Showing papers in "Journal of Organizational Behavior in 1985"

Stressful events, stressors and psychological strains in young professional engineers

Abstract: The majority of survey studies of occupational stress have required respondents to focus on a broad, unspecified, time period and to report on 'typical' conditions at work. The emphasis has been on chronic work stress rather than on particular stressful events occurring in a person's day-to-day work. Although life events research (Holmes and Rahe, 1967) does provide information on acute stress, it is difficult to assess how this work on stress in life generally relates to acutely stressful incidents at work. As far as the life events research is concerned, there is some suggestion from a study conducted by Konner, Coyne, Schaefer and Lazarus (1981) that life events and chronic stress have different relationships to well being and chronic stress have different relationships to well being and psychological outcomes. However, as suggested above, it is not clear how far, if at all, these findings would generalize to work-related stress. The present study was intended as an exploratory investigation of the nature and consequences of acute stressors encountered in everyday working life amongst a sample of young professional engineers. Since the study of acute work stressors is at an early stage, it seemed appropriate to use a self-report method, based largely on open-ended format items. However, in the case of strain-reactions to the stressors, Likert type measures were also employed in the study.

Self-reported job burnout among female human service professionals.

Abstract: A sample of 135 female human service professionals completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and the Staff Burnout Scale for Health Professionals (SBS), along with measures of job satisfaction, role stress, self-esteem, alienation, and locus of control. Principal components factor analysis of this battery indicates considerable covariation of self-reported burnout with job dissatisfaction and perceived role stress, and moderate overlap with more general feelings of alienation and low self-esteem. Item factor analysis of the 22 MBI items resulted in two independent factors, one defined by the Emotional Exhaustion and Depersonalization items, the other by the Personal Accomplishment items. Item factoring of the SBS produced one large factor which was highly correlated with the MBI exhaustion-depersonalization factor. Implications of these findings for the construct validity of the MBI and SBS are discussed.

Shedding light on the Hawthorne studies

Abstract: The Hawthorne Studies on social influences in the workplace have weathered decades of scholarly attack. Hawthorne critics have generally misunderstood or misrepresented the modest ideological and methodological presumptions of this pioneering research, which was intended to generate, not verify, hypotheses. This article reviews the decades of controversy within the historical context of the discipline of organizational behaviour. Original research records, and recent interviews with the actual study participants support the validity and importance of the original research reports.

Precursors of employee turnover: A multiple‐sample causal analysis

Abstract: Two models of the nature of linkages among precursors of voluntary turnover were examined using four distinct samples. A model which includes both job satisfaction and organizational commitment as exogenous variables leading to one's intention to resign was shown to provide results which support its usage in future research. Analyses of longitudinal data for precursors across two points in time, before turnover, however, provided only weak support for causality.

Social support by four categories of work colleagues: Relationships between activities, stress and satisfaction

Abstract: An approach to the study of social support at work is presented emphasizing nature and type of social support. One hundred employees in a range of occupations rated the frequency of engaging in 12 types of social and work-related activity with each of four work colleagues varying in degree of intimacy. They also rated levels of job satisfaction and work stress. The results confirm the usefulness of this approach and also suggest that type of work relationship is associated with different sorts of socially supportive activities, and that these affect stress but not satisfaction. These findings were discussed in terms of the interaction between type of support given, source of support, and outcome.

Negotiations after the sale: The roots and ramifications of conflict in an acquisition

Abstract: This paper presents a case study of negotiations over the combination of a small manufacturing firm into a multi-billion dollar conglomerate following its 'white knight' acquisition. It focuses on the strategic and tactical conflicts between the two firms and traces these to the party's emotional reactions to the combination. Feeling of loss versus gain in the two firms, each party's sense of uncertainty and threat, and their moves toward proactive versus reactive control in the combination are analysed to identify the roots of strategic conflict. These feelings, plus incompatibilities in the two company's managements, business systems, corporate cultures, and goals for combination ramify in conflict in the negotiations themselves. The paper concludes with a more generic model illustrating contextual features of combinations that shape human reactions and conflicts in negotiations after the sale.

Choosing how to intervene: Factors affecting the use of process and outcome control in third party dispute resolution

Abstract: SUMMARY The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of three situational variables-time pressure to resolve the dispute, expectation of future relations between disputants and range of impact of the settlement on future conflicts-on a third party's style of managing a dispute. These variables were systematically manipulated in two different case scenarios and presented to respondents in questionnaire form. It was hypothesized that these variables would differentially affect the parties' willingness to exert control over the outcome of the conflict and the process by which the parties attempted to achieve resolution. The predisposition of the respondents to adopt one of four specific third party styles (adversarial intervention, inequisitorial intervention, mediation and providing impetus) was also measured, to determine both overall preference for each style and preference as a function of the independent variables. The results demonstrate that respondents were significantly more likely to employ outcome control strategies when they were under tim& pressure, when the disputants would not be likely to work together in the future, and when the settlement would have broad impact on the resolution of other disputes. Differences for the two case scenarios were also noted. The disposition to use process control was stronger when the third party did not expect the disputants to interact in the future; the results for time pressure were less clear. Finally, expressed preferences for particular third party styles were consistent with the main effects noted for outcome control, and ambiguous with regard to the effects for process control. Respondents said that they clearly preferred mediation as a third party style, but it is not clear that the parties truly understood mediation versus other forms of dispute management. Implications are drawn for further examination of those factors which predispose managers to use outcome or process control in dispute intervention.

Coping by police officers: A study of role stress and Type A and Type B Behavior Patterns

Abstract: This research examined the ways police officers appraise and cope with naturally occurring stressful events. We utilized interview and questionnaire instruments to obtain descriptions of the stressful events, how the events were appraised, and the ways in which officers coped. Analyses tested the situational specificity of the Type A behaviour pattern. As hypothesized, Type A officers selected strategies that were more active and narrowly focused on the problem than did Type B officers. For the Type A officer coping was relatively independent of appraisal, whereas for the Type B officer coping and appraisal were interdependent processes.

Preconditions of three types of alienation in young managers and professionals

Abstract: SUMMARY The study tested predictions derived from Korman (1977) and from Sarason (1977) about factors leading to alienation among occupationally-successful young adults. The sample consisted of 434 college graduates (median age = 29 years), 85 per cent of whom were employed full-time. Respondents completed self-report questionnaires including measures of family and college background; expectations at college graduation for positive outcomes in personal, interpersonal, and work areas; current fulfilment in each of these areas; and alienation (estrangement from self, other people, and occupation or profession). Results of subgroup analysis showed that respondents whose backgrounds included high socio-economic status and graduation from elite colleges were more likely than other subjects to experience alienation when encountering lack of fulfilment. However, moderator regressions failed to show similar moderator effects, indicating that family and college backgrounds may produce discontinuous and qualitatively different subgroup effects. One implication of this study is to suggest more care in selecting individuals for high-risk job assignments with low probability of success.

Beyond testimonials: Learning from a quality circles programme

Abstract: SUMMARY Quality circles programmes are based on the assumptions that employee participation leads to valued outcomes such as intrinsic satisfaction and recognition, and that it also results in the implementation of changes which enhance productivity and satisfaction. An in-depth case study of one such programme finds that generally favourable testimonials by participants may be misleading. This programme yielded a few minor changes but little impact on productivity and attitudes in the unit as a whole. Causes for its demise are discussed.

An exploratory study of self‐regulating activities and their effects on job performance

Abstract: The present study attempted to assess the extent to which job incumbents engage in performance relevant self-regulatory activities Specifically, the degrees to which 62 insurance salespersons; (1) set performance goals, (2) monitored performance levels, and (3) exercised contingent self-reward or punishment with respect to goal achievement or goal failure were measured; and, the consequences that such activities had on performance were examined The results of this study indicate that, in general, subjects set goals, but typically of a distal/result-orientated, as opposed to a proximal/behaviourally orientated-nature Goal setting per se had no effects on sales performance, although an objective measure of goal difficulty was related to this criterion With respect to self-monitoring, it was discovered that the greatest amount of performance feedback came from oneself and one's supervisor, as opposed to one's co-workers In terms of performance, there was an interaction of feedback source and feedback preference such that the ability to generate internal feedback was related to performance only for individuals who had a preference for such internal feedback There appeared to be no substantial amount of contingent self-reward occurring within this organization, although contingent self-punishment (in the form of self-criticism) was in evidence; and, such self-admonishment seemed to have detrimental effects on performance While the three classes of variables independently explained 26 per cent of the variance in performance, the interactive effects suggested by theories of self-regulation (Bandura, 1977; Kanfer, 1971) were not in evidence

Job experience, persuasion strategy and resistance to change: An experimental study

Abstract: Resistance to attitude and behaviour change in organizational settings has been a consistent challenge for applied social psychology, especially since the study by Coch and French (1948) demonstrated the possible effectiveness of worker participation in decision-making. However, there is a lack of experimental studies which preserve features of the organization while studying change. Examination of previous research suggests that two variables, job experience and persuasion strategy, may be of critical importance in determining acceptance or rejection of the change. The present study reports on the experimental effects of these variables in a simulated organization. Job experience is a critical compounding variable in determining the acceptance or rejection of change (cf. Cummings 1982 review). One possible measure of experience, time on the job, has been shown to affect: commitment to organization (Pfeffer and Lawler, 1980), the strength of individual desires in organizations (Alderfer and Guzzo, 1979), and job satisfaction (Katz, 1978). Time on the job, however, does not provide information about the actual experience with a specific work procedure. Two individuals may spend approximately the same time on a job, yet one of them may gain more direct experience in performing certain procedures. It could well be that among veteran workers resistance to change in a procedure is more a function of this direct experience than of time on the job per se . The present study attempted to address

The impact of primary life involvements on turnover: A comparison of part-time and full-time employees

Abstract: This paper compares the factors which affect the decision of part-time and full-time employees to leave an organization. The decision is hypothesized to be contingent on primary life involvements. A sample of 154 registered nurses, with families, was used. The results demonstrated that primary life involvements were useful for predicting turnover of part-time employees only. The results were integrated with research which suggests that different types of attitudes predict turnover of part-time and full-time employees.

Achievement motive: A reconceptualization and new instrument

Abstract: A questionnaire based on a facet definition of achievement motive was devised to assess achievement tendencies amongst managers. The facet definition provided guidelines for the creation of items and the formulation of hypotheses concerning the structural relations among components of achievement motive. The questionnaire was then administered to a sample of 190 middle managers in a large industrial corporation in Israel. As hypothesized, results reflected three facets of achievement motive. (1) type of confrontation. (2) time perspective of task performance and. (3) behavioural modality. Six measures formed from a combination of items related to the first two facets were found to be internally reliable. Moreover, three of these measures dealing with readiness to confront uncertainty, to solve problems and to take calculated risks were found to predict at a significant level actual manager performance. Discussion focused on a multifaceted rather than unitary approach to achievement motive and implications for assessing its relationship to performance in various settings.

A dimensional analysis of supervisor and subordinate attributions of success and failure

Abstract: SUMMARY Supervisors in five organizations and subordinates in three organizations were asked how important four primary causes of behaviour-motivation, ability, luck and task difficulty-were as causes of subordinate performance. Consistent across all eight samples, organizational members perceived motivation and ability as more important causes of subordinate success than failure. Task difficulty was perceived as a more important determinant of failure than task ease was of success. Luck was the least important cause of both success and failure. Factor analysis revealed that supervisors and subordinates utilized the internal-external locus of causality dimension to explain subordinate success and failure. It was concluded that organizational members rely upon similar causal schemata to explain performance outcomes.

Job involvement as a moderator variable in the life events stress–illness relationship

Abstract: It is hypothesized that the relationship between life events and reported symptoms of psychological and physical illness is moderated by the extent to which a person is job-involved. Analysis of the data in a sample of employed men shows large correlations between a measure of life events and reported symptoms for men with low job involvement, substantially higher than where the men are highly job-involved.

Employment success of graduates: Relationships to biographical factors and job-seeking behaviours

Abstract: In the field of graduate recruitment, there have been relatively few studies of the relationship between candidate attributes and decisions taken by graduate recruiters. Campion (1978) in America and Wingrove, Glendinning and Herriot (1984) in the U.K. have investigated pre-selection decisions based on application form data. Campion found that, out of 9 predictors, only grade point average and fraternity or sorority membership successfully discriminated between accepted and rejected forms. Wingrove et al. (1984) used a much larger number of variables and, while predictors varied both with the individual and the type of organization, educational achievement, work experience and leisure activities generally predicted success in pre-selection. As far as success at the interview itself is concerned, Keenan (1979) found that academic performance was significantly associated with success, but social class background was not. Keenan (1978, 1982) also reported tha graduates who were high on the personality traits of Machiavellianism and Intolerance of Ambiguity performed relatively poorly in selection interviews. In both of these studies the dependent variable was the interviewers' estimates of likely progress following an initial interview, rather than final employment outcomes. As far as the latter is concerned, the authors were only able to find one study of relevance in the literature. Carroll (1966) investigated the job seeking success of business studies graduates. Out of 19 predictors investigated, only appearance (relative handsomeness) and having had experience of office work were associated with success. The study reported here attempted to identify predictors of success in obtaining employment in a cross-section of graduates. Previous work summarized above indicated that biographical information (such as academic success and leisure activities) ought to be included as predictors. It seemed intuitively likely that the

How car and steel workers in different countries see their work

Abstract: This study is concerned with how car and steel workers in different countries see their work and what features of their work they feel important. The material is drawn from two international projects, namely the car and steel industry studies, both coordinated by the Vienna Centre. The former study was carried out in 15 countries, comprising in all 126 production units from 38 plants and 3214 interviews of workers. The latter study was carried out in 10 countries, in 24 plants and 47 production units, 1576 workers were interviewed. Clear differences were found between countries in how critically the workers were oriented to the burdens and challenges of their work. This was interpreted to reflect country-specific work assessment standards. However, differences should be seen as differences in emphasis rather than as manifestations of work cultures, which substantially differ from each other. The order of importance among work characteristics was roughly the same from country to country: matters related to physical and economic security were widely considered the most important aspects of work.

The formation of blocs in an experimental study of coalition

Abstract: Any group that includes three or more people provides the opportunity for its members to form coalitions. This study used two three-person games to investigate the formation of blocs, the joint action of two people against a third. The process as well as the outcomes of negotiations were observed: in addition to the two games, the secrecy of negotiations and the experience of the bargainers were studied. The results did not support either the applicable game theoretic predictions, or several hypotheses concerning the independent variables. Equal splits of the potential payoffs and altruistic blocs, who offered relatively high payoffs to the excluded third players, predominated. The results are discussed with respect to the political process or organizational groups.