Showing papers on "Job performance published in 1995"

The Impact Of Human Resource Management Practices On Turnover, Productivity, And Corporate Financial Performance

Abstract: This study comprehensively evaluated the links between systems of High Performance Work Practices and firm performance. Results based on a national sample of nearly one thousand firms indicate that these practices have an economically and statistically significant impact on both intermediate employee outcomes (turnover and productivity) and short- and long-term measures of corporate financial performance. Support for predictions that the impact of High Performance Work Practices on firm performance is in part contingent on their interrelationships and links with competitive strategy was limited. The impact of human resource management (HRM) policies and prac

Understanding Performance Appraisal: Social, Organizational, and Goal-Based Perspectives

Abstract: Introduction Environmental Influences Organizational Influences Purposes of Performance Appraisals Obtaining Information about Performance Standards for Judging Performance Processes in Evaluative Judgment Rater Goals Rater Motivation Error and Accuracy Measures Criteria That Reflect the Uses of Ratings Does Performance Appraisal Help or Hurt the Organization? Performance Appraisal and the Changing Context of Work and Organizations Designing, Implementing and Evaluating a Goal-Oriented Appraisal System Directions for Research and Practice

Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Research and Practice

Abstract: PART I: INTRODUCTION. CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION. CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODS IN I/O PSYCHOLOGY. Research Questions. Important Research Design Concepts. Variables. Research Setting. Generalizability. Control. Random Assignment and Random Selection. Confounding. Research Designs. The Experiment. Survey Designs. Observational Designs. Measurement. Classical Measurement Theory. Reliability. Validity. Statistics. Descriptive Statistics. Inferential Statistics. Meta-Analysis. Mediator and Moderator Variables. Ethics of Research. Chapter Summary. Learning by Doing. PART II: ASSESSMENT OF JOBS, PERFORMANCE, AND PEOPLE. CHAPTER 3: JOB ANALYSIS. What Is Job Analysis? The Job-Oriented Approach. The Person-Oriented Approach. Purposes of Job Analysis. Career Development and Vocational Counseling. Legal Issues. Performance Appraisal. Selection. Training. Research. Vocational Counseling. How Job Analysis Information Is Collected. Who Provides the Information? Approaches To Collecting Job Analysis Information. Methods of Job Analysis. Job Components Inventory. Functional Job Analysis. Position Analysis Questionnaire. Task Inventories. Choosing a Job Analysis Method. Job Analysis Methods For Work Teams. Reliability and Validity of Job Analysis Information. Reliability. Validity. Job Evaluation. Comparable Worth. Chapter Summary. I/O Psychology in Practice. Learning by Doing. CHAPTER 4: PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL. Why Do We Appraise Employees? Administrative Decisions. Employee Development and Feedback. Criteria for Research. Performance Criteria. Characteristics of Criteria. Criterion Complexity. Dynamic Criteria. Contextual Performance. Methods for Assessing Job Performance. Objective Measures of Job Performance. Subjective Measures of Job Performance. The Impact of Technology on Performance Appraisal. Legal Issues in Performance Appraisal. Chapter Summary. I/O Psychology in Practice. CHAPTER 5: ASSESSMENT METHODS FOR SELECTION AND PLACEMENT. Job-Related Characteristics. Psychological Tests. Characteristics of Tests. Ability Tests. Knowledge and Skill Tests. Personality Tests. Emotional Intelligence Tests. Integrity Tests. Vocational Interest Tests. Drug Testing. Biographical Information. Interviews. Work Samples. Assessment Centers. Electronic Assessment. Electronic Administration of Psychological Tests. Computer Adaptive Testing. Chapter Summary. I/O Psychology in Practice. Learning by Doing. PART III: selecting and training employees. CHAPTER 6: SELECTING EMPLOYEES. The Planning of Human Resource Needs. Recruiting Applicants. Selecting Employees. How Do Organizations Select Employees? Conducting a Validation Study. Validity Generalization. How Predictor Information Is Used for Selection. Getting Applicants to Accept and Keep Job Offers. The Utility of Scientific Selection. How Valid Selection Devices Work. Computing the Utility of Scientific Selection. International Differences in Selection Practices. Legal Issues. Legal Selection in the United States. Legal Selection Outside the United States. Chapter Summary. I/O Psychology in Practice. Learning by Doing. CHAPTER 7: TRAINING. Needs Assessment. Objectives. Training Design. Trainee Characteristics. Design Factors That Affect Transfer of Training. Work Environment. Training Methods. Delivery of a Training Program. Evaluation of a Training Program. Set Criteria. Choose Design. Choose Measures of the Criteria. Collect Data. Analyze and Interpret Data. Chapter Summary. I/O Psychology in Practice. Learning by Doing. PART IV: THE INDIVIDUAL AND THE ORGANIZATION. CHAPTER 8: THEORIES OF EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION. What Is Motivation? Work Motivation Theories. Need Theories. Need Hierarchy Theory. Two-Factor Theory. Reinforcement Theory. Expectancy Theory. Self-Efficacy Theory. Justice Theories. Goal-Setting Theory. Control Theory. Action Theory. Chapter Summary. I/O Psychology in Practice. Learning by Doing. CHAPTER 9: FEELINGS ABOUT WORK: JOB ATTITUDES AND EMOTIONS. The Nature of Job Satisfaction. How People Feel About Their Jobs. The Assessment of Job Satisfaction. Job Descriptive Index (JDI). Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ). Job in General Scale (JIG). Is Global Satisfaction the Sum of Facets? Antecedents of Job Satisfaction. Environmental Antecedents of Job Satisfaction. Personal Antecedents of Job Satisfaction. Person-Job Fit. Potential Effects of Job Satisfaction. Organizational Commitment. Assessment of Organizational Commitment. Organizational Commitment and Other Variables. Emotions at Work. Chapter Summary. I/O Psychology in Practice. Learning by Doing. CHAPTER 10: PRODUCTIVE AND COUNTERPRODUCTIVE EMPLOYEE BEHAVIOR. Productive Behavior: Task Performance. Ability and Performance. Motivation and Performance. Personal Characteristics and Performance. Environmental Conditions and Task Performance. Organizational Constraints. Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB). Counterproductive Work Behavior: Withdrawal. Absence. Lateness. Turnover. Counterproductive Work Behavior: Aggression, Sabotage, and Theft. Labor Unrest and Strikes. Chapter Summary. I/O Psychology in Practice. Learning by Doing. CHAPTER 11: OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY. Occupational Health and Safety. Accidents and Safety. Infectious Disease. Loud Noise. Musculo-Skeletal Disorders (MSD). Harmful Substance Exposure. Workplace Violence. Work Schedules. Night Shifts. Long Shifts. Flexible Work Schedules. Occupational Stress. The Occupational Stress Process. Job Stressors. Work-Family Conflict. Burnout. Chapter Summary. I/O Psychology in Practice. Learning by Doing. PART V: THE SOCIAL CONTEXT OF WORK. CHAPTER 12: WORK GROUPS AND WORK TEAMS. Work Groups Versus Work Teams. Virtual Teams. Important Group Concepts. Roles. Norms. Group Cohesiveness. Process Loss. Team Commitment. Team Mental Model. Group and Team Performance. Performance in the Presence of Others. Group Versus Individual Performance on Additive Tasks. Brainstorming. Group Problem Solving. Group Decision Making. Team Innovation. Team KSAOs. Group Diversity. Interventions with Work Groups in Organizations. Autonomous Work Groups. Quality Circles. Team Building. Chapter Summary. I/O Psychology in Practice. CHAPTER 13: LEADERSHIP AND POWER IN ORGANIZATIONS. What Is Leadership? Sources of Influence and Power. French and Raven's (1959) Bases of Power. Yuk's (1989) Sources of Political Power. Political Skill. Abuse of Supervisory Power: Sexual and Ethnic Harassment. Approaches to the Understanding of Leadership. The Trait Approach. The Leader Behavior Approach. Fiedler's Contingency Theory. Path-Goal Theory. Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory. Transformational Leadership Theory. Vroom-Yetton Model. Women in Leadership Positions. Gender and Leadership Style. Cross-Cultural Issues In Leadership. Chapter Summary. I/O Psychology in Practice. Learning by Doing. CHAPTER 14: ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND THEORY. Organizational Development. Employee Acceptance of Change. Management by Objectives. Survey Feedback. Team Building. T-Group. Effectiveness of OD. Organizational Theories. Bureaucracy. Theory X/Theory Y. Open System Theory. Sociotechnical Systems Theory. Comparison of the Theories. Chapter Summary. I/O Psychology in Practice. Learning by Doing. Appendix. References. Glossary. Name Index. Subject Index.

The Proactive Personality Scale and objective job performance among real estate agents.

Abstract: A sample of 131 real estate agents was used to examine the criterion validity of the Proactive Personality Scale (T. S. Bateman & J. M. Crant, 1993). A job performance index was computed for each agent from archival records of the number of houses sold, number of listings obtained, and commission income over a 9-month period. Experience, social desirability, general mental ability, and 2 of the Big Five factors—Conscientiousness and Extraversion—were controlled for, and the Proactive Personality Scale explained an additional 8% of the variance in the objective measure of agents' job performance. These results provide additional evidence for the criterion validity of the Proactive Personality Scale and suggest that specific personality measures can have incremental validity over the Big Five factors. Attempting to predict job performance with personality measures has a long tradition in organizationa l research. This body of work has led some researchers to conclude that personality—relative to other predictors— is a rather weak predictor of performance (e.g., Hunter & Hunter, 1984; Schmitt, Gooding, Noe, & Kirsch, 1984). Recently, however, researchers have begun to reconsider the structure of personality (e.g., Digman, 1990) and the extent to which personality may validly predict on-thejob performance (e.g., Barrick & Mount, 1991, 1993; Barrick, Mount, & Strauss, 1993). The purpose of this study was to examine the criterion validity of a recently introduced measure, the Proactive Personality Scale, by using objective job performance as the criterion measure. After discussing the theoretical underpinnings of the proactive personality construct, I review research pertaining to four domains that must be controlled in a rigorous test of the criterion validity of the Proactive Personality Scale: the Big Five factors, general mental ability (GMA), work experience, and social desirability.

The relationship between work experience and job performance: a conceptual and meta‐analytic review

Abstract: A gap in the conceptual development of the work experience construct was addressed by creating a framework specifying two dimensions along which work experience measures can vary The dimensions of measurement mode (amount, time, and type) and level of specificity (task, job, organizational) formed nine separate categories of measures of work experience The usefulness of the conceptual framework was tested by conducting a meta-analytic review of the existing literature on work experience using the dimensions in the framework as potential moderators of the experience-performance relationship Results of the meta-analysis (N= 25,911; K= 44) revealed an estimated population correlation of 27 between experience and performance after correcting for sampling error and criterion unreliability In addition, the results showed that amount (Mp= 43) and task-level (Mp= 41) measures of work experience had the highest correlations with measures of job performance In addition, work experience had the highest correlations with hard (eg work samples) as opposed to soft (eg ratings) measures of job performance (Mp= 39 vs Mp= 24) Implications and directions for future research are discussed

Efficacy-Performing Spirals: A Multilevel Perspective

Abstract: This article explores the possibility of efficacy-performance spirals in individuals, groups, and organizations. Spirals are deviation-amplifying loops in which the positive, cyclic relationship between perceived efficacy and performance builds upon itself. Collective efficacy is defined, and upward and downward spirals are considered. Evidence from multiple levels of analysis is presented, and factors affecting the occurrence, continuation, and stopping of spirals are proposed. In addition, we consider compositional and cross-level effects by proposing factors that will moderate the relationship between spirals at different levels of analysis. Overall, 15 propositions are presented as guidelines for future research.

Longitudinal field investigation of the moderating and mediating effects of self-efficacy on the relationship between training and newcomer adjustment

Abstract: A longitudinal field study examined the moderating and mediating effects of self-efficacy on the relationship between training and the adjustment of newcomers during their 1st year of employment. The results provided some support for the hypothesis that initial self-efficacy moderates the relationship between training and adjustment. Training was more strongly related to posttraining self-efficacy, ability to cope, job performance, and intention to quit the profession for newcomers with low levels of initial self-efficacy mediates the relationship between training and adjustment; however, evidence of complete mediation was found only for ability to cope. Posttraining self-efficacy partially mediated the relationships between training and job satisfaction, organizational and professional commitment, and intention to quit the organization and the profession. Research and practical implications of these findings for the training and the socialization of newcomers are discussed.

Job satisfaction and turnover among nurses: integrating research findings across studies.

Abstract: A meta-analytic study investigated the causal relationships among job satisfaction, behavioral intentions, and nurse turnover behavior. A theoretical model was proposed in which behavioral intentions were viewed as a direct antecedent to turnover behavior. Job satisfaction was expected to be indirectly related to turnover by virtue of the mediating role of behavioral intentions. Consistent with these expectations, a strong positive relationship was indicated between behavioral intentions and turnover; a strong negative relationship between job satisfaction and behavioral intentions; and a small negative relationship between job satisfaction and turnover. The results of the modifier analysis suggested that effect sizes are fairly robust to differences in study designs, response rates, and methods of measuring job satisfaction, but the manner in which behavioral intentions were operationalized appeared to moderate the relationship between behavioral intentions and turnover and job satisfaction. Of variables related to nursing job satisfaction, work content and work environment had a stronger relationship with job satisfaction than economic or individual difference variables.

The effects of job insecurity on psychological health and withdrawal: A longitudinal study

Abstract: This paper reports on a repeated measures study of job insecurity conducted during drastic organisational change in one of Australia's large public transport organisations. In a redundant group (n ...

Can multi-source feedback change perceptions of goal accomplishment, self-evaluations, and performance-related outcomes? theory-based applications and directions for research

Abstract: Multi-source feedback extends traditional performance appraisal by collecting information from subordinates, peers, supervisors, and customers. Ratees often receive the results along with normative data and self-ratings. This paper explores how multi-source feedback goes beyond traditional performance appraisal by providing ratees with comparative information. Focusing on person perception and information processing dynamics, this paper develops a model and associated propositions to explain the effects of multi-source feedback on perceptions of goal accomplishment, re-evaluation of self-image, and changes in outcomes such as goals, development, behavior, and performance. Moderators of relationships between the major components in the model include individual difference variables (self-image, feedback seeking, self-monitoring, task-specific self-efficacy, and impression management) and situational conditions (the content and process of multi-source feedback and organizational performance standards). Issues of research and practice intended to improve understanding and effectiveness of multi-source feedback are discussed.

Age discrimination in simulated employment contexts: An integrative analysis.

Abstract: In the area of age discrimination in simulated employment settings, the present study meta-analytically tested 4 primary hypotheses derived from the social psychological stereotyping literature, referred to as the in-group bias, job information, salience, and job stereotype hypotheses. In general, the results supported the in-group bias, job information, and salience hypotheses, in that younger raters tended to give less favorable ratings to older workers when they were not provided with job-relevant information about the workers and when they concurrently rated old and young workers. Future research, including the initiation of research on economic-based age stereotypes, as well as practice directions related to valuing age diversity in organizationa l stakeholder groups are discussed. With the imminent aging of the labor force (cf. Forteza & Prieto, 1994; Warr, 1994), attitudes and beliefs about the aging work population are of critical importance to the quality of work life. Although older workers are sometimes perceived as being slower, less creative, less flexible, more resistant to change, disinterested in training, and prone to illness and accidents (Doering, Rhodes, & Schuster, 1983; Rhodes, 1983; Stagner, 1985), these beliefs often are inconsistent with the research literature. A number of empirical studies and research reviews (cf. Avolio, Waldman, & McDaniel, 1990; Forteza & Prieto, 1994; Mayrand, 1992; McEvoy & Cascio, 1989; Smith, 1990; Waldman & Avolio, 1986; Warr, 1994) have indicated that there is often a positive or no statistically significant association between a worker's age and many aspects of job performance. Despite this expanding body of knowledge, age discrimination with respect to employment decisions continues, as evidenced by the thousands of complaints filed each year under the Age Discrimina

Job scope and stress: Can job scope be too high?

Abstract: This study examined relationships among job scope, perceived fit between job demands and ability, and stress. Data on scope and stress were provided by 418 full-time employees. Ratings of job complexity from the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) and the Occupational Prestige Index (OP) also measured job scope. All three job scope measures had a U-shaped curvilinear relationship with emotional exhaustion. Anxiety had a negative association with incumbent-reported job scope but none with the DOT and OP measures. Perceived demands-ability fit moderated the relationship between the DOT and OP measures and stress. People with complex jobs who perceived fit experienced less exhaustion and anxiety than those perceiving misfit. In research on job design, leading thinkers have viewed high job scope as functional for organizations and their members. Hackman and Oldham's job characteristics model (1976, 1980) exemplifies this view. Although the magnitude of the motivating potential inherent in job scope

Organizational Risk Factors for Job Stress

Abstract: Job stress and stress-related illness have reached epidemic proportions in the US and are a major concern for employer and employee alike. This edited book presents the latest research on how the structure of the organisation and attributes of the job contribute to or ameliorate stress. Major themes examined by the contributing authors include the importance of organisational culture and climate, the nature of job stress and burnout, the issue of electronic performance monitoring, the impact of particular kinds of high-risk occupations, and new methodological developments that are improving research design.

Job Satisfaction and Turnover Among Nurses: Integrating Research Findings Across Studies

Abstract: A meta-analytic study investigated the causal relationships among job satisfaction, behavioral intentions, and nurse turnover behavior. A theoretical model was proposed in which behavioral intentions were viewed as a direct antecedent to turnover behavior. Job satisfaction was expected to be indirectly related to turnover by virtue of the mediating role of behavioral intentions. Consistent with these expectations, a strong positive relationship was indicated between behavioral intentions and turnover; a strong negative relationship between job satisfaction and behavioral intentions; and a small negative relationship between job satisfaction and turnover. The results of the modifier analysis suggested that effect sizes are fairly robust to differences in study designs, response rates, and methods of measuring job satisfaction, but the manner in which behavioral intentions were operationalized appeared to moderate the relationship between behavioral intentions and turnover and job satisfaction. Of variables related to nursing job satisfaction, work content and work environment had a stronger relationship with job satisfaction than economic or individual difference variables.

Trainee characteristics and the outcomes of open learning

Abstract: Previous investigations into the processes and outcomes of training have been restricted to conventional “closed” settings. However, learning is likely to become increasingly “open,” with greater discretion granted for individuals to choose how and when they will acquire new skills and information. In a study of 106 junior managers over a 7-month period, the impact of 11 trainee characteristics was investigated in relation to immediate learning scores, reactions to the program, and changes in rated job behaviors. It was found that learning score was significantly independently predicted by general training attitude, the use of an analytic learning strategy, and (low) age. Post-training reactions were identified as being of three kinds: reported enjoyment, usefulness, and difficulty. These were shown to be differentially associated with the trainee characteristics studied. Significant associations were found between learning score and changes in rated job performance.

Burnout, self- and supervisor-rated job performance, and absenteeism among nurses.

Abstract: This study examined how job stress and work support predict the experience of burnout and how burnout is related to absenteeism and job performance in a sample of 73 registered nurses. The current study expanded on previous findings by including supervisor ratings of performance and employee records of absenteeism in addition to self-report measures. It also examined the extent to which burnout may mediate the relationships of job stress and social support with these performance indicators. Analyses indicated that levels of work support and job stress were both significant predictors of burnout. Additionally, higher burnout levels were significantly associated with poorer self-rated and supervisor-rated job performance, more sick leave, and more reported absences for mental health reasons. Finally, further analyses suggest that level of burnout served as a mediator of the relationships between social support and self-rated job performance, absences for mental health reasons, and intentions to quit. The findings suggest that burnout not only may negatively impact healthcare providers, but also may influence objective absenteeism and supervisor perceptions of employee performance.

Effects of ratee task performance and interpersonal factors on supervisor and peer performance ratings

Abstract: The study examines the effects of a wide array of rater-ratee relationship and ratee-characteristic variables on supervisor and peer job-performance ratings. Interpersonal ratings, job performance ratings, and ratee scores on ability, job knowledge, and technical proficiency were available for 493-631 first-tour U.S. Army soldiers. Results of supervisor and peer ratings-path models showed ratee ability, knowledge, and proficiency accounted for 13% of the variance in supervisor performance ratings and 7% for the peer ratings. Among the interpersonal variables, ratee dependability had the strongest effect for both models. Ratee friendliness and likability had little effect on the performance ratings. Inclusion of the interpersonal factors increased the variance accounted for in the ratings to 28% and 19%, respectively. Discussion focuses on the relative contribution of ratee technical and contextual performance to raters' judgments

Training, Wage Growth and Job Performance: Evidence From a Company Database

Abstract: A unique dataset collected from the personnel records of a large company is used to study the relationship between on-the-job training and worker productivity. The analysis shows how information contained in a company database is useful for eliminating heterogeneity bias in the estimation of training's impact on wages and job performance. Even when selection bias in assignment to training programs is eliminated, training is found to have a positive and significant effect on both wage growth and the change in job performance scores, thereby confirming the robustness of the relationship between training and productivity.

Job stressors, job involvement and employee health: A test of identity theory

Abstract: Identity theory postulates that the psychological importance or salience of the job role may intensify relationships between job stressors and employee health. Therefore, this study tested the moderating influence of job involvement on the relationships of work pressure, lack of autonomy, and role ambiguity to depression, physical health, and heavy alcohol use. Data were obtained through household interviews with a randomly selected community sample of 795 employed adults. Moderator regression analyses provided limited support for the stress-exacerbating influence of job involvement. Of nine interactions tested, three were significant. Specifically, high levels of job involvement exacerbated the relationships between role ambiguity and physical health, role ambiguity and heavy alcohol use, and work pressure and heavy alcohol use. Implications for future research are discussed.

Organizational Politics, Justice, and Support: Managing the Social Climate of the Workplace

Abstract: Illustrations The Social Setting of Work Organizations: Politics, Justice, and Support by Russell Cropanzano, K. Michele Kacmar, and Dennis P. Bozeman Organizational Politics Political Fairness and Fair Politics: The Conceptual Integration of Divergent Constructs by Gerald R. Ferris, Dwight D. Frink, Terry A. Beehr, and David C. Gilmore Influences of Supervisor Behaviors on the Levels and Effects of Workplace Politics by L. Alan Witt How Politics Can Destructure Human Resources Management in the Interest of Empowerment, Support, and Justice by Robert L. Dipboye Organizational Justice Justice and Authority Relations in Organizations by E. Allan Lind Procedural Justice and Influence Tactics: Fairness, Frequency, and Effectiveness by Maureen L. Ambrose and Lynn K. Harland The Use and Abuse of Power: Justice as Social Control by Robert J. Bies and Thomas M. Tripp Organizational Support Perceived Organizational Support and Organizational Justice by Lynn McFarlane Shore and Ted H. Shore Total Quality Teams: How Organizational Politics and Support Impact the Effectiveness of Quality Improvement Teams by John C. Howes, Maryalice Citera, and Russell S. Cropanzano Procedural Justice and Perceived Organizational Support: Hypothesized Effects on Job Performance by Peter M. Fasolo References Index About the Contributors

The Quest for Justice on the Job: Essays and Experiments

Abstract: PART ONE: BACKGROUND: WHAT IS ORGANIZATIONAL JUSTICE? A Taxonomy of Organizational Justice Theories Organizational Justice Past, Present, and Future The Social Side of Justice in Organizations PART TWO: PERCEIVING FAIRNESS ON THE JOB: THE ROLE OF IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT How Do People Manage Impressions of Organizational Justice? Looking Fair on the Job Does It Really Matter? PART THREE: PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS: EVALUATING OTHERS FAIRLY What Makes a Performance Evaluation Fair? The Distributive Justice of Performance Evaluations The Procedural Justice of Performance Evaluations Using Diaries to Promote Fair Performance Appraisals PART FOUR: EMPLOYEE THEFT AND ACCEPTANCE OF A SMOKING BAN Employee Theft as a Reaction to Underpayment Inequity Interpersonal Deterrents to Employee Theft Promoting Acceptance of a Work Site Smoking Ban PART FIVE: MONETARY REWARDS: PAY FAIRNESS Comparable Worth Is It Fair? Reactions to Procedurally Unfair Payment PART SIX: NONMONETARY REWARDS: JOB TITLES AND THE WORK ENVIRONMENT Equity and Workplace Status Injustice and Cognitive Re-Evaluation of the Work Environment High-Status Job Titles as Compensation for Underpayment Epilogue Lessons Learned and Work to Be Done

The opportunity for friendship in the workplace: An underexplored construct

Abstract: This paper hypothesized and tested a theoretically-based model of the relationship between perceived friendship opportunities in the workplace and work-related outcomes. The empirical findings are based on the survey responses of 174 employees in a small electric utility. Results indicate that employees' perceptions of friendship opportunities in the workplace have direct effects on job involvement and job satisfaction, as well as indirect effects on organizational commitment and intention to turnover. Management implications of friendship opportunities and social features within the workplace are discussed.

From learning styles to learning skills: the executive skills profile

Abstract: Contends that a typology of skills based on a framework of learning styles and experiential learning theory, rather than a framework of job performance or some other personality construct, provides a language and guidance for assessment methods to describe knowledge at the performance level of adaptation. It requires development of the concept of learning skills which are: domainspecific and knowledge‐rich; descriptive of an integrated transaction between the person and the environment; and developed by practice. Reviews and reports data from numerous studies to establish the ESP′s reliability, relational validity, criterion validity and construct validity. The ESP can be used as a vehicle for providing personal and organizational feedback on skills, and expectations and intent regarding skills in jobs and development programmes.

A causal model to evaluate the relationships among supervision, role stress, organizational commitment and internal service quality

Abstract: Organizational research has shown that certain supervisory behaviours contribute to an environment conducive to superior job performance. Hypothesizes that supervision and role stress influence the internal service quality of an insurance salesforce through their impact on organizational commitment as an intervening variable. To test this theory, a causal model to evaluate exogenous latent variables and endogenous latent variables was fitted to data obtained from a sample of 140 insurance salespeople. Reveals that the organizational commitment of insurance salespeople exerts a strong, positive influence on their internal service quality, and establishes that organizational commitment is positively influenced by participation in decision making and negatively influenced by role conflict. Suggests that the management of an insurance salesforce can enhance internal service quality by creating a working environment where employees identify with the goals, objectives and values of their organization.

The impact of job performance evaluations on career advancement prospects: an examination of gender differences in the IS workplace

Abstract: Despite the significant demongraphic changes in the work force projected by the year 2000 and beyound, little empirical research has been made on the obstacles faced by women in the field of computing. Since career advancement prospects are especially salient for IS employees, and IS workers are considered a distinct occupational group, it is important to understand the career advancement prospects of IS employees. This study examines the impact of gender on job performance evaluations, job performance attributions and career advancement prospects. The results show that there are no signficant gender differences in job performance ratings; however, women are perceived to have less favorable chances for promotion than men. We found that job performance ratings play an important role in influencing an individual's chances for advancement. We also found that the effect of job performance on attributions is stronger among males than females. Additionally, we found that while the effect of job performance ratings on career advancement prospects is stronger among males, the effect of attributions of career advancement prospects is stronger among females. Suggestions regarding areas for future research are offered, and implications for human resource management are identified.

Previous Work Experience And Organizational Socialization: A Longitudinal Examination

Abstract: In an extension of research on organizational socialization, the relationship between previous work experience and the tasks and outcomes of the socialization process was examined using a longitudi...

Transformational leadership and job satisfaction.

Abstract: The relationship of head nurse leadership style to staff nurse job satisfaction was investigated using the leadership paradigm of transformational and transactional leadership. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire and the Index of Work Satisfaction were completed by 122 staff nurses employed throughout acute care community hospitals in many patient care areas. Correlations showed a significant positive relationship between those head nurses exhibiting a transformational leadership style and the job satisfaction of their staff nurses.