Organizational Behavior and Theory Commons^™

The Power Of Happiness, Sarah R. Romney

Marriott Student Review

This article synthesizes research and psychological principles to explain the impact that one’s attitude can have oneself and others. A positive attitude is contagious and can help one perform better, be more motivated, and earn a higher wage. It can also increase team performance and help others be happy to receive the same benefits. By focusing on their expressions and attitude, people can greatly impact the organizations they are a part of.

Building A United And Shared Vision Beyond The Bottom Line, Siow-Heng Ong

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

No abstract provided.

Employee Longevity In Difficult Environments, Loretta Tolliver

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Worker tenure in this country averages 4.5 years (Bureau of Labor Statistics). Stressful work environments cause loss productivity and profitability to companies and a diminished well-being and ill health to employees. Why, then, do some employees remain working in difficult environments despite the dangers to health? This phenomenological study researches reasons employees continued to work for longer than five years in difficult environments. Discussed are impacts of difficult environments on employees and the negative health repercussions experienced. These negative effects are also experienced in organizations through turnover, lower productivity, and reduced profitability. This study incorporates factors of toxic environments on …

Toward A Model Of Strategic Human Capital Management Using The Balanced Scorecard - An Exploratory Case Study, Jeffrey A. Risinger

Human Resource Development Theses and Dissertations

The issue of strategic human capital management has been studied and written about extensively over the last 20 years. Much of the focus of this work has addressed the need for internal human resources organizations to transition from transactional, processing organizations to more strategic partner functions addressing the key business needs of the organization. The vast majority of the research addressing this transition has focused on the professional characteristics of senior human resource executives. Whereas the literature presents anecdotal evidence of progress, there also exists consensus support for the idea that very little systemic movement has occurred at the organizational …

What’S Broken? Not The Mold, Susan Vroman

The Journal of Values-Based Leadership

Changing workforce demographics indicate that flexible work arrangements (FWA) are appreciated and valued by employees, yet employers still resist their support. While not explicit in their rationale, managerial mindsets may hold that deviations from historical ideal worker frameworks detract from performance potential. As this continues, mothers are especially stigmatized for using FWA as it differs from traditional, male hegemonic behaviors. Overlaying the case of a rising executive with a study of historical management theory, it may take until Generation Y is fully entrenched in leadership for a différance to break the mold in FWA acceptance.

Impact Of Spousal Work Restrictions And Number Of Dependents On Expatriates’ Work Life And Overall Life Satisfaction, Pooja B. Vijayakumar, Christopher J. L. Cunningham

Industrial and Organizational Psychology Translational Research and Working Papers

Purpose Our understanding of the challenges and the broader role of spouses of expatriates is extremely limited. The purpose of the study was to examine the impact of spousal work restrictions and number of dependents on expatriates’ work life and overall life satisfaction using qualitative and quantitative analyses Design Data were collected from 416 Indian informational technology professionals working in USA. Hypothesized conditional process models were analyzed using the PROCESS tools. Findings Spousal work restrictions and number of dependents created complications in personal life of expatriates, which interfered with their work life resulting in lower overall life satisfaction. We identified …

The Predictive Power Of People's Intraindividual Variability Across Situations: Implementing Whole Trait Theory In Assessment, Filip Lievens, Jonas W. B. Lang, Filip De Fruyt, Myrjam Van De Vijver, Ronald Bledow

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

In the last decade, there has been increased recognition that traits refer not only to between-person differences but also to meaningful within-person variability across situations (i.e., whole trait theory). So far, this broader more contemporary trait conceptualization has made few inroads into assessment practices. Therefore, this study focuses on the assessment and predictive power of people’s intraindividual variability across situations. In three studies (either in student or employee samples), both test-takers’ mean trait scores and the variability of their responses across multiple written job-related situations of a situational judgment test (SJT) were assessed. Results revealed that people’s intraindividual variability (a) …

The Influence Of Proactivity On Creative Behavior, Organizational Commitment, And Job Performance: Evidence From A Korean Multinational, Baek-Kyoo (Brian) Joo, Robert H. Bennett Iii

Journal of International & Interdisciplinary Business Research (2014-2019)

Proactivity has emerged as an extremely important behavior in organizations, and has been shown to correlate with very positive organizational and individual outcomes. Proactive personality has been identified as a stable personality attribute that is predictive of several positive work behaviors outcomes. Utilizing a large sample from a well-known and successful Korean multinational employer, this study investigated the influences of proactive personality on three key outcomes in the workplace, namely the level of employee creativity, level of organizational commitment, and in-role job performance. The study also examined whether the contextual factors of quality of leader-member exchange (LMX) and the level …

Picking Up The Pieces: Managing People During And After A Reorganization, Catherine B. Soehner

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Libraries need to change rapidly in response to advances in technology, expectations of users, funding, and other pressures from both inside and outside the library. Often library administration/management reorganizes personnel, duties, and departments to accomplish new goals and to shift focus of library services. Both during and after a reorganization, employees respond to the changes in a wide variety of ways, ranging from acceptance and positivity to anger and resistance. Fortunately, administrators and managers have a variety of tools available to help employees deal with change and to move them toward success. There are many books and articles on the …

A Critical Perspective To Managing Generational Diversity In The Workspace In East Asia, Debra Moh Yunni

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

The paper takes a look at the cultural themes that influence behavior and decision-making processes in East Asia, highlighting dimensions of hierarchy, collectivism and saving face. The social constructs that are shaped by these dimensions cultivate an organizational culture that is top-down and group-oriented. To delve into a more meaningful understanding of the generational conflict in East Asia, an analysis of generational theory and the changing work environment provides an insight into the widening generational gap and the domains of tension experienced by those sharing a multi-generational workspace. The author suggests that managing generational diversity has its roots in fostering …

Examining Managerial Leadership Behavior, Perceived Proximity, And Job Satisfaction In Distributed Work Arrangements, David D. Macauley

Human Resource Development Theses and Dissertations

More than 70% of all employers and managers utilize flexible or distributed work arrangements (Greenfield, 2017; World at work, 2017). Yet, it appears that few organizations are prepared to manage the relationship elements that come with a distributed workforce (Boss, 2017; Miller & Campell, 2013). Using structural equation modeling and data from 838 participants, the study examined the relationship between managerial behavior, perceived proximity, and job satisfaction within organizations that utilize distributed work. The results indicate that managerial behavior has a positive relationship with perceived proximity and employee job satisfaction and supports previous literature showing perceived proximity to be more …

An Exploration Of Barriers To Integration Of Strategic Human Resource Development In The United States Fire Service: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Of Chief Officers' Perceptions, Jon D. Musgrave

Human Resource Development Theses and Dissertations

Trends in the current human resource development (HRD) literature emphasize the role that integration of strategic human resource development (SHRD) practices has on organizational effectiveness (Garavan, 1991; Garavan, 2007; Gilley & Gilley, 2003; Gilley & Maycunich, 2000; Ruona & Gilley, 2009; Wright, 2007). The United States Fire Service currently views human resource development as a management practice to be utilized by the chief officer to address vocational or technical skills (Stowell, 2004). This interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) qualitative study explored the beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions of chief officers in the United States Fire Service to further understanding of barriers to …

A Case Study Of Congregational And Search Committee Desired Leadership Qualities In A Senior Pastor, David Fowler

Human Resource Development Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this case study that utilized an inductive qualitative research approach was to uncover desired leadership qualities in a senior pastor. Membership numbers are dwindling for religious organizations as the landscape of the United States becomes more secular. Studies reveal that negative issues with ineffective leadership within these organizations impact congregational health and membership decline. Within the context of leadership’s futility, studies need to be conducted to identify qualifiers of effective leadership in religious organizations, as a lack of research has been conducted concerning religious organizational leaders. Specifically, churches in the Southern Baptist Convention, a conservative conglomerate of …

A Cross-Cultural Examination Of The Effect Of Employer Support On Employee Productivity, Shawn Tuman, Haley Lipton

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

The purpose of this creative, collaborative, capstone project is to conduct a cross-cultural examination of the effect of employer support on employee productivity by compiling, examining, and synthesizing conclusions from existing research. In a world of growing globalization and technological innovation, the speed of productivity is often the cornerstone that differentiates successful businesses from unsuccessful businesses, providing a competitive advantage to the quick while the others fall behind. Often this increased level of efficiency comes at a cost beyond the price of the product and the salary of employees, a deeper, psychological cost. By reviewing research focused in the United …

Exploring Churn And Alignment Between Retention And Occupational Culture As Perceived By Professional Truck Drivers, Catherine M. Cole

Dissertations

Despite advances in logistics software and increased driver pay, the trucking industry continues a historic wave of human capital risks in the form of driver turnover and driver shortages. Previous efforts to understand the phenomenon of driver turnover rely heavily on supply chain, transportation, and logistics based disciplines. The current study provides a human capital ontology towards understanding professional truck driver perceptions. Within the interpretive framework of pragmatism, the study applied a simultaneous ethnographic and phenomenological research design to explore the phenomenon of churn and professional truck driver perceptions of environmental alignment between trucking industry retention strategies and the occupational …

Surprisingly Open Or Openly Surprised? That Is The Question; Using Surprise Experiences To Increase Openness To Experience And Tolerance Of Ambiguity, Anneke Veenendaal-De Kort

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

Using Surprise Experiences to Increase Openness to Experience and Tolerance of Ambiguity

In the fast-changing world in which we are currently living, we constantly come across situations and problems that we have not encountered before. An open mind and the ability to tolerate ambiguity are important skills in uncertain times. People who embrace the unpredictable can develop their resilience and flexibility. Surprisologists Luna and Renninger (2015) have discovered that a great way of dipping into unpredictability is through surprise. For my Master’s Project, I designed experiences that transform people’s openness and tolerance for ambiguity through surprise. This paper begins with …

A Qualitative Approach To Examining The Rules Of A Community College And Industry Partnership., Cara Dimattina-Ryan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to qualitatively examine the governance structure of a successful community college and industry advisory board that collaborate to improve regional workforce development initiatives. The institutional analysis and development (IAD) framework was used as a lens to describe the partnership. The results determined that there were many informal rules that governed the relationship between the community college and industry partners, which led to successful implementation of decisions. The community college leaders created the informal rules with the purpose of encouraging involvement among industry stakeholders, sharing power among all the participants, and facilitating communication. The findings …

Response Distortion On Personality Tests In Applicants: Comparing High-Stakes To Low-Stakes Medical Settings, Jeromy Anglim, Stefan Bozic, Jonathon Little, Filip Lievens

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The current study examined the degree to which applicants applying for medical internships distort their responses to personality tests and assessed whether this response distortion led to reduced predictive validity. The applicant sample (n = 530) completed the NEO Personality Inventory whilst applying for one of 60 positions as first-year post-graduate medical interns. Predictive validity was assessed using university grades, averaged over the entire medical degree. Applicant responses for the Big Five (i.e., neuroticism, extraversion, openness, conscientiousness, and agreeableness) and 30 facets of personality were compared to a range of normative samples where personality was measured in standard research settings …

Positive Organizational Leadership: Some Recent Findings In Positive Organizational Scholarship, Lawrence Chan

M.A. in Leadership Studies: Capstone Project Papers

The study of positivity is multifaceted, with roots across psychology, philosophy, and more recently organizational behavior (Csikszentmihalyi, 1997; 2014). This review article highlights the framework from which the study of positivity originates, and then explores positive behaviors in the workplace that have correlated to increases in fulfillment, productivity, engagement, and leadership capacity (Cameron & Dutton, 2003). This essay reveals core components of positive organizational scholarship (POS), notably the interaction of positivity within job demands and job resources, positive employee engagement, and positive deviance, and uncovers some recent findings of these POS components in empirical research and application within human resource …

An Analysis Of The Relationship Between Leadership Style And Lean Expressed Through Respect, Proactivity, And Innovative Work Behavior, Reiner Martens

Organization, Information and Learning Sciences ETDs

This dissertation is based on the idea that a leadership style is necessary to implement a lean culture within an organization. This research study employed a systematic literature review, from which a lean leadership model was developed. Based on the two principles of a lean organizational culture, 1. respect for people and 2. continuous improvement, three measurable variables were identified, respect, proactivity, and innovative work behavior. These three variables were connected to the lean leadership model. Leadership styles based on the full range model of leadership were used as independent variable(s). The overarching results of this study were: (1) transformational …

Middle Managers Working Beyond Senior Management’S Expectations: A Phenomenological Study Of The Managed Healthcare Industry In Southern California, Gerald Dugas

Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how middle managers and senior managers working in the managed healthcare industry in southern California perceive what factors motivated middle managers to work beyond senior management’s expectations.

Methodology. A qualitative phenomenology study was chosen because it allowed the researcher to acquire a firm understanding of the nature of everyday lived experiences. This methodology was used to capture the meaning of experiences that motivated middle managers to work beyond expectations. The researcher conducted semi-structured, face-to-face interviews to gain a deeper understanding of the lived experience of the participants. Participants …

Glossary Of Business Evidence, Paul C. Boyd

MBA Faculty Conference Papers & Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Investigating The Links Between Feedback Orientation And Leadership Self-Efficacy In Field Grade Officers, Robby Key

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A myriad of challenges and shifting strategic priorities face today’s military leaders. Since the military is undergoing substantial change as it adjusts to the changing nature of war and a fluid world situation, Field Grade Officers (FGO) must actively develop and hone their leadership behavior by implementing effective feedback counsel. They must also increase their leadership self-efficacy to confidently accomplish specific leadership tasks and challenges. This non-experimental quantitative correlational research addresses the correlation of leadership self-efficacy and feedback orientation in FGOs. Given the impact of the feedback process on the FGO recipient, it is important to understand differences in how …

An Examination Of The Influences Of Organizational, Supervisor, And Coworker Support On The Relationship Between Flexible Work Arrangements And Turnover Intention Of Civilian Federal Employees, Marvin Bontrager

Human Resource Development Theses and Dissertations

Technological advancements and a rapidly changing workforce have created the need for researchers and practitioners to continually examine how work is designed, managed, and accomplished. As increased work demands have blurred the lines between work and family domains, stressors can create conflict between these environments. Flexible work arrangements (FWAs) represent one of the work-family benefit programs offered by employers to alleviate work-family conflict and provide flexibility to workers.

This study examined the relationships between multiple support measures (organizational, supervisor, and coworker) and turnover intention in the context of FWAs. The study’s hypotheses predicted negative relationships between the support measures and …

Decoy Effect, Anticipated Regret, And Preferences For Work-Family Benefits, Jochen Reb, Andrew Li, Jessica Bagger

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Attracting talent is one of the key challenges for organizations, and offering attractive work-family benefits plays an increasingly important role in succeeding at this challenge. However, behavioural decision theory suggests that when choosing among job offers with different work-family benefits, individuals may fall prey to a decoy effect and this effect may be mediated through anticipated regret. This effect occurs when preferences are influenced by a normatively irrelevant decoy option that is clearly inferior to one of the other options in the choice set, but not the other (i.e., ‘asymmetrically dominated’). Across two studies, we investigated preferences for two important …

What Goes Up Must ... Keep Going Up? Cultural Differences In Cognitive Styles Influence Evaluations Of Dynamic Performance, D. Lance Ferris, Jochen Reb, Huiwen Lian, Samantha Sim, Dionysius Ang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Past research on dynamic workplace performance evaluation has taken as axiomatic that temporal performance trends produce naïve extrapolation effects on performance ratings. That is, we naïvely assume that an individual whose performance has trended upward over time will continue to improve, and rate that individual more positively than an individual whose performance has trended downward over time—even if, on average, the 2 individuals have performed at an equivalent level. However, we argue that such naïve extrapolation effects are more pronounced in Western countries than Eastern countries, owing to Eastern countries having a more holistic cognitive style. To test our hypotheses, …

A Phenomenological Exploration Of Women Entrepreneurs' Attitudes And Views On Establishing A Mentoring Relationship, John Rollins

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative phenomenological study explored the attitudes and views of women entrepreneurs on establishing a mentoring relationship. Despite the stated advantages of establishing a mentoring relationship, including improving entrepreneurs’ chances of business success, organizational growth, and leadership development, over 50% of novice women entrepreneurs do not establish a mentoring relationship. The researcher conducted 22 face-to-face semi-structured interviews with women entrepreneurs in the wedding industry. All participants had a positive attitude towards establishing a mentoring relationship and stated that mentoring would increase novice women entrepreneurs’ chance of business success, organizational growth, and leadership development. Most participants believed a mentor would enhance …

Differences In Work Values By Gender And Generation: Evidence From Egypt, Dr. Maha Ahmed Zaki Dajani

Business Administration

This research was built on the previous research titled “The Mediating Role of Work Values in the Relationship between Islamic Religiosity and Job Performance: Empirical Evidence from Egyptian Public Health Sector” (2017) and continued to examine work values differences based on gender and generation. A quota sampling procedure was used to survey (400) participants in (10) public Egyptian hospitals. The positive response rate of the target population was (83.75%). Work values were measured using Lyon Work Values Survey (LWVS) revised 25-item scale to assess four types of work values, namely, instrumental values, cognitive values, social/altruistic values, and prestige values. It …

The Other Side: Occupational Interactional Requirements And Work-Home Enrichment, Devasheesh P. Bhave, Alexandru M. Leftner

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School of Business

We examine how occupational interactional requirements influence work-home enrichment. We identify two manifestations of work-home enrichment: through objective indicators of how employees allocate their time at home, and through perceptual reflections of employees on their work-home enrichment. We conceptualize occupational interactional requirements as restorative properties of jobs that provide employees with resources that they transfer to the home domain. In terms of objective indicators, our results indicate that employees transfer these resources by spending more time in resource depleting activities such as caring for household members, and less time in resource replenishing activities such as socializing and relaxing. This suggests …

The Mixed Blessing Of Leader Sense Of Humor: Examining Costs And Benefits, Kai Chi Yam, Michael S. Christian, Wu Wei, Zhenyu Liao, Jared Nai

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School of Business

Workplace humor is ubiquitous, yet scholars know little about how it affects employees' behaviors in organizations. We draw on an emerging psychological theory of humor—benign violation theory—to suggest that a leader's sense of humor often conveys counter-normative social information in organizations. We integrate this theory with social information processing theory to develop hypotheses about the effects of a leader's sense of humor on follower behavior. We suggest that although a leader's sense of humor is positively associated with leader member exchange and ultimately work engagement, it can also signal to followers the acceptability of norm violation at work. These perceptions …