Showing papers in "Journal of Organizational Behavior in 1992"

Alumni and their alma mater: A partial test of the reformulated model of organizational identification

Abstract: Summary Organizational identification is defined as a perceived oneness with an organization and the experience of the organization's successes and failures as one's own. While identification is considered important to the organization, it has not been clearly operationalized. The current study tests a proposed model of organizational identification. Self-report data from 297 alumni of an all-male religious college indicate that identification with the alma mater was associated with: (1) the hypothesized organizational antecedents of organizational distinctiveness, organizational prestige, and (absence of) intraorganizational competition, but not with interorganizational competition, (2) the hypothesized individual antecedents of satisfaction with the organization, tenure as students, and sentimentality, but not with recency of attendance, number of schools attended, or the existence of a mentor, and (3) the hypothesized outcomes of making financial contributions, willingness to advise one's offspring and others to attend the college, and participating in various school functions. The findings provide direction for academic administrators seeking to increase alumni support, as well as for corporate managers concerned about the loyalty of workers in an era of mergers and takeovers.

Mentorship and career mobility: An empirical investigation

Abstract: The literature on mentorship is briefly reviewed, revealing that many studies have documented the functions that mentors provide to proteges, including vocational and psychosocial support. This study investigates the link between these functions and the career mobility outcomes of proteges. Results from a random sample of 244 manufacturing managers supports previous research on the dimensions of mentoring. Further, vocational (coaching) and psycho-social (social support) were found to be related to managers' salary level and promotions. Implications of these results for future studies of mentoring are discussed.

Prevalence of work-family conflict: Are work and family boundaries asymmetrically permeable?

Abstract: This study tested Pleck's (1977) hypothesis concerning gender differences in the relative permeability of work and family boundaries. Data were obtained from a randomly drawn community sample of 631 employed adults (278 men; 353 women). Respondents reported that work interfered with family life (WF conflict) more frequently than family life interfered with work (FW conflict). These results suggest that work and family boundaries are indeed asymmetrically permeable with family boundaries being more permeable than work boundaries. However, there was no evidence of gender differences in the pattern of asymmetry, indicating that the dynamics of work and family boundaries may operate similarly among men and women. Implications for future research are discussed.

Role stressors, social support, and well‐being among two‐career couples

Abstract: Summary The study examined relationships among work and family role stressors, work-family conflict, social support, and well-being using data gathered from 119 men and 119 women who were partners in a two-career relationship. Results showed that withindomain relationships of stressors with well-being are stronger than between-domain relationships. Thus, work and family role stressors were primarily related to job satisfaction and family satisfaction respectively, whereas work and family role stressors as well as work-family conflict were associated with overall life stress. Similar results were found for the relationships of social support with well-being. Work support was associated with increased job satisfaction, while spouse support was associated with greater family satisfaction. Some gender differences were found in the relationships of stressors and social support with well-being. Implications of the findings for future research on work-family dynamics were discussed.

Coping with job stress: A conceptual evaluation framework for coping measures.

Abstract: Intense interest in stress had led to a proliferation of coping measures. To aid researchers in choosing or developing coping measures applicable to job stress, this paper provides a conceptual evaluation framework. The framework serves to evaluate the extent to which coping measures are comprehensive (focus and method of coping) and specific (coping behaviors versus coping effectiveness, coping style, or coping resources; and stress management applications). Both theoretical and organizational stress management perspectives are incorporated.

Work—nonwork conflict and the perceived quality of life

Abstract: From additive models of overall quality of life, two hypotheses were derived about the relationships among work—family conflict, work—leisure conflict, job satisfaction, family satisfaction, leisure satisfaction and global life satisfaction. In supporting these two hypotheses, path analyses of survey data from a national probability sample of United States workers (n = 823) showed: (1) the direct paths between work—nonwork conflict and global life satisfaction were nonsignificant; and (2) the indirect paths between work—nonwork conflict and global life satisfaction, which are mediated by job satisfaction and nonwork satisfaction, were all significant. Further analyses indicated that, in general, the magnitude of these path coefficients was not significantly moderated by sociodemographic variables. Discussion considered the role of additive models as conceptual frameworks for studies concerned with the effects of work experiences on the overall quality of life.

Models of conflict, negotiation and third party intervention: A review and synthesis.

Abstract: From the vast research literature on organizational conflict and conflict resolution, this review identifies 44 major models in the area of conflict, negotiation, and third party processes (e.g. mediation and arbitration). Each of the models is described, categorized as descriptive or normative, and evaluated with respect to empirical support. Discussion of these models surfaces a number of significant, but often implicit assumptions about conflict and its management; insufficient bridging between descriptive and normative endeavors; and an extreme emphasis on model creation over model testing.

Sex role stereotyping and requisite management characteristics: A cross cultural look

Abstract: The relationship between sex role stereotypes and characteristics perceived as necessary for management success was examined among 497 male and 328 female management students in the U.S., Great Britain and Germany. Three forms of the 92-item Schein Descriptive Index were used to define sex role stereotypes and characteristics of successful managers. The results revealed that males in all three countries perceive that successful middle managers possess characteristics, attitudes and temperaments more commonly ascribed to men in general than to women in general. The pattern of results among females varied across cultures. German females sex type the managerial position to almost the same degree as the males. British females also sex type the managerial position, but to a lesser extent than their German counterparts. U.S. females do not sex type the managerial position, but see women and men as equally likely to possess characteristics necessary for managerial success. The implications of these outcomes for the advancement of women in management worldwide are discussed.

Efficacy beliefs and work stress: An exploratory study

Abstract: This study investigated the possible role of self-efficacy in the stress process by examining relations between stressors (role ambiguity, situational constraints, and hours), strains (job dissatisfaction, anxiety, frustration, and turnover intent), and efficacy beliefs (both individual and collective). Individual efficacy was related to only two of the four strains and had no mediating or moderating effects. Collective efficacy, however, was strongly related to both stressors and strains. Collective efficacy also moderated the effect of work hours and mediated the relation between situational constraints and two of the strain measures. It was concluded that the theory of individual self-efficacy (Bandura, 1977) may not adequately explain collective efficacy. Future research on the self-efficacy construct as well as its role in the stress process was suggested.

Thought self-leadership: The influence of self-talk and mental imagery on performance

Abstract: Self-leadership theory can be described as the ‘process of influencing oneself ’as opposed to the influence of leaders over followers (Manz, 1983, 1986). We focus on and develop a model for a particular aspect of self-leadership — thought self-leadership — emphasizing two primary elements, self-talk and mental imagery. The major thrust of this model is that employees can influence or lead themselves by utilizing specific cognitive strategies that focus on individual self-dialogue and mental imagery. It is proposed that constructive thought management through the effective application of cognitive strategies can lead to enhanced individual and organizational performance.

Antecedents of organizational commitment across occupational groups: A meta‐analysis

Abstract: This meta-analysis examines whether the relationships between organizational commitment (OC) and its antecedents differ across occupational groups. Two models representing different antecedents are proposed: the member model, presented by the personal variables, and the organization model, presented by role related, structural and work experiences variables. The study is based on 98 samples with correlational data for the relationships between OC and its antecedents. The total sample was divided into two main occupational groups: white collar employees, subdivided into professionals and nonprofessionals, and blue collar employees. The findings reveal that in general the relationship between OC and personal antecedents, representing the member model, is stronger for blue collar and nonprofessional white collar employees than for professional employees. For the role-related, structural, and work experiences antecedents, representing the organization model, differences among the occupational groups were found to be less consistent. In general, the findings demonstrate that the member and the organization model operate differently for varying occupational groups. The findings are discussed in terms of the need for elaboration of the existing explanations for the development of OC.

Work—family conflict: A comparison of dual‐career and traditional‐career men

Abstract: This research examines differences in the antecedents and consequences of work—family conflict — a form of interrole conflict that occurs when the demands of work and family are mutually incompatible in some respect — for two groups of career‐oriented men: those with a homemaker wife (called traditional‐career men) and those with a spouse in a career‐oriented job (labelled dual‐career men). Using a model built on the work of Kopelman, Greenhaus and Connolly (1983), the responses from 136 dual‐career men and 137 traditional‐career men were compared. The primary conclusion of this research is that maternal career employment has a significant effect on the antecedents of work — family conflict. Dual‐career men appear to experience a significant negative spillover from their work domain. We suggest that this spillover is due to a lack of structural flexibility in the workplace, outdated organizational policies that operate on the myth of separate worlds' and a lack of social support for the male dual‐career role which contradicts societal norms. Copyright

Unraveling the mysteries of gender differences in intentions to leave the organization

Abstract: The anticipated labor shortages of the 1990's will intensify organizational needs to retain their existing employees. Women represent an increasingly important segment of the labor force and their turnover rates are thought to exceed men's. Earlier studies of turnover and its psychological antecedent, the behavioral intention to leave, suggest that work-related factors may contribute to women's relatively higher turnover rates. The current paper reports the results of a study of the intentions of male and female executives, managers and professionals to leave their organizations. The results support the pattern of findings in earlier studies that gender differences disappear when job satisfaction is controlled in the analysis. Further analysis highlights the importance of two components of job satisfaction — meaningful work and opportunities for promotion. The authors conclude that organizations might improve their retention rates of female managers through job enrichment and by enhancing their advancement opportunities.

Reflections on organizational conflict

Abstract: Pondy reflects on the accuracy of his classic ASQ 1967 article on conflict He challenges the basic premise that conflict represents a deviation from the status quo, and suggests that conflict, not co‐operation, represents the normal state of functioning

Shiftwork and department‐type related to job stress, work attitudes and behavioral intentions: A study of nurses

Abstract: Summary The present study examined the relationship of shiftwork and department-type with employees' job stress, stressors, work attitudes and behavioral intention. Data were collected by means of a structured questionnaire from nurses (N= 1148) working in eight hospitals in a large, metropolitan city in eastern Canada. One-way ANOVA, MANOVA and two-way ANOVA were used to analyze data. Results generally support the prediction that nurses working on fixed shifts were better off than nurses working on rotating shifts in terms of the dependent variables of the present study. The prediction that nurses working in non-intensive care departments were better off than nurses working in intensive care departments received mixed support at best. A few interaction effects of shiftwork x department-type on dependent variables were also noted. The impact of socio-demographic variables - age, marital status, cultural background (English- versus French-speaking) on the above relationships were also analyzed. Results are discussed in light of the previous empirical evidence on shiftwork and department-type.

Long-term consequences of burnout: An exploratory study

Abstract: The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between degree of burnout experienced during the first year of the career and career adaptation during the next decade. Subjects were 25 human service professionals originally working in the fields of public service law, public health nursing, high school teaching, or mental health. They were studied during the first year of their careers and again 12 years later. Early career burnout was assessed via ratings of interviews that were highly correlated with the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Career adaptation variables included career stability, work satisfaction, attitudes towards recipients, and flexibility as measured at the time of follow-up. Each of these variables was measured via interview ratings, a questionnaire, and ratings made hy confidants of the subjects. Results showed that subjects who were more burned-out early in their careers were less likely to change careers and more flexible in their approach to work as rated by confidants at the time of follow-up. The results suggest that early career burnout does not seem to lead to any significant, negative, long-term consequences. However, burnout occurring later in the career might have more serious long-term effects.

Linking work experiences to facets of marital functioning

Abstract: Few studies on the interaction between work experiences and family functioning have focused on specific aspects of work and the family, nor have many studies identified links in the process whereby work affects the family A four-stage model of how role ambiguity, role conflict, job insecurity and job satisfaction affect three aspects of marital functioning (sexual satisfaction, psychological aggression and general marital satisfaction) was tested The two mediator variables linking work experiences and marital functioning were concentration difficulties and depression In a sample of 190 employed married people the model fit the data The three work stressors (ambiguity, conflict and job insecurity) affected all three aspects of marital functioning via concentration and depression, and the relationship between job satisfaction and marital functioning was mediated by depression

The role of facet importance as a moderator in job satisfaction processes

Abstract: Two studies were designed to test hypotheses derived from Locke's (1969, 1976, 1984) model of job satisfaction. Consistent with the model, both studies found that perceived have-want discrepancy scores were powerful predictors of facet job satisfaction. In addition, facet importance tended to moderate this relationship in the manner predicted by Locke. Workers who viewed a job facet as having high importance were more satisfied with a small perceived have-want discrepancy and more dissatisfied with a large discrepancy than workers who viewed the facet as having low importance. Finally, as expected, facet importance failed to moderate the relationship between facet satisfaction and overall job satisfaction. This finding supports Locke's proposition that facet satisfaction scores are ‘implicitly weighted’ by facet importance. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

The dimensions of organizational commitment

Abstract: The dimensionality of the concept organizational commitment, formulated by Porter, Steers, Mowday and Boulian in 1974 and later by Cook and Wall in 1980, is explored by metric and non-metric methods among industrial workers in Israel. A distinction is established between loyalty to the employing organization and identification with and readiness to exert effort on its behalf. This is a distinction between passive and active organizational commitment, hidden in the original additive scales, that could prove useful in understanding the behavior of different populations of industrial workers.

Correlates of career-oriented mentoring for early career managers and professionals.

Abstract: This study examines several different kinds of correlates of career-oriented mentoring experiences among early career managers and professionals. Survey data were collected from 416 respondents employed in a wide variety of jobs, organizations, and industries. The respondents averaged 30 years of age, and 28 per cent were women. Results indicated that younger, more work-involved respondents from higher socioeconomic origins received more career-oriented mentoring. In addition, managers received more mentoring than professionals, as did those who were higher in the organization hierarchy. While gender of the protege was unrelated to the amount of career mentoring received, reasons are offered for this result. Various boundary conditions likely to affect mentoring processes are discussed and several directions are recommended for future research on mentoring.

The development of an occupational attributional style questionnaire

Abstract: Ninety working adults completed the OASQ — an occupational attributional style questionnaire aimed specifically at examining attributions for work-related events. They also completed well-known and validated measures of job satisfaction and intrinsic motivation. The OASQ was shown to have satisfactory internal reliability. Attributions for positive events, rather than negative events, were significantly correlated with demographic variables like occupational status and salary but also job satisfaction and motivation. The study supports previous work to the effect that an ‘optimistic’ internal attributional style at work is associated with satisfaction and motivation.

Drinking to cope and self‐medication: Characteristics of jobs in relation to workers' drinking behavior

Abstract: This research extends recent studies of the relationship between characteristics of jobs and patterns of workers' alcohol consumption. Working within a ‘generalization perspective ’whereby job conditions are seen as having important effects on the mental health and behaviors of workers in non-work settings, the current research derives and tests a model of four job-related factors as they influence three aspects of alcohol use; the simple frequency—quantity of drinking, escapist-oriented reasons for drinking, and a combination of heavier drinking with escapist-oriented definitions which is labeled ‘self-medication’. Analyses of data drawn from the 1973 Quality of Employment Survey (QES) indicate that the relationship between jobs and drinking behavior is more complex than previously conceptualized. Specifically, we find evidence that for working men characteristics of jobs affect levels of alcohol consumption and the incidence of self-medicating drinking. These findings support and refine job-based explanations of drinking behavior. The implications of these findings for subsequent research and model-specification are discussed.

The effect of turnover on work satisfaction and mental health: Support for a situational perspective

Abstract: This study finds support for the situational approach to affect determination in a prospective, two-year longitudinal field study. Specifically, turnover was shown to predict changes in subsequent job measures of work satisfaction and mental health. Employees who changed jobs and occupations showed greater increases in both work satisfaction and mental health than employees who only changed jobs or employees who remained in their initial positions. Further research directions are introduced.

Computer attitudes and learning performance: Issues for management education and training

Abstract: This study examines how attitudes held before attending a computer course differ on the basis of gender, intention to purchase a computer, and computer ownership. Results indicate that gender and ownership are responsible for attitudinal differences, while intent to purchase is not. Further analyses reveal that attitudes differ between learning performance groups. More than all other groups, students who withdrew from the course during the semester and students with the highest performance level in the course perceive computers as increasing job complexity. Ownership eliminated nearly all gender differences in computer attitudes. The implications of these results for managers and future research are discussed.

Dual earner couples: Attitudes and actions in restructuring work for family

Abstract: In a matched data set consisting of survey responses from both members of 39 dual earner couples, work and family involvement was used to predict job satisfaction, marital satisfaction, stress and work restructuring of both members of the couple. In general, the wives were found to be restructuring their work activities more than their husbands. Couples whose members had high levels of family involvement were experiencing high levels of marital satisfaction and low levels of stress. In addition, the coded responses to seven open ended questions provided qualitative data reflecting what specific types of work restructuring arrangements were most popular and the reasons for work restructuring.

The socialization of union loyalty

Abstract: ment training program were surveyed. Using linear structural relations modelling, the research found that union attitudes and training satisfaction were the most important predictors of loyalty to the union. Furthermore, attitudes to unions were related to the union socialization process and the transformational leadership characteristics of the socializing agents.