Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Industrial and Organizational Psychology

PDF

2013

Institution
Keyword
Publication
Publication Type

Articles 1 - 30 of 145

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Do Organizational Culture And Climate Matter For Successful Client Outcomes?, David A. Patterson Silver Wolf (Adelv Unegv Waya) Phd, Catherine N. Dulmus Phd, Eugene Maguin Phd, Maria Cristalli Dec 2013

Do Organizational Culture And Climate Matter For Successful Client Outcomes?, David A. Patterson Silver Wolf (Adelv Unegv Waya) Phd, Catherine N. Dulmus Phd, Eugene Maguin Phd, Maria Cristalli

Brown School Faculty Publications

Objectives: The existing literature on the impact of workplace conditions on client care suggests that good cultures and climates provide the best outcomes for clients. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between organizational culture and climate and the proportion of children and youth successfully discharged from a large organization in New York State. Method: Thirty-three child and youth programs with existing culture and climate data evaluated outcome information from 1,336 clients exiting its services. Results: Programs reported as having bad culture and climate yielded superior client outcomes, measured as discharge to a lower level of …

Go to article

Robust Resilience: Metaphor And Meaning In Assessing System Performance Ranges, Barrett S. Caldwell Dec 2013

Robust Resilience: Metaphor And Meaning In Assessing System Performance Ranges, Barrett S. Caldwell

Journal of Human Performance in Extreme Environments

The current emphasis on Resilience Week and the International Symposium on Resilient Cognitive Systems highlights a growing awareness of the importance of designing and operating engineering systems under a variety of environmental conditions and in response to dynamic events. Although there has been considerable confusion and drift in the use of the term, ‘‘resilience’’ as a concept dates back to dynamic systems study of complex ecological systems in the 1970s. This original definition relates clearly to quantitative metrics that link also to statistical process control techniques describing system performance as affected by external, ‘‘assignable’’ causes. This paper discusses important elements …

Go to article

Robust Flight Deck Systems: Harnessing The Synergistic Power Of The Crew, Michael J. Stasio Dec 2013

Robust Flight Deck Systems: Harnessing The Synergistic Power Of The Crew, Michael J. Stasio

Journal of Human Performance in Extreme Environments

Robust flight decks are possible in both normal and novel operations. Existing crew resource and error management programs can improve team-centered resilience with Oshry’s organization development (OD) principles. The need on the flight deck is to diminish the invisible behavioral gap between espoused theory and theory-in-use by balancing Oshry’s four basic elements that make up robust human systems—differentiation, homogenization, integration, and individuation. This low-cost OD vision is offered as a guide for organizations to tailor existing aircrew recurrent training modules. Assessment and diagnosis measures are recommended for continuous improvement, so this OD framework includes adaptive feedback interventions and soft-skills behavioral …

Go to article

Is Performance Variability Necessary? A Qualitative Study On Cognitive Resilience In Forestry Work, Jennifer M. Colman, Heather K. Kahle, Eder Henriqson Dec 2013

Is Performance Variability Necessary? A Qualitative Study On Cognitive Resilience In Forestry Work, Jennifer M. Colman, Heather K. Kahle, Eder Henriqson

Journal of Human Performance in Extreme Environments

In forestry work, conditions exist and develop that are complex, unpredictable, and highly consequential and therefore cannot be handled entirely by following static work procedures. Cognitive adjustments are necessary. The objective of this research was to determine whether performance (cognitive) variability is actually necessary to safely fell trees in the coastal region of British Columbia, Canada. In this paper two perspectives were contrasted: the traditional view of safety and the resilience perspective. A collection of empirical evidence established that while safe work procedures provide a good foundation, it is individual performance variability shaped by experience and ‘‘know-how’’ that guides the …

Go to article

Supportive Leadership, Employee Engagement And Occupational Safety: A Field Study, Lauren Elizabeth Baxter Dec 2013

Supportive Leadership, Employee Engagement And Occupational Safety: A Field Study, Lauren Elizabeth Baxter

Doctoral Dissertations

This archival field study examined the relationships of supportive leadership, employee engagement, and safety outcomes in order to address the current knowledge gap regarding these concepts and also to test predictions of and extend the Job Demands-Job Resources Model. Participants were 3,312 employees from multiple departments located at 11 different locations of a large southeastern utility company. Data were collected on supportive leadership, employee engagement, and safety climate using archival data from self-report questionnaires. Recordable injuries and first-aid instances were collected through the organization’s archival safety records. Three consecutive years of data were included in the study. As expected, supportive …

Go to article

Actively Caring About The Actively Caring Survey: Evaluating The Reliability And Validity Of A Measure Of Dispositional Altruism, Philip Randall Dec 2013

Actively Caring About The Actively Caring Survey: Evaluating The Reliability And Validity Of A Measure Of Dispositional Altruism, Philip Randall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Geller’s Actively Caring Survey (ACS) was theorized to measure person states deemed necessary to “Actively Care” or act altruistically toward others. Empirical research of the ACS has been limited, and this researcher sought to evaluate its reliability, validity, and factorial consistency. Undergraduate students (n = 1,095) completed the measure online. Hypotheses were partially supported. Unrotated primary component analysis found the ACS to be a unitary measure with 73.3% of the items loading onto the first factor. The ACS showed excellent internal consistency. Convergent and divergent validity with existing measures (i.e., the Big 5 Personality, Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability, Cognitive Failures …

Go to article

The Relationship Between Perceived Servant Leadership Constructs And Collective Self-Esteem, Leann D. Howell Dec 2013

The Relationship Between Perceived Servant Leadership Constructs And Collective Self-Esteem, Leann D. Howell

Dissertations

Following Greenleaf’s (1977) seminal work in servant leadership, much has been written on the definition of servant leadership, but very little written on what it does. At the center of this research is a focus on how followers perceive servant leadership constructs/attributes, and the relationship between that perception and collective selfesteem as it relates to organizational membership. The central question guiding this research is: “Is there a relationship between perceived servant leadership constructs and collective self-esteem?” Followers’ perceptions of servant leadership constructs as defined by Patterson (2003) were investigated utilizing the Servant Leadership Assessment Instrument (SLAI) developed by Dennis (2004). …

Go to article

Reflections On The Metamorphosis At Robben Island: The Role Of Institutional Work And Positive Psychological Capital, Wayne F. Cascio, Fred Luthans Dec 2013

Reflections On The Metamorphosis At Robben Island: The Role Of Institutional Work And Positive Psychological Capital, Wayne F. Cascio, Fred Luthans

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners from South Africa were imprisoned on notorious Robben Island from the mid-1960s until the end of the apartheid regime in 1991. The stark conditions and abusive treatment of these prisoners has been widely publicized. However, upon reflection and in retrospect, over the years, a type of metamorphosis occurred. Primarily drawing from firsthand accounts of the former prisoners and guards, it seems that Robben Island morphed from the traditional oppressive prison paradigm to one where the positively oriented prisoners disrupted the institution with a resulting climate of learning and transformation that eventually led to freedom …

Go to article

"Do Not Disturb": A Micro-Macro Examination Of Intrusions At Work, Bing Chun Lin Nov 2013

"Do Not Disturb": A Micro-Macro Examination Of Intrusions At Work, Bing Chun Lin

Dissertations and Theses

Intrusions, or interruptions by others, are a common phenomenon in the modern workplace (Grove, 1983; Jett & George, 2003), particularly in the computing and information-technology (CIT) industry, as cross-specialty, and cross-team collaborations become more common (Beck et al., 2001). The present study examines the relationship between day-to-day intrusions (measured Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday) and strain reactions and perceived job performance over the week (measured on Thursday) among 150 CIT employees. Using a number of resource-based theories (i.e., Conservation of Resources, Ego Depletion Model, Cognitive Fatigue Model), I hypothesize that participants experiencing more frequent intrusions on a day-to-day basis will experience …

Go to article

Review Of Spacewalker, Barrett Caldwell Nov 2013

Review Of Spacewalker, Barrett Caldwell

Journal of Human Performance in Extreme Environments

Since its founding over 15 years ago, JHPEE has always had a focal emphasis on human performance in space. Thus, it is no surprise that we would want to highlight a new book from astronaut Jerry L Ross, who has set records for launches and spacewalks with NASA. However, there is always more to an astronaut biography, as we have learned since the days of We Seven. Our interest in an astronaut’s life and experiences helps us to see the answers to four different questions, which tell us different things about this most unique of human performance environments.

Go to article

The Meaning Of Response Latency In Personality Assessment: Exploring The Impact Of Faking, Difficulty, And Social Desirability, Mark A. Roebke Nov 2013

The Meaning Of Response Latency In Personality Assessment: Exploring The Impact Of Faking, Difficulty, And Social Desirability, Mark A. Roebke

Culminating Projects in Psychology

This literature review has shown that people are distorting their answers during personality assessments in varying contexts. This distortion arises as both a function of items and individual differences. While it is easy to identify, understanding the underlying processes of faking is of vital importance to the field. Investigators have identified response latency as one of the better tools available to aid in understanding faking. By using this method, it is possible to analyze differences in faking by items and situation. Understanding differences in both items and condition should help expand our understanding of faking and ultimately reduce it in …

Go to article

Development And Initial Validation Of The Willingness To Compromise Scale, Serena Wee Nov 2013

Development And Initial Validation Of The Willingness To Compromise Scale, Serena Wee

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This study introduced an individual difference construct of willingness to compromise and examined its implications for understanding and predicting career-related decisions in work settings. In Study 1 (N = 53), critical incidents of career decisions were analyzed to identify commonalities across different types of career-related compromises. In Study 2 (N = 171), an initial 17-item scale was developed and revised. In Study 3 (N = 201), the convergent and criterion-related validity of the scale was examined in relation to specific personality traits, regret, dealing with uncertainty, career adaptability, and a situational dilemma task. Willingness to compromise was negatively related to …

Go to article

Attributions And The Evaluation Of Dynamic Performance, Michael B. Harari Oct 2013

Attributions And The Evaluation Of Dynamic Performance, Michael B. Harari

Michael B. Harari

As research into the dynamic characteristics of job performance across time has continued to accumulate, associated implications for performance appraisal have become evident. At present, several studies have demonstrated that systematic trends in job performance across time influence how performance is ultimately judged. However, little research has considered the processes by which the performance trend-performance rating relationship occurs. In the present study, I addressed this gap. Specifically, drawing on attribution theory, I proposed and tested a model whereby the performance trend-performance rating relationship occurs through attributions to ability and effort. The results of this study indicated that attributions to ability, …

Go to article

Exploring Calling Work Orientation: Construct Clarity And Organizational Implications, Kerry A. Newness Oct 2013

Exploring Calling Work Orientation: Construct Clarity And Organizational Implications, Kerry A. Newness

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Employees maintain a personal view toward their work, which can be referred to as their work orientation. Some employees view their work as their life’s purpose (i.e., calling work orientation) and they tend to be 1) prosocially motivated, 2) derive meaning from work, and 3) feel that their purpose is from beyond the self. The purpose of the current dissertation was to differentiate calling work orientation from other similar workplace constructs, to investigate the most common covariates of calling work orientation, and to empirically test two possible moderators of the relationship between calling work orientation and work-related outcomes of job …

Go to article

Manager-Led Group Meetings: A Context For Promoting Employee Engagement, Joseph A. Allen, Steven G. Rogelberg Oct 2013

Manager-Led Group Meetings: A Context For Promoting Employee Engagement, Joseph A. Allen, Steven G. Rogelberg

Psychology Faculty Publications

Employee engagement is a positive, fulfilling, work-related state of mind characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption. Using Kahn’s theory of engagement, we look at an organizational context where employee engagement may be promoted—the workgroup meeting. Two time-separated Internet-based surveys were used to query a sample of working adults (N = 319). The findings provide support that the psychological conditions for engagement mediate the relationship between manager usage/facilitation of meetings and overall employee engagement. Specifically, as managers make their workgroup meetings relevant, allow for employee voice in their meetings where possible, and manage the meeting from a time perspective, employees …

Go to article

The Instrumental And Symbolic Dimensions Of Organisations' Image As An Employer: A Large-Scale Field Study On Employer Branding In Turkey, Greet Van Hoye, Turker Bas, Saartje Cromheecke, Filip Lievens Oct 2013

The Instrumental And Symbolic Dimensions Of Organisations' Image As An Employer: A Large-Scale Field Study On Employer Branding In Turkey, Greet Van Hoye, Turker Bas, Saartje Cromheecke, Filip Lievens

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Research on recruitment and employer branding has typically been situated in Western countries with predominantly individualistic cultures. The present study investigates the instrumental-symbolic framework for studying organisations' image and attraction as an employer in a non-Western collectivistic culture. In a large nationwide sample of Turkish university students, both instrumental (working conditions) and symbolic image dimensions (competence) were positively related to organisational attractiveness. Moreover, symbolic traits explained significant incremental variance beyond instrumental attributes and accounted for a greater amount of predictable variance. In addition, organisations were better differentiated from each other on the basis of symbolic image dimensions (sincerity and innovativeness) …

Go to article

The Effects Of The Temporal Placement Of Feedback On Performance And Skill Acquisition Of A Medical Data Entry Task, Nathan Bechtel Oct 2013

The Effects Of The Temporal Placement Of Feedback On Performance And Skill Acquisition Of A Medical Data Entry Task, Nathan Bechtel

Masters Theses

This study was conducted in a laboratory, and compared the effects of the temporal placement of feedback on task performance and skill acquisition. Temporal placement offeedback refers to the timing offeedback delivery relative to performance. Two temporal placements were examined: feedback immediately after performance and feedback immediately prior toperformance. The experimental design utilized was a form of Latin square design that included a combination of one between-group and two within subjects factors. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups, which differed only in the phase order utilized. Participants performed a data entry task intended to replicate thejob of …

Go to article

Sinnvoll Oder Sinnlos - Hauptsache Glücklich!, Marcus B. Mueller Sep 2013

Sinnvoll Oder Sinnlos - Hauptsache Glücklich!, Marcus B. Mueller

WCBT Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Emotion Regulation In Workgroups: The Roles Of Demographic Diversity And Relational Work Context, Eugene Kim, Devasheesh P. Bhave, Theresa M. Glomb Sep 2013

Emotion Regulation In Workgroups: The Roles Of Demographic Diversity And Relational Work Context, Eugene Kim, Devasheesh P. Bhave, Theresa M. Glomb

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Drawing on the social identity perspective, we investigate the cross-level relationship between demographic diversity in workgroups and emotion regulation. We propose that age, racial, and gender diversity in workgroups relate positively to emotion regulation because of demography-related in-group/out-group dynamics. We also examine the moderating role of the relational work context, specifically task interdependence and social interaction, on the relationship between demographic diversity and emotion regulation. Results from a sample of 2,072 employees in 274 workgroups indicate that working in a group with greater age diversity is positively related to an employee's emotion regulation. Results suggest the operation of the age …

Go to article

Do Candidate Reactions Relate To Job Performance Or Affect Criterion-Related Validity? A Multistudy Investigation Of Relations Among Reactions, Selection Test Scores, And Job Performance, Julie Mccarthy, Chad H. Van Iddekinge, Filip Lievens, Mavis Mei-Chuan Kung, Evan F. Sinar, Michael A. Campion Sep 2013

Do Candidate Reactions Relate To Job Performance Or Affect Criterion-Related Validity? A Multistudy Investigation Of Relations Among Reactions, Selection Test Scores, And Job Performance, Julie Mccarthy, Chad H. Van Iddekinge, Filip Lievens, Mavis Mei-Chuan Kung, Evan F. Sinar, Michael A. Campion

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Considerable evidence suggests that how candidates react to selection procedures can affect their test performance and their attitudes toward the hiring organization (e.g., recommending the firm to others). However, very few studies of candidate reactions have examined one of the outcomes organizations care most about: job performance. We attempt to address this gap by developing and testing a conceptual framework that delineates whether and how candidate reactions might influence job performance. We accomplish this objective using data from 4 studies (total N = 6,480), 6 selection procedures (personality tests, job knowledge tests, cognitive ability tests, work samples, situational judgment tests, …

Go to article

Changing Things Up In Recruitment: Effects Of A 'Strange' Recruitment Medium On Applicant Pool Quantity And Quality, Saartje Cromheecke, Greet Van Hoye, Filip Lievens Sep 2013

Changing Things Up In Recruitment: Effects Of A 'Strange' Recruitment Medium On Applicant Pool Quantity And Quality, Saartje Cromheecke, Greet Van Hoye, Filip Lievens

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

In a field experiment, we investigated the impact of a 'strange' recruitment medium on the quantity and quality of the applicant pool. Recruiting through an unusual medium (i.e., postcard) was associated with higher applicant pool quantity, as compared to a more frequently used medium (i.e., e-mail). With respect to quality, applicants recruited through the strange medium were higher educated. A follow-up questionnaire confirmed that the media were perceived to differ in strangeness, not in media richness or credibility. These results suggest that 'changing things up' in recruitment by employing strange recruitment media can positively affect key recruitment outcomes.

Go to article

Alternative Predictors For Dealing With The Diversity-Validity Dilemma In Personnel Selection: The Constructed Response Multimedia Test, Britt De Soete, Filip Lievens, Janneke Oostrom, Lena Westerveld Sep 2013

Alternative Predictors For Dealing With The Diversity-Validity Dilemma In Personnel Selection: The Constructed Response Multimedia Test, Britt De Soete, Filip Lievens, Janneke Oostrom, Lena Westerveld

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

In the context of the diversity-validity dilemma in personnel selection, the present field study compared ethnic subgroup differences on an innovative constructed response multimedia test to other commonly used selection instruments. Applicants (N=245, 27% ethnic minorities) for entry-level police jobs completed a constructed response multimedia test, cognitive ability test, language proficiency test, personality inventory, structured interview, and role play. Results demonstrated minor ethnic subgroup differences on constructed response multimedia test scores as compared to other instruments. Constructed response multimedia test scores were related to the selection decision, and no evidence for predictive bias was found. Subgroup differences were also examined …

Go to article

Satisfaction Pursuing Approach And Avoidance Goals: Effects Of Regulatory Fit And Individual Temperaments, Guihyun Grace Park, Linn Van Dyne, Daniel R. Ilgen Sep 2013

Satisfaction Pursuing Approach And Avoidance Goals: Effects Of Regulatory Fit And Individual Temperaments, Guihyun Grace Park, Linn Van Dyne, Daniel R. Ilgen

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Going beyond previous studies on satisfaction in pursuing approach versus avoidance goals, the current study is the first to examine individual satisfaction in pursuing approach and avoidance goals as determined by regulatory fit between type of goal and type of strategy. Specifically, the present study shows that people with approach goals have greater satisfaction when they use an approach strategy rather than an avoidance strategy. People with avoidance goals have greater satisfaction when they use an avoidance strategy rather than an approach strategy. In addition, we explored how individual differences in the Behavioral Activation System and the Behavioral Inhibition System …

Go to article

Mood And The Market: Can Press Reports Of Investors’ Mood Predict Stock Prices?, Yochi Cohen-Charash, Charles A. Scherbaum, John D. Kammeyer-Muller, Barry M. Staw Aug 2013

Mood And The Market: Can Press Reports Of Investors’ Mood Predict Stock Prices?, Yochi Cohen-Charash, Charles A. Scherbaum, John D. Kammeyer-Muller, Barry M. Staw

Publications and Research

We examined whether press reports on the collective mood of investors can predict changes in stock prices. We collected data on the use of emotion words in newspaper reports on traders’ affect, coded these emotion words according to their location on an affective circumplex in terms of pleasantness and activation level, and created indices of collective mood for each trading day. Then, by using time series analyses, we examined whether these mood indices, depicting investors’ emotion on a given trading day, could predict the next day’s opening price of the stock market. The strongest findings showed that activated pleasant mood …

Go to article

Attributions & Resiliency: An Analysis Of The Resiliency-Attribution Association, Aaron J. Halliday Aug 2013

Attributions & Resiliency: An Analysis Of The Resiliency-Attribution Association, Aaron J. Halliday

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study sought to provide support for the King-Rothstein (2010) model of resiliency and to establish an understanding of the relationship between resiliency and causal attributions. A cross-sectional study investigated these relationships using an online questionnaire battery. Some associative and predictive relationships were found between causal attributions and resiliency. Components of resiliency were predictive of job satisfaction and support and symptoms of psychological illness. Given a path analysis, the King-Rothstein model of resiliency was found to be most predictive of the outcome symptoms of psychological illness (over job satisfaction and support or wellbeing). Finally, mediation analysis revealed self-regulatory processes fully …

Go to article

Emotion Regulation And Strain In Corrections Officers: Examining The Role Of Recovery Experiences And Coping Mechanisms, Frankie Guros Aug 2013

Emotion Regulation And Strain In Corrections Officers: Examining The Role Of Recovery Experiences And Coping Mechanisms, Frankie Guros

Dissertations and Theses

Research has begun to identify recovery experiences during nonwork time as an important mechanism explaining the relationship between job characteristics and strain (Geurts & Sonnentag, 2006; Kinnunen, Feldt, Siltaloppi, Sonnentag, 2011). Corrections officers face challenges unique to their occupation (Armstrong & Griffin, 2004) that may contribute to the high levels of strain that currently characterize their occupation (i.e., short life expectancy, high suicide rates; Spinaris & Denhof, 2011; Stack & Tsoudis, 1997). Though previous research has not examined emotion regulation, recovery experiences, and coping within corrections officers, these constructs may be of particular importance to an occupation that requires employees …

Go to article

The Independence Of Burnout And Engagement: Incremental Predictive Validity And Construct Reappraisal As Different Combinations Of The Same Components (Energy And Evaluation), Joe Choi Aug 2013

The Independence Of Burnout And Engagement: Incremental Predictive Validity And Construct Reappraisal As Different Combinations Of The Same Components (Energy And Evaluation), Joe Choi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The present investigation was conducted in response to recent concerns regarding the redundancy/independence of two related constructs in I/O Psychology: Burnout and engagement. Using students in an academic context, I first addressed this issue by investigating the incremental validity of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) over the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and vice versa in the prediction of six criterion variables (academic performance, physical ill-being, positive affect, negative affect, subjective experience of growth, eudaimonic well-being) in a sample of undergraduate students. Contrary to the recent meta-analysis by Cole, Walter, Bedeian, and O’Boyle (2012), I did not find evidence for …

Go to article

Exploring Stimulus Variability In Applicant Attractiveness, Robert L. Dipboye, Lyndsey Dhahani Aug 2013

Exploring Stimulus Variability In Applicant Attractiveness, Robert L. Dipboye, Lyndsey Dhahani

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Previous research on physical attractiveness bias in job applicant evaluations has ignored three important issues. First, the sex-typing of the positions for which applicants are evaluated is usually weak despite the need to provide strongly male and female-typed positions in testing for beauty is beastly effects. Second, the samples of stimuli used in the manipulations of applicant sex, attractiveness, and sex-typing of the job are small. Third, the statistical analyses used in testing hypotheses fail to incorporate variability among both human participants and stimuli. The present research corrected for these three omissions in an experiment in which participants evaluated the …

Go to article

The Predictors Of Calling And The Role Of Career Satisfaction In Working Adults, Kari Ann Leavell Aug 2013

The Predictors Of Calling And The Role Of Career Satisfaction In Working Adults, Kari Ann Leavell

Dissertations

A significant amount of time in adult life is spent working. Individuals enter into their world of work by many circumstances, including feeling called to a given career or viewing their work as a calling. The psychological construct of calling has been shown to have considerable implications for career-related outcomes, including career satisfaction. Further, satisfaction with work has demonstrated a considerable impact on more global areas such as satisfaction with and quality of life, meaning in life, and religiousness. Increased understanding of the construct of calling and its contribution to career development and career-related outcomes can clarify how individuals’ experiences …

Go to article

Voice Without Say: Why Capital-Managed Firms Aren’T (Genuinely) Participatory, Justin Schwartz Aug 2013

Voice Without Say: Why Capital-Managed Firms Aren’T (Genuinely) Participatory, Justin Schwartz

Justin Schwartz

Why are most capitalist enterprises of any size organized as authoritarian bureaucracies rather than incorporating genuine employee participation that would give the workers real authority? Even firms with employee participation programs leave virtually all decision-making power in the hands of management. The standard answer is that hierarchy is more economically efficient than any sort of genuine participation, so that participatory firms would be less productive and lose out to more traditional competitors. This answer is indefensible. After surveying the history, legal status, and varieties of employee participation, I examine and reject as question-begging the argument that the rarity of genuine …

Go to article

Next Last