New Zealand Journal of Psychology 

About: New Zealand Journal of Psychology is an academic journal. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Population & Mental health. It has an ISSN identifier of 0112-109X. Over the lifetime, 428 publications have been published receiving 8933 citations.

Predicting Police Job Satisfaction and Turnover Intentions: The Role of Social Support and Police Organisational Variables

Abstract: The retention of operational staff, particularly females, within the police services and other male-dominated occupations, has received some recent attention. The introduction of organisational practices which aim to reduce inter-domain conflict, is a current intervention employed to reduce turnover levels. The importance of adequate supervisor support is one such intervention and has produced considerable recent interest. This paper tests the influence of organisational variables (sexual harassment) and individual variables (perceptions of social support) upon job satisfaction and turnover criterions, using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) analysis. Four hundred male and female New Zealand police officers were invited to participate in a longitudinal research project, involving the completion of two questionnaire surveys. The experiences of harassment and the quantity of leave taken were associated with turnover intentions. Supervisor support was a strong predictor of job satisfaction and also an indirect predictor of turnover intentions. Intrinsic job satisfaction was an especially strong direct predictor of turnover intentions, although only within the cross-sectional analyses. The results also support the distinction between the two types of job satisfaction, intrinsic verses extrinsic, in the context of turnover research. The implications regarding the training of police supervisors in order to improve (female) retention levels, are discussed. ********** Employee turnover occurs when an individual exits an organisation either voluntarily or involuntarily. Although some organisational turnover is unavoidable, and may even be desirable, voluntary turnover is difficult to predict and can reduce the overall effectiveness of an organisation (Smith & Brough, 2003). Turnover intentions Turnover intentions refer to an individual's estimated probability that they will leave an organisation at some point in the near future. Turnover intentions are identified as the immediate precursor to turnover behaviour (Mobley, Horner,& Hollingsworth, 1978; Tett & Meyer, 1993). The identification of the variables contributing to turnover intentions is considered to be effective in reducing actual turnover levels (Maertz & Campion, 1998). Three primary groups of variables have been identified as influencing turnover intentions (a) organisational variables, such as job satisfaction, occupational stress and gender discrimination, (b) individual demographic variables, including gender, marital status and tenure, and (c) external variables, such as the availability of alternative employment (Cotton & Tuttle, 1986). The relationship between turnover intentions and organisational variables is of particular importance, with considerable attention being applied to low job satisfaction and high psychological strain levels (George & Jones, 1996; O'Driscoll & Beehr, 1994). For example, in a longitudinal investigation of Israeli police officers (80% male), Koslowsky (1991) found that both job satisfaction and organisational commitment predicted turnover intentions over time (see also Vandenberg & Nelson, 1999). In terms of the individual demographic variables, female employees generally have higher turnover levels than males, while married individuals tend to leave their employment in lower numbers, as compared to other employees (Cotton & Tuttle, 1986). The association between married status and gender in turnover decisions has been subject to some recent evaluation. Mano-Negrin and Kirschenbaum (2002) for example, compared the turnover decision-making process occurring in both married male and female employees. These authors identified that the turnover decision-making process is interdependent on the spousal conditions of employment, and involves other family and economic considerations also. However, Mano-Negrin and Kirschenbaum (2002) also suggested that the turnover decision-making process for both males and females is primarily dependent upon their own work-related factors. …

Cognition in close relationships.

Abstract: Contents: Part I:Conceptual Foundations. G.J.O. Fletcher, F. Fincham, Attribution Processes in Close Relationships. C. Scott, R. Furhman, R. Wyer, Information Processing in Close Relationships. L. Miller, S. Read, On the Coherence of Mental Models of Persons and Relationships: A Knowledge Structure Approach. N. Cantor, J. Malley, Life Tasks, Personal Needs, and Close Relationships. T. Bradbury, F. Fincham, A Contextual Model for Advancing the Study of Marital Interaction. Part I:Cognition and Affect. J. Forgas, Affect and Cognition in Close Relationships. J. Fitness, K. Strongman, Affect in Close Relationships. P. Noller, M. Ruzzene, Communication in Marriage: The Influence of Affect and Cognition. G.J.O. Fletcher, L. Kininmonth, Interaction in Close Relationships and Social Cognition. R. Sternberg, A. Beall, How Can We Know What Love Is? An Epistemological Analysis. Part III:Applications and Extensions. C. Surra, T. Bohman, The Development of Close Relationships: A Cognitive Perspective. S. Beach, Social Cognition and the Relationship Repair Process: Toward Better Outcome in Marital Therapy. Part IV:Overview. J. Harvey, T. Orbuch, Cognition in Close Relationships: Overview and Integration.

Informal Relationships in the Workplace: Associations with Job Satisfaction, Organisational Commitment and Turnover Intentions

Abstract: Informal relationships between people within organisations can potentially either hinder or facilitate organisational functioning. The presence of informal relationships at work and the degree of cohesiveness perceived by individuals was investigated in two studies. The association between relationship factors and organisational outcomes such as job satisfaction, turnover intentions and organisational commitment were assessed. Study 1: Employees of a large Auckland hospital (NZ) (n=124) were surveyed using a pen and paper questionnaire. Results were analysed using path analysis and indicated that cohesiveness and opportunities for friendships were related to increased job satisfaction; leading to increased organisational commitment and decreased turnover intentions. The actual prevalence of friendships was primarily related to decreased turnover intentions. Overall there was good support for the proposed model. Study 2: To address some of the limitations of Study 1 (primarily sample size and homogeneity) a second study was conducted using an Internet based questionnaire; accessed both from within NZ and worldwide. A diverse sample of employees responded (n=412). Structural equation modelling indicated further support for most aspects of the model, suggesting that the findings are generalisable and the model is robust. ********** Numerous close friendships evolve from existing formal relationships in work places, and for many people, these relationships are maintained within the organisational setting. Yet, despite the frequency of dual friendship/work relationships, we know very little about how they function and how the blurring of relational boundaries might affect organisational functioning, the enjoyment of work, and perhaps even performance. Authors investigating workplace relationships comment on the dearth of literature in this area; there is relatively little theoretical or empirical work that has attempted to examine the behavioural or attitudinal consequences of informal relationships within the work context (Fritz, 1997; Riordan & Griffeth, 1995; Winstead, Derlega, Montgomery, & Pilkington, 1995; Zorn, 1995). In the early nineteen-thirties, Elton Mayo (1933) brought the topic of workplace relationships to wide attention, when he wrote the first management book focusing on the social needs of employees. Mayo advocated the role of socio-emotional factors in determining employee behaviour, contending that the extent to which employees received social satisfaction in the workplace was the most powerful influence on productivity. Subsequently, Maslow's (1954) classic theory of human motivation was published, which first described the "hierarchy of needs" contending that; as lower level needs (such as physiological and safety needs) are satisfied, higher level needs (such as social, esteem and self-actualisation needs) emerge as motivators. Needs have been shown to influence performance in certain jobs. For example, the opportunities to satisfy needs are still studied in organisational contexts, and are thought to be related to competence (Medcof & Hausdorf, 1995), organisational commitment (Steers, 1977; Steers & Braunstein, 1976), job satisfaction and tendency to leave (Zinovieva, ten Horn, & Roe, 1993). Thus, although the simple hierarchy that Maslow envisioned does not adequately reflect the complexity of human motivation, the philosophy still has use (Bedeian & Wren, 2001). Following this early attention to the topic however, the interest in workplace friendships waned. Although Hackman and colleagues developed the job characteristic termed "friendship opportunities" in the early seventies (Hackman & Lawler, 1971; Hackman & Oldham, 1975), it was not really until the last decade that scholars have focused on the impact of workplace friendships once again (e.g., Markiewicz, Devine, & Kausilas, 2000; Nielsen, Jex, & Adams, 2000; Riordan & Griffeth, 1995; Winstead et al. …

Conflict and Facilitation between Work and Family: Realizing the Outcomes for Organizations

Abstract: Exploration of the work-family interface has resulted in models which focus on conflict between work and family roles rather than work-family and family-work facilitation. The present research was an exploratory study which aimed to examine whether work-family facilitation (WFF), family-work facilitation (FWF), work-family conflict (WFC) and family-work conflict (FWC) were associated with job satisfaction, organisational commitment, organisational citizenship behaviour and intention to leave. A survey was distributed to 75 employees in a New Zealand organisation. Fifty-eight (77%) returned usable data. Levels of work-family and family-work facilitation and conflict were not related to gender, age or number of dependents. With regard to marital status, non-partnered respondents reported higher levels of WFF than partnered respondents. Work-family facilitation and family-work facilitation were significantly related to job satisfaction and affective organisational commitment, and WFF was also related to organisational citizenship behaviour. Both WFF and FWF were negatively related to turnover intention. Descriptive information was collected to identify respondents' experiences of work-family and family-work facilitation. Facilitation between the home and work domains was found with regard to the need to balance time demands, the development of skills in one domain that could be valuable in the other domain, and the availability of work resources such as flexible work practices. The implications for balancing work and family commitments are discussed. ********** The work patterns that have become apparent in the 21st century include increasing numbers of women in the workforce, increasing pervasiveness of work in people's lives, high performance work practices and worker stress, increasing worker dissatisfaction and diminishing social capital. As a result exploration of the interface between work and family has often focused on conflicts between the two domains, yet recent research has suggested that engagement in work roles and family roles can contribute positively to each other by enhancing and enriching people's lives (Grzywacz & Butler, 2005; Grzywacz & Marks, 2000; Kirchmeyer, 1992, 1993). The notion of work-family spillover posits that attitudes, emotions, skills and behaviours established in one domain flow into the other (Edwards & Rothbard, 2000; Frone, 2003). Positive spillover or facilitation occurs when engagement in job roles and family roles contribute positively to and benefit each other. Negative spillover or conflict occurs when engagement in job and family roles contributes harmfully to each other. Facilitation and conflict are orthogonal constructs in that, while they may coexist, each dimension has common and distinct determinants and consequences (Edwards & Rothbard, 2000; Grzywacz & Marks, 2000; Voydanoff, 2005). There has been much less research into facilitation than into conflict between work and family roles. The last decade has seen a focus on the impacts of work on family life. A more detailed conceptualization allows for two directions of influence between work and family. Work-to-family as well as family-to-work effects can be considered, as well as two types of effect: conflict and facilitation (Frone, 2003; Grzywacz & Marks, 2000). This gives rise to four types of effect: work-family conflict (WFC), family-work conflict (FWC), work-family facilitation (WFF) and family-work facilitation (FWF). A large literature has explored the prevalence, predictors, and outcomes of work-family and family-work conflict. Antecedent variables include supervisor support, co-worker support, work overload, work satisfaction, work hours, work-family initiatives and job involvement (Allen, 2001; Voydanoff, 2005). Also relevant are family-related variables including family involvement, family support, parental overload and family satisfaction (Allen, 2001; Hill, 2005). …

Confounded by Competencies? An Evaluation of the Evolution and Use of Competency Models.

Abstract: Competency models are a key tool in human resource systems and practice. This article examines the origins and development of the competency concept, identifying three main approaches, the claimed benefits of implementing competency models, and their actual application in a sample of New Zealand organisations. The relationship of the competency construct to areas of research in I/O psychology is discussed. The claims made by some authors and the widespread support of generic competency models in HR information systems are not supported by independent research. There is scant evidence as yet to suggest that such models provide any incremental predictive validity over existing cognitive and personality measures for overall job performance. Inappropriate use of competency models is likely to confound their purpose. I/O psychologists must play a greater role in informing evidence-based practice in their implementation. An urgent research agenda is suggested.