Wie fühlt man sich in einer virtuellen Arbeitsgruppe?

Participants of a virtual seminar have been examined and compared with participants of a real-life seminar using a questionnaire by Ardelt-Gattinger and Schlögl (1998) which measures emotions as well as norms within groups. In both settings, participants scored higher on positive than on negative emotions and group norms were perceived in a similar way. A closer look at means and standard deviations reveals a high inner-group-variance for items dealing with rivalry or anger, which shows that some students were less satisfied than others. ?Free riders“ and ?drop-outs“ seemed to be responsible for feelings of insecurity and anger of the others. Participants of the virtual seminar liked their group members more and showed lower variance on that dimension than real-life participants. Intensive social contacts may have not been expected before and so afterwards they were valued higher (than they would in a real-life-setting). Participants of the virtual setting rated group conformity of medium intensity, which could be responsible for a reduced feeling of commitment or security, leading to varying intensities of involvement in the group.     

Religiosität und politische Orientierung – Radikalisierung,Traditionalisierung oder Entkopplung?

In Germany as in other European countries the share of religious and churched persons is shrinking. The process of secularization is progressing gradually but inexorably and affects both Christian churches alike. In this contribution we examine if and how the numerical shrinkage of religious core segments affects the relation between religiosity and political attitudes. From secularization theory one can derive three partly opposing expectations. The radicalization thesis—particularly popular in the USA—assumes religious groups feel threatened by an increasingly secular society and this ties them together, radicalizes and mobilizes them. A second expectation rests on the assumption that in particular younger, economically well-off and highly educated people leave the churches. Through this process the social composition of the remaining church members changes leading not to radicalization but to traditionalization and withdrawal from politics. Finally, according to a third view it can be expected that the secularization process affects the entire society leading to a disintegration of tight religious milieus which in turn leads to a dissolution of social control and a decoupling of religiosity and political orientations. The central finding of our analyses is that—in support of our third hypothesis—religion loses its function for political attitudes and behaviors. In the German context the effect of religiosity on politics has been nearly exclusively studied with respect to voting behavior. By extending the focus to a wide range of other attitudes and behaviors and by taking a dynamic perspective this contribution thus closes an important research gap.     

Wie undicht ist die Pipeline? Wissenschaftskarrieren von promovierten Frauen

Which mechanisms lead to the fact, that the proportion of women in the academic career ladder is the smaller the further up the qualification and career to full professorship gets? This phenomenon, known as the ??leaky pipeline??, is analysed with a unique retrospective dataset of PhDs who graduated between 1996 and 2002 at universities in the German speaking part of Switzerland. Results show women have a lower scientific productivity and smaller academic networks than men. Moreover, they suffer from structural barriers in the scientific system. However, women stay in the sector of higher education more often than men and habilitate as often as their male colleagues. Transition rate models show no gender differences in the chance of a successful academic career. Because meanwhile women start to study as often as men, today??s picture of the leaky pipeline could be a result of gender inequalities of the past. Future research should examine the role of affirmative action for women in academia and how results from scientific careers can be transferred into the private labour market.     

Die soziale Selektivit?t des partnerschaftlichen Zusammenlebens im Wandel

While numerous studies focus on the prevalence and change of different living arrangements, this study focuses on the social selectivity of living together with a partner compared to living without a partner. In the context of marriage, there is extensive empirical evidence that the tendency to enter or dissolve a union is dependent on specific conditions. However, little is known about the resulting social structures and how these change. The present study investigates this on the basis of cumulated German Microcensuses. A logistic regression model is suggested in which the age dependency of living in a partnership is considered and the change of social selectivity is examined on the basis of interaction effects with the cohort. It is shown that men with low education and low employment and income prospects have always had low odds of living in a partnership. In more recent cohorts such a pattern evolves for women as well. Changes in household production and in preferences and opportunities of mate selection are discussed as explanations.     

Ungleiche Chancen im Wissenschaftssystem: Artefakt oder Realität?

The article “Emergence of an academic elite? The impact of universities’ size and reputation on research funding” by Katrin Auspurg, Thomas Hinz and Jürgen Güdler (volume 4/2008 of this Journal) discusses critically Richard Münch’s thesis of monopolistic tendencies in the German science system. Unfortunately the authors focus in their analysis on an improper object, the “Individual grants programme” (Normalverfahren) of the German Research Foundation (DFG). However, problematic developments for the German science system will rather result from the “Coordinated grants programmes” (koordinierte Programme), in particular the excellence initiative. Furthermore the authors fail to connect their analysis to the broader context of the functions and implications of the increasing role of third party funding in the German science system.     

Willentliches Vergessen – Voraussetzung für Flexibilität und Veränderungsfähigkeit in einer sich permanent verändernden Welt

Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. Zeitschrift für Angewandte Organisationspsychologie (GIO) - Dieser Beitrag im Journal Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. stellt dar, wie willentliches...     

Bildung und Gesundheitsungleichheit im Alter: Divergenz, Konvergenz oder Kontinuit?t?

It is well established that health at an old age is influenced by education acquired earlier in life. Empirical evidence on the extent of health decline across educational levels, however, is heterogeneous. It remains unclear whether the health gap between individuals with high and low levels of education increases in old age (divergence), decreases (convergence), or whether it remains constant (continuity). In the present study, we investigate the effects of education on health changes with data from two waves (2004, 2007) of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) for respondents aged 50?C80. We estimate OLS regression models drawing on 12 indicators of physical, mental and cognitive health. Our aim is to obtain more generalizable results about the age trajectories of health inequality. We find that divergence is the main pattern of health decline across educational levels: The health gap between individuals with high and low educational levels increases for the indicators of grip strength, limitations of general and of instrumental activities of daily living, mobility limitations, depressive symptoms, numerical ability, and time orientation. For single indicators, however, we also observe continuous (chronic diseases, subjective health assessment, memory) and convergent (fluency of speaking) patterns.     

Sind türkischstämmige Kinder beim Schulstart im Nachteil?

This article analyses the effect of a Turkish migration background on the risk of delayed school entry. Besides the social background, we control general and host country specific individual skill levels of the child. We assume that children’s individual skills can affect the school entry decision both directly and indirectly. We use data of the longitudinal project “Preschool education and educational careers among migrant children” (German acronym ESKOM VG). About 500 German parents and 500 Turkish-origin parents were interviewed in this study. Standardized developmental tests were conducted with the children in various domains. We find that the Turkish migration background does not have an independent effect on the probability of delayed school entry when the social background and individual skills are controlled. We furthermore disentangle the indirect effect of the Turkish migration background using the khb method. The results indicate that mathematic skills and cultural knowledge have the largest contribution on this indirect effect.     

Kontexteffekte in Familien – Angleichung von Paaren und intergenerationale Transmission am Beispiel Religiosität

The present contribution shows conceptual and methodological approaches for the study of social context effects within families. Family members mutually constitute the social context in which family behavior and personality development take place. Social influence in families becomes evident empirically in family members’ significant similarity concerning a wide variety of characteristics. The present study focuses on intrafamily convergence with regard to religiousness. In an empirical illustration, both (a) horizontal intracouple alignment and (b) vertical intergenerational transmission processes are examined. Besides the finding that experiences during religious socialization in the parental home have a stronger impact than partner influences in adulthood, our analyses show that social context effects are more pronounced the stronger the cohesion of the respective interaction dyad is (e.g., according to measures of relationship quality).     

Identit?t, Beziehung und die Sehnsucht nach einer gerechten Welt

This article discusses the question of injustice and justice from a philosophical gender perspective and describes Martha C. Nussbaum??s concept of the good life to help devising measures of altering gender relations. It then asks for a contemporary understanding of identity and individuation as vital psychological approaches to the good life. The third part of the article presents values for an altered culture of relation as shared responsibility for men and women.     

Religiös-konfessionelle Kultur und individuelle Religiosität: Ein Vergleich zwischen West- und Ostdeutschland

In religious terms, East and West Germany are still two separate societies more than 20 years after reunification. While the large majority of the population in West Germany belongs to one of the two main Christian churches, the proportion of those without a denomination in East Germany is now more than 70 %. Moreover, as far as church involvement, confidence in the church and individual religiosity are concerned, the West Germans have a much stronger religious affiliation to the church than their East German counterparts. The main reason for this difference is the influence of different political systems and legal cultures in East and West during the period when the two parts of Germany were divided. The fact, though, that the process of secularization has continued unabated in East Germany since 1989, and that the religious and ecclesiastical discrepancies between the two parts of the country have, if anything, become stronger rather than weaker since then, would suggest that there are other factors at work here, too. In this contribution, we argue that one of the factors that needs to be considered is the dominant denominational culture that exists in each of the two parts of the country, a culture which is highly persistent, can easily reproduce itself, puts pressure on the respective minority cultures, and is able to diffuse into them. While the dominant denominational culture in West Germany is able to slow down the current processes of secularization, the secular, non-denominational majority culture in the East tends rather to produce effects which accelerate these processes. In this essay, we use a variety of empirical indicators (effectiveness of religious socialization, denominational affiliation, churchly affiliation, faith in God) to demonstrate these effects.     

Wie könnten wir Organisationsentwicklungen partizipativ gestalten?

Within this contribution, we discuss how the Design Thinking (DT) approach can be used by consultants to systematically integrate participatory aspects into change processes. Instead of perceiving employees as passive and resistant to change, the DT process aims at involving the workforce into the planning and implementation of change projects. Furthermore, we highlight why it is important to understand organizations as complex systems that require an iterative goal-oriented procedure to implement change holistically. The DT phases (inspiration, ideation, and implementation) are described, illustrated on the basis of case studies, and complemented by findings from behavioral sciences. To increase the likelihood that the DT mindset will be integrated into an organization’s structure, we underscore which aspects should be considered while embedding this user-oriented approach into an organization’s culture. Finally, we highlight the parallels between the DT approach and action research, as developed by Kurt Lewin, and discuss how DT can help to make the work within an organization more meaningful.     

Zwischen Säkularisierung und religiöser Reorganisation – Eine Analyse der Religiosität türkischer und polnischer Neuzuwanderer in Deutschland

This paper addresses the role of religion in the process of immigrant integration in Germany. Based on novel data (SCIP 2010/11) from a survey among new Polish and Turkish migrants, it particularly focuses on the impact of the migratory event upon religious participation and private religious practice as well as on early trends of changing religiosity in the receiving context. The study confirms, first of all, that both groups of newcomers experience a decrease in religious practices after the migratory event. This decrease is more pronounced among Muslim Turks than among Catholic Poles and more pertinent for worship attendance than for prayer, thus attesting to the relevance of religious opportunity structure. Secondly, it can be shown that among new Polish immigrants, religious decrease is more pronounced among individuals with stronger social ties to the secular German mainstream, while this is not the case for Turks. For them, thirdly, it seems that religious practices are being re-captured after the rather disruptive first couple of months in what may a called a process of religious re-organizations. These group-comparative findings attest to limits of classical assimilation theory and to the relevance of symbolic boundary dynamics. Overall, they underline that publicly visible religious diversity will remain a permanent feature of modern immigrant societies.     

Identität im Wandel — aus psychoanalytischer Sicht

?Identity“ is seen as a very broad spread and unclear conception. In times of social and political changes powerful shifts of definitions and self-experiences of identity become apparent. Only since the fifties psychoanalytical theorists have dealt with the conception of identity, i.e. within a period of individual and social insecurity after the Second World War. An exploration of identity change of these days especially of the German society deals with external radical changes but also with intrapsychical changes, which can be connected with readjustment to nursing habits and with an often observed disapperance of paternal principles. ?Identity“ also deserves special attention as a spring hostility to foreigners and of antisemitism. There cannot be recommended a ?therapy“ against today’s difficulties of identity; instead it is importent to promote personal and public competence of thinking and reflection in favour of advantage of identity in its progressive and regressive movements.     

Mobilität oder Immobilität?

An ongoing controversy in transformation research concerns the relative importance of firm-internal versus occupational segmentation in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) employment system compared to the West German system. In a first step, institutions of vocational education and of the employment system focusing on their impact on labor market segmentation are analyzed. Then, the occupational careers of different birth cohorts of East and West Germans are examined. Empirical results show that the importance of internal mobility increased over time in the GDR. But this change cannot primarily be attributed to personnel policies of firms. It was mainly due to social policies, i.e. the introduction of compulsory army service and of maternity leave, since companies were obliged to take the army recruits and mothers back afterwards. Obviously, the way social policies were institutionalized affected the levels of labor market mobility in both countries more than changes of employment strategies.     

Determinanten der Sportaktivität und der Sportart im Lebenslauf

This paper investigates the impact of social class, occupational and family life-course, relocation, age, generation and gender on exercise. Longitudinal, life course-oriented analysis enables identification of the (often diverse) conditions for (re-)uptake and discontinuation of exercise. The paper takes a detailed look at different types of exercise, enabling exploration of the various motivating influences and barriers involved. The database is a retrospective representative survey of the 50 to 70 year old population of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The results show that higher educational qualifications are associated with higher levels of exercise, whereas manual labor and – among women – childcare are associated with lower levels of exercise. With respect to the impact of education, cultural rather than economic capital seems to be the determining influence. Other factors – (un-)employment, partnership, relocation, age and cohort – tend to have more complex effects on exercise. Though being a member of the workforce reduces the likelihood of starting to exercise, it also reduces the likelihood of dropping out. Though partnership encourages the dissemination of exercise, initiation of a relationship is also associated with a higher incidence of discontinuation. Relocation prompts both initiation and discontinuation of exercise. Surprisingly, up to the over-50 age group, increasing age is associated with an increased prevalence of physical activity, especially among women. The results of analysis of social differences in terms of types of physical activity can be used in health programs to provide scientifically founded recommendations for the promotion of specific types of physical activity for lower educational groups, seniors, and other social groups whose lifestyle tends to be inactive.     

Bildwissen als Quelle wirksamer Personal- und Organisationsentwicklung – Wie die Organisation zum Kreativen Feld wird

Starting with a critique of the over-emphasis unilaterally cognitive-rational ways of data-access development projects, the author discusses with reference to the brain research the importance of pictorial knowledge as a third type of knowledge alongside explicit and tacit knowledge. His thesis is that pictorial knowledge is an underestimated resource for effective procedures for staff and organizational development. Based on three areas for action he describes pictorial knowledge as a source of development of vision and mission statements, as a starting point for “value estimated staff and organization development” (appreciative inquiry) and as a basis for coaching processes. In the outlook, he asks himself if pictorial knowledge not only refers to the pragmatic usage dimension but if it furthermore also offers an access to an alphabet of human basal expression.     

„Speaking Up“ statt tödlichem Schweigen im Krankenhaus

We describe the importance of silence versus speaking up for patient care. Silence is defined as intentionally withholding work-related ideas, information, and opinions. Speaking up or voice is defined as intentionally expressing work-related ideas, information, and opinions. Speaking up is not only important for error prevention and correction in healthcare. It also allows for working together in highly diverse teams in complex clinical settings in hospitals and is a core element of organizational learning. However, speaking up is rare in hospitals. Based on recent literature we describe that the scarcity of speaking up is due to organizational climates and group interaction processes rather than to lack of individual skill or motivation to speak up. In addition to provide speaking up-enabling ideas, using the concept of organizational paradoxes we provide paradoxical recommendations as humorous and unserious tips for increasing undesired silence.     

Konformit?t durch Herdenverhalten

The adjustment of one??s own actions to the behavior of others offers an inexpensive alternative to self-reliant reasoning. Thus, from a sociological perspective conformity mirrors informative social influences. First, a basic model of social herding is presented, which describes initial conditions and consequences of informational imitation. Central implications of the model are then tested using process-produced data from the German book market (2001?C2006). While the release of public information as well as announcements by opinion leaders trigger conformity under imperfect information, these stimuli show no effects when the general availability of information is improved. Moreover, the availability of information among readers determines the quality of emerging bestsellers. Altogether, the model of herd behavior proves useful in understanding demand processes in book markets.