Uncertainty, Contrariness and the Double-bind: Middle Managers' Reactions to Changing Contracts

This article describes the emerging changes in psychological contracts being experienced by British middle managers in relation to their employing organizations, the middle managers' negative reactions to these changes and organizational responses to such negativity. By analysing case studies of 16 organizations, a classification of changes to five elements of the psychological contract are identified: knowledge, motivation, goals and means, role behaviour and ethics. By analysing the semi-structured interviews of 37 middle managers, selected from a much larger database for their obvious negative reactions, a continuum of such reactions is considered: uncertainty, contrariness and double-bind. This consideration leads, then, to suggestions for further research.     

Performance Management,Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment1

A number of investigations have focused on aspects of human resource management policy and their impact on employees. The study reported here examines the extent to which the main elements of performance management systems are associated with positive employee attitudes. Questionnaire measures of performance management variables and of employee attitudes were obtained from 860 staff in nine organizations, all of which had been ascertained to be operating performance management systems. The findings indicate that most elements of performance management did contribute to positive employee attitudes, and that between them they accounted for a substantial proportion of the variance in measures of organizational commitment and (especially) job satisfaction. Some differences in the data from public and private-sector organizations were found.     

Employee Commitment and Wages in the Private Sector

This paper evaluates the link between employee affective commitment and wages using a theoretical model predicting that affective commitment and wages can be complements. We estimate simultaneous quantile regressions based on a matched worker–employer sample of private sector workers from the UK's Workplace Employment Relations Survey 2004. Our results suggest that wages increase with increasing levels of affective commitment, consistent with the idea that the two are complements.     

HRM Practices and Employee Commitment: Possibilities, Pitfalls and Paradoxes

Much recent writing on Human Resources Management (HRM) has emphasized the desirability of a committed workforce and the central role of HRM practices in establishing and maintaining such commitment. Little empirical evidence for such effects has been presented however, and the conceptualization of employee commitment has often been confused, failing to recognize its multi–dimensional nature. Researchers have sought to identify the antecedents of commitment, concentrating on personal/demographic, task, role and supervisory style variables taken from job satisfaction research. With regard to organizational and career commitment, it may be more fruitful to examine the impact of HRM policies and practices. Several studies undertaken by the authors demonstrating the impact on employee commitment of such HRM practices as selection, assessment, induction and training are reviewed, indicating the possibilities for research and practice in this area. Such studies also reveal some pitfalls in the over–simple, uncritical models of commitment often presented, and some paradoxical findings from the authors' own work are used to present a more adequate perspective on the commitment process.     

人力资源经理工作倦怠现状及其相关因素分析

为了解我国人力资源经理工作压力现状,探讨其与工作倦怠、工作满意度及工作绩效之间的作用关系及作用方式,本研究采用问卷法对北京地区89名企业人力资源经理进行施测。结果表明,人力资源经理工作压力处于中等水平,造成工作压力的主要因素分别是职业发展、组织氛围、工作责任及组织结构;工作倦怠处于中等偏下水平,其中效能感低下这个倦怠因素相对严重。另外,工作压力与工作倦怠正相关,工作倦怠与工作满意度、工作绩效存在负相关关系,而工作倦怠在工作压力与工作满意度、工作绩效之间起中介作用。     

Corporate Managers' Reactions to Assertive Social Skills Exhibited by Males and Females

While a number of investigators have suggested that assertiveness is an important interpersonal skill for both males and females in work-related settings, few studies have empirically evaluated how corporate managers react to assertiveness exhibited by others. The current study examined whether managers react differently to identical assertive responses made by females versus by males, and also compared manager reactions to several different types of verbal content in assertive responses. The procedure consisted of presenting managers with taped vignettes that showed either a male or female model handling several work-related conflicts assertively. The portrayed models were either directly assertive, assertive but moderating their assertion with an empathic comment to the antagonist in the situation, or assertive but tempering the response with a self-effacing comment. Based on interpersonal evaluation ratings completed later by the managers, self-effacing assertive models of both sexes were rated unfavorably relative to either directly assertive or empathic-assertive models. Empathic comments preceding an assertive response resulted in more favorable manager reactions on several criteria. Finally, on almost all measures, assertive behavior exhibited by females was evaluated as positively as the same behavior exhibited by males. Implications for assertive training of males and females in the business setting are considered.     

工作不安全感与情绪耗竭:情绪劳动的中介作用

工作不安全感作为组织变革过程中产生的重要压力源,不仅引发员工对工作持续性和稳定性的担忧,同时导致员工诸多心理健康问题.研究工作不安全感对员工工作态度和行为的作用机制,基于资源保存理论和压力源-压力框架,构建情绪劳动为中介的工作不安全感对情绪耗竭影响和作用机制模型,从资源角度阐述认知性工作不安全感和情感性工作不安全感如何通过情绪劳动引发情绪耗竭,运用层次回归分析、相关分析等统计方法对10家企业的197份样本数据进行模型检验.研究结果表明,认知性工作不安全感和情感性工作不安全感对情绪耗竭均有正向影响,工作不安全感通过表层扮演和深层扮演两种情绪劳动的方式消耗心理努力以导致情绪耗竭.因此,组织不仅可以通过调岗等人事管理方法增加个人组织匹配,还可以通过心理辅导等培训活动改变员工的工作态度,采取积极的方式缓解工作不安全感对情绪耗竭的负面影响.     

职业承诺、组织承诺与员工满意度的实证研究——以项目经理为例

已有研究证明职业承诺和组织承诺是决定员工工作行为的关键因素.本研究以项目经理为研究对象,通过问卷调查来了解他们的职业承诺、组织承诺以及其他相关变量的水平.调查数据用sPss软件进行分析,结果显示,具有项目管理硕士学位的项目经理职业承诺水平显著高于其他人员.项目经理的职业承诺和组织承诺积极相关,其交互作用对工作满意度有积极影响.这些研究结论对实现项目管理人员的职业化和制定组织的管理策略有应用意义.     

劳动关系氛围和员工工作满意度:组织承诺的调节作用

本文从组织行为层次探讨劳动关系氛围与员工态度之间的关系。基于60家企业1607名员工的问卷调查,本文探讨了劳资双赢、劳资对立和员工参与三种劳动关系氛围对员工内在和外在满意度的直接影响,以及员工组织承诺在上述关系中的调节作用。研究发现,劳资双赢氛围显著地提升员工的内在和外在满意度,劳资对立氛围显著地降低员工的内在和外在满意度,员工参与氛围仅能显著提升员工的内在工作满意度。同时,员工组织承诺中的情感承诺能显著增强劳资双赢氛围对内在和外在工作满意度的积极影响,但仅能显著降低劳资对立氛围对内在工作满意度的消极影响,而对员工参与氛围的影响不具有调节作用。此外,研究还发现交易承诺不存在调节效果。     

Small Actions Can Make a Big Difference: Voluntary Employee Green Behaviour at Work and Affective Commitment to the Organization

In the workplace, discretionary pro-environmental actions made by employees are referred to as voluntary employee green behaviour (VEGB). This is increasingly recognised as a contribution to both the environmental and the financial sustainability of the organisation. However, the implications of VEGB beyond its original environmental domain largely remain underspecified, thus constraining the theoretical development of the field and advocacy for organisations in practice. This study thus investigates how VEGB associates with the employee outcome of affective commitment, which especially impacts the psychological relationships that employees develop with their organisations. Drawing on two studies, we found that VEGB was positively associated with affective commitment, as enabled by three mediating mechanisms that enhanced the sense of warm glow and moral credit for employees while protecting them against emotional exhaustion. Moreover, we found that perceived organisational support for the environment served as a boundary condition for VEGB and its mediation by moral credit and emotional exhaustion. Implications for theory and practice are discussed in the paper.     

Talent Management and Employee Outcomes: A Psychological Contract Fulfilment Perspective

Public Organization Review - This study examines a salient mechanism ─ psychological-contract (PC) fulfilment through which talent management (TM) practices might affect talented...     

员工建言促进工作绩效：谦卑领导的调节作用

  员工建言虽然有益于组织发展,但是对员工个人却并不总是有利,建言行为对员工自身发展的影响取决于管理者对建言的态度和回应。这方面的实证研究非常有限,并且更多研究探讨忽视和负面评价等消极领导因素在员工建言积极效应实现中的阻碍作用,而较少探讨谦卑领导这样一种积极领导因素对员工建言积极效应发挥的促进作用。         在已有研究基础上,基于群体卷入模型的视角,探讨管理者的谦卑领导行为在员工建言与工作绩效关系间的调节作用,并检验组织自尊在其间发挥的中介作用。收集湖北省和江苏省多家企业的367对有效的上-下级配对数据,采用有中介的调节作用检验方法进行实证检验。         研究结果表明,①谦卑领导在员工建言和工作绩效的关系间发挥正向调节作用,作为建言对象的管理者谦卑领导水平越高,员工建言对工作绩效的积极影响越强;②谦卑领导在员工建言与组织自尊的关系间发挥正向调节作用,管理者的谦卑领导水平越高,员工建言对组织自尊的积极影响也越强;③组织自尊在谦卑领导与员工建言交互影响工作绩效的过程中发挥中介作用,即员工建言既可能出于对组织利益和发展的关心,也可能出于对自身群体身份和地位信息的寻求,而具有谦卑领导特征的管理者更可能对员工建言持开放态度并给予积极回应,有助于向建言者传递组织对其努力和价值的尊重、重视和认可等有关群体身份和地位的重要信息,增强建言者的组织自尊,进而激发其后续努力工作的动机并做出良好绩效。此即“谏者有为”效应实现机制的一种解释。         探讨谦卑领导在员工建言与工作绩效关系间的调节作用,既是对近年来研究者呼吁探讨领导反馈在员工建言效应机制中的重要作用的积极响应,也是对已有研究的有益拓展。研究结果可以为组织管理实践提供有益启示,提醒管理者应重视建言行为在员工激励中的重要作用,不仅要鼓励和引导员工积极建言,还要对员工建言进行积极倾听和回应。     

工作幸福感对员工创新绩效的影响机制——一个多层次被调节的中介模型

本研究通过问卷调查我国企业73个工作团队的主管及其355个下属,从个体自我表征理论和情境力量理论相整合的视角,构建了一个多层次被调节的中介模型,以探讨员工的工作幸福感与创新绩效的关系。实证结果表明,组织自尊在工作幸福感和创新绩效之间起中介作用,但内部人身份感知在工作幸福感和创新绩效之间没有起中介作用;交易型领导对员工的组织自尊与创新绩效关系以及对员工的工作幸福感通过组织自尊影响创新绩效的间接效应均具有跨层次的负向调节作用,但它对员工的内部人身份感知与创新绩效关系,以及对员工的工作幸福感通过内部人身份感知影响创新绩效的间接效应均没有显著的跨层次调节作用。这些结论对于我国企业提升员工创新绩效的管理实践具有重要启示。     

Determinants of the Job Satisfaction of Public Officials: Testing the Mediation Effect of Organizational Commitment

Public Organization Review - Extant public management research investigated the determinants of public employees’ job satisfaction. However, most public management studies tested the...     

不同情商水平下领导行为与员工组织承诺关系的实证研究

结合对变革型/交易型领导以及员工组织承诺的理论分析,本论文将情商作为调节变量引入领导效果研究的模型,认为领导与下属的情商会促进或阻碍特定领导风格作用的发挥.对六家企业内241对上下级(95个部门经理及他们的241个直接下属)样本数据的统计分析表明,高领导者情商同时有助于交易型和变革型领导行为的实施而获得下属的组织承诺;高下属情商有助于员工识别交易型领导的实质而指导他们对组织的情感性承诺.     

The Meaning,Antecedents and Outcomes of Employee Engagement: A Narrative Synthesis

The claim that high levels of engagement can enhance organizational performance and individual well‐being has not previously been tested through a systematic review of the evidence. To bring coherence to the diffuse body of literature on engagement, the authors conducted a systematic synthesis of narrative evidence involving 214 studies focused on the meaning, antecedents and outcomes of engagement. The authors identified six distinct conceptualizations of engagement, with the field dominated by the Utrecht Group's ‘work engagement’ construct and measure, and by the theorization of engagement within the ‘job demands–resources’ framework. Five groups of factors served as antecedents to engagement: psychological states; job design; leadership; organizational and team factors; and organizational interventions. Engagement was found to be positively associated with individual morale, task performance, extra‐role performance and organizational performance, and the evidence was most robust in relation to task performance. However, there was an over‐reliance on quantitative, cross‐sectional and self‐report studies within the field, which limited claims of causality. To address controversies over the commonly used measures and concepts in the field and gaps in the evidence‐base, the authors set out an agenda for future research that integrates emerging critical sociological perspectives on engagement with the psychological perspectives that currently dominate the field.     

Comparisons of Performance and Job Insecurity in Union and Nonunion Sites of a Manufacturing Company

Layoffs and employment changes caused by current economic conditions have significant effects on employee work behavior and emotions as well as organizational outcomes. We examined the relationships between measures of job insecurity, organizational commitment, turnover, absenteeism, and worker performance within a manufacturer in Chapter 11 bankruptcy. A positive relationship was found between job insecurity and intentions to turnover, and a small negative correlation was found between measures of job insecurity and organizational commitment. Unobtrusive observations of union and nonunion performance over 4 months showed that nonunion production workers were on-task more frequently, although on-task behavior was high for both. Productivity and quality measures of different factories favored nonunion locations. Although comparisons between sites were constrained by a quasi-experimental design, repeated behavioral and outcome measures within sites showed differential effects when the company announced a plant closing in another state. Job insecurity appeared to be an establishing operation that produced differential effects between union and nonunion sites as well as among individual employees within sites.     

工作满意感与建言行为的关系探索:组织承诺的缓冲影响

工作满意感与建言行为之间关系看似简单、实则复杂,以往研究支持正反关系的观点都有,为了调和这一矛盾,本研究提出"U"型关系假设,并认为组织承诺对它们之间有着正向缓冲作用。以长三角地区17家国有企业的282名白领员工为样本,问卷研究结果没有支持"U"型关系假设,而发现两者成正向线性关系,情感承诺对两者之间具有正向缓冲作用。文章讨论了研究结果并对未来研究做了展望。     

效忠主管与员工工作绩效的关系:反馈寻求行为和权力距离的影响

效忠主管一直是华人组织经久不衰的议题,尽管已有文献认为员工效忠主管有助于提升其工作绩效,然而关于效忠主管通过怎样的具体机制来影响员工工作绩效却并未得到系统的阐释。本文以14家企业的360名员工为样本,探讨了效忠主管对工作绩效的影响机制,尤其是研究员工反馈寻求行为在其中的中介作用及员工权力距离的调节作用。分析结果表明,效忠主管对员工工作绩效、反馈寻求行为都有显著的正向影响;反馈寻求行为在效忠主管与工作绩效关系中起完全中介作用。另外,员工的权力距离负向调节了效忠主管与反馈寻求行为的正相关关系,即员工的权力距离越低,两者的正向相关关系越强。     

服务氛围与一线员工服务绩效:工作压力和组织认同的调节效应研究

在以往服务管理研究领域中,服务氛围在多个层面上对服务产出的促进作用得到了广泛认可.然而,当前较少有文献对这种积极作用发生的权变性予以关注.基于社会交换理论,本文从个体层面上研究了一线员工感知的服务氛围影响服务绩效的作用机制,旨在探讨员工在工作环境中的情感体验(工作压力感和组织认同感)对服务氛围与服务绩效之间关系的调节作用.研究利用我国银行业368名一线服务员工的问卷调查数据验证了所提出的假设,实证结果发现:(1)工作压力感负向调节服务氛围与角色外服务绩效之间的关系;(2)组织认同感对服务氛围与角色内/外绩效的关系均产生正向调节作用;(3)进一步的三项交互(Three-way Intenction)分析还发现:当组织认同感较高时,工作压力对服务氛围与角色外服务绩效之间关系的负向调节作用变弱.