Showing papers in "Personnel Review in 2014"

Defining perceived employability: a psychological approach

Abstract: – The purpose of this paper is to define employability within the psychological literature with a focus upon perceived employability. , – To achieve the aim, the paper defines five objectives as follows. First, the paper discusses how employability is interpreted in the psychological literature. Second, the paper defines perceived employability within this literature. Third, the paper goes one step further by comparing the perceived employability approach to other approaches in the psychological field, namely, approaches based on competences and dispositions. The paper concludes with an integration of the three approaches into a process model to demonstrate their interrelationships, which the authors see as the fourth objective. With approach, the paper refers to a specific view on employability, including both definitions and measures, which share significant common ground. Finally, the paper highlights some implications. , – The paper concludes that each approach comes with specific advantages and disadvantages. Researchers and practitioners should use an approach according to the general research question one aims to address. , – The authors believe to contribute to the employability literature in the following ways. First, the paper raises awareness that not all psychological notions of employability are equal, though they are often treated as such in the literature. Second, the paper highlights how perceived employability is tied to competences and dispositions. That is, though all notions are clearly different, they are also related.

Linking justice, trust and innovative work behaviour to work engagement

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of contextual variables – organisational justice (procedural justice, interactional justice and psychological contract) and trust – on work engagement. Design/methodology/approach – The paper reports a quantitative study of 323 managers working in manufacturing and pharmaceutical organisations based in western India. Drawing from social exchange theory, this paper tests the mediating role of trust in the justice-engagement relationship. The paper also investigates the effect of work engagement on employees' innovative work behaviour. Findings – Results suggest that procedural justice, interactional justice and psychological contract fulfilment are positively related to work engagement with trust as the mediating element. Engagement significantly influences employees' innovative work behaviour Research limitations/implications – The data were collected cross-sectionally, which means that causal inferences must be made with caution. Moreover, the...

Managing innovative work behavior: the role of human resource practices

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of high-involvement human resource practices in the innovative work behavior of employees, with the mediation of supportive work environment conditions. Design/methodology/approach – The study uses regression analysis to test the hypotheses in a sample of 198 Spanish firms. Findings – The results indicate that ability-enhancing and opportunity-enhancing human resource practices are positively related to innovative work behaviors with the mediation of two work environment variables: management support and coworkers support. This study discusses results and highlights limitations and future research directions. Originality/value – Previous researchers have identified employees as important sources of innovation, but systemic empirical research has not been fully applied to examine the relationship between human resource management (HRM) and employees' innovative work behavior.

Linking organizational trust with employee engagement: the role of psychological empowerment

Abstract: Purpose – This study aims to investigate the relationship between organizational trust, psychological empowerment, and employee engagement. In addition, the study seeks to test the moderating role of psychological empowerment on the relationship between trust and engagement. Design/methodology/approach – Hierarchical regression analyses were carried out on a sample of 715 employees from seven commercial banks and four pharmaceutical companies in south-eastern Nigeria who participated in the survey. Findings – The results showed that organizational trust and psychological empowerment were predictors of work engagement. There was a moderating effect of empowerment on the relationship between trust and engagement. Research limitations/implications – The findings show that organizational trust and psychological empowerment that predict positive job behaviour in Western cultures are also critical in understanding Nigerian workers ' positive organizational behaviour such as work engagement. Practical implicatio...

The impact of servant leadership and subordinates' organizational tenure on trust in leader and attitudes

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between servant leadership, subordinates' trust in leader and job satisfaction, and whether subordinates' organizational tenure moderated the effect. Design/methodology/approach – A structured questionnaire survey was used to collect data by 218 employees in a service-oriented private firm in the People's Republic of China. Findings – The findings indicated that trust in leader mediated the relationship between servant leadership and subordinates' job satisfaction. Also, the positive effect of servant leadership on subordinates' trust in leader and job satisfaction was stronger for short-tenure subordinates than that for long-tenure subordinates. Originality/value – This paper enriches the existing leadership literature and contributes to the research into how and why servant leadership may influence subordinates' attitudes.

Perceived organizational politics, emotional intelligence and work outcomes: Empirical exploration of direct and indirect effects

Abstract: Purpose – This study aims to examine the relationship between perceived organizational politics and emotional intelligence, and their interplay in the context of work attitudes/behaviors. Design/methodology/approach – A sample of 368 employees was used to test a mediation effect of perceived organizational politics on the relationship between emotional intelligence on the one hand, and job satisfaction, turnover intentions and negligent behavior on the other. Findings – Perceived organizational politics was found to mediate the relationship between emotional intelligence and all three outcomes. Practical implications – Emotional intelligence training may be a powerful tool that organizations and human resource managers can employ to reduce perceived organizational politics and enhance work attitudes and performance. Originality/value – This research broadens the scope through which the intersection between emotion and organizational politics can be viewed, taking it beyond the role of both felt emotion an...

The impact of person-job fit and person-organization fit on OCB The mediating and moderating effects of organizational commitment and psychological empowerment

Abstract: Purpose: Drawing upon the social exchange theory and empowerment theory, this study attempts to investigate the effect of perceived person-environment fit on organisational citizenship behavior. Fu ...

Organizational justice and employee engagement: Exploring the linkage in public sector banks in India

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore whether perceptions of distributive, procedural and interactional justice are related to employee engagement, as an extension of the antecedents-consequences model of Saks (2006), and to examine the possibility of inter-relationships between these three dimensions of justice Design/methodology/approach – A survey of 210 employees of public sector banks in India covered measures of job and organization engagement (OE) proposed by Saks (2006) and the scale on distributive, procedural and interactional justice developed by Niehoff and Moorman (1993) The relationships between justice perceptions and engagement were analysed using correlations and hierarchical regression analysis Findings – Results show that distributive, procedural and interactional are inter-related with each other Further, distributive and interactional justice take precedence over procedural justice in determining job engagement, while distributive justice plays the most important role

Empowering leadership, employee goal orientations and work performance

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the possible curvilinear relationship between empowering leadership and individual in-role and extra-role work performance and the potential moderating role of individual goal orientations. Design/methodology/approach – Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted based on data from 655 certified accountants. Leaders' empowering behavior was measured using Ahearne et al.'s scale. Mastery and performance goal orientations were measured using items from VandeWalle. In-role work performance was measured via a ten-item scale developed and used by Kuvaas and Dysvik. Organizational citizenship behavior was measured using items validated by Van Dyne and LePine. Findings – Too little empowerment might have a negative or limited impact – or none at all – on individual in-role and extra-role work performance. In addition, individual mastery orientation positively moderates these curvilinear relationships. Research limitations/implications – Empowering leaders...

Factors influencing employee satisfaction in the police service: the case of Slovenia

Abstract: Purpose – The paper has two purposes – first, to examine the dimensionality of employee satisfaction and, second, to identify the impact of the groups of factors on employee satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach – The measurement of satisfaction of all employees in the Slovenian Police based on the comprehensive on-line questionnaire. Factor analysis was used to formulate the facets of satisfaction. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to identify the predictors of three facets of employee satisfaction. Findings – Three facets of employee satisfaction were determined and the influence of three types of factors (demographic, job-related and organizational-support-related factors) on them was investigated. The results show that the worst assessed facet was salary and security, whereas no significant differences were found between two other facets, namely relationships and leadership, and tasks and working conditions. The three factors influenced employee satisfaction with different levels o...

Perceived employability and performance: moderation by felt job insecurity

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship perceived employability (the employee's perception about available job opportunities in the external labour market) and performance, accounting for felt job insecurity. Performance is conceptualized broadly in terms of optimal functioning (i.e. in-role performance and helping behaviour) and malfunctioning (i.e. organizational and interpersonal counterproductive work behaviour). Design/methodology/approach – Survey data were collected among 433 Romanian workers. Findings – The authors hypothesize and demonstrate that perceived employability relates positively to optimal functioning, but less so when workers feel insecure: highly employable workers may be high achievers, but withdraw from the organization when they feel insecure. Furthermore, the authors hypothesize that perceived employability relates positively to malfunctioning, the more so when workers feel insecure. Highly employable workers may care less about organizational norms,...

Interpersonal trust, stress and satisfaction at work: an empirical study

Abstract: Purpose – Due to the divergent conclusions about the effects of interpersonal trust on job satisfaction, the study aims to look more deeply into this relationship by introducing job stress as a mediator variable. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses structural equation modeling to analyze the opinions of 6,407 Spanish employees, taken from the 2008 Quality of Working Life Survey carried out by the Spanish Ministry of Labor and Immigration. Findings – The findings show that interpersonal trust has a positive effect on job satisfaction, and that job stress partially mediates this relationship. Furthermore, interpersonal trust is negatively related to job stress, which in turn is negatively related to job satisfaction. Research limitations/implications – Despite the pertinence and size of the database used in the study, it is very heterogeneous. Future research might delimit the database by organization size or sector. Qualitative studies may also improve our understanding of the relationships studie...

Information asymmetry in high potential programs: A potential risk for psychological contract breach

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the implicit beliefs both high potentials and HR directors hold about the terms of the exchange relationship between high potential employees and their organizations. The paper positions the study within the framework of the psychological contract, exploring specifically whether strategic ambiguity and information asymmetries in high potential programs create a heightened risk of psychological contract breach. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 20 high potentials and 11 HR directors from nine different organizations were interviewed. Open and axial coding of the qualitative data was performed by three raters. Findings – Information asymmetry in high potential programs, indeed, poses a potential risk for psychological contract breach. Although strategic ambiguity can be an effective communication strategy in that it creates a power imbalance in favor of the organization, at all times a delicate balance must be maintained between leaving room for flexi...

The mediating role of job content plateau on the relationship between work experience characteristics and early retirement and turnover intentions

Abstract: Purpose – The study aims to elucidate the relationship between five work experiences or conditions (age-related stereotypes, perceived organizational support [POS], coworker support, career satisfaction, and reaching a job plateau) and two different organizational withdrawal intentions – early retirement and turnover – in light of trends to abolish or increase the mandatory retirement age in Israel and elsewhere in the Western world. Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on a survey of a heterogeneous age sample of 170 unionized employees working in medium-sized Israeli industrial firms. Findings – POS and perceived age stereotypes were negatively related to early retirement intentions and not to turnover intentions. Job plateau was found to be related to the other work-related variables, with the exception of coworker support, and also was found to be a strong mediator between these variables and employees ' turnover intentions, and a partial mediator between the variables and early retirement...

“With recruitment I always feel I need to listen to my gut”: the role of intuition in employee selection

Abstract: Purpose – This qualitative study of managers’ use of intuition in the selection process aimed to understand if and how managers use intuition in employee hiring decisions and suggest ways in which the use of intuition might be improved. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with managers from a range of backgrounds, and with varying experience of recruitment and selection. Findings – Findings revealed that reasons for the use of intuition included personal preferences, resource constraints and recognition of the limitations of more structured approaches. Intuition was used an indicator for performance, personality and person-environment fit. Intuition tended to be used with requisite caution; participants were aware of its limits, the potential for bias and the difficulties in justifying its use; several participants used their intuitions in concert with more structured, non-intuition based approaches. Research limitations...

Academic background and credibility in executive coaching effectiveness

Abstract: Purpose – Little empirical research has examined the role of coach characteristics in coaching success. The purpose of this paper is to address this gap in the literature by identifying and testing the relationships between a coach's academic background in psychology and credibility with executive coaching effectiveness as reflected in greater levels of individual outcomes. Design/methodology/approach – These factors were examined through a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design. Participants were drawn from the client bases of four Israeli executive coaching agencies. Findings – A coach's academic background in psychology was positively related to executive coaching effectiveness as reflected in greater improvement in coachee self-awareness and job performance as reported by the direct supervisor. Further, coach credibility was positively related to executive coaching effectiveness as reflected in higher mean scores in coachee self-reported job performance. Originality/value – Findings should assist ...

A multilevel study of the relationship between organizational justice and affective commitment

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the moderating role of organizational size and individual tenure on the relationship between organizational justice and organizational affective commitment. Based on the literature on organizational justice and justice climate, this paper tests whether the role of justice climate, measured at the organizational level, is affected by these organizational and individual characteristics in determining individual organizational affective commitment. Design/methodology/approach – Data on 20,936 employees from 1,496 companies that were included in the 2004 Workplace Employment Relationships Survey were used. Findings – Hierarchical linear modeling analysis shows that the importance of the justice climate extends beyond its effect on individual perceptions. Moreover, whereas the organization size does not influence the justice climate – affective commitment relationship, organizational tenure moderates it. Originality/value – This study shows the impact of justic...

The impact of leader-member exchange (LMX) on work-family interference and work-family facilitation

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effects of leadership on work-family spillovers. Specifically, we analyze the relationships between leadership (leader-member exchange (LMX) with one negative work-family spillover effect (work-family interference) and one positive work-family spillover effect (work-family facilitation). The authors hypothesize that LMX influences work-family spillover via different mediators, rather than one all-encompassing mediator, such as empowerment. Design/methodology/approach – The authors hypothesize that a good relationship with your supervisor (high LMX) diminishes work pressure, which in turn reduces work-family interference. Furthermore, the authors expect that a good relationship with your supervisor positively relates to the meaningfulness of work, as you could get more interesting work and more understanding of your role within the organization. In turn, this will increase work-family facilitation. These hypotheses are tested using a nation-wide survey ...

Linking HRM competency to firm performance: an empirical investigation of Chinese firms

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to attempt to investigate the relationship between human resource management (HRM) competency and firm performance. Drawn upon the resource-based view and alignment theory, HRM competency is expected to be related to the adoption of high performance work systems (HPWS) and the achievement of external fit in HRM, which in turn contribute to firm performance. Design/methodology/approach – The data for this study were collected via a survey of in 157 Chinese enterprises located in the high technology development zone of three large cities. Two different respondents from each firm provided information about organizational characteristics, HRM policy and practices, and firm performance. Multiple regressions were used to test the hypotheses. Findings – Results indicate that HRM competency has a significant and positive effect on firm performance. Such an effect is found to be mediated by the achievement of external fit, but not the adoption of HPWS. Research limitations/im...

Is innovation behavior congenital? Enhancing job satisfaction as a moderator

Abstract: Purpose – In the age of the knowledge-based economy, innovation has become a significant factor in business competitiveness. The purpose of this paper is to explore the moderating effect of job satisfaction on the relationship between personality and employees' individual innovative behavior in the service industry. Design/methodology/approach – The object of this research is the employee in service industry in Taiwan. A total sample of 626 employees in five service industry categories was taken in Taiwan's service industry. The descriptive statistical analyses and hierarchical regression were adopted. Findings – The results show that job satisfaction positively affects individual innovative behavior, and also has moderating effect on personality traits and innovative behavior. Originality/value – Innovative behavior is not only congenital, that can be stimulated by job satisfaction.

Getting inside the black box : HR practices and firm performance within the Tunisian financial services industry

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore, and eventually unlocking, the “black box” problem by addressing the potential mediating role of human capital and organizational commitment in the relationship between high performance work systems (HPWS) and perceived firm performance in the Tunisian financial industry. Design/methodology/approach – Based on the strategic human resource management (SHRM) theory, the authors developed a model that links HPWS to perceived organizational performance through human capital and employee organizational commitment. Data collected from 351 respondents was considered. Multiple regression analysis was then used to assess the research hypotheses. Findings – Data collected from 351 respondents suggest that HPWS positively affect perceived firm performance through first, enhancing the firms’ human capital; and second, developing positive organizational commitment attitude among employees. In addition, a direct relationship between HPWS and firm performance was found. ...

Linking perceived organizational support to emotional labor

Abstract: Purpose – Based on two studies on different occupational groups, the purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between perceived organizational support (POS) and different forms of emotional labor. Drawing from social identity theory, the present study extends the social exchange theory to provide an alternate explanation to the above relationships. Design/methodology/approach – The survey design following questionnaire in English language was physically administered among medical sales employees and subsequently among employees in the hospitality industry. Findings – The study found that POS is positively related to deep acting and negatively related to surface acting. The study further found that organizational identification mediates the relationship between POS and deep acting where as there was no mediation effect of organizational identification on the relationship between POS and surface acting. Research limitations/implications – The research relies on a cross-sectional design with a si...

The mediating influence of career success in relationship between career mobility criteria, career anchors and satisfaction with organization

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate how perceived career channels and career anchors are related to objective internal career success, and how subjective career success mediates the effects of objective success on employer satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected using questionnaires, and hypotheses were tested on a sample of 800 engineers and managers. Of the sample, 35 percent were female and 67 percent worked in the private sector. Findings – The findings show that the more respondents perceive that performance carries weight in promotion decisions, the higher their level of objective career success. In contrast, the importance placed on relations with the hierarchy has no significant influence. Respondents with a strong management anchor report greater objective career success, and those with a strong life style anchor report lesser objective career success, but greater success in life outside work. Finally, the findings indicate that job success is associated with greater satisfaction with employer, whereas life success is related to lesser satisfaction. Research limitations/implications – This study is based on a sample taken from one profession (engineers), in a specific cultural context. The cross-sectional research design precludes the inference of some causality conclusions. Practical implications – Organizations may benefit from disseminating promotion attribution criteria and reducing perceptions of favoritism in reward allocation. In addition, this study shows that not only individuals but also the employer can benefit from greater positive interdependence between career success and life success. Originality/value – This study represents the first comprehensive attempt to examine the role of perceived career channels and career anchors in objective and subjective career success.

Organizational rewards: considering employee need in allocation

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate how employee need relates to rewards and employee perceptions of fairness within an organization in the USA using a pay-for-performance system. Design/methodology/approach – To evaluate the presence of a relationship between employee need and reward allocation in a pay-for-performance system, a questionnaire was administered to a sample of 292 employees from two departments at an academic medical center. Findings – The findings highlight the positive relationship between employee need and reward allocation that remains when controlling for employee performance evaluation ratings. Findings further show that employee communication with the manager about need explains this relationship. Research limitations/implications – The findings make two important contributions to research on reward allocation and performance management. First, the results show employee need is related to the allocation of rewards in organizational settings outside of collectivistic...

Effects of early employment experiences on anticipated psychological contracts

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate how initial employment experiences of new entrants to the labor market, which results from changes in organizations employment practices affect individuals’ expectations from their future employers (their anticipatory psychological contracts and anticipated job insecurity) and to explore the implications of these effects for theory and practice. Design/methodology/approach – The paper focussed on four common experiences and tested the hypotheses about their effects using data collected by a relatively large survey among mature college students with work experience (n=1,164). Findings – Individuals who had been exposed to the experiences of being laid off, witnessing layoffs and having to accept reductions in pay or status held higher transactional and lower relational expectations from their future employers, in comparison with individuals who had not been exposed to such experiences. They also anticipated a higher level of job insecurity in their futu...

Retirement in a global labour market: A call for abolishing the fixed retirement age

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore potential benefits and possible pitfalls of the removal of the default retirement age. Design/methodology/approach – A human capital and labour market perspective provide theoretical lenses for exploring the potential implications for individuals, organizations and societies. The paper employs financial costing analysis to demonstrate. Findings – The paper uses the UK case to illustrate anticipated managerial and societal outcomes. The main finding from the discussion and the financial analysis is that indeed the current system is unsustainable. Originality/value – The paper offers areas where lessons about age management can be learnt from other experiences of flexible retirement strategies such as enhancing older workers ' human capital. The idea is of global nature and relevance and forms a “wake-up call” for decision makers at national level.

The role of feedback in supervisor and workgroup identification

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which two factors are associated with identification, the feedback environment and feedback seeking: two forms of identification, supervisor identification and workgroup identification, were linked to matching sources of feedback environment and feedback seeking. Design/methodology/approach – An empirical study was carried out with a sample of working students representing a variety of industries in the USA. Students (n=256) completed a written questionnaire. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. Findings – Results indicated that feedback seeking frequency partially mediated the effect of supervisor feedback environment on supervisor identification. Similarly, feedback seeking partially mediated the effect of coworker feedback environment on workgroup identification. Research limitations/implications – Despite a cross-sectional design, these results support the role of feedback as a primary explanatory mechanism for how p...

Work-team bonding and bridging social networks, team identity and performance effectiveness

Abstract: Purpose – The focus in this paper is on the extent to which bonding and bridging social relationships predict the performance effectiveness and attitudinal (identity) outcomes. Design/methodology/approach – The research was survey-based, involving 76 work teams and a total of 499 employees in 48 organisations. Findings – The analysis reveals a positive relationship between both bonding and bridging relationships and performance effectiveness and attitudinal outcomes. Team identity mediates the relationship between the team ' s social-network structure and its performance effectiveness. Research limitations/implications – The research investigates the performance effectiveness and attitudinal outcomes of social networks simultaneously, which is rare, but for study-design reasons fails to investigate behavioural outcomes. More extensive data would reveal more about the possible interaction between bridging and bonding. Practical implications – In order to improve performance effectiveness managerial attenti...

Ethics-related selection and reduced ethical conflict as drivers of positive work attitudes : Delivering on employees’ expectations for an ethical workplace

Abstract: Purpose – There is reason to believe that an ethically minded approach to hiring and the development of an ethical context should be associated with incremental decreases in employees’ perceptions of ethical conflict. It is also likely that the selection of ethical employees, and the reduced ethical conflict that follows, are positively related to employees’ positive work attitudes. The purpose of this paper is to test these relationships. Design/methodology/approach – Using a self-report questionnaire, information was collected from 187 employees working for a medium-sized financial services organization with offices located primarily in the Midwestern USA. Findings – Results of structural equation modeling indicated that employees’ perceptions of ethics-related selection were negatively related to perceived ethical conflict, and that reduced ethical conflict and enhanced ethics-related selection were associated with an increased positive work attitude, which was comprised of job satisfaction, an intenti...

An interactionist perspective on employee performance as a response to psychological contract breach

Abstract: Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to investigate the inter-relationships among the closely related exchange-based constructs such as psychological contract (PC) breach, perceived organisational support (POS), and exchange ideology. The authors examine the effects of three-way interaction of them on employee performance. Design/methodology/approach – This study theoretically builds on a personality trait-based interactionist model of performance (Tett and Burnett, 2003) and empirically tests the model using multi-source data collected from employee-manager dyads in a non-profit organisation. Hierarchical linear modelling was employed for analysis. Findings – The results indicate a significant three-way interaction, such that, the negative relationship between PC breach and task performance is the strongest when employees with a high exchange ideology perceive low levels of POS. Practical implications – These findings suggest that organisations should ensure employees feel supported and pay special atte...