Showing papers on "Job performance published in 2018"

Optimus: an efficient dynamic resource scheduler for deep learning clusters

Abstract: Deep learning workloads are common in today's production clusters due to the proliferation of deep learning driven AI services (e.g., speech recognition, machine translation). A deep learning training job is resource-intensive and time-consuming. Efficient resource scheduling is the key to the maximal performance of a deep learning cluster. Existing cluster schedulers are largely not tailored to deep learning jobs, and typically specifying a fixed amount of resources for each job, prohibiting high resource efficiency and job performance. This paper proposes Optimus, a customized job scheduler for deep learning clusters, which minimizes job training time based on online resource-performance models. Optimus uses online fitting to predict model convergence during training, and sets up performance models to accurately estimate training speed as a function of allocated resources in each job. Based on the models, a simple yet effective method is designed and used for dynamically allocating resources and placing deep learning tasks to minimize job completion time. We implement Optimus on top of Kubernetes, a cluster manager for container orchestration, and experiment on a deep learning cluster with 7 CPU servers and 6 GPU servers, running 9 training jobs using the MXNet framework. Results show that Optimus outperforms representative cluster schedulers by about 139% and 63% in terms of job completion time and makespan, respectively.

Team Performance in the Operating Room

Abstract: This chapter discusses the multiple factors that influence the performance of the operating room teams of a European teaching hospital. Unlike most theaters in the United States, the operating facility in the European hospital is designed for processing multiple patients. Each theater is attached to two induction rooms. By gaining a better understanding of how medical teams perform, it may become possible to develop strategies to enhance team performance and hence to reduce the likelihood of error. Team composition is continually changing with consultants, for example, coming and going to discharge other duties. Data from research into flight crew behavior have guided the present investigation, including the derivation of a conceptual model of operating room behaviour. Overall, the observations suggest that many opportunities exist for improving the coordination and efficiency of operating room teams. There are two broad areas of intervention to increase team effectiveness—organizational change and training.

Excessive social media use at work: Exploring the effects of social media overload on job performance

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of excessive social media use on individual job performance and its exact mechanism. An extended stressor–strain–outcome research model is proposed to explain how excessive social media use at work influences individual job performance.,The research model was empirically tested with an online survey study of 230 working professionals who use social media in organizations.,The results revealed that excessive social media use was a determinant of three types of social media overload (i.e. information, communication and social overload). Information and communication overload were significant stressors that influence social media exhaustion, while social overload was not a significant predictor of exhaustion. Furthermore, social media exhaustion significantly reduces individual job performance.,Theory-driven investigation of the effects of excessive social media use on individual job performance is still relatively scarce, underscoring the need for theoretically-based research of excessive social media use at work. This paper enriches social media research by presenting an extended stressor–strain–outcome model to explore the exact mechanism of excessive use of social media at work, and identifying three components of social media-related overload, including information, communication and social overload. It is an initial attempt to systematically validate the casual relationships among excessive usage experience, overload, exhaustion and individual job performance based on the transactional theory of stress and coping.

Organizational Citizenship Behavior: Recent Trends and Developments

Abstract: For decades, the accepted view in organizational psychology was that job satisfaction and job performance were unrelated. However, recent years have found increasing evidence that satisfaction, while not strongly related to task productivity by individuals, is more closely related to a different kind of contribution, which is referred to as organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Furthermore, research in the past two decades has enriched the theoretical and empirical knowledge base of OCB, examining its relationship to culture, attitudes, personality, mood state, stress, and organizational performance.

Testing a dynamic model of the impact of psychological capital on work engagement and job performance

Abstract: Purpose Psychological Capital (PsyCap), consisting of hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism, is a positive state associated with attitudes, behaviors and performance. The purpose of this paper is to investigate a dynamic mediational model posing work engagement as the mediator of the longitudinal relation between PsyCap and job performance. Design/methodology/approach Data came from all white collar employees who responded to this study’s variables (n=420) from a comprehensive data set drawn from a large communications service company over two consecutive years. Job performance was rated at the end of each year by the direct supervisor as part of the organizational appraisal system. Findings Structural equation modeling analysis found that both absolute levels and increases in PsyCap predicted subsequent work engagement increases which in turn predicted job performance increases. Moreover, the mediating role of the changes in work engagement between previous PsyCap and performance change was confirmed over time. Research limitations/implications There is much to gain in conceptualizing the relations among PsyCap, work engagement and job performance as dynamic, rather than static. The results support the conservation of resources theory, in which employees are motivated to acquire, protect and foster their valued (psychological) resources to attain successful performance outcomes, in order to create a gain cycle of resources (Salanova et al., 2010). Moreover, it provide further empirical validation for the idea that processes, like work engagement, are sustained by personal resources, and that these latter exerts mostly an indirect effect on organizational behavior outcomes (Xanthopoulou et al., 2009b). Practical implications These results are important from a practical point of view, because they point to the importance of training interventions aimed at developing and sustaining PsyCap as an important determinant of workers’ motivation and behavior within the organization. Considerable literature offers practical insights and guidelines for developing PsyCap (Luthans et al., 2006, 2015; Luthans and Youssef-Morgan, 2017). Originality/value Despite the demonstrated state-like, dynamic nature of PsyCap, its relationship with performance has mainly been statically analyzed and the role of possible mediating mechanisms largely ignored. This study begins to fill this research gap by investigating the dynamic nature of PsyCap in relation to work engagement and job performance and whether over time engagement mediates the relationship between PsyCap and job performance.

Work as a calling: A theoretical model.

Abstract: Perceiving work as a calling has been positioned as a key pathway to enhancing work-related well-being. However, no formal theory exists attempting to explain predictors and outcomes of living a calling at work. To address this important gap, this article introduces a theoretical, empirically testable model of work as a calling - the Work as Calling Theory (WCT) - that is suitable for the contemporary world of work. Drawing from research and theory in counseling, vocational, multicultural, and industrial-organizational psychology, as well as dozens of quantitative and qualitative studies on calling, the WCT is presented in three parts: (a) predictors of living a calling, (b) variables that moderate and mediate the relation of perceiving a calling to living a calling, and (c) positive (job satisfaction, job performance) and potentially negative (burnout, workaholism, exploitation) outcomes that result from living a calling. Finally, practical implications are suggested for counselors and managers, who respectively may seek to help clients and employees live a calling. (PsycINFO Database Record

No employee an island: workplace loneliness and job performance

Abstract: This research investigates the link between workplace loneliness and job performance Integrating the regulatory loop model of loneliness and the affect theory of social exchange, we develop a mode

The effects of employee engagement and self-efficacy on job performance: a longitudinal field study

Abstract: Self-efficacy’s influence on individual job performance has been well documented in laboratory studies. However, there have been very few rigorous field studies of self-efficacy’s relationship with objectively measured individual job performance in organizational settings. This research history might account for the low take-up of self-efficacy within the business literature as well as within business itself. When it comes to studies of employee engagement, the same lack of rigorous individual studies applies, although several organizational-level studies link employee engagement to organizational performance, while its claimed benefits have been widely discussed in the business literature. Finally, the degree to which employee engagement and self-efficacy have independent and additive effects on individual-level job performance remains unknown. In order to address these issues, a longitudinal field study was undertaken within an Australian financial services firm. Using survey data linked to obje...

Can sleep quality and burnout affect the job performance of shift‐work nurses? A hospital cross‐sectional study

Abstract: Aim The aim of this study was to investigate any possible relationship between sleep disorders, burnout and job performance in a shift-work population of nurses. Background Sleep disorders and burnout can affect the job performance of nurses in terms of efficiency, productivity, task execution speed and supervision, which can be compromised when work shifts are organized on a 24-hour schedule and when the shift itself is irregular. Design A cross-sectional observational study was conducted from August 2014 - January 2015 on a sample of 315 shift-work nurses across 39 wards in seven central Italian hospitals. Methods The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index was used to detect the presence of sleep disorders, the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory was used to detect the presence of any possible type of burnout and the Job Performance Scale was used to measure job performance. Data analysis was mainly based on a multivariate logistic regression to identify variables significantly associated with investigated outcomes. Results On shift-work nurses' sleep quality and burnout correlated positively. The female gender and personal burnout were significantly associated with impaired sleep quality, while working in the psychiatric setting, working a long cycle shift pattern and experiencing daytime dysfunction were significantly associated with burnout. A significant negative association between patient-related burnout and job performance was observed. Conclusion Specific characteristics of shift-work nurses can directly affect sleep quality and burnout and indirectly job performance. This evidence offers healthcare administrators opportunities to intervene with measures to promote nurse's health, well-being and safety.

Occupational Well-being Among University Faculty: A Job Demands-Resources Model

Abstract: The effects of changing academic environments on faculty well-being have attracted considerable research attention. However, few studies have examined the multifaceted relationships between the academic work environment and the multiple dimensions of faculty well-being using a comprehensive theoretical framework. To address this gap, this study implemented the Job Demands-Resources (JDR) model to investigate how job demands/resources in the academic environment interact with multiple dimensions of faculty well-being. The study participants were 1389 full-time faculty members employed in public universities in the Czech Republic. The participants completed a questionnaire assessing perceived job resources (influence over work, support from supervisor and colleagues), job demands (quantitative demands, work-family conflicts and job insecurity) and three dimensions of faculty well-being (job satisfaction, stress and work engagement). A structural equation model was used to test the effects of “dual processes” hypothesized by the JDR theory, i.e., the existence of two relatively independent paths between job demands/resources and positive/negative aspects of faculty well-being. The model showed a very good fit to our data and explained 60% of the variance in faculty job satisfaction, 46%, in stress and 20% in work engagement. The results provide evidence for the dual processes, including the “motivational process” (i.e., job resources were related predominantly to work engagement and job satisfaction) and the “health impairment process” (i.e., job demands were predominantly associated with stress, mostly through work-family conflict). The study expands current research on faculty well-being by demonstrating the complex, non-linear relationships between academic work environments and different dimensions of faculty well-being.

Understanding the dark and bright sides of anxiety: A theory of workplace anxiety.

Abstract: Researchers have uncovered inconsistent relations between anxiety and performance. Although the prominent view is a "dark side," where anxiety has a negative relation with performance, a "bright side" of anxiety has also been suggested. We reconcile past findings by presenting a comprehensive multilevel, multiprocess model of workplace anxiety called the theory of workplace anxiety (TWA). This model highlights the processes and conditions through which workplace anxiety may lead to debilitative and facilitative job performance and includes 19 theoretical propositions. Drawing on past theories of anxiety, resource depletion, cognitive-motivational processing, and performance, we uncover the debilitative and facilitative nature of dispositional and situational workplace anxiety by positioning emotional exhaustion, self-regulatory processing, and cognitive interference as distinct contrasting processes underlying the relationship between workplace anxiety and job performance. Extending our theoretical model, we pinpoint motivation, ability, and emotional intelligence as critical conditions that shape when workplace anxiety will debilitate and facilitate job performance. We also identify the unique employee, job, and situational characteristics that serve as antecedents of dispositional and situational workplace anxiety. The TWA offers a nuanced perspective on workplace anxiety and serves as a foundation for future work. (PsycINFO Database Record

Daily micro-breaks and job performance: General work engagement as a cross-level moderator.

Abstract: Despite the growing research on work recovery and its well-being outcomes, surprisingly little attention has been paid to at-work recovery and its job performance outcomes. The current study extends the work recovery literature by examining day-level relationships between prototypical microbreaks and job performance as mediated by state positive affect. Furthermore, general work engagement is tested as a cross-level moderator weakening the indirect effects of microbreaks on job performance via positive affect. Using multisource experience sampling method, the authors collected two daily surveys from 71 call center employees and obtained objective records of daily sales performance for two consecutive weeks (n = 632). Multilevel path analysis results showed that relaxation, socialization, and cognitive microbreaks were related to increased positive affect at work which, in turn, predicted greater sales performance. However, breaks for nutrition-intake (having snacks and drinks) did not show significant effects. Importantly, microbreaks had significant indirect effects on job performance via positive affect only for workers who had lower general work engagement, whereas the indirect effects did not exist for workers who had higher general work engagement. Furthermore, Bayesian multilevel analyses confirmed the results. Theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and future research directions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record

Organizational motivation, employee job satisfaction and organizational performance: An empirical study of container shipping companies in Taiwan

Abstract: Purpose The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of motivation on job satisfaction and organizational performance in the context of container shipping companies in Taiwan. Four motivation dimensions were identified based on an exploratory factor analysis, including remuneration, job achievement, job security and job environment. In addition, five job satisfaction dimensions were identified, namely: job policy, job autonomy, job workload, job performance and job status. Organizational performance dimensions included financial and non-financial performance. Design/methodology/approach Factor analysis was used to summarize a large number of motivation, job satisfaction and organizational performance attributes to identify the crucial factors. Reliability tests based on Cronbach’s alpha and corrected item-total correlation coefficients was used to test the internal consistency of questionnaire responses. ANOVA tests were subsequently used to test for differences in respondents’ perception of these factors according to selected demographics. Finally, a multiple regression model analysis was conducted to examine the relationships between motivation, job satisfaction and organizational performance. Findings Results indicated that remuneration and job performance had a positive effect on financial performance dimensions such as return on assets, turnover growth rate and profitability while job environment and job autonomy had a positive effect on non-financial performance dimensions, such as customer service, employee productivity and service quality. Originality/value This study has drawn attention to the importance of the relationships between motivation, job satisfaction and organizational performance in the container shipping context. The findings have significant implications for researchers and shipping practitioners. Despite the existence of research on the inter-relationships between motivation, job satisfaction and organizational performance in other disciplines, no empirical study was discussed in previous shipping or transportation-related research.

HR practices and employee performance: the mediating role of well-being

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to examine the associations between the skill-, motivation- and opportunity-enhancing dimensions of human resource (HR) practices and in-role and innovative job performance. Furthermore, it considers the mediating effects of psychological, physical and social employee well-being on these associations.,Structural equation modeling was utilized to analyze multi-source survey data from a sample of 300 employees and 34 immediate supervisors in a professional service company in Finland.,The results indicate that whereas physical and social employee well-being partially mediate the association between skill- and opportunity-enhancing HR practices and in-role job performance, psychological employee well-being partially mediates the association between motivation-enhancing HR practices and innovative job performance.,Given its cross-sectional nature, the authors cannot completely exclude the possibility of common method bias influencing the study results. The authors thus call for longitudinal research to examine the nature of causality within the associations analyzed in the study.,This study does not support the notion of trade-offs between HR practices, employee well-being and employee performance. Instead, it illustrates that even though different dimensions of HR practices enhance different dimensions of employee well-being, which, in turn, increase different types of employee performance, the different dimensions of HR practices work in the same direction and do not generate any unintended consequences in terms of reduced employee physical well-being.

Determinants of job satisfaction and performance of seafarers

Abstract: The ability to motivate and retain seafarers is a critical manpower issue in view of global labour shortage and high turnover rate among seafarers. The objective of this paper is to analyse the core determinants of job satisfaction and performance of seafarers. A survey was administered on 116 seafaring officers and the obtained data were analysed using structural equation modelling. The results show that job satisfaction is considerably correlated with job performance of seafarers. In addition, the amount of stress associated with working onboard a ship and attractiveness of rewards are key determinants of job satisfaction. The dispositions of seafarers and appeal of the job design also have considerable impacts on job satisfaction. Based on literature review and post-survey interviews, a management model consisting of policies and strategies to motivate and retain seafarers is proposed.

Work motivation and public service motivation: disentangling varieties of motivation and job satisfaction

Abstract: Research on motivation in the public sector has used public service motivation (PSM) and self-determination theory (SDT) interchangeably. This paper compares both theories, develops hypotheses pertaining to their assumptions, and empirically tests them in two public offices in Switzerland. We then explore their relationship with job satisfaction as an indicator of predictive validity. We find that SDT and PSM display conceptual differentiation and SDT has a strongest relationship to job satisfaction. However, moderation analysis suggests that employees with high levels of PSM have more stable job satisfaction compared to their low-PSM counterparts.

Transitioning Towards New Ways of Working: Do Job Demands, Job Resources, Burnout, and Engagement Change?:

Abstract: PurposeThe purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a mandatory transition to New Ways of Working (NWW) on employees’ job demands (i.e., mental demands, workload, and task ambiguity), job resources (i.e., autonomy, supervisor support, coworker support, and possibilities for development), and their levels of burnout and work engagement. Additionally, it was investigated whether the effects of the transition depended on employees’ personal resources (Psychological Capital—PsyCap).Design/methodology/approachWe investigated an organization in transition. In three waves (one before and two after the transition), data were collected via online surveys among 126 employees of a large Dutch provider of financial services.FindingsNWW were beneficial in reducing mental demands and workload and did not harm the relationships with supervisor and coworkers. However, autonomy and possibilities for professional development decreased. Burnout and work engagement remained stable over time. The effects of the...

Job Satisfaction, Quality of Work Life and Work Motivation in Employees with Intellectual Disability: A Systematic Review

Abstract: Background Current research on employment options for people with Intellectual Disability emphasizes the importance of employee needs and satisfaction. The study aims at systematically reviewing the literature on job satisfaction and related constructs. Methods A systematic literature search was conducted. Studies were included if (i) they are specific to effects of work, (ii) assessed variables are related to job satisfaction, QoWL, attitudes towards work or work motivation and if (iii) studies reported intellectual disability-specific results. Twenty-three studies met the inclusion criteria. Findings were classified according to the socio-cognitive model of job satisfaction. Results Current literature suggests high job satisfaction in people with intellectual disability. Predictors of job satisfaction are similar to people without disabilities, albeit the importance of factors differs. Conclusions Stronger consideration of well-established theories and measures from organizational psychology would enhance future research. Findings indicate that high satisfaction ratings might result from lack of control over vocational decisions.

Autonomy, workload, work-life balance, and job performance among teachers

Abstract: The purpose of this research is to examine the relationship between autonomy, workload and work-life balance on job performance among secondary school teachers in Alor Setar, Kedah. A total of 302 teachers are participated in the study. Regression analyses were used to test the hypotheses. Based on the explanatory factor analysis result, the independent variables for autonomy are control over methods, control at work and control over timing, workload and Work Personal Life Enhancement (WPLE) and Work Interference with Personal Life (WIPL) for worklife balance while dependent variables are sportsmanship, task performance, courtesy, altruism and conscientiousness. The results showed that control over methods of autonomy was found to have a positive relationship with task performance, altruism and conscientiousness of job performance. Control at work reportedly has significant relationship with courtesy but negatively with sportsmanship of job performance while control over timing had significant but negative relation with sportsmanship, courtesy and conscientiousness. Moreover, it was found that workload also has a positive relationship with task performance and courtesy. Further, for work-life balance dimension, Work Interference with personal life (WIPL) found out to have significant but negative relationship with sportsmanship of job performance while Work Personal Life Enhancement (WPLE) have significant relationship with three out of five job performance dimension which is courtesy, altruism and conscientiousness. Limitations of the study, suggestions for future research, theoretical and practical implication were also highlighted