Abstract : This work focused upon a number of processes involved during organizational change and assimilation of members into organizations. Paper 1 addresses a series of organizational redesign interventions. Study is made not only of how members reacted to these changes but, more importantly, how their focus of attention mediated these reactions. Paper 2 also studies employee focus of attention. In this paper, it is demonstrated that the direction of magnitude of employee focus of attention influence the manner in which employees react to variations in leader behavior. Paper 3 examines the development of organizational commitment for a group of employees. These employees are studied prior to entering the organization and for one year subsequent to entry. Paper 4 also explores worker reactions to organizational change. Studies from two different organizations are reported, each utilizing a quasi-experimental design. The manner in which employees react to change (alternative work schedules) is studied over a 7-12 month period.

This study examined organizational citizenship of residents in a housing cooperative setting where roles were not influenced by traditional employee–employer work relationships. Results demonstrate that the individual differences of collectivism and propensity to trust predicted organizational citizenship (assessed six months later). In addition, organizational-based self-esteem fully mediated the effects of collectivism and propensity to trust on organizational citizenship, and tenure moderated the trust—self-esteem relationship. We discuss the implications of these results given the changing nature of work and the increasing importance of non-work organizations. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Arguably, the most critical time frame for organizational participants to develop trust is at the beginning of their relationship. Using primarily a cognitive approach, we address factors and processes that enable two organizational parties to form relatively high trust initially. We propose a:model of specific relationships among several trust-related constructs and two cognitive processes. The model helps explain the paradoxical finding of high initial trust levels in new organizational relationships.

Common methods variance often is a problem with psychological measures that require respondent self-reports of attitudes, beliefs, perceptions, and the like. The present study examined this problem by comparing multiple-item, Likert-type measures of psychological constructs to single-item, non-Likert-type measures of the same constructs. Using confirmatory factor analysis, the alternative forms were compared on criteria of methods variance and construct validity. Neither method appeared to be empirically better than the other. Unusual situations in which well-developed single-item measures might be appropriate are discussed.

This paper underscores the importance of examining strategic response to institutional influences in light of hypercompetition. Focusing on the banking industry, which is hypercompetitive and highly institutionalized, affords a unique opportunity to understand how individual corporations in such an industry respond strategically to institutional pressures. We examine critical contingencies arising from hypercompetition that moderate institutional influences on information systems outsourcing in commercial banks. Using data from 226 banks and hierarchical moderated regression analyses, we show that the propensity of banks to conform to or resist institutional pressures depends on the nature of institutional pressures, perceived gain in production economies, financial capacity to resist institutional influences, and transaction cost considerations.

A longitudinal field study (N = 44) and a scenario study (N = 239) were conducted to investigate the influence of the individual difference of goal orientation (an orientation toward developing or demonstrating one's ability) on feedback-seeking behavior by the inquiry method. The results of the 2 studies were consistent with the hypotheses of a positive relationship between a learning-goal orientation and feedback seeking and of a negative relationship between a performance-goal orientation and feedback seeking. Also as hypothesized, the perceived cost and perceived value of feedback seeking mediated these relationships. The theoretical and practical implications of the research are discussed.

In this study the research on role conflict and coping is integrated with more traditional lines of stress research. It is argued that, because role stress is generated by certain characteristics of a person's environment, coping with role stress is likely to be directed toward those environmental characteristics. The literatures on stress, role conflict, and coping are reviewed. The following conclusions are theorized: (a) The relation between role conflict and role stress is moderated by the strain existing within a person's social network; (b) this strain is produced by two factors, the perceived power of the role sender and the importance of the sender's expectations to the focal person; (c) the relation between role stress and role distress (felt emotional discomfort) is moderated by several personality characteristics; (d) the relation between role distress and coping (actual behavior aimed at reducing distress) is moderated by both individual-level and situational-level factors; (e) the relation between coping and strain can be reciprocal. The need for longitudinal, reciprocal studies of stress, distress, and coping, and for occupationally, and even organizationally, specific models of stress, is also emphasized (Bacharach & Bamberger, 1992).

This study extends 1993 work by Ang, et al. and provides a temporal assessment of feedback sign and feedback communication environments on feedback-seeking behavior of 72 subjects. Analysis indicated that positive feedback engendered greater subsequent seeking than negative feedback. Subjects in both computer-mediated and computer-generated feedback environments were more willing to seek feedback on the next immediate opportunity than to defer seeking to later occasions. In contrast, subjects in the face-to-face environment were more reticent in seeking feedback on the next available opportunity, preferring either to delay it to later occasions or not to seek feedback. We discuss the results in the context of face-loss costs and public-image implications of feedback-seeking behavior.

Behavioral plasticity theory is offered as an explanation for the moderating effects of self-esteem on role perception-employee response relationships. According to this theory, because individuals with low self-esteem are more reactive than their counterparts with high self-esteem, they are more susceptible to adverse role conditions, such as role conflict, ambiguity, and overload, and a poor work environment and poor supervisory support. Moderated hierarchical regression analyses revealed significant moderating effects for organization-based self-esteem on role condition-response relationships, thereby providing support for predictions based on behavioral plasticity theory.

Research suggests that the decision to engage in feedback seeking behavior will depend both on the expected diagnosticity of the feedback message and on the seeker's expectations about his or her performance level. An experi- ment was conducted in which both of these factors were manipulated. It was predicted that poor performers would seek diagnostic feedback (feedback that could be used to improve future performance) more frequently than non- diagnostic feedback, whereas good performers would seek feedback regard- less of diagnosticity. The results suggest that individuals will be most likely to seek feedback when they expect it to be both diagnostic and favorable. Impli- cations of this finding are discussed.

This article presents reviews of two books, “Organizations in Action: Social Science Bases of Administrative Theory,” by James D. Thompson and “To Know As We Are Known: A Spirituality of Education,” by Parker J. Palmer.

This paper introduces a multifaceted construct labelled ‘employee focus of attention’. Conceptual and operational definitions for the construct are provided. Evidence from four different studies is presented to establish content, construct and face validity for the operationalization. Data support the general hypothesis that the degree to which employees think about various targets in their work environment affects their reactions to those targets. It is concluded that with further development the focus of attention construct may provide a viable way to enhance explanations of employee reactions to their work environments. Suggestions for future research on the focus of attention construct are provided.

The article introduces the construct “organization-based self-esteem” and its measurement. We developed a partial nomological network resulting in a set of hypotheses that guided efforts to validat...

Two separate longitudinal field studies were conducted to assess the relationship between personal control and job satisfaction and performance. In the first study, a sample of nursing service personnel from a variety of functional and hierarchical levels who were working in a hospital were utilized; in the second study, clerical workers in two regional offices of an insurance company were employed. After statistically controlling for locus of control, it was found that personal control significantly predicted job satisfaction and performance. Time lag analyses suggest that control may also be an outcome of these variables. The implications of these results for theories of motivation are discussed.

People act in ways that sometimes violate social expectations or role requirements. To bridge the gap between action and expectation, and thus prevent conflict, the offending party can provide an account, which is an explanation of the behavior in question. This article examines situations in work organizations in which a boss refuses a subordinate's request, thus failing to meet the subordinate's expectations. Specifically, we examine the effects of a boss's causal account, which is an explanation claiming mitigating circumstances for the refusal, on subordinate reactions that might induce conflict (e.g., anger, complaints). In a survey of 121 currently employed subordinates, it was found that the mere claim of mitigating circumstances does not explain the influence of a causal account in lessening conflict; rather, it is the adequacy of reasoning in support of the claim and the boss's sincerity in communicating the causal account that explain the variance in subordinates' reactions. The implications of these results for an analysis of accounts as a conflict-management strategy are discussed.

This article examines the role of employee focus of attention- and the target of this focus-on employee reactions to organizational change efforts. The authors conducted an empirical study of 476 clerical workers in three regional offices of a large insurance company. Subjects were assigned either to an experimental group-which underwent job changes-or a control group, and completed a survey before and after the change effort The authors had hypothesized that employees focusing highly on their jobs would react relatively favorably to the job changes, that those focusing highly on their work units would react relatively little; and that those focusing little on off-the-job factors would reactstrongly. The results provided only mixed support for the first two hypotheses and did not support the third, but indicated that focus of attention indeed moderates the effectiveness of job change interventions for both "soft" dependent variables (e g., satisfaction) and "hard" ones (eg., performance). The authors conclude that organizational change efforts may have strong effects when employees focus on targets of change.

AbstractThree different studies examine moderating effects of focus of attention at work on leader‐follower relationships, using the typology developed by Howell, Dorfman, and Kerr (1986). Survey data were collected from over 1300 subjects. Results indicate that: (1) high focus on the supervisor while at work enhances leader behaviour‐subordinate satisfaction and behaviour relationships, (2) high focus on off‐job factors while at work enhances leader behaviour‐subordinate satisfaction relationships, and (3) high focus on off‐job factors while at work weakens leader behaviour‐subordinate behaviour relationships. Theoretical implications for the study of organizational behaviour are discussed, as well as practical issues for enhancing leader behaviour effectiveness in work organizations.

The literature regarding the relationship between role ambiguity and satisfaction has produced mixed results. Evidence suggests that factors such as the source of role expectations may affect this relationship. In order to examine one source of expectations (the supervisor), an experiment was conducted in which ambiguity (presence/absence of task clarity instructions) and instruction source (supervisor, nonsupervisor) were manipulated within the same objective task environment. Thirty-two men and 65 women participated in a full factorial design. An instruction source, satisfaction with supervisor interaction (F(1,92) = 3.5, p < .07) was found, supporting the general proposition that the source of task role expectations would affect the relationships between role ambiguity and satisfaction.

Task satisfaction is hypothesized to be a function of the perceived speed of time passage while performing a task. Perceived speed of time passage is manipulated both as an internal state (arousal) and as an environmental context (pattern of background rhythm). The results of an experiment ( N = 80) support the hypothesis and are interpreted through an implicit model of task satisfaction, i.e., events that seem to occur quickly are perceived as pleasing. The theoretical implications of the findings are contrasted with other frameworks of explanation of task satisfaction.