Showing papers in "Journal of Organizational Behavior in 1986"

Work-Family Conflict: The Effect of Job and Family Involvement

Abstract: : A review of past research revealed inconsistent findings concerning the relationship between job involvement and work-family conflict. This study tested whether family involvement moderates the relationship between job involvement and work-family conflict. Two types of family involvement (spouse and parent) and two types of work-family conflict (job-spouse and job-parent) were assessed. Data were gathered via questionnaire from a sample of nonteaching professionals employed by a large public university in northeastern United States. As hypothesized, job involvement and job-spouse conflict were positively related for individuals high in spouse involvement and unrelated for individuals low in spouse involvement. Contrary to prediction, parental involvement did not moderate the relationship between job involvement and job-parent conflict. Instead, job involvement was positively related to job-parent conflict regardless of the level of parental involvement. Results are discussed in terms of standards for role performance and strength of role demands. Implications for future research are also discussed.

Constructive controversy, the Vroom-Yetton model, and managerial decision-making

Abstract: Empirical tests have indicated that following the Vroom-Yetton Normative Model of leadership predicts reliably to successful managerial decision-making. However, it does not consider the kind of social interaction among decision makers. Recent experiments have demonstrated that controversy constructively discussed can facilitate decision-making. To see whether constructive controversy can supplement the Vroom-Yetton model, 58 managers enrolled in an executive-level MBA programme described a successful and unsuccessful decision-making experience by answering the Vroom-Yetton questions and by indicating the extent those involved in making the decision experienced constructive controversy. Results indicate that both the Vroom-Yetton model and constructive controversy are significantly related to successful decision-making. A regression analysis indicated that constructive controversy accounted for 45 per cent of the variance of decision success whereas the Vroom-Yetton model accounted for 5 per cent. While the Vroom-Yetton model is useful at the preplanning stage for choosing a decision style, much greater contribution is provided by constructive discussions of opposing opinions when actually generating the decision.

On assessing measures of work commitment

Abstract: Research interest in worker commitment has been so high as to generate over 25 concepts/measures since 1956 (Morrow, 1983). While the idea of devotion, loyalty, or commitment to work may appear unidimensional, inspection of the definitions and operationalizations of these concepts/measures reveals a wide range of intended meaning. For example, among the most frequently used forms are (1) the protestant work ethic (the belief that hard work is intrinsically good and an end in itself; Mirels and Garrett, 1976), (2) career salience (the importance of work and a career in one's total life; Greenhaus, 1971; Greenhaus and Simon, 1977), (3) job involvement (the degree of daily absorption an individual experiences in work activity; Lodahl and Kejner, 1965), (4) work as a central life interest (an individual's preferred locale for carrying out activities; Dubin, 1956; Taveggia and Ziemba, 1978), and (5) organizational commitment (the extent to which an employee desires to remain in an organization, exert effort on its behalf, and believes in and accepts the organization's values and goals; Mowday, Steers and Porter, 1979). These concepts are clearly not equivalent in intended meaning; yet a recent facet analysis of work commitment has argued that these measures are at least partially redundant (Morrow, 1983). Possible explanations for this proposed redundancy include the fact that there is considerable interchange of the use of the words job and work within the various measures of commitment (Kanungo, 1982), with the exception of organizational commitment (see Table 2). A second possibility involves the reliability estimates for the various measures of commitment. Protestant work ethic, job involvement and organizational commitment have produced generally acceptable reliability estimates (0.70 to 0.90), but work as a central life interest has been found not to be internally consistent (Maurer, Vredenburgh and Smith, 1981). Few reliability assessments have been reported for career salience (Morrow, 1983). Finally,

Evaluation of alternative models of commitments and job attitudes of professionals

Abstract: Different and sometimes contradictory assumptions can be found in the literature about the relationships between the commitments of professionals to their profession and to the employing organization, and the consequences of these relationships for other work attitudes. Two of the basic alternative theoretical formulations are examined and their viability tested on a sample of 1206 accountants. One formulation assumes inconsistency between commitments leading to a commitment dilemma, the other assumes congruity between them. The findings point at the latter formulation as the more viable one, and suggests minor modifications in it to improve its fit with the data. The results demonstrate the need to compare competing models in order to increase theoretical clarity and consistency.

Work schedule flexibility and family life

Abstract: This paper explores the implications of work schedule flexibility for family life Based on data from the 1977 Quality of Employment Survey, it demonstrates that flexibility of work schedules moderates the effects of nonstandard work schedules on family life That is, nonstandard work schedules tend to have a less negative association with the quality of family life when accompanied by a high level of schedule flexibility The paper further demonstrates that this tendency of flexibility to act as a buffer against the negative effects of nonstandard work schedules on family life is more pronounced among working women than working men

Employed mothers: Interrole conflict, spouse support and marital functioning

Abstract: SUMMARY Increased participation by mothers in the labour force may exert a negative effect on working mothers themselves (e.g. interrole conflict) and influence the marital relationship negatively. Recent research suggests that not all individuals experiencing psychological distress suffer psychological strain (e.g. marital discord). Rather, variables such as social support moderate negative effects of psychological stressors. To test this, sixty-four employed mothers (M age = 36 years) completed interrole conflict and spouse support scales. Marital satisfaction, verbal and nonverbal communication were the criteria operationalized to assess marital functioning. Using moderated multiple regression analyses, interrole conflict and spouse support predicted marital satisfaction and verbal communication significantly. In addition, spouse support may moderate negative effects of interrole conflict on marital satisfaction and verbal communication. With regard to nonverbal communication, spouse support was both a significant main effect and possibly a moderator of interrole conflict. The role of spouse support, conceptual and treatment implications, and future research priorities are identified.

Social support, autonomy, and hierarchical level as moderators of the role characteristics-outcome relationship†

Abstract: Although previous theory suggests that social support, job autonomy, and hierarchical level moderate role characteristics-employee outcome relationships, the strength of these moderating effects among 2046 bank employees was practically zero. These theoretical moderators and three role characteristics (conflict, ambiguity, and overload) did have direct relationships with the outcomes (job satisfaction and job search intent), as summarized by canonical correlation. Recommendations for future research are offered.

Life events and hassles as predictors of health symptoms, job performance, and absenteeism

Abstract: Research on life events plays a prominent role in the stress literature. Unfortunately, cumulative life events have been found to positively correlate only weakly with health (Rabkin and Struening, 1976) and academic performance outcomes (Lloyd et al., 1980). The present study of 185 hourly employees examined the relationship of life events, daily hassles, and daily uplifts to general health symptoms, job performance, and absenteeism. Multiple regression analysis revealed that hassle frequency and intensity accounted for a significant portion of the variance in general health symptoms, with life events adding little to the variance explanation. Regression analysis also indicated that uplift frequency and intensity accounted for a significant portion of the variance in job performance and absenteeism. The present results suggest that additional organizational research on hassles and uplifts seems warranted when studying predictors of health symptoms, performance, and absenteeism.

Employee attitudes toward working with computers

Abstract: This paper presents a theoretical analysis and empirical observations about the correlates of employees' attitudes toward working with computers. A measure of attitudes toward working with computers was developed and tested on a sample of 284 white collar employee from three manufacturing organizations. The expected structure of 'positive' attitudes and 'negative' attitudes (concerns) about working with computers was confirmed. Following a review of the related literature five hypotheses were proposed. Use of computers and job involvement were predicted to be positively related to attitudes toward computers. And levels of job involvement were expected to moderate the relationship between usage of computers on the job and attitudes toward computers. Both hypotheses were confirmed, although different dynamics were observed with positive attitudes than with concerns. It was found that employees who use a computer to support their work hold more positive attitudes than employees who report very limited use of the computer. And employees who are highly involved in their jobs, or committed to their organization typically reported lesser concern about working with computers than employees at a low level of job involvement. Moreover, a significant interaction was observed between job involvement and usage of computers in their relationship to attitudes toward working with computers. Further directions for research and theory development are suggested.

Interrole conflict and marital functioning amongst employed fathers

Abstract: While the influence of maternal interrole conflict on marital functioning has been investigated, the issue of fathers' interrole conflict has been neglected. Consequently, 67 fathers' (M age = 38.51 years) interrole conflict and marital adjustment are investigated. In addition, the moderating role of personality hardiness is assessed. Using multiple moderator regression and sub-group analyses, hardiness was shown to moderate negative effects of interrole conflict on marital adjustment. Conceptual and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Protestant work ethic, work involvement and the psychological impact of unemployment

Abstract: This study is an attempt to replicate and extend recent findings concerning the moderating effect of employment commitment on the psychological impact of unemployment. It was carried out in a highly educated population and employed Protestant work ethic endorsement (PWE) and work involvement (WINV) as indicators of commitment to work. Evidence was collected by questionnaires from 432 individuals who had been unemployed and again, six months later, from most of the same individuals. Cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis shows that individuals with high WINV were likely to suffer more from unemployment and to gain more from finding employment than low work-involved individuals. PWE, on the other hand, did not moderate the relationship between employment status and psychological state.

Job and non-job activities, job satisfaction and mental health among veterinarians

Abstract: This study examines the relationship between dimensions of job and non-job activity, job satisfaction and mental health among veterinary professionals and tests specific predictions arising from the work of Broad bent (1985) and Karasek (1979). Results are based on an analysis of 411 questionnaires returned in a postal survey. Job and non-job activities contributed a significant proportion of unique variance in total mental health as measured, and related differently to anxiety and depression. Support for Broadbent's (1985) predictions was mixed. Pacing related distinctively to anxiety, but depression showed no relationship to social aspects of activity. Both lack of control over the speed of activities and discretion were related to mental health indices, but support was found for the role of discretion as a buffer in an interactive sense on one outcome measure only. Results are discussed in terms of ideas arising from the clinical literature, and suggestions offered for the potential use of carefully chosen activity in controlling levels of anxiety, depression and well-being.

The informal rules of working relationships

Abstract: It was expected that there would be informal rules of several kinds for working relationships. In the first study subjects rated 33 common rules and a number of relationship-specific rules for three work roles. It was found that certain rules were strongly endorsed for work-mates, superiors and subordinates. These provide a maintenance function by regulating general and relationship-specific sources of conflict. Rules about cooperation, help and fairness applied strongly to work-mates, rules about consideration and skilful use of power to supervisors, rules about using initiative and accepting orders and criticism to subordinates. Rules about reward were also obtained and these tended to be task-focused rather than intimacy sustaining. In the second study one hundred and twenty-four subjects rated the degree of dissatisfaction which they would feel for 11 types of rule violation by each of four work colleagues varying in degree of intimacy. Some level of dissatisfaction was expressed for each rule violation particularly maintenance rules, and the degree of expressed dissatisfaction increased with increased closeness to the work colleague. Study I was replicated in three other countries — Italy, Hong Kong and Japan, and cross-cultural comparisons were made. While there was some cross-cultural consistency for certain maintenance rules, there were cultural differences both in the type of rules endorsed and the strength of endorsement. Japanese relationships in particular were most dissimilar to other countries, characterized by greater homogeneity of overall rule structure within the four work roles, and by lower levels of intimacy and emotional expressiveness towards the other person in each relationship.

The accumulation of person-environment congruences and well-being

Abstract: The impact of the additivity of three aspects of person-environment congruence — vocational, avocational and skill utilization — to well-being was assessed by four measures: occupational satisfaction, work satisfaction, somatic complaints and anxiety. Subjects were 74 female teachers. Findings showed: (a) the three congruence aspects were not interrelated; (b) all congruence aspects were correlated with all well-being measures in the expected direction; and (c) combinations of the three congruence aspects had an additive effect: the higher the number of congruence aspects the higher the well-being. The implications of congruence additivity to stress research and to vocational counselling was discussed.

Work role centrality of industrial workers as related to organizational conditions, task autonomy, managerial orientations and personal characteristics

Abstract: The study shows that, for a sample of 818 industrial workers, work role centrality (WRC) is positively related to task autonomy and to organizational conditions of sector of ownership, unit-type of production system, and production stability; it is also weakly related to the orientations of production managers concerning the sharing of information, general supervision and granting autonomy. The task autonomy - work role centrality relationship is maintained beyond other organizational conditions, but the effects of managerial orientations are attenuated by task autonomy and by organizational conditions. Situational conditions such as production system and stability, managerial orientations and task autonomy add to the variance of WRC explained by personal attributes of gender, education and job training, and by the outcome of job satisfaction, and a combined model of both types of variables is the most efficient. Generally, work role centrality is found to be a fairly sensitive response to the work situation, but it is suggested that perceptual and attitudinal data be added to the explanatory model.

The effects of social support on nuclear worker responses to the Three Mile Island accident

Abstract: SUMMARY This study examines the effects of social support on the reactions of nuclear workers at the Three Mile Island plant and a comparison site to stress during the 1979 crisis. Results show broad main effects of social support on stress, strain, and health outcome variables. Moderating effects of support are highly selective and become less extensive as the hypothesized stress process moves from stress to strain to health outcomes. Findings are compared between the two nuclear plants and with other studies conducted under non-crisis conditions.

Coping, individual differences, and strain: A longitudinal study of short‐term role overload

Abstract: SUMMARY This study attempted to determine which personality dimensions and coping strategies would reduce or prevent strain in a context of naturally-occurring short-term role overload. Subjects were 106 adult undergraduate evening students enrolled in an intensive three-week summer school session. The median age was 26 years, and 72 per cent of the students worked full-time. Using a repeated-measures panel design, the study tested the effectiveness of three types of coping derived from Hall's (1972) typology. Longitudinal analysis using cross-lagged correlations and structural regressions showed little support for the predicted effects of Hall's three types of coping on subsequent strain. However, a fourth type of coping, Planned Task Management emerged during the analysis and showed a reciprocal relationship with strain. Both variables appeared to influence each other over time, although the effect of prior coping on subsequent strain was slightly but not significantly stronger. Also, alienation (defined as lack of commitment) had a significant moderator effect on the relationship between perceived overload and strain.

Fathers' work experiences, the father-child relationship and children's behaviour'

Abstract: SUMMARY The effects of fathers' subjective work experiences on their children's behaviour have been largely neglected, despite increasing recognition accorded to the fathers' role in all aspects of child development. The present study redresses this issue by assessing whether (a) fathers' work experiences are related to children's behaviour, (b) the father-child relationship moderates the effects of fathers' work experiences on children's behaviour, and (c) specific child behaviours are associated with paternal work experiences. One hundred and f'orty two fathers (M age = 39.55 years) and their eldest child (M age = 9.2 years; 66 boys, 76 girls) participated. Moderated multiple regressions demonstrated that fathers' job satisfaction was related to specific child behaviours, viz. conduct problems and hyperactivity. More importantly, the father-child relationship moderated both these relationships: Where fathers were dissatisfied with their jobs, conduct problems and hyperactivity were significantly greater when the father-child relationship was of a higher quality. Implications for studying the effects of both mothers' and fathers' work experiences on their children's behaviour are drawn.

The impact of preretirement education programmes on workers' preretirement socialization

Abstract: Workers react to retirement and the loss of work roles very differently. Although most adjust without difficulty, one third of the workers have been found to experience great stress and dissatisfaction with the changing roles and demands of their new situation (Atchley, 1977; Barfield and Morgan, 1969). Social theorists believe that in order to ease the transition and adjustment into new retirement roles, individuals should be socialized into these roles, just as many are socialized into their work roles. Preretirement socialization refers to a process of role preparation and development that occurs during the later stages of one's work career. Appropriate preretirement socialization encourages workers to learn about retirement life, plan for adequate resources, develop a positive preretirement orientation, and form accurate retirement expectations. Thus, this process can facilitate the transition and adjustment to retirement by helping workers acquire satisfactory attitudes, behaviours, and situational prerequisites for adequate participation in future retirement roles (Atchley, 1976; Foner and Schwab, 1981; George, 1980; Shaw and Grubbs, 1981). Adequate preretirement socialization has been associated with a better financial situation, more leisure activities, fewer problems, and greater satisfaction in retirement (Ash, 1966; Barfield and Morgan, 1969; Greene, Pyron, Manion and Winklevoss, 1969; Morse and Gray, 1980; Thompson, 1958). However, many workers do not obtain adequate preretirement socialization. Studies have indicated that very few preretired workers report making preretirement plans for acquiring adequate retirement resources, either through formal counselling or informal personal retirement planning (Atchley, 1981; Barfield & Morgan, 1969; Morse and Gray, 1980; Seigel and Rives, 1978). In addition, some older workers hold negative stereotypes, inaccurate expectations, and unfavourable beliefs about retirement, thinking that retirement has more adverse impacts on their personal situation than it actually did (Beck, 1982; Bell, 1974; Green et al., 1969; Morse and Gray, 1980; Streib and Schneider, 1971). Bell (1974) and Thompson (1958) present evidence suggesting that this lack of adequate preretirement socialization may be related to a rejection of retirement, difficulties experienced in the retirement transition, and dissatisfaction with retirement.

Organizational test of goal linkage theory

Abstract: Deutsch's theory of cooperation and competition or goal linkage has been developed by considerable experimental research, but is little used to study interdependence in organizations. Organizational members were interviewed in depth on a specific interaction and completed a questionnaire to describe their relationships with their co-workers and supervisors. Positive linkage, in contrast to negative linkage, was related to effective negotiations and the development of feelings of success and satisfaction. Positive linkage compared to negative linkage was also found to stengthen work relationshps and facilitate productivity. Independent linkage had dynamics similar to negative linkage, but was positively related to productivity. Questionnaire results also support the theory of goal linkage. Goal linkage, dynamics, and outcomes appear to be self-sealing and mutually causal. Results suggest that goal linkage theory has considerable potential to describe and influence actual organizational work relationships.

The measurement of job characteristics: A content and contextual analytic look at scale validity

Abstract: This investigation provides an examination of the validity of the Job Diagnostic Survey (JDS) and the Job Characteristics Inventory (JCI). The verbal content of the two measure is examined, as are the contrasts between the verbal content of these scales and the verbal content of three popular measures of job satisfaction. The Minnesota Contextual Content Analysis program is used to examine the ideas emphasized by these research scales. Both measures of job characteristics were found to discriminate from certain measures of job satisfaction, to emphasize an instrumental and not an affective context, and to possess some internal dimensionality problems.

Self‐esteem and sense of competence as moderators of the job satisfaction of professionals in dual career families

Abstract: esteem, be used in future investigations. Sekaran's (1982, 1983) research on dual career families, however, would seem to indicate that both concepts may be equally important moderators for professional married couples to experience satisfaction at the workplace. This study examined the moderating effects of both self-esteem and sense of competence on the relationship between four work variables - career salience, job involvement, income, and discretionary time or personal time spent on job-related activities - and the job satisfaction of professionals in dual career families. More specifically, it examined if each of these two variables would explain incremental variance in job satisfaction over and above the other. If they did, both variables must be considered to be relevant for future research on professional couples. If such is not the case, and self-esteem is not a variable which significantly contributes to the incremental explained variance, then Tharenou and Harker may be right in saying that it is not a useful variable for organizational research.

Experimental research on race and sex discrimination: The record and the prospects

Abstract: Research in industry regarding race and sex access discrimination is reviewed. Review of sex discrimination research suggests that negative access discrimination exists for female applicants when the position is male-stereotyped and positive access discrimination exists when it is female-stereotyped. Results on race discrimination are few in number with mixed results, some showing reverse discrimination and others showing discrimination against blacks. More complex studies examining interactions between race and sex also provide mixed results. Recent evidence, which suggests that selection decisions are much more complex than have been studied, may account for the conflicting findings. Future research with more imaginative and complex designs and larger sample sizes is needed. Research designs should be selected to facilitate better measurement of the effects of civil rights law enforcement.

Alpha, beta, and gamma change in modelling‐based organization development

Abstract: The variety of techniques for planned organizational change continues to develop and grow. Within the last five years, the field has witnessed a substantial increase in the use of behavioural modelling as an approach to improving problem-solving in the work setting (Latham and Saari, 1979; Porras, Patterson, Maxfield, Bies, Roberts and Hargis, 1982; Zenger and Hargis, 1982). Yet, as with much of existing planned change technology, introduction of this new approach has not been accompanied by a concomitant number of empirical investigations into the dynamics and impact of modelling-based interventions. As a change strategy growing in importance, this approach merits rigorous investigation. Although a variety of problems plague researchers of organizational development processes, a key one rests in the interpretation of the data gathered to assess change (Roberts and Porras, 1982). Since most approaches to evaluation of change use subjective self-reported ratings, any O.D. evaluation procedure needs to be examined for its ability to identify specific types of change that might have occurred (Golembiewski, Billingsley and Yeager, 1976). Measurement of the three types of changes (alpha, beta and gamma) identified by Golembiewski and his colleagues, has drawn much interest from methodologists (Armenakis and Zmud, 1979; Armenakis and Bedeian, 1982; Armenakis, Bedeian

R&D professionals' views of criteria for intrafirm job mobility: Individual and aggregate analyses of transfer climate perceptions in West German and British Industrial R&D Organizations

Abstract: Prior research on employees' views of various criteria for obtaining a desirable intrafirm transfer has conceptualized these perceptions on an individual level of analysis (i.e. has examined psychological transfer climates). It is argued that the identification of aggregate transfer climate dimensions on an organizational (subsystem) level of analysis is important for improving the effectiveness of R&D via better transfer policies. Factor analyses of questionnaire data obtained from 729 R&D professionals in 11 FRG industrial firms and 141 R&D professionals in three U.K. industrial firms revealed that both FRG and U.K. subjects perceived three broad means (overall task performance, publication and patent productivity, favouritism) for obtaining a desirable job transfer. Empirically the idea was supported that, for certain transfer criteria (overall task performance, manifest professional output, educational level, luck), individuals' scores can be meaningfully aggregated to obtain organizational transfer climate measures. Remarkable differences in the importance of company tenure and educational level as criteria for transfers in R&D were found between FRG and U.K. organizations. Using the FRG data set differences in the performance responsiveness of organizational transfer climates were shown to be significantly related to work-related outcome variables. Implications are sketched for R&D transfer policies and for explaining U.K./FRG differences in the corporate treatment of R&D activities.

Work needs, sex role stereotyping and affective reactions of female professional engineers

Abstract: There is an increasing volume of research in the area of sex role stereotyping in relation to white collar occupations. Much of this work suggests that women are believed to be unsuited to a variety of male-dominated occupational roles, particularly those with a high managerial content (O'Leary, 1974). There is evidence that these attitudes may influence a variety of decisions taken in relation to selection, promotion, and career development (O'Leary, 1974; Rosen and Jerdee, 1973, 1974). Almost all of the studies in this area have concentrated their attention on the holder of the stereotyped attitude. Consequently, while quite a lot is known about how these attitudes influence the behaviour of the attitude holder, less is known about their effects on the feelings of the recipients, i.e. the women themselves. Clearly, the psychological consequences of stereotyped attitudes for women are an important area which is deserving of study. The aim of the present investigation was to investigate these correlates in women in a male-dominated occupation. The occupation chosen for study was that of professional engineer. Not only is engineering male-dominated in Britain, but in addition the profession is of particular interest at the present time because efforts are currently being made to encourage women to enter it. Thus, 1984 was designated the year of women into science and engineering (WISE). Although there has been some research into the reactions of female engineers to their professional roles (Keenan and Newton, 1984; Survey of the Institute of Electrical Engineers, 1983), there has been little attempt to evaluate the effects of particular attitudes towards female engineers on their psychological well-being at work. The lack of previous research makes it difficult to predict what the effects of stereotyped attitudes might be. However it seems plausible that such attitudes might be associated with low job satisfaction. Sex role stereotyping leads to a view that women in certain occupations are less capable than their male counterparts of performing their job effectively. Even partial acceptance of these attitudes by the women themselves is likely to be ego threatening and could lead to feelings of anxiety. The study investigated these two possible types of psychological response to stereotyped attitudes: i.e. job satisfaction and feelings of anxiety related to the job.