Emerald | Leadership & Organization Development Journal

Job and work attitudes, engagement and employee performance: Where does psychological well-being fit in?

Ivan T. Robertson, Alex Jansen Birch, Cary L. Cooper — 2012-05-04 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose – This article aims to test the hypothesis that employee productivity levels will be better predicted by a combination of positive job and work attitudes (employee engagement) and psychological well-being than by positive job and work attitudes alone. Design/methodology/approach – Survey data using psychometrically sound measures of the key constructs were collected for a sample of over 9,000 people across 12 organisations. Findings – Multiple regression analyses reveal that psychological well-being has incremental value over and above that of positive job and work attitudes in predicting self-reported levels of performance. Research limitations/implications – The study design involves cross sectional self-report data and as such firm conclusions about causality cannot be drawn. Practical implications – The results suggest that if employers focus only on job and work attitudes and ignore employee psychological well-being, they will limit the benefits that can be obtained through initiatives such as programmes designed to improve employee engagement. Originality/value – The study provides evidence that two previously separate constructs are both important in predicting measures of employee productivity.

Power and strategic change in a multinational industrial corporation

Kari Kerttula, Tuomo Takala — 2012-05-04 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose – The aim of the study was to analyze the use of power in a strategic change process within a large forest industry company. The organization in question had a total of 7,700 employees, 6-8 organizational levels, over 30 production units and a widespread international sales network. The study highlighted the organization's internal narration as an important element in the use of power. It started in conjunction with the appointment of the new management group and continued throughout the two-year monitoring period, so that gradually all organizational layers were involved in interpreting their roles and positions in the new structure. Design/methodology/approach – The empirical data were collected during a period of more than two years through participatory observation and the change narrative was made using the change report method. The use of power was observed from the perspective of the management group. The researcher had a dual role; he served both as a researcher and a member of the management group. Findings – The first conclusion revealed that the change did not represent a separate process that was taking place outside the normal, established functioning and management process of the organization. The second conclusion was that implementing a transformative change in a large organization is a multi-stage and challenging learning process, both for the change makers as well as for other members of the organization. The third conclusion was that there were no shortcuts to change. It took place through the thinking and actions of the people starting from the understanding of the measures required for the change. Research limitations/implications – There are three limitations to the study. First, its findings are based on the viewpoint of the new management group. Second, the role of the researcher and the episodic progress narrative edited by himself defined the change process as a five-phased process. Third, and closely linked to the previous limitation, the possible narrowness of the researcher in his thinking is also a potential limitation. Practical implications – The results of the study could pave the way to a more realistic understanding of power and change in large multinational companies. Originality/value – This article is a genuine research paper with profound fieldwork. It broadens viewpoints considering power, change and the role of top management in a large and global Finnish forest industry corporation.

Agents of “influence”: exploring the usage, timing, and outcomes of executive coaching tactics

Melissa Lewis-Duarte, Michelle C. Bligh — 2012-05-04 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose – Executive coaching is commonly utilized in organizations to facilitate the personal and professional growth of executives. Executive coaches utilize a variety of proactive influence tactics to create behavioral change in their clients. The current study aimed to examine coaches' perceived use and effectiveness of the outcome, timing, and objective of proactive influence tactics in coaching relationships. Design/methodology/approach – Members of ten organizations affiliated with executive coaching were targeted for participation. A total of 110 participants completed the online survey. Findings – Influence tactics including coalition, consultation, inspirational appeals, and rational persuasion were more frequently associated with client commitment. Consultation was more frequently utilized during initial influence attempts; pressure was more frequently utilized during follow-up attempts. Coaches also reported using different tactics depending on the desired outcome of the influence attempt: coalition and pressure were utilized to change behavior, whereas coaches used consultation and rational persuasion to both change behavior and assign work. Research limitations/implications – The results offer insights into executive coaching engagements, areas for potential training and development of practicing coaches, and techniques for creating more successful outcomes with coaching clients. The findings are limited by sample size, self-report measures, and the lack of contextual or organizational information. Future research should expand these findings to provide additional information regarding the use of influence tactics in the executive coaching industry. Originality/value – There is little empirical data regarding how executive coaches effectively influence behavioral change in their clients. The current study applies research on proactive influence tactics to the context of executive coaching, bridging these two previously disparate streams of research.

Work-family enrichment in Korea: construct validation and status

Doo Hun Lim, Myungweon Choi, Ji Hoon Song — 2012-05-04 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose – The aim of this study is to validate the Korean version of the work-family enrichment (WFE) scale and identify the current status of work-family enrichment of workers within the Korean cultural context. Design/methodology/approach – The authors performed a forward and backward translation procedure to develop the Korean version of the WFE scale, which contains the linguistic equivalence between the two language versions of the WFE scale (English and Korean). Also, both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis were utilized to test the psychometric fit of the underlying structure of the Korean WFE scale compared with the English version. Findings – The results indicate that the Korean version of the WFE indicates psychometric properties parallel to the English version of the WFE. The findings also include differences in the WFE mean scores for Korean workers based on demographic and work-related variables. Originality/value – As in the USA, improving the work-family balance is perceived as a social imperative in other cultural settings. Empirical studies conducted in the Korean context can potentially demonstrate how individualist-based hypotheses regarding work-family interface fit a collectivist-based cultural setting.

Servant leadership and paternalistic leadership styles in the Turkish business context: A comparative empirical study

Zeynep Hale Öner — 2012-05-04 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to test an adaptation of the servant leadership survey to Turkey for the first time and to explore the relationship between perceptions of servant leadership and paternalistic leadership styles in the Turkish business context to contribute to the complex process of contextual dynamics of leadership. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 305 self-administered surveys completed by white-collar mid-level managers in Istanbul, Turkey. These white collar employees conveyed their perceptions about the leadership styles of their immediate supervisors. Findings – The results revealed that Turkish employees perceived a high correlation between paternalistic and servant leadership styles, demonstrating that leadership practices held by employees are strongly culture-specific. In particular, all dimensions of servant leadership construct – i.e. altruism, relationship, empowerment and participation – showed a significant positive correlation with the paternalistic leadership construct. Servant leadership attributes as perceived by Turkish employees reflect a higher degree of “people orientation”. Research limitations/implications – Although this is a cross-sectional study, its findings have implications for contemporary leadership research and practice, particularly with regard to understanding of leadership in the cultural context. Practical implications – The study findings may assist human resources practitioners in multinational corporations and in Eastern and Western countries to unravel the confusion and misunderstandings created when different cultures perceive leadership in disparate ways. Originality/value – This paper is among the first to establish empirically a possible link between servant leadership and paternalistic leadership perception as shown in the understanding of the Turkish employees. Turkish mid-level managers did not consider servant leadership and paternalistic leadership styles as inconsistent, while the Western populace thinks of them as mutually exclusive. This study is a step in the complex process of theorizing about the contextual dynamics of leadership.

Women in Leadership: Context, Dynamics and Boundaries

2012-05-04 00:00:00.0

Exploring Leadership: Individual, Organizational, & Societal Perspectives

2012-05-04 00:00:00.0