Pink triangles: Antecedents and consequences of perceived workplace discrimination against gay and lesbian employees.

A model of perceived sexual orientation discrimination was tested in a national sample of 534 gay and lesbian employees. The effects of legislation, organizational policies and practices, and work group composition on perceived sexual orientation discrimination were examined, as well as the attitudinal and organizational outcomes associated with discrimination. Gay employees were more likely to report discrimination when employed in groups that were primarily heterosexual and in organizations that lacked supportive policies and were not covered by protective legislation. Disclosure of sexual orientation at work was related to discrimination and antecedent variables. Perceived discrimination was associated with negative work attitudes and fewer promotions. Organizational policies and practices had the strongest impact on perceived discrimination and were directly related to outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Unlocking the black box: Exploring the link between high-performance work systems and performance.

With a growing body of literature linking systems of high-performance work practices to organizational performance outcomes, recent research has pushed for examinations of the underlying mechanisms that enable this connection. In this study, based on a large sample of Welsh public-sector employees, we explored the role of several individual-level attitudinal factors—job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and psychological empowerment—as well as organizational citizenship behaviors that have the potential to provide insights into how human resource systems influence the performance of organizational units. The results support a unit-level path model, such that department-level, high-performance work system utilization is associated with enhanced levels of job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and psychological empowerment. In turn, these attitudinal variables were found to be positively linked to enhanced organizational citizenship behaviors, which are further related to a second-order construct measuring departmental performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Newcomer adjustment during organizational socialization: A meta-analytic review of antecedents, outcomes, and methods.

The authors tested a model of antecedents and outcomes of newcomer adjustment using 70 unique samples of newcomers with meta-analytic and path modeling techniques. Specifically, they proposed and tested a model in which adjustment (role clarity, self-efficacy, and social acceptance) mediated the effects of organizational socialization tactics and information seeking on socialization outcomes (job satisfaction, organizational commitment, job performance, intentions to remain, and turnover). The results generally supported this model. In addition, the authors examined the moderating effects of methodology on these relationships by coding for 3 methodological issues: data collection type (longitudinal vs. cross-sectional), sample characteristics (school-to-work vs. work-to-work transitions), and measurement of the antecedents (facet vs. composite measurement). Discussion focuses on the implications of the findings and suggestions for future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Motivating protégés' personal learning in teams: A multilevel investigation of autonomy support and autonomy orientation.

This study examined the roles of 3 multilevel motivational predictors in protégés' personal learning in teams: an autonomy-supportive team climate, mentors' autonomy support, and protégés' autonomy orientation. The authors followed 305 protégés in 58 teams for 12 weeks and found that all 3 predictors were positively related to the protégés' personal learning in teams and that an autonomy-supportive team climate augmented the effects of mentors' autonomy support and protégés' autonomy orientation on protégés' personal learning in teams. Protégés' personal learning in teams mediated the interactive effects of an autonomy-supportive team climate with mentors' autonomy support or protégés' autonomy orientation on protégés' behavioral and attitudinal outcomes, including their organizational citizenship behaviors and job involvement. The findings of this study provide business researchers and practitioners with valuable insights into the management of autonomy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toward an Understanding of the Relationships Among Organizational Change, Individual Differences, and Changes in Person-Environment Fit: A Cross-Level Study.

Organizational behavior literature has not typically viewed person-environment (P-E) fit as an outcome of change. Whereas the study of antecedents to employees' fit with their work environment has largely been restricted to the selection and socialization of newcomers, this study examines individuals' perceptions of changes in P-E fit in relation to organizational changes occurring in 34 different organizational work units. Results suggest that the relationships between organizational change and perceived changes in fit are best understood as interactions between the characteristics of the change process, the extent of change, and individual differences. Both age and mastery orientation related to perceived changes in P-E fit through interactions with aspects of the change process. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluation of an organizational stress management program in a municipal public works organization.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of employee participation in an organizational stress management program consisting of several interventions aiming to improve psychosocial work environment and well-being. Pre- and postintervention questionnaires were used to measure the outcomes with a 2-year interval. This article describes the background of the program, results of previously published effect studies, and a qualitative evaluation of the program. The authors also tested the effects of level of participation in all interventions among the employees of the service production units by 2 (time) × 3 (group) repeated measures ANOVAs (n = 625). "Active participation" (more than 5.5 days) had a positive effect on feedback from supervisor and flow of information. Work climate remained on a permanent level while it decreased in the categories of moderate and nonparticipation. The level of participation did not improve individual well-being or other aspects of psychosocial work environment as postulated by the work stress models. The qualitative evaluation and practical conclusions drawn by the management of the Organization provided a positive impression of the impact of the program. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Considering Rational Self-Interest as a Disposition: Organizational Implications of Other Orientation.

In contrast with major theories of attitudes and behavior, the authors propose that individuals are not equally motivated to pursue their self-interests. The authors show that differences in other orientation affect the extent to which actions and attitudes reflect self-interested calculation (instrumental rationality) and the extent to which beliefs represent their external environment (epistemic rationality). These differences have consequences for processes underlying a wide range of attitudes and behavior typically assumed to be rationally self-interested. Thus, the authors' model exposes a common explanation for diverse organizational phenomena. It also clarifies inconsistencies surrounding the validity of certain attitudinal and motivational models, the relationship between job attitudes and actions, cross-cultural differences in attitudes and behavior, escalation of commitment, and the relationship between chief executive officer characteristics and organizational performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

From autonomy to creativity: A multilevel investigation of the mediating role of harmonious passion.

Building on self-determination theory, we theorized about and demonstrated, through 2 multilevel field studies, the pivotal role of harmonious passion in translating organizational autonomy support and individual autonomy orientation into job creativity. Results based on 3-level data from 856 members in 111 teams within 23 work units of a porous metal company (Study 1) and from 525 employees in 98 teams of 18 branches of a large commercial bank (Study 2) revealed 2 major findings. First, organizational autonomy support from a higher organizational level (unit or branch) compensated for the effect of autonomy support from a lower organizational level (team) or individual autonomy orientation on employees' harmonious passion. Second, harmonious passion mediated the interactive effects of unit (branch) autonomy support and team member autonomy orientation, of team autonomy support and team member autonomy orientation, and of unit (branch) autonomy support and team autonomy support on individual creativity. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings in the organizational context. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Justice at the millennium: A meta-analytic review of 25 years of organizational justice research.

The field of organizational justice continues to he marked by several important research questions, including the size of relationships among justice dimensions, the relative importance of different justice criteria, and the unique effects of justice dimensions on key outcomes. To address such questions, the authors conducted a meta-analytic review of 183 justice studies. The results suggest that although different justice dimensions are moderately to highly related, they contribute incremental variance explained in fairness perceptions. The results also illustrate the overall and unique relationships among distributive, procedural, interpersonal, and informational justice and several organizational outcomes (e.g., job satisfaction, organizational commitment, evaluation of authority, organizational citizenship behavior, withdrawal, performance). These findings are reviewed in terms of their implications for future research on organizational justice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Justice as a dynamic construct: Effects of individual trajectories on distal work outcomes.

Despite an amassing organizational justice literature, few studies have directly addressed the temporal patterning of justice judgments and the effects that changes in these perceptions have on important work outcomes. Drawing from Gestalt characteristics theory (Ariely & Carmon, 2000, 2003), we examine the concept of justice trajectories (i.e., levels and trends of individual fairness perceptions over time) and offer empirical evidence to highlight the value of considering fairness within a dynamic context. Participants included 523 working adults who completed surveys about their work experiences on 4 occasions over the course of 1 year. Results indicate that justice trends explained additional variance in distal work outcomes (job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and turnover intentions) after controlling for end-state levels of justice, demonstrating the cumulative effects of justice over time. Findings also reveal that change in procedural justice perceptions affected distal work outcomes more strongly than any other justice dimension. Implications for theory and future investigations of justice as a dynamic construct are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Organizational wellness programs: A meta-analysis.

Organizational wellness programs are on or off-site services sponsored by organizations which attempt to promote good health or to identify and correct potential health related problems (Wolfe, Parker, & Napier, 1994). The authors conducted a meta-analysis on studies that examined the effects of participation in an organizational wellness program (fitness or comprehensive) on absenteeism and job satisfaction. The results revealed that participation in an organizational wellness program was associated with decreased absenteeism and increased job satisfaction. The type of wellness program (fitness only or comprehensive) and the methodological rigor of the primary studies were examined as moderators; however, no moderating effects were found. These results provide some empirical support for the effectiveness of organizational wellness programs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitudinal and motivational antecedents of participation in voluntary employee development activities.

This study investigated factors influencing ongoing participation in employee development activities. A multiple-indicator structural equation model building on the theory of planned behavior and prior employee development literature was tested with a survey across 4 organizations on 2 occasions. The model uses reactions to past participation and past supportiveness of the social and organizational environment as indirect antecedents of participation, filtered through their impact on attitudes and behavioral intentions toward future participation. Learning goal orientation also influenced attitudes toward participation. Whereas personal control over participation and higher levels of voluntariness were negatively related to participation, intentions to participate and availability of opportunities arose as strong predictors of higher participation rates. Many significant hypothesized paths were found, and 85% of the variance in participation was explained by the model variables. Increasing employee awareness of opportunities and managing positive attitudes toward those opportunities are recommended as key factors for increasing participation rates. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Organizational and cultural entry: A new type of orientation program for multiple boundary crossings.

A longitudinal field experiment was designed to test the efficacy of a new type of orientation program in facilitating sojourners' organizational and cultural entry. Focused on stress coping, this new approach to orientation has the following features: (a) a thorough needs assessment identified the major stressors from both organizational and cultural entry, (b) sojourners were provided with realistic information regarding their future tasks and environment, and (c) sojourners were taught various coping skills to handle the major stressors. Seventy-two new graduate students from Asia entering a large midwestern public university in the United States were randomly assigned to either a traditional orientation program or the new program. The participants were assessed immediately after the orientation, as well as at 1, 3, 6, and 9 months post-entry. Results show that participants in the new orientation program had lower pre-entry expectations, felt less stressed, and reported higher levels of academic and interaction adjustment at 6 and 9 months post-entry than participants in the traditional orientation program. Many of the beneficial effects from the new orientation experience were not immediately apparent; rather, they emerged over time. Sojourner stress was found to mediate some of the treatment effects, as predicted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Paying you back or paying me forward: Understanding rewarded and unrewarded organizational citizenship behavior.

The definition of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) has evolved from one in which the behavior is unrewarded to one in which rewards play a significant role. As a result, little is known about mechanisms that sustain unrewarded OCB. We used the theory of other orientation to examine 2 mechanisms based on the norm of reciprocity: the obligation to reciprocate the benefits already received from another (“paying you back”) and the expected reciprocity that one’s actions will stimulate future benefits from another (“paying me forward”). We propose that these mechanisms are more or less influential depending on one’s motivational orientation. In 3 experiments using both trait and state indicators of other orientation, we found that the prosocial behavior of individuals higher in other orientation was more strongly influenced by the obligation to reciprocate and less affected by the expectation of reciprocity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Organizational socialization: Its content and consequences.

Content dimensions of the socialization domain were defined to determine relationships between learning particular features of a job/organization and the process and outcomes of socialization. Six socialization dimensions (performance proficiency, politics, language, people, organizational goals/values, and history) were supported by a factor analysis on data from 594 full-time professionals. The socialization process was then examined by comparing 3 groups of respondents who did not change jobs, changed jobs within the organization, or changed jobs and organizations. Results showed these groups had significantly different response patterns on all dimensions. Finally, relationships between socialization content and career outcomes showed the dimensions accounted for more variance in all criteria than typical tenure operationalizations of socialization. Furthermore, socialization changes were significantly related to changes in career outcomes for 1-, 2-, and 3-yr time intervals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A longitudinal investigation of newcomer expectations, early socialization outcomes, and the moderating effects of role development factors.

This longitudinal study examined hypothesized moderating effects of role development on the link between unmet expectations and socialization outcomes. Data were collected from 248 new hires before organizational entry and at an average of 4 weeks after entry. Three role expectations, conflict, clarity, and acceptance, were measured at both data collections. Two role development constructs, leader-member exchange (LMX) and team-member exchange (TMX), and three socialization outcomes, organizational commitment, turnover intention, and job satisfaction, were measured after entry. Results showed that met expectations, LMX, and TMX were significant predictors of all outcomes. In addition, LMX and TMX significantly moderated several relationships, such that favorable role development relationships with supervisors or work groups ameliorated the negative effects of unmet expectations. Research and applied implications are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Longitudinal effects of lean production on employee outcomes and the mediating role of work characteristics.

The author discusses results from a 3 year quasi-experimental field study (N=368), which suggest negative effects on employee outcomes after the implementation of 3 lean production practices: lean teams, assembly lines, and workflow formalization. Employees in all lean production groups were negatively affected, but those in assembly lines fared the worst, with reduced organizational commitment and role breadth self-efficacy and increased job depression. A nonequivalent control group had no negative changes in outcomes. Mediational analyses showed that the negative effects of lean production were at least partly attributable to declines in perceived work characteristics (job autonomy, skill utilization, and participation in decision making). The study also shows the longitudinal effects of these work characteristics on psychological outcomes. Implications for lean production, work design, and employee well-being are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Disentangling achievement orientation and goal setting: Effects on self-regulatory processes.

H. Heckhausen and J. Kuhl's (1985) goal typology provided the conceptual foundation for this research, which examined the independent and integrated effects of achievement orientation and goal-setting approaches on trainees' self-regulatory activity. Using a complex computer-based simulation, the authors examined the effects of 3 training design factors--goal frame, goal content, and goal proximity--cutting across these 2 theoretical domains on the nature, focus, and quality of the self-regulatory activities of 524 trainees. Results revealed that all 3 factors had a significant influence on self-regulation, with goal content exhibiting the greatest influence. In line with expectations, congruent learning frame and content compared with congruent performance frame and content was beneficial for trainees' self-regulatory activity, incongruent combinations of goal frame and content were better than congruent performance frames and content, and effects for the incongruent combinations cutting across the domains were asymmetrical. Theoretical extensions for further disentangling these distinct domains and training design implications are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

When leaders harass: The impact of target perceptions of organizational leadership and climate on harassment reporting and outcomes.

Using cases of harassment by leaders, the authors examined the effects of target perceptions of leader responses to sexual harassment and whether leader implementation of harassment policies made a difference beyond the impact of the policies themselves. Results showed that women who perceived that leaders made honest efforts to stop harassment felt significantly freer to report harassment, were more satisfied with the complaint process, and reported greater commitment than did those viewing leaders as more harassment tolerant. Different leadership levels had different effects, with hierarchically proximal leaders generally having the greatest impact. Leadership mediated the relationship between organizational policy and outcomes, supporting the view that a key role for leaders is establishing an ethical organizational climate that reinforces formal harassment policies through actions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multicultural organizational consultation: A social justice perspective.

Multicultural organizational consultation (MOC) possesses a strong social justice component because it is directed toward removing barriers to equal access and opportunity in organizations. As such, it often challenges the power and privilege of organizational policies and practices that oppress marginalized groups and perpetuate disparities. Four important characteristics of MOC are discussed: (a) the need for a conceptual framework of multicultural organizational development, especially how standard operating procedures (programs, policies, and practices) may enhance or impede diversity initiatives; (b) confronting the sociopolitical systems of power and privilege inherent in organizations; (c) the consultant's ability to understand his or her own worldview in relation to other diverse worldviews related to race, gender, sexual orientation, and other sociodemographic dimensions; and (e) integrating roles and tasks in facilitating difficult dialogues on race, gender, and sexual orientation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)