Development of an SVIB key for selecting managers.

SVIB items related to a global managerial effectiveness criterion were identified and cross validated on 461 managers from 13 varied Minnesota-based companies. A unit-weighted key composed of 57 items correlated .33 with the criterion on a holdout sample. Items which held up well in both the development and cross-validation groups are interpreted and distinctions between interest patterns of "more" and "less effective" managers are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Motivational potential for upgrading among minority and female managers.

Made comparisons between the motivation to manage scores of 75 White male, 36 White female, and 23 minority male (mostly Black) managers on the standard Miner Sentence Completion Scale and a special, situation-specific version. These managers were predominantly at the 1st level and worked for a major automobile manufacturing company in a variety of locations and organizational functions. Results indicate higher motivation to manage scores among minority males but reveal no differences between the scores of White males and White females. Additional analyses provided no support for the view that the higher scores of the minority males might be a consequence of discrimination. The data suggest that minority males might provide a major source of potential talent for upgrading into middle-management levels and above and yield no support for the hypothesis that White female managerial potential for upgrading is less than that of White male managers. Implications for compliance with US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission regulations and for remedying managerial talent shortages are discussed. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An approach to an objective criterion for research managers.

Traditional clinical rating practices for evaluating research-manager performance are mainly subjective and fail to objectively quantify performance. This research shows that quantification is possible using operation-research techniques for group-centered evaluation. The technique was tested by evaluating manager performance in 4 dissimilar departments averaging 19 professional men each. An upper-management executive supplied comparative clinical ratings. A mathematical model provided a framework permitting objective study of each department's contribution in relation to company goals. The technique has exceptional analytical qualities and permits convenient quantification of research-manager performance. The results suggest that the validity of the clinical, subjective approach to management evaluation should be questioned. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Leadership functions of middle managers.

Compares the roles and functions of middle managers to those of 1st-level supervisors and higher managers. Theory, training practices, and empirical studies disagree on the part the middle manager plays in large organizations. Recent evidence suggests that there are important differences in the functions of 1st- and 2nd-level managers and that the effect of the 2nd- or 3rd-level manager on morale and performance has been underrated. The most successful supervisor at the 1st level may not be highly successful at the 2nd level of management. The literature suggests a shift in research emphasis from the group to the organization as the unit of analysis, and from the study of managerial personality to the study of managerial functions as a means of identifying at each organizational level the combination of leadership and situational factors conducive to organizational performance. (3 p. ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Some pitfalls in psychological theorizing.

"The purpose of this paper is to draw attention to certain examples of confusing psychological statements. These could be classified as involving circularity, lack of parsimony, and indefinite regress. It is hoped that pointing to these examples will lead to their avoidance… . Explanations must lie outside of the thing explained… . It seems to us that, before we invoke a new term, we are obligated to consider whether we are adding unnecessarily to an already unparsimonious state of affairs… . The mere fact that one uses a new term implies that there is a difference, and it seems to us this carries with it the obligation to make the difference explicit. What is particularly unfortunate is the fact that failure to do so is often associated with a disregard for the work of others on essentially the same problem… . A greater regard for parsimony would probably lead to unification rather than fragmentation of research findings." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Legal issues for nurse managers

In addition to their leadership responsibilities, nurse managers must have a solid understanding of current legal trends as they relate to patient care and staff. An overview is given on links between morality, ethics, and law; legal issues related to patient falls, documentation and physician communication; and legal issues related to managing of human resources.     

Ethical considerations for the peace activist psychotherapist.

Discusses clinical and ethical issues raised by the stance of A. Nelson (see record 1986-11569-001) in his consideration of awareness and "response ability" in the nuclear age. Dangers of overzealousness, the temptation to apply the awareness paradigm too broadly, the potential harmful effect of heightened awareness, and the threat to professional neutrality are outlined. Four points are offered regarding the beliefs and ethical responsibilities of citizens who are psychologists. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ethical challenges for psychologists conducting humanitarian work.

This article describes the ethical challenges that psychologists face when doing international humanitarian aid work. It is based on personal experience and uses the framework of the Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists to reflect on the unique challenges when doing such work. The article is organized around themes of ethical challenges under the following headings: limitation of resources, local political pressure, local cultural and social realities, challenges to confidentiality, problems in obtaining consent, sequelae of colonial history, individual versus population interests, and tolerance of differences in standards. Examples illustrate these points. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

AIDS: Ethical implications for psychological intervention.

Examines the ethical issues facing psychologists working with people who are infected with AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) and individuals in high-risk groups. Duty to treat is examined with a consideration of homophobia and biases about intravenous drug users. Confidentiality is discussed in the context of record keeping, in cases of conflict with duty to warn, and in cases of suicide. Psychologists are urged to consider possible ethical dilemmas before they arise, to ensure that the best decisions are made. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behind closed doors: Pithy management in-service for case managers.

Presents an April Fool's parody of the first half-day of an in-service program on empowerment for case managers (CMs) vis-a-vis mental health care providers. The in-service training employs pithy management theory and techniques. Basic principles for CMs include setting limits, providing direction; commenting on process, interpreting resistance, and providing personal guidance. A self-affirming, guided imagery exercise is included for developing a positive attitude on a daily basis. Examples are given of relaxed, empowered CMs operating in the styles of Ernestine the Operator, Ernest Hemingway, and Monty Python's Guard. Sample memos to therapists illustrate the application of pithy techniques. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ethical issues: I. Therapy experiences for students.

In the 1st of a series of articles about ethical issues that have been submitted to the Committee of Ethics of the Canadian Psychological Association, issues with regard to the appropriateness of courses in group process that involve encounter/self-disclosure processes are discussed. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nationality and espoused values of managers.

372 24-45 yr old middle-level managers from 40 nationalities who attended resident management development programs in Lausanne, Switzerland, scored their espoused values on 2 paper-and-pencil values tests, L. V. Gordon's Surveys of Personal and of Interpersonal Values. All used the English language form. Scores differentiated meaningfully by the age group of respondents. For the 15 nationalities represented by at least 7 respondents, a Q analysis of the scores per nationality group was carried out, which sorted the 15 nationalities into 5 clusters--Nordic, Germanic, Anglo, Latin, and Asian. The value profiles of each country and cluster are shown. Differences between clusters show significant agreement with differences between student samples from the same countries, obtained with translated versions of the instruments. The cluster composition can be explained by both linguistic and other cultural reasons. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Expatriate managers and the psychological contract.

Investigates employer practices toward expatriate managers and how those practices relate to retention-relevant outcomes (e.g., organizational commitment, intent to quit, and intent to return early to a domestic assignment). The psychological contract is investigated as a mediator of this relationship. A model in which the psychological contract mediates the relationship between organizational practices and retention-relevant outcomes is empirically constructed. The authors also refine the construct of the psychological contract and report managers' experiences as expatriates. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Some methodological pitfalls in attributional research.

Points out a number of methodological errors in attributional research. They include failure of the causal manipulation, insufficient sampling of causal alternatives, inaccurate classification of causes on various dimensions, prediction of expectancy of success rather than expectancy change, use of preference as an indicator of affect, insufficient representation of affects, and the use of dependent variables, such as exam performance, that provide inappropriate testing grounds for attribution theory. Some of these errors are documented with simple demonstration experiments. In addition, methodological suggestions are offered. (47 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perils and pitfalls of high-risk research.

Several issues in the design and interpretation of high-risk depression research are described. These include identification of symptoms and syndromes, categorical vs. dimensional scales, aspects of depression to be considered, specificity of effects, use of process measures, and conceptualization of risk and resilience. The articles in this special section are used to exemplify the need to address these issues in studies of depression risk. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Achievement motivation among managers of small businesses, corporation managers, and business students.

A questionnaire measure of achievement motivation by H. J. Hermans that was originally tested on college students in the Netherlands was administered to 45 business college students, 41 small business managers, and 36 corporation managers. In addition, category scores were developed to reflect the more specific components of the need for achievement (n-Ach) construct. Item analyses and Kuder-Richardson 20 estimates were adequate. Intercorrelations among the category scores were significantly lower for the student sample, which suggests the n-Ach construct may be less differentiated among older managers. Managers differed significantly from business students on several components of n-Ach. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Audit pinpoints i.v. drug administration pitfalls

This paper describes an approach to auditing the time spent by nurses giving intravenous drugs. The results of the audit, carried out at Wycombe General Hospital, are reported and discussed together with the measures taken to address practical and medico-legal issues. The authors conclude that much nursing time could be saved with closer adherence to guidelines for practice.