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1 – 10 of 39Eddy S. Ng, Greg J. Sears and Muge Bakkaloglu
Building on the notion of “White fragility,” this study aims to explore how Whites react and cope with perceived discrimination at work. Specifically, the authors explore whether…
Abstract
Purpose
Building on the notion of “White fragility,” this study aims to explore how Whites react and cope with perceived discrimination at work. Specifically, the authors explore whether: (1) Whites react more negatively than minorities when they perceive discrimination at work and (2) Whites are more likely than minorities to restore the status quo by leaving the situation when they perceive discrimination at work.
Design/methodology/approach
Data for this study were obtained from the Professional Worker Career Experience Survey. In total, 527 working professionals from multiple organizations across the central USA participated in the survey.
Findings
The authors find evidence that Whites experience more negative psychological effects (i.e. lower job satisfaction and higher work stress) from perceived discrimination than minority employees and are more likely to act to restore conditions of privilege by leaving their current job and employer. The stronger negative effects of perceived discrimination for Whites (vs minorities) were restricted to work outcomes (job satisfaction, work stress, turnover intentions from one's employer) and were not evident with respect to perceptions of overall well-being (i.e. life satisfaction), suggesting that White fragility may play a particularly influential role in work settings, wherein racial stress may be more readily activated.
Originality/value
Consistent with the notion of White fragility, the study’s results demonstrate that the deleterious impact of perceived discrimination on employee work outcomes may, in some cases, be stronger for White than minority employees.
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Greg J. Sears and Yu Han
This study explored whether two Big Five traits – conscientiousness and emotional stability – jointly moderate the positive effects of perceived organizational support (POS) on…
Abstract
Purpose
This study explored whether two Big Five traits – conscientiousness and emotional stability – jointly moderate the positive effects of perceived organizational support (POS) on employee commitment and job performance. Drawing on organizational support theory and a self-regulation perspective, we proposed that employees high on both traits will more effectively leverage POS to enhance both their commitment and their performance.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 141 employees in a multinational transportation security firm. Employees completed measures assessing their POS, personality and affective commitment. Supervisors provided ratings of employees' job performance.
Findings
Results indicated that POS exerts a stronger influence on both employee commitment and performance when workers are high on conscientiousness and emotional stability. Moreover, POS was only found to be significantly associated with job performance when employees were high on both traits.
Research limitations/implications
These results suggest that personality traits play an integral role in influencing workers' perceptions of, and responses to, POS. Specifically, employees who demonstrate a stronger task focus and self-regulation capabilities appear to respond more favorably to POS.
Practical implications
These findings reinforce the value of implementing HR practices that convey support for employees but also highlight the importance of attracting and retaining employees who are conscientious and emotional stable in order to fully realize the benefits of these practices.
Originality/value
Recent evidence indicates that the relationship between POS and employee performance is tenuous. Our results are consistent with a contingency perspective on POS and signal that this may be partly owing to the `influence of individual differences, such as personality traits, in moderating the effects of POS.
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Hui Zhang, Luciara Nardon and Greg J. Sears
Various forms of precarious employment create barriers to the integration and inclusion of migrant workers in receiving countries. The purpose of this paper is to review extant…
Abstract
Purpose
Various forms of precarious employment create barriers to the integration and inclusion of migrant workers in receiving countries. The purpose of this paper is to review extant research in employment relations and management to identify key factors that contribute to migrant workers' precarious employment and highlight potential avenues for future research.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted a narrative literature review drawing on 38 academic journal articles published between 2005 and 2020.
Findings
The authors’ review suggests that macro- and meso-level factors contribute to the precarious employment conditions of migrant workers. However, there is a limited articulation of successful practices and potential solutions to reduce migrant work precarity and exclusion. The literature on migrant workers' precarious employment experience is primarily focused on low-skilled sector (e.g. agriculture, hospitality, domestic care) jobs. In addition, few studies have explored the role of worker characteristics, such as gender, class, ethnicity, race and migration status, in shaping the experience of migrant workers in precarious employment.
Practical implications
The results of this research highlight the importance of engaging multilevel actors in addressing migrant employment precarity, including policymakers, employers and employment agencies.
Originality/value
This research contributes to a growing conversation of migrant employment precarity by highlighting the heterogeneity of migrant groups and calling for the use of intersectional lenses to understand migrant workers' experiences of precarious employment.
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Eddy S. Ng, Greg J. Sears and Kara A. Arnold
Drawing on the relational demography literature and a social identity perspective, several research propositions in which the authors postulate that demographic characteristics…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on the relational demography literature and a social identity perspective, several research propositions in which the authors postulate that demographic characteristics (e.g. gender and race) of senior leaders will influence the implementation and effectiveness of diversity management practices were presented. Specifically, the authors focus on the Chief Executive Officer/Chief Diversity Officer (CEO/CDO) dyad and explore independent and joint effects of CEO and CDO majority–minority group status on workplace diversity outcomes, outlining key identity-based and relational moderators (e.g. value threat, relational identity and leader–member exchange) of these relationships.
Design/methodology/approach
The literature on relational demography and leader–member exchange to develop propositions for future research was integrated.
Findings
This is a conceptual paper. There is no empirical data reported testing the propositions.
Research limitations/implications
The authors extended theory and research on relational demography by focusing on senior leaders in the organization and proposing that the influence of CEO and CDO demographic characteristics on the enactment of diversity practices may be contingent on key identity-based and relational processes.
Originality/value
The authors are not aware of any studies investigating how personal characteristics and relational processes relating to the CEO and CDO may influence the implementation and effectiveness of workplace diversity management practices. In a similar vein, the authors contribute to the research literatures on relational demography and social identity by extending the application of these theories to senior leaders in organizations and in relation to the work of CEOs and CDOs.
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Chelsie J. Smith, Yu Han, Kathryne E. Dupré and Greg J. Sears
Among a sample of 281 active-duty Canadian police officers, the current study investigated whether perceived organizational support (POS) would predict officers' organizational…
Abstract
Purpose
Among a sample of 281 active-duty Canadian police officers, the current study investigated whether perceived organizational support (POS) would predict officers' organizational cynicism, stress and emotional exhaustion three months later. The moderating influence of officer voice on these relationships was also examined.
Design/methodology/approach
In collaboration with a large policing organization, online surveys collecting quantitative data and soliciting open-ended comments were administered to officers, with a three-month lag separating survey administrations.
Findings
The results reveal that POS predicted significant variance in each of the investigated outcomes. It was found that voice moderated the association between POS and organizational cynicism, but in a manner that suggests a suboptimal voice climate within the organization. Officers provided open-ended qualitative comments that supported this interpretation.
Practical implications
The evidence supports that if organizational leaders wish to prevent disadvantageous outcomes such as organizational cynicism, stress, emotional exhaustion and their consequents, then advancing both organizational support and a positive voice climate is recommended.
Originality/value
The results suggest that voice interacts with POS to influence organizational cynicism among police, highlighting the importance of responsiveness to voice for police management, and thus serving as an important bridge between theory and practice.
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Greg J. Sears, Haiyan Zhang, Willi H. Wiesner, Rick D. Hackett and Yufei Yuan
Based on theories of media richness and procedural justice, the authors aim to examine the influence of videoconferencing (VC) technology on applicant reactions and interviewer…
Abstract
Purpose
Based on theories of media richness and procedural justice, the authors aim to examine the influence of videoconferencing (VC) technology on applicant reactions and interviewer judgments in the employment interview, the most commonly used employee selection device.
Design/methodology/approach
MBA students participated in simulated VC and face-to-face (FTF) interviews. Applicant perceptions of procedural justice and interviewer characteristics were collected. Interviewers provided ratings of affect toward the applicant, perceived applicant competence, overall interview performance, as well as an overall hiring recommendation.
Findings
Applicants perceived VC interviews as offering less of a chance to perform and as yielding less selection information. They also viewed VC interviews as less job-related than FTF interviews and had significantly less favorable evaluations of their interviewer (on personableness, trustworthiness, competence, and physical appearance) in VC interviews. Finally, applicants in VC interviews received lower ratings of affect (likeability) and lower interview scores, and were less likely to be recommended for the position.
Research limitations/implications
The authors' findings suggest that VC technology can adversely affect both applicant reactions and interviewer judgments. They propose several precautionary steps to help minimize the risks associated with conducting VC interviews.
Originality/value
The authors extend prior research concerning the use of VC interviews by directly assessing applicant perceptions of both procedural justice and of interviewer characteristics associated with the probability that job offers will be accepted. They also add to the literature in showing that VC interviews tend to result in less favorable evaluations of applicants than FTF interviews.
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Yu Han, Greg Sears and Haiyan Zhang
Drawing on principles of social exchange and equity theory, the purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between employee reports of leader-member exchange (LMX) and…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on principles of social exchange and equity theory, the purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between employee reports of leader-member exchange (LMX) and two types of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB): affiliative and change-oriented OCB. Further, equity sensitivity, a dispositional variable reflecting one’s tendency to “give” or “take” in their interpersonal interactions, was tested as a moderator of these effects.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from a sample of 240 manufacturing employees in China and their respective supervisors. Multilevel analyses were conducted to test the hypothesized effects.
Findings
LMX was found to be positively associated with affiliative, but not change-oriented OCB. Equity sensitivity moderated these relationships, such that LMX was positively associated with both types of OCB when employees are benevolent, but not when they are entitled.
Research limitations/implications
Given the different pattern of relationships that were observed between LMX and affiliative vs change-oriented OCB, the results suggest that LMX may differentially influence these two types of OCB. Future studies should continue to explore the role of dispositional traits in moderating the effects of LMX, including less desirable (“negative”) traits.
Originality/value
Very few studies have examined the role of dispositional variables in moderating the effects of LMX. Consistent with principles of the social exchange and equity theory, the results suggest that LMX will only be associated with OCB when employees are benevolent (i.e. they are “givers”), and not when they are entitled (i.e. they are “getters”).
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Allan H. Church, Christopher T. Rotolo, Alyson Margulies, Matthew J. Del Giudice, Nicole M. Ginther, Rebecca Levine, Jennifer Novakoske and Michael D. Tuller
Organization development is focused on implementing a planned process of positive humanistic change in organizations through the use of social science theory, action research, and…
Abstract
Organization development is focused on implementing a planned process of positive humanistic change in organizations through the use of social science theory, action research, and data-based feedback methods. The role of personality in that change process, however, has historically been ignored or relegated to a limited set of interventions. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a conceptual overview of the linkages between personality and OD, discuss the current state of personality in the field including key trends in talent management, and offer a new multi-level framework for conceptualizing applications of personality for different types of OD efforts. The chapter concludes with implications for research and practice.
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Structural explanations of racial stratification are weakened by a failure to in‐corporate attitudinal and ideological factors into their theories. But attitudinal researchers…
Abstract
Structural explanations of racial stratification are weakened by a failure to in‐corporate attitudinal and ideological factors into their theories. But attitudinal researchers have tended to focus on racial prejudice and tolerance and neglected non‐racially specific beliefs that support white dominance. This article reviews the limits of each approach, discusses the problem of ideology for race relations theory and explores how, through the analysis of ideology, attitudinal and structural analysis might be synthesised. Findings on the relation between adherence to individualist explanations of poverty, perceptions of racial discrimination in employment and attitudes toward affirmative action programs are used to exemplify the power of class ideologies in shaping beliefs about racial inequality and vice versa. An exploration of ideologies of local autonomy and attitudes toward public housing and residential desegregation might elicit similar findings.