheses. Although managers’ accuracy was not directly related to others’ ratings, as ignificant interactiv e effect was found: Female but not male managers who more accurately perceived nonverbal emotiona le xpressions received higher performance ratings from their supervisor and higher satisfaction ratings from their subordinates, perhaps due to gender stereotypes prescribing emotional sensitivity to female managers. Furthermore, how managers used emotional information to enhance subordinates’ satisfaction varied for female and male managers. Results suggested that male managers who wer em ore accurate at emotion perception received higher satisfaction ratings if they used the information to be more persuasive, whereas more emotionally perceptiv ef emale managers receive dh ighe rs atisfactio nr atings when they demonstrated more supportiveness.

Group composition and employee creative behaviour in a Korean electronics company: Distinct effects of relational demography and group diversity.

Abstract: Work group composition is one of the key variables that influence individual behaviour in a group setting. This study investigates the effect of individual-level dissimilarities (relational demography) as well as group-level membership heterogeneity (group diversity) on creative behaviour of individual employees. Multi-level analyses of data from 188 work units of a Korean electronics company showed that relational demography in terms of gender and hierarchical status and group diversity in hierarchical status and performance level were negatively related to employee creative behaviour. In contrast, relational demography in terms of age and performance level and group diversity in functional background increased creative behaviour. The results indicate that demographic composition variables have different individual- and cross-level effects on individual employees' creative behaviour. This study demonstrates the need for a multi-level approach to the study of organizational demography.

Measurement equivalence in the conduct of a global organizational survey across countries in six cultural regions

Abstract: This study examined the measurement equivalence of a global organizational survey measuring six work climate factors as administered across 25 countries (N = 31, 315) in all regions of the world (West Europe, East Europe, North America, Latin America, South America, Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific). Across all countries, the survey instrument exhibited 'form equivalence' and 'metric equivalence', suggesting that respondents completed the survey using the same frame-of-reference and interpreted the rating scale intervals similarly. Schwartz's (1994, 1999, 2004) cultural value theory was then used for grouping the countries in cultural regions, and to anticipate measurement equivalence of the data from the survey within and between these regions. Results showed partial support for Schwartz's theory. The English-speaking region was the only region where empirical evidence for 'scalar equivalence' was found. No support was found for the prediction that measurement equivalence would be higher among countries that are part of cultural regions with a small cultural distance than among countries that are part of cultural regions with a large cultural distance. However, the use of a common language in a particular cultural region reduced the bias present in the cross-country comparison within that region.

A typology of the part-time workforce: Differences on job attitudes and turnover

Abstract: Differences between full-time (FT) and part-time (PT) employees have long been of interest to organizational psychologists. While most research assumes PT employees are a single, undifferentiated group, some studies have established the diversity of the PT workforce, particularly in terms of participation in other work and non-work roles. An important gap in this research concerns how different types of PT employees may differ from one another, as well as from FT employees. In this study, we proposed and tested a typology of the PT workforce. We identified several groups of PT employees with substantially different patterns of involvement in school, family, and work roles. The PT groups had generally more favourable job attitudes than did the FT employees. Although the PT groups generally had higher turnover than the FT employees, we found substantial differences among the groups in their turnover behaviour. We discuss the implications of our findings for future work status research and for managing the PT workforce.

Effort-reward-imbalance, overcommitment and self-reported health: Is it the interaction that matters?

Abstract: In recent years, the effort-reward-imbalance (ERI) model has become widely used as a framework for examining job characteristics and employee's health. The present study tested the predictive validity of the ERI model's components - ERI, over-commitment (OC) and their interaction - on the basis of self-reported health outcomes. In a cross-sectional study, data were obtained from 1,587 employees working in the aircraft manufacturing industry in southern Germany. Results suggested that all components of the ERI model (effort-reward-ratio, effort, reward and over-commitment) are associated with health-related quality of life, vital exhaustion, depression and quality of sleep. The separate variables effort and reward explained more of the observed variance than the effort-reward ratio. No interaction between ERI and OC in predicting measurements of self-reported health could be found. The findings suggest (1) that the ERI ratio does not provide more information than the separate use of the variables effort and reward, and (2) that there are main effects of ERI and OC but no interaction effect on employees' health. Implications for theory and applied research are discussed.

Customer-induced stress in call centre work : A comparison of audio-and videoconference

Abstract: Call centre work was simulated in an experiment with 96 experienced call centre agents. The experimental design comprised two factors. First, agents communicated with customers either via phone, pc-videoconference or pc-videoconference with additional instructions increasing time pressure. The second experimental factor varied customer behaviour: half of the customers were friendly whereas the other half were rude. Several indicators of strain (e.g. emotional dissonance, tiredness) were assessed by self-reports. Moreover, the levels of immunoglobulin A (IgA) in salvia were determined at three sampling points and specific behaviours of agents (e.g. smiling to customers) were assessed using video data. It was found that unfriendly customer behaviour led to more strain and lower call performance than friendly customer behaviour. Inducing time pressure increased IgA-levels and reduced talking-time with customers. However, contrary to the expectations, the availability of video data did not enhance strain of agents. Instead, it was found that videoconferencing increased activation of agents if customers were friendly. Since higher levels of activation can counteract boredom and because customers often prefer to see their service providers, adding videoconference facilities in call centres seem to be a fruitful way of enriching routine call centre work.

Personality and training proficiency: Issues of bandwidth-fidelity and curvilinearity

Abstract: This study investigated linear and curvilinear relationships between performance at a US law enforcement training academy and both facet and factor personality scales linking to conscientiousness (i.e. dependability and achievement) and emotional stability (i.e. stress resistance and frustration tolerance). For both conscientiousness and emotional stability, the use of separate facet scales provided the best prediction of training grades when linear and quadratic effects were considered. In all cases, the curvilinear relationships indicated that differences in scores at the low end of the distribution were more predictive of training grades than were differences in scores at the high end of the distribution. Results are discussed in terms of the value of using facet scales to predict performance and the importance of considering curvilinear relationships between personality and specific criteria, such as training grades.

Women's career patterns : A study of Swedish women born in the 1950s

Abstract: Patterns of career development have been found to be an important factor for long-term career rewards and well-being. However, existing career models excessively focus on men or elite women and upon paid work, typically without considering other roles. Based on a life course perspective, this study aimed to identify women's career development patterns by examining the dynamic interactions between individuals' involvement in working life and other career-related domains of life. Career biographies, from the ages of 16 to 43, were recorded through retrospective reports from a representative sample of Swedish women (N = 549) participating in a longitudinal programme on individual development. Seven career-related activities were coded and combined into career sequences covering the entire period. Data were analysed using optimal matching, and nine distinct career patterns - disparate in terms of the timing, ordering and duration of activities - were identified. There were significant differences between the career patterns in early educational aspirations and early sexual experiences, as well as in life-role values and socio-economic status in middle age. With respect to the consequences of career patterns for well-being, there were significant differences in self-rated health but not in job satisfaction or life satisfaction. The diversity of patterns is discussed from a perspective that takes account of both life course theory and the choices made by individual women in a society that provides childcare facilities, parental leave and other types of support to working parents.

The practitioner-researcher divide revisited: Strategic-level bridges and the roles of IWO psychologists

Abstract: This paper responds to, and extends, the debate between Gelade, Wall, Symon and Hodgkinson in JOOP. In concluding that JOOP is fulfilling its remit for robust information exchange between research and practice, four lines of argument are proposed that (i) the Principle of Scientific Replication warrants full details of study methods being routinely published, (ii) any divide is reflective of a perfectly natural distance between the two wings of the discipline and is not necessarily harmful as long as sufficient bridging mechanisms exist, (iii) several strategic-level bridging mechanisms do exist but need to be better utilized and (iv) as JOOP will be unable to be all things to all readers, its most suitable niche remains as a scientific outlet for pragmatic research in IWO psychology internationally.

Attitudinal commitment: A three-dimensional construct

Abstract: This study argues that underlying the breadth of research on attitudinal organizational commitment are three dimensions: positive affect for the organization, identification with the organization and a willingness to exert effort on behalf of the organization. Results of confirmatory factor analyses using three different samples support a three-dimensional model as a superior fit to the data when compared with one- or two-dimensional models of attitudinal commitment.

Gendered career-making practices: On doing ambition or how managers discursively position themselves in a multinational corporation

Abstract: Although in the last decades there have been an increasing number of female managers, few make it to top management positions. In this study we want to gain insight into the persistence of the ‘glass ceiling’ by analyzing, from an ethnomethodologically informed discursive approach, how managers discursively position themselves in career making practices. Our study is located at the Dutch site of a multinational corporation where no women were found in higher positions, despite their growing presence in management positions. We aim at unraveling the implied membership competencies to participate in career making practices. In line with research on gendered organizations we consider these competencies to be gendered. In a detailed discursive analysis of interview material we identified an underlying paradox of ‘doing ambition’. We conclude that the women in this study who are ‘doing ambition’ are inevitably caught in a double bind position. The (re)production of gender inequality can be understood in terms of this double bind that is normalized in the organization. We argue that the discursive approach demonstrated in this article, is suitable for gaining insight into the often paradoxical demands managers, and especially women, face in daily career practices.