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Big Picture Attitude Question

There are three main kinds of job attitudes that have been looked into in organizational behavior: job satisfaction, job involvement, and organizational commitment. Job satisfaction is about a positive feeling about a job. Job involvement is to what degree people identify with their job in a psychological sense and to what extent they consider their performance level important to their self-worth. Organizational commitment is to what extent/when an employee identifies with a specific organization and wants to remain a member with said organization. 

To the managers whose company has a stream of people entering and leaving the company, or a high turnover rate, it may be hard to understand that these people feel a lack of job satisfaction, job involvement/commitment, and any commitment to the organization. Job satisfaction will not be high for anyone who does not like the company they work for, or the employers who they work for. Any company that does not show appreciation for its employees won’t have employees staying for very long if they can find appreciation elsewhere. If the mindset is that someone can always be replaced, then job involvement most likely will not be very high. Employees will not want to be involved with a job that does not show that they are more than just a number. They will most likely prioritize other aspects and things, and not focus on their job as much as an appreciated employee would. Keeping your employees satisfied, happy, and involved with the organization is key to maintaining a healthy workplace. Finally, an employee will not want to be known as an employee for a company outside of work hours, or even then, if they feel like they can be easily replaced. Having events like company lunches and time where people can get to know each other and their employers would also be beneficial for the employee to want to stay and be a part of the organization. 

Some additional points:

Harrison et al. (2006) found that 36% of variance in individual effectiveness (comprised of task performance, contextual performance, and withdrawal behaviors) is impacted by overall attitude (comprised of job satisfaction and organizational commitment).

This means that job attitudes matter because they predict important employee behaviors  

Recruiting, selecting, and training new employees is expensive; if an organization can retain a good employee, this will save it money in the long run.

In an unpleasant job, the organization may lose high-performing employees because they have more alternatives than low-performing ones. Thus, replacing a lost employee with a new employee will not guarantee that the new employee will be as good as the one who left.

When an organization has high turnover, it is difficult to develop employees over time for promotion. As a result, upper-level managers may be external hires who will need training to learn about the organization and its culture.

[opsychblog]

Date: April 24, 2023

WinCorp Attitude Survey

For context: for our final presentation, we had to create a survey to look at employee attitudes and present it to a hypothetical group of company executives.

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Date: April 14, 2023

In “Reducing intentions to resist future change: Combined effects of commitment-based HR practices and ethical leadership”, something the authors said really stood out to me: “…if the organization's HR practices embody a philosophy that sees employees as a valuable asset; has a long-term focus; and is based on the principles of humanistic values, organizational support, and trust, employees will be more willing to contribute to the organization's success” (Neves et al., 2017). I think this is really important. From what I’ve heard from friends and family, they feel very unmotivated in an environment that treats them like just machines. If a company were to treat their employees like they are valuable and important to the success of the company, then I feel like they’d be much more motivated to work in general. I also found it interesting to read about linear regression and bootstrapping methods because we’re learning that in my statistics class right now, just as a side note. Finally, the results that the beneficial effects of commitment-based HR practices were conditional on the actions of immediate supervisors and their ethical guidance, and that individuals were not resistant to change only if commitment-based HR practices were put into place, was interesting. I never thought of it this way. I know in general people are resistant to change, but learning that there are ways to combat this was interesting!

In “Conflict Cultures in Organizations: How Leaders Shape Conflict Cultures and Their Organizational-Level Consequences”, I learned about collaborative cultures vs avoidant cultures vs dominating cultures. Avoidant cultures negatively related to branch-level creativity, and dominating cultures negatively associated with customer service and cohesion (Gelfand et al., 2012). Collaborative conflict cultures positively related to cohesion and potency and lower levels of burnout (Gelfand et al., 2012). I thought this was interesting because if I remember correctly we talked about how collaborative cultures in organizations are better in general because it leads to lower levels of burnout and better work ethics and working together. Finally, I liked how the article mentioned how leaders’ styles are important in relation to conflict cultures. If organizations strategically select and/or train leaders to create different conflict cultures in organizations, then perhaps different outcomes can come from it and more collaborative cultures can bloom. 

Gelfand, M. J., Leslie, L. M., Keller, K., & de Dreu, C. (2012). Conflict cultures in organizations: How leaders shape conflict cultures and their organizational-level consequences. Journal of Applied Psychology, 97(6), 1131–1147. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0029993 

Neves, P., Almeida, P., & Velez, M. J. (2017). Reducing intentions to resist future change: Combined effects of commitment-based HR practices and ethical leadership. Human Resource Management, 57(1), 249–261. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21830 

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Date: April 4, 2023

In Gelfand et al.’s article, “Conflict Cultures in Organizations: How Leaders Shape Conflict Cultures and Their Organizational-Level Consequences”, their second hypothesis stuck out to me (2012). It is about how collaborative conflict cultures will be positively related to high cohesion and low burnout, and vice versa (Gelfand et al., 2012). I thought this was interesting because I think collaborative cultures in general work well. With people who work collaboratively, there is more team effort and less tension and problems, at least in my experience with school (I work freelance). This can said the same for an organizational setting. By the end of the study, it was shown that collaborative conflict cultures positively related to organizational cohesion and and lower levels of burnout. I found it interesting how very similar to a setting such as a class project can be to an organization!

In Wang et al.’s article, “Transformational leadership, adaptability, and job crafting: The moderating role of organizational identification”, one specific sentence stuck out to me: “it was found that followers of transformational leaders have less intention to resist change” (Oreg & Berson, 2011 as cited by Wang et al., 2017). This stuck out to me because I think change is important in any organization. Also, by the end, I could see the study showed that both leader transformational influence and employee self-concept have an influence on employee adaptability and proactive behavior (Wang et al., 2017). This was interesting because I think I always thought that an employee’s self-concept in general can have an influence on their behavior in the workplace, such as their adaptability. I had no idea that they’d make a study about it, but I was able to learn more about this through the methods and the discussion!

Gelfand, M. J., Leslie, L. M., Keller, K., & de Dreu, C. (2012). Conflict cultures in organizations: How leaders shape conflict cultures and their organizational-level consequences. Journal of Applied Psychology, 97(6), 1131–1147. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0029993 

Wang, H.-J., Demerouti, E., & Le Blanc, P. (2017). Transformational leadership, adaptability, and job crafting: The moderating role of organizational identification. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 100, 185–195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2017.03.009 

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Date: March 27, 2023

In “Cognitive diversity and team creativity: Effects of team intrinsic motivation and transformational leadership” by Wang et al., they discuss a few things that interested me (2016). One of their hypotheses (number three) said that team intrinsic motivation mediates the positive relationship between cognitive diversity and team creativity (Wang et al., 2016). They hypothesized this due to intrinsic motivation theory (which is about situational factors exerting influence on creativity via intrinsic motivation) along with Amabile’s componential theory of creativity. I found this interesting because at the end, they found that their results led support to Amabile’s theory of creativity (Wang et al., 2016). This led them to understand that intrinsic motivation is the major mechanism through with contextual factors influence creativity. I thought this interesting because as I was watching the videos from this week, I wondered what influenced creativity in teams and organizational settings. Now knowing that intrinsic motivation has something to do with it, it makes more sense to me. 

In Salas et al., there were nine critical considerations for teamwork that they discussed. These include cooperation, conflict, coordination, communication, coaching, cognition, composition, context, and culture (Salas et al., 2015). The one I was interested in the most was culture, which is described as the driving force for member values, norms, and behavior (Salas et al., 2015). Culture influences the way people view themselves in relation to the team. I was wondering if having a high level of cultural diversity would be beneficial to a team, and according to the article, it is and isn’t. It can bring about higher levels of creativity and satisfaction. However, at the same time, it can be a source of conflict. Personally, I think having cultural diversity in any setting is important so that people can bring in different opinions from their sets of values and norms. I know that as someone whose culture is primarily not American but is from Eastern Europe, many of my values differ from my friend’s and coworkers’, and it brings about interesting discussions and brainstorming for ideas, along with the fact it fosters creativity. I am aware of the downsides of cultural heterogeneity, but I still believe that it is a positive thing.

Salas, E., Shuffler, M. L., Thayer, A. L., Bedwell, W. L., & Lazzara, E. H. (2015). Understanding and improving teamwork in organizations: A scientifically based Practical Guide. Human Resource Management, 54(4), 599–622. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21628 

Wang, X.-H., Kim, T.-Y., & Lee, D.-R. (2016). Cognitive diversity and team creativity: Effects of team intrinsic motivation and transformational leadership. Journal of Business Research, 69(9), 3231–3239. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.02.026 

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Date: March 18, 2023

The article “Can Job Redesign Interventions Influence a Broad Range of Employee Outcomes by Changing Multiple Job Characteristics? A Quasi-Experimental Study” had a hypothesis I found interesting. Their second hypothesis was that job control and feedback will have a positive association with employee well-being, job performance, and psychological contract fulfillment (Holman & Axtell, 2016). I think this is pretty right, especially the feedback aspect. Their second hypothesis was largely supported by their statistical analyses. There were significant positive associations between job control and well-being, job performance, and psychological contract fulfillment. Feedback was positively associated with well-being and psychological contract fulfillment but not significantly related to job performance. I found that interesting because I thought feedback would be related to job performance. Feedback being associated with psychological contract fulfillment seems accurate to me! 

For their second discussion question in “How work redesign interventions affect performance: An evidence-based model from a systematic review,” they concluded that “there is initial evidence that non-participative job enrichment and enlargement interventions can enhance performance by changing perceptions of work characteristics” (Knight & Parker, 2019). They looked into studies of all designs. In one of them, Grant found that those who display awareness of prosocial impact awareness and sense of social worth were more likely to be motivated by external cues rather than an internal drive to work hard (2008a). They also had life values that sided with wanting to positively impact others. I found this interesting because I never would’ve thought about this. I know different people from different workplaces, including people who are motivated by external cues and benefits rather than an internal drive like others. I always wondered what else was different between those two types of people and this study gave some insight into that!

In “The dark side of consecutive high performance goals: Linking goal setting, depletion, and unethical behavior”, they had an interesting point that stood out to me. They discussed how have increasing goals that start low and then gradually build with each consecutive goal period may allow individuals to preserve their self-regulatory capacity longer. They would also experience lower levels of depletion (Welsh & Ordóñez, 2014). Initial goals that are not too difficult will not be overly taxing to self-regulatory resources so that they can store up for later periods. In organizations and situations such as that, I feel like starting with goals that are not necessarily very hard to achieve may be beneficial so that people won’t experience burn out very fast. However, I’ve always heard that striving for the best and high goals is the best way to success, so I’m curious to see what others say in regards to this!

Grant AM (2008a) The significance of task significance: Job performance effects relational mechanisms and boundary conditions. Journal of Applied Psychology 93(1): 108–124.

Holman, D., & Axtell, C. (2016). Can job redesign interventions influence a broad range of employee outcomes by changing multiple job characteristics? A quasi-experimental study. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 21(3), 284–295. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0039962 

Knight, C., & Parker, S. K. (2019). How work redesign interventions affect performance: An evidence-based model from a systematic review. Human Relations, 74(1), 69–104. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726719865604 

Welsh, D. T., & Ordóñez, L. D. (2014). The Dark Side of consecutive high performance goals: Linking goal setting, depletion, and unethical behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 123(2), 79–89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2013.07.006 

[opsychblog]

Date: March 13, 2023

Motivation Applications

According to Job Characteristics Theory, there is a relationship between job characteristics and individual responses to work, or rather that work can be intrinsically motivating when designed to enhance perceptions of responsibility, meaningfulness, and knowledge of results. There are five characteristics of job design that will make this happen: skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and job feedback. I think that if there would be variety to the job, had autonomy so that everybody could choose what to work on because then they’d feel more responsible for their actions, and if their bosses would provide feedback on what they were doing, then the employees might be more motivated to work. I think providing a financial incentive could potentially be motivating, but combining it with autonomy, variety, and feedback would bring about the best results. 

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Date: March 6, 2023

I agree with Dan Pink’s view on what motivates people. In Landry et al., they discuss that financial incentives makes employees feel more autonomous, which can then lead to higher self motivation and better work performance. Pink discusses how we need to get rid of the “carrots and sticks” metaphor for motivation, then our businesses can be strengthened thanks to motivated employees. He also talks about how autonomy is very important for self motivation and better work performance, quoting a few different examples where autonomy helped boost motivation in the workplace. One other thing that I think employees can be motivated by is encouraging management, which we’ve talked about previously. I think with the proper support almost anyone can flourish in a workplace. 

[opsychblog]

Date: February 27, 2023

Today I learned that the MBTI is not a valid predictor of job performance. Many studies have shown that the MBTI is not a valid predictor. I am personally an INFJ.

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Case Study 2

Date: February 14, 2023

Case Study 2

What key activities and events will your program include?

First, a general overview of the job and organization that will help the new employee(s) in their first few months via a multimedia presentation. A welcome lunch will also be included. An informal get together for several members of the organization and the new employee such as connecting people through shared hobbies, different parts of their life that can connect people, etc with food and coffee. Having a buddy to connect with at your new job is helpful. Third, give instructions on how to get the job done effectively and give tips during the first week. Finally, if there is an online portion of the job give detailed information how to handle that part of the job

Will the activities and events be formal or informal?

A mix of informal and formal

Who in the organization will be critical to your program’s success?

What is the role of the HR professional?

Have the orientation schedule ready

Put together the workplace with any materials needed such as a computer via IT and keys and access cards

Assign a mentor or a go-to person who can help the employee through their first few weeks

Provide formal and informal opportunities for socialization 

What is the role of the supervisor?

Assist the new employee with learning about their job and work schedule, and their department and organization

Establish communication routes for the new employee with others on the team

Clearly outline the job role, responsibilities, and how they align with the company’s goals

Schedule coaching feedback sessions

Create welcoming activities

Align goals of job and company

What is the role of the employee?

Ask questions, and try to take as much as possible from the onboarding process in the first week

Get to know their coworkers and supervisor and anyone else that could be helpful for their job in the organization

Be dedicated and open to new opportunities

Be proactive about socialization process

Be positive

How long will your program last?

It will be ongoing. 

How will you brand your program?

When discussing the logo, I would use a font that pops out and large lettering. Other than that, I would brand the program as a fun and inclusive way to get to know the organization that focuses on creating relationships that will benefit the new employee in their quest to get settled in their new company. 

What barriers might exist to creating, implementing and maintaining the program? How can you overcome them?

Not everyone may be on board to have the program last a whole week. Many people might want it to be quicker, especially supervisors. Eventually, once they get used to it, it should go smoothly. Not every coworker might be on board with taking time away to get to know a new coworker for an extended period of time so hopefully the idea of free food and coffee might entice them. Securing upper level leadership’s buy-in can minimize the barriers that cost, time, and resources may create.