Journal of Managerial Psychology

Why supervisors make idiosyncratic deals: antecedents and outcomes of i-deals from a managerial perspective : Table of Contents

Severin Hornung, Denise M. Rousseau, Jürgen Glaser — Sat Nov 21 08:00:12 GMT 2009

Abstract:
Purpose – Idiosyncratic deals are personalized employment conditions individual workers have negotiated. This study aims to investigate influences on supervisors' authorization of i-deals and their evaluation of these arrangements. Design/methodology/approach – Structural modeling was used to analyze survey data from n=263 supervisors managing telecommuting employees in the German public administration. Findings – Supervisors differentiated among i-deals regarding development, flexibility, and workload reduction. Their authorization of developmental i-deals was influenced by employee initiative. Supervisors viewed these i-deals to have positive implications for employee motivation and performance. Flexibility i-deals were influenced by structural conditions such as the type of work the employee performed. Supervisors viewed these i-deals to enhance work-life benefits. Supervisors tended to grant workload reduction i-deals in the context of unfulfilled organizational obligations towards employees. Research limitations/implications – Relying on single-source cross-sectional data, our results provide a managerial perspective on i-deals. Conclusions regarding implications for employees are tentative. Recommendations for future study designs are discussed. Practical implications – Managers need to better recognize that i-deals take different forms, and these forms are associated with different outcomes. I-deals provide a way to experiment with innovative human resource practices. Originality/value – This is the first study to examine i-deals from a supervisor perspective. It is the first to identify differential circumstances and consequences managers associate with authorizing three distinct forms of i-deals.

Personality, motivation and job satisfaction: Hertzberg meets the Big Five : Table of Contents

Adrian Furnham, Andreas Eracleous, Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic — Sat Nov 21 08:00:12 GMT 2009

Abstract:
Purpose – The current study aims to investigate the extent to which personality and demographic variables contribute to motivation and job satisfaction as defined by the two-factor theory. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 202 fulltime workers completed three questionnaires measuring their personality, work motivation and satisfaction. Findings – Results demonstrate that between 9 and 15 per cent of the variance in motivation is accounted for by demographic variables and the Big Five personality traits. In line with previous findings (Judge et al.), conscientiousness and job status were both significant predictors of job satisfaction, and between 11 and 13 per cent of the variance was accounted for by personality and other demographic variables. Research limitations/implications – This study was restricted to self-report measure. It never took into consideration other potential confounds like a person's job history, level and responsibilities. It also showed personality factors accounted for very little evidence of the variance. Practical implications – Implications are discussed in terms of attempts to improve employee attitudes without considering the effects of individual differences. An acknowledgement that individual differences can affect the success of an intervention, may contribute to the design of effective work reorganisation schemes that are better suited to the employees they seek to benefit. Originality/value – The value of this paper was that it looked at how personality and demographic factors may influence a person's work satisfaction.

Different views of trust and relational leadership: supervisor and subordinate perspectives : Table of Contents

James D. Werbel, Paulo Lopes Henriques — Sat Nov 21 08:00:12 GMT 2009

Abstract:
Purpose – The purpose of the study is to investigate how the conditions of trust differ between supervisors and subordinates. By understanding these differences, it may be possible to improve the quality of a leader-member exchange (LMX). Design/methodology/approach – This is a quantitative study using supervisor and subordinate dyads from Portugal. Findings – Supervisors reported that receptivity, availability, and discreteness were perceived to be more important in building a quality vertical dyad linkage as represented by LMX. Subordinates reported that availability, competence, discreteness, integrity, and openness were more important for building a quality vertical dyad linkage as represented by LMX. Research limitations/implications – Status differences between supervisors and subordinates appear to influence conditions of trust. Supervisors are more concerned about conditions of trust that deal with supervisory delegation. Subordinates are more concerned about the conditions of trust based on interactional justice. Originality/value – This research implies that trust is different between supervisors and subordinates. The research is important in building supervisor and subordinate relationships as both need to act in manners that engenders trust from the other side. The difference in conditions of trust may create conflicting expectations about how to effectively build trust.

Emotional labor: links to work attitudes and emotional exhaustion : Table of Contents

Brenda L. Seery, Elizabeth A. Corrigall — Sat Nov 21 08:00:12 GMT 2009

Abstract:
Purpose – The purpose of this study is to explore the links from self-focused emotional labor (surface acting) and other-focused emotional labor (emotional enhancement) to job satisfaction, affective commitment, emotional exhaustion, and intentions to quit. Design/methodology/approach – The study employed a cross-sectional survey of 363 nurses' aides and childcare workers. Findings – Surface acting, a type of self-focused emotional labor, was related to negative work outcomes (lower job satisfaction and affective commitment as well as higher turnover intentions and emotional exhaustion). Emotional enhancement, a form of other-focused emotional labor, was related to positive outcomes (lower turnover intentions and emotional exhaustion) when performed for clients' family members, but not for clients. Research limitations/implications – The cross sectional design of this study limits the ability to map the temporal ordering of these relationships, and thus to determine if emotional enhancement is a job resource or response to positive work experiences. In addition, two helping occupations – nurses' aides and child care workers – were sampled, and thus, the findings may not generalize to other types of occupations. Originality/value – This study adds to the research about job-related emotional labor because other-focused emotional labor largely has been neglected in previous research. In addition, it is the first to differentiate workers' emotional labor with different groups of clients (patients/children; family members).

Individual values and the work/family interface: An examination of high tech employees in Israel : Table of Contents

Aaron Cohen — Sat Nov 21 08:00:12 GMT 2009

Abstract:
Purpose – The question of how to strike a balance between work and life is attracting increasing attention from both scholars and practitioners. This paper aims to examine the relationship between individual level values, using Schwartz's basic human values theory, and the work-family conflict (WFC), the family-work conflict (FWC), and coping strategies. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 122 employees from two Israeli high tech companies participated in this survey. The portrait values questionnaire (PVQ) was used to measure ten basic values. The PVQ includes short verbal portraits of 40 different people, gender matched with the respondent. Work-family conflict and family-work conflict were measured by the scales developed by Netemeyer et al. Personal coping was measured using the 16 items of Kirchmeyer's scale of coping strategies. Regression and correlation analysis were used to test the research hypotheses. Findings – The findings showed a strong relationship between power and the three independent variables. Schwartz's ten values explained a relatively large percentage of the variation in the work-family conflict and the use of coping strategies. Originality/value – While there has been a growing trend to examine individual level values in order to better understand the attitudes and behaviors of employees in the workplace, very few studies have examined whether and how individual values are related to the interface between work and family. This paper responded to the call for such research. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for the continuation of research on individual values in their relationship to the work-family interface.

Effects of helper sex, recipient attractiveness, and recipient femininity on helping behavior in organizations : Table of Contents

Deborah A. Danzis, Eugene F. Stone-Romero — Sat Nov 21 08:00:12 GMT 2009

Abstract:
Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the effects of sex, attractiveness, and sex role of helping behavior in a simulated work situation. Design/methodology/approach – A 2?×?2×2 randomized experimental design was used, in which 81 participants worked on cooperative task building models. Male or female participants were asked for help from a female confederate who was either high or low in attractiveness and high or low in femininity. Findings – A three-way interaction indicated that male participants provided equal levels of help across femininity and attractiveness conditions, but female participants provided more help to low attractive-high feminine confederates than to high attractive-high feminine confederates. Research limitations/implications – The external validity of the study may be limited, due to sample and experimental setting. Care should also be used in generalizing to situations in which the participants have longer-term relationships. Practical implications – Differences in helping related to sex, sex role orientation, and attractiveness do occur, and may be related to social roles and expectations. This may help predict patterns of helping in work settings. Originality/value – The study demonstrated that sex role orientation can be experimentally manipulated, and that this does combine with other variables to influence helping behaviors. It also indicated that attractiveness effects are not as consistent as may be expected.

Social and economic exchange in the employee-organization relationship: the moderating role of reciprocation wariness : Table of Contents

Lynn M. Shore, William H. Bommer, Alaka N. Rao, Jai Seo — Sat Nov 21 08:00:12 GMT 2009

Abstract:
Purpose – This paper examines the relationships that social and economic exchanges, two elements of the employee-organization relationship (EOR), had with affective commitment, turnover intentions, employer trust, and altruism. The paper also aims to determine whether reciprocation wariness, reflecting fear of exploitation in reciprocation, moderated relationships that exchange elements had with outcomes. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 453 employees of a large Korean electronics organization completed a survey on their work attitudes, behaviors, and demographic characteristics. Findings – Results showed that reciprocation wariness moderated relations that social exchange had with commitment, turnover intentions, and trust, and that economic exchange had with turnover intentions. Research limitations/implications – The significance of examining social and economic exchange and of developing conceptualizations of the EOR that incorporate individual differences is discussed. Practical implications – Organizational leaders need to consider how individuals may differ in responses to exchange elements of the EOR. Common assumptions about the EOR that social exchange is universally beneficial and that the necessity of economic exchange is accepted by all employees may not be accurate. Originality/value – New theorizing and testing of the role of reciprocation wariness in the EOR contributes to an emerging literature on social and economic exchanges and how individuals may respond to these elements of the EOR.