Human resource configurations: Investigating fit with the organizational context.

The present study investigated how key organizational contextual factors relate to bundles of human resource (HR) practices. In a two-phase study of a sample of 661 organizations representing a full range of industries and organizational size, the authors found that organizations use 1 of 5 HR bundles: cost minimizers, contingent motivators, competitive motivators, resource makers, and commitment maximizers. In addition, the authors showed that the organizations that use a given type of HR bundle may be distinguished by the organizational values they pursue and their organizational structure, thus suggesting that HR choices are related to the context within which organizations operate. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Importance of Job Autonomy, Cognitive Ability, and Job-Related Skill for Predicting Role Breadth and Job Performance.

Role theory suggests and empirical research has found that there is considerable variation in how broadly individuals define their jobs. We investigated the theoretically meaningful yet infrequently studied relationships between incumbent job autonomy, cognitive ability, job-related skill, role breadth, and job performance. Using multiple data sources and multiple measurement occasions in a field setting, we found that job autonomy, cognitive ability, and job-related skill were positively related to role breadth, accounting for 23% of the variance in role breadth. In addition, role breadth was positively related to job performance and was found to mediate the relationship between job autonomy, cognitive ability, job-related skill, and job performance. These results add to our understanding of the factors that predict role breadth, as well as having implications for how job aspects and individual characteristics are translated into performance outcomes and the treatment of variability in incumbent reports of job tasks. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Coming Full Circle: Using Research and Practice to Address 27 Questions About 360-Degree Feedback Programs.

The research evidence addressing practical issues faced when implementing a 360-degree feedback system are reviewed. Notwithstanding the popularity and apparent utility of 360-degree feedback programs, there is a need for clearer translations of research-based knowledge into recommendations for practically applying such programs. This article uses the published research studies that have been conducted on 360-degree feedback programs to address 27 specific questions that often arise in the development, implementation, administration, and interpretation of multisource feedback programs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Leader-member exchange and citizenship behaviors: A meta-analysis.

This article provides a meta-analytic review of the relationship between the quality of leader-member exchanges (LMX) and citizenship behaviors performed by employees. Results based on 50 independent samples (N = 9,324) indicate a moderately strong, positive relationship between LMX and citizenship behaviors (ρ=.37). The results also support the moderating role of the target of the citizenship behaviors on the magnitude of the LMX-citizenship behavior relationship. As expected, LMX predicted individual-targeted behaviors more strongly than it predicted organizational targeted behaviors (ρ = .38 vs. ρ = .31), and the difference was statistically significant. Whether the LMX and the citizenship behavior ratings were provided by the same source or not also influenced the magnitude of the correlation between the 2 constructs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)