Industrial and Organizational Psychology Commons^™

Training Evaluation Investigating Core Self-Evaluations And Perceptions Of Training Transfer, Thomas P. Patterson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Although training evaluation is understood as an important way of determining the effectiveness of a training program, additional research in the area of training transfer and core self-evaluations (CSE) could provide insight on measuring the effectiveness of training programs. Training transfer differences and CSE were examined in training courses offered in a workforce development program. The goals of the study were to: (1) evaluate the validity of using CSE as a means of predicting perceptions of transfer, (2) test the previous findings that utility reactions measures are a stronger predictor of transfer than affective reactions measures, (3) determine which type …

Individual Adaptability As A Predictor Of Job Performance, Stephanie L. Murphy

Doctoral Dissertations

In the new global economy, organizations frequently have to adjust to meet challenging demands of customers, competitors, or regulatory agencies. These adjustments at the organizational level often cascade down to employees, and they may face changes in their job responsibilities and how work is performed. I-ADAPT theory suggests that individual adaptability (IA) is an individual difference variable that includes both personality and cognitive aspects and has both trait- and state-like properties. As a result, IA may be an acceptable alternative for traditional, stable selection tests for operating within unstable environments. The present paper examined the relationship of individual adaptability, cognitive …

Cultural Context's Influence On The Relationships Between Leadership Personality And Subordinate Perceptions, Victoria J. Smoak

Doctoral Dissertations

Fascination with leadership and the pursuit of its understanding have been common across disciplines throughout history (Bass & Stogdill, 1990). Studying leadership in an organization provides value in understanding its relation to outcomes such as employee attitudes (Podsakoff, MacKenzie, & Bommer, 1996), individual performance (Tierney, Farmer, & Graen, 1999) and organizational performance (Day & Lord, 1988; Sully de Luque, Washburn, Waldman, & House, 2008). Leadership is suggested to be the underlying human factor key to organizational effectiveness (Hogan & Kaiser, 2005). In spite of the vast body of literature, much remains to be understood, especially understanding context (McCall & Hollenbeck, …

Crystallized Intelligence And Openness To Experience: Drawing On Intellectual-Investment Theories To Predict Job Performance Longitudinally, Christopher B. Patton

Doctoral Dissertations

Various approaches to conceptualizing and measuring intelligence have been utilized throughout history. Despite the plethora of intelligence theories, the field of industrial and organizational (I-O) psychology has been largely dominated by the psychometric tradition of intelligence and Spearman's general factor theory of intelligence (g). Moreover, other approaches to intelligence (e.g., the developmental perspective) have generally been ignored by I-O psychology. This is puzzling given the widespread acceptance among I-O psychologists of intelligence's substantial and increasing importance in the modern workplace.

Supported by a vast amount of research, g has often been recognized as the single best predictor of …

Development And Test Of An Integrative Model Of Job Search Behaviour, Greet Van Hoye, Alan M. Saks, Filip Lievens, Bert Weijters

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Research on job search and the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) has identified job search attitude, subjective norm, and job search self-efficacy as the most proximal determinants of job seekers' search intentions and subsequently job search behaviours. However, we do not yet know how more distal individual differences (e.g., personality) and situational factors (e.g., social context) might help to predict these key TPB determinants of job search behaviour. In an integrative model of job search behaviour, we propose specific relationships between these distal variables and the TPB determinants, which in turn are expected to mediate the effects of individual differences …

The Interplay Of Elicitation And Evaluation Of Trait-Expressive Behavior: Evidence In Assessment Center Exercises, Filip Lievens, Eveline Schollaert, Gert Keen

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

In assessment centers (ACs), research on eliciting candidate behavior and evaluating candidate behavior have largely followed independent paths. This study integrates trait activation and trait rating models to posit hypotheses about the effects of behavior elicitation via situational cues on key assessor observation and rating variables. To test the hypotheses, a series of experimental and field studies are conducted. Only when trait-expressive behavior activation and evaluation models work in conjunction, increases in observability are coupled with increases in the interrater reliability, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and accuracy of AC ratings. Implications of these findings for AC theory and practice are …

The Multilevel Effects Of Supervisor Adaptability On Training Effectiveness And Employee Job Satisfaction, Joseph Alvin Sherwood

Dissertations and Theses

The present study explored the multilevel effects of supervisor learning adaptability on training effectiveness, and post-training employee job satisfaction in a work-family and safety-based intervention aimed at increasing family supportive supervisor behaviors (FSSB) and safety behaviors. Using a sample of 291 municipal public works field workers from two independent organizations, it was hypothesized that supervisor adaptability positively relates to post-training FSSB and employee job satisfaction. Specifically, it was hypothesized that learning adaptability prepares those supervisors to be more inclined to engage actively in training, thereby increasing employee reported FSSBs more significantly for those supervisors and leading to intervention target results, …

Web-Based Recruitment: Strategies For Attracting Lgbt Employees, Daniel R. Abben

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Organizations are interested in workforce diversity for a variety of reasons. One way to foster employee diversity is through the use of targeted recruitment practices. While this topic has received attention in the literature, most of the work has examined the effectiveness of recruiting people whose minority status is apparent. Thus, the goal of this research is to explore the effectiveness of recruitment strategies targeted toward individuals whose minority status is not immediately obvious, namely lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender adults. Two specific recruitment strategies were used: providing information about domestic partner benefits and providing information about community partnerships. The …

Perceived Choices: Perceptions Of Mothers’ Devotion To “Family Or Work” Or "Family And Work", Stefanie Mockler

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

The role of motherhood is culturally associated with reduced performance expectations and lower performance evaluations. This is referred to as the motherhood penalty. Social role theory (Eagly, 1984), the stereotype content model (Fiske, Cuddy, Glick, & Xu, 2002) and the lack of fit model (Heilman, 1984, 2001) suggest that stereotypes regarding how women are and how they should be drive these perceptions. When mothers express strong devotion to work over family (i.e., devotion orientation) the motherhood penalty appears to be minimized. However, having to claim that work is central to their lives (i.e., work-­‐devotion) to avoid being penalized can impede …

Transformational Leadership, Diversity, And Creativity At Work: A Moderated Mediation Model, Aisha Smith Taylor

Dissertations and Theses

Organizational leaders often seek to hire and retain innovative employees as a source of competitive advantage. Both transformational leadership and effectively managed workplace diversity have been theorized and shown to lead to increased employee creative performance at work; however, a full model of the relationships between leadership and the multi-dimensional construct of workplace diversity has not yet been tested. Using a sample of 371 employees in three Chinese high-technology firms matched with 64 supervisors collected at three time points, this study theorized and tested a moderated mediation path model in which transformational leadership and diversity climate were predicted to significantly …

Political Skill Dimensionality And Impression Management Choice And Effective Use, Robyn L. Brouer, Rebecca L. Badaway, Vickie C. Gallagher, Julita A. Haber

Business Faculty Publications

Purpose The purpose of this study was to test a moderated mediation model of the dimensionality of political skill on influence tactic choice and performance ratings. Design/Mythology/Approach Dyadic data were analyzed using a mixed-method approach to account for any leaderlevel effects, as well as bootstrapping methods to account for the modest sample size (n = 116). Findings Social astuteness best predicted positive impression management (IM) over negative IM. Apparent sincerity interacted with positive impression management tactics to predict higher performance ratings, whereas interpersonal influence did not. Implications The findings support that socially astute individuals use more positive influence tactics in …

Men And Women In Engineering: Professional Identity And Factors Influencing Workforce Retention, Caitlin Hawkinson Wasilewski

Industrial-Organizational Psychology Dissertations

The purpose of this investigation was to gain insight into professional identity and retention in the field of engineering, for both men and women, in an effort to mitigate the shortage of engineers in the United States. Although past efforts have predominantly focused on improving women’s retention since they represent a significant minority of this population, retention should be addressed in men as well, as both typically leave engineering within 10 years of entering the workforce (Frehill, 2012).

Professional identity and retention were evaluated with a mixed methods approach using archival data from a previous investigation on degreed engineers. Professional …

Investigating Relationships Among Work, Family, And Sleep: Cross-Sectional, Daily, And Intervention Effects, Tori Laurelle Crain

Dissertations and Theses

Few studies to date have investigated associations among work, family, and sleep outcomes. The following dissertation includes three studies that attempt to further understanding of such relationships by utilizing data from information technology workers within the Work, Family, and Health Network study. In Study 1, which is published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, associations between work-to-family conflict, family-to-work conflict, family-supportive supervisor behaviors, and sleep outcomes, measured both subjectively and objectively, are examined in a cross-sectional sample. Study 2 investigates associations among work-to-family conflict, family-supportive supervisor behaviors, and subjective sleep outcomes within a seven-day daily diary framework. Furthermore, workplace …

Workplace Aggression: A Multi-Study Examination Of Work And Nonwork Consequences, Caitlin Ann Demsky

Dissertations and Theses

Workplace aggression has been associated with a number of detrimental employee and organizational outcomes, both at work and away from work. This dissertation includes three studies that expand our knowledge of the implications of workplace aggression in the work and nonwork domains. Further, this research illuminates the processes through which this relationship occurs by utilizing various sources of data from employees in a variety of contexts including universities, long term health care, and the USDA Forest Service. In Study 1, which was published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, multi-source data are utilized to identify the indirect effects of …

Summary Of The Performance Effects Of Sustained Operations, Valerie Gawron

Journal of Human Performance in Extreme Environments

Sustained operations missions are performed in diverse environments. These environments include military command and control, process control, medical practice, and security surveillance. Research on the related fatigue effects of sustained operations is reviewed for each of these diverse environments. For military surge operations, both ground and airborne command and control operators show similar decrements in visual performance as a function of sleep loss. Other decrements include increased number of errors in vigilance tasks and reaction time tasks. In process control experiments, longer shifts resulted in more variance in reaction time to grammatical reasoning tasks. Night shift was associated with slower …

Developing Wildland Firefighters’ Performance Capacity Through Awareness-Based Processes: A Qualitative Investigation, Alexis L. Waldron, Vicki Ebbeck

Journal of Human Performance in Extreme Environments

Wildland firefighting is environmentally and socially a risky and complex occupation. Although much attention has been given to understanding the physical components in fighting wildland fire, much less time has been devoted to understanding and developing the capacity of wildland firefighters to handle the dynamic pressures of the physical and social environments. The purpose of this study was to explore the receptiveness, utility, effectiveness, and potential improvements for a mindful and self-compassionate awareness program developed for the wildland fire environment. The program was based on the use of a conceptual tool to refocus awareness and move self-compassionately through key aspects …

Building Resources At Home And At Work: Day-Level Relationships Between Job Crafting, Recovery Experiences, And Work Engagement, Allison Marie Ellis

Dissertations and Theses

Work engagement is an increasingly popular construct in organizational and occupational health psychology. However, despite substantial advances in our understanding of work engagement at the between-person level, scholars have argued for increased investigation into what drives engagement on a daily level for individual employees. In the current study, a within-person, day-level design was employed to examine the relationships between nonwork mastery experiences, job crafting behaviors, and daily work engagement. Drawing on Conservation of Resources (Hobfoll, 1989) theory, nonwork mastery experiences and job crafting were operationalized as employee-driven, resource-building strategies that assist employees in generating important psychological and job resources that …

Dynamic Job Satisfaction Shifts: Implications For Manager Behavior And Crossover To Employees, David Ellis Caughlin

Dissertations and Theses

In this dissertation, I investigated job satisfaction from a dynamic perspective. Specifically, I integrated the momentum model of job satisfaction with the affective shift model and crossover theory in an effort to move beyond traditional, static conceptions of job satisfaction and other constructs. Recent research and theoretical development has focused on the meaning of job satisfaction change for workers and how such change impacts their decisions to leave an organization. To extend this line of inquiry, I posited hypotheses pertaining to: (a) job satisfaction change with respect to positive work behavior (i.e., organizational citizenship behavior, family-supportive supervisor behavior); (b) the …

Ethnicity, Qualifications, And Peer Influence: Relative Effects In A Simulated Hiring Decision, Victoria Lynn Kerns

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Past research has examined the effects observed when résumés varying only in a name or a particular characteristic that is often stereotyped against receive differential feedback (see, for example, Derous et al., 2009). The current study sought to build on that design, adding the influence of peers as a possible way to reduce this discrimination in hiring.

Participants viewed two résumés varying in qualifications, one belonging to a seemingly Anglo candidate and one belonging to a seemingly Arab candidate. They chose a candidate for the position in the presence of peer influence which favored one candidate over another, or peer …

Human Factors In High-Altitude Mountaineering, Christopher D. Wickens, John W. Keller, Christopher Shaw

Journal of Human Performance in Extreme Environments

We describe the human performance and cognitive challenges of high altitude mountaineering. The physical (environmental) and internal (health) stresses are first described, followed by the motivational factors that lead people to climb. The statistics of mountaineering accidents in the Himalayas and Alaska are then described. We then present a detailed discussion of the role of decision-making biases in mountaineering mishaps. We conclude by discussing interpersonal factors, adaptation, and training issues.

Enhancing Psychology Majors’ Meta-Cognitive Understanding Of Desirable Workplace Skills Using A Short Discussion-Based In-Class Activity, Alena S. Gordienko

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The skills psychology students possess that employers look for in job applicants include: reliability, integrity, work ethic, communication, technology, critical thinking, teamwork, and professionalism (Rodgers, 2012). I conducted a study to determine whether participating in a brief classroom activity would improve students’ ability to effectively describe their skills. Students were asked to write a cover letter before and after the activity. The activity included a discussion of four skills and student reflection on their experiences that demonstrated these skills. I hypothesized that overall letter-writing would improve, that students’ self-reported levels of preparedness to find a job would improve, that students …

A Review Of Court Cases Involving Discrimination In Physical Ability Testing: 1992-2015, Casey L. Biggs

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Organizations that employ physically demanding jobs want to ensure their selection procedures distinguish qualified applicants from unqualified applicants. However, such selection tools typically result in adverse impact against various protected groups and often lead to litigation. Various factors influence the court’s decision to rule in favor of the plaintiff or the defendant. The purpose of the present study is to identify those factors. The ADA (1990) created strict guidelines for plaintiffs and defendants to follow to be credible in a discrimination case. This study will specifically determine the impact of the ADA guidelines and three additional factors that influence court …

Using Critical Incidents: The Development Of A Behaviorally Based Training Program For Supervisor Citizenship Behavior And Feedback Skills, Jody J. Lecheler

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

It has been argued (Greer, 2013) that supervisors are a critical component in organizational effectiveness. Supervisors are required to hold many roles within the organization (Evans, 1965). Specifically, employees often see supervisors as representatives of the organization, while the organization depends on supervisors to maintain production (Greer, 2013). Many supervisors also fill a variety of other organizational roles such as mentor, trainer, motivator, disciplinarian, evaluator, and leader (Evans, 1965). For these reasons, effective supervisors are crucial to organizational success. The present study developed a behaviorally based training program for supervisors for a poultry processing organization. The training program content included …

Examining Quality Of Hire As A Function Of Person-Organization And Person-Job Fit At "Pharmco", Leah L. Palmer

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In response to the millennial job-hopping fad and increasingly low retention rates organizations are facing, it is more important than ever that the best-fit candidate is chosen for the position and the organization. There are two common ways fit is typically defined: person-organization (P-O) fit is the congruence between an employee and the characteristics of a company; person-job (P-J) fit is the match between an employee’s knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) and the requirements of the job in the organization (Edwards, 1991; Kristof, 1996). A large pharmaceutical company developed a quality of new hire criterion measure as a function of …

Organizational Use Of Social Networking In Employment Actions, Cameron R. Lile

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study examined federal court cases related to the use of social media websites (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn) in various employment practices (e.g., selection, promotion, employee monitoring, layoffs). Court cases were identified using various online databases in an attempt to create an exhaustive list of cases to be used to better understand the role that social media has played in organizational settings and the legal implications of its use. The results of this study show that there were a significant number of cases involving termination and Facebook, and organizations prevailed in court significantly more than the defendant did. The …

The Impact Of Team Social Role Performance On Team Cohesion And Team Performance, Graham H. Lowman

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study examined the relationships between team social role performance, team cohesion, and team performance. The team social roles examined were those identified by Mumford, Campion, and Morgeson (2006): Cooperator, Communicator, and Calibrator. The Group Environmental Questionnaire (GEQ) developed by Carron, Widmeyer, and Brawley (1985) provided the measure of team cohesion on the individual and group levels. Performance reports from the GLO-BUS business simulation game provided team performance scores. Results indicated that mean team social role performance and the standard deviation of team social role performance are significantly correlated and predictive of team cohesion. In addition, results indicated a non-significant …

Antecedent Conditions Of Shared Leadership: An Examination Of Team Personality Composition, Shared Leadership, And Team Effectiveness, Nicole Wild

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The present study examined the antecedent conditions necessary for shared leadership to develop in teams and enhance team effectiveness. An overview of the research on traditional leadership, shared leadership, and team personality composition examined the evidence in support of using team agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience to predict shared leadership in teams. The study sample consisted of manufacturing employees at an appliance manufacturing plant. It was proposed that team agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience would significantly predict shared empowering leadership in teams, which subsequently would predict team effectiveness. Results of multiple regression revealed no significant relationships between team …

Is The Classroom Better? An Introspective Look At E-Learning And Classroom From A Ged Standpoint, Taryn C. Schrader

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The present study examined whether participants assigned to a well-executed e-learning program would show greater improvement in mean test scores pre-post instructional intervention compared to those learning through the traditional classroom method. In the last ten years, many organizations have created e-learning programs with the hopes of enhancing or replacing traditional instructor-led classes (Jones, 2013). However, 41% of American Society of Training and Development’s respondents admitted their organization does not possess metrics to evaluate e-learning’s usefulness (Miller, 2012). One of the major challenges in incorporating and implementing e-learning programs is the ability to measure its use and effectiveness (Miller, 2012). …

Examining The Relationship Between Physical Activity Psychological Well-Being And Stress In A College Population, Hannah K. Wike

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The present study evaluated the relationship between perceived stress and psychological well-being moderated by physical activity in college-age participants. Previous research suggests physical activity relates to lower stress levels (Nguyen‐Michel, Unger, Hamilton, & Spruijt‐Metz, 2006). Additionally, research has found physical activity is connected with overall well-being and lower levels of mental health issues. The results from an online survey collection (n=291) suggest that physical activity, at least as operationalized in the study, does not moderate the relationship between perceived stress and psychological well-being. However, perceived stress does have a significant relationship with psychological well-being. Also, the motive for physical activity, …

The Effects Of Tiered Goals And Bonus Pay On Performance, Jessica L. Urschel

Dissertations

This study examined the relative effects of tiered goals, difficult goals, and moderate goals on performance when individuals earned bonus pay for goal achievement. The experimental design was a 3 x 2 mixed factorial design. Participants were 44 undergraduate students performing a computerized data entry task that simulated the job of a medical data entry clerk. For each session, participants were paid a $4 base salary plus bonus pay contingent on goal achievement. Participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: a) a multiple, tiered goal level condition, in which participants earned $1 in bonus pay for achieving an …