The primary purpose of this paper is to identify for practitioners and readers of this journal several interventions represented in empirical research that have shown promise with…
Abstract
Purpose
The primary purpose of this paper is to identify for practitioners and readers of this journal several interventions represented in empirical research that have shown promise with regard to the stimulation and/or reinforcement of employee work engagement. The aim is to identify a range of interventions that managers, supervisors or coaches may consider for a given setting as they go about enabling employee learning and performance improvement.
Design/methodology/approach
Examination of the research literature on work engagement provided initial guidance for study of interventions that link to enhancement and/or reinforcement of employee work engagement. Information was found that aids in developing an understanding of the dynamics of work engagement as well as identifying a variety of interventions successfully applied in many organizations in several countries. The fundamental approach used in the study is a scoping review. Overall, the paper is generally discursive and details are offered based on review of empirical study and meta-analyses.
Findings
Findings are represented by a detailed explanation of the construct of work engagement, its theoretical grounding and its relationship with performance and achievement. A summary of interventions identified across many empirical studies provides guidance for managers and leaders, primarily, and organizations with regard to interventions to aid with employee learning, growth and performance improvement.
Research limitations/implications
Research implications deal mainly with issues linked to the concept of work engagement and the primary tool used for its measurement.
Practical implications
Substantial information is presented to give a manager, coach or supervisor a detailed view of the construct of work engagement and how one may influence employee growth with regard to the concept. Several interventions are identified, all of which have been shown to be effective. The manager can examine these interventions and make choices about how to influence the employees in her/his unit.
Originality/value
While hundreds of studies of work engagement have identified and highlighted a variety of interventions used to stimulate or reinforce work engagement with employees, there have been few efforts made to provide practitioners/managers with an array of interventions that have been shown, repeatedly, to be effective. The present study provides such an array.
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The purpose of this paper is to present some of the foundational characteristics of the effective delegation of authority. Taken from a broad array of research and opinion, the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present some of the foundational characteristics of the effective delegation of authority. Taken from a broad array of research and opinion, the fundamental aspects are given clear exposition.
Design/methodology/approach
Addressed in this paper are several areas that establish the basis for effective delegation to include the psychology of delegation, potential benefits, delegation and high performance human resource management practices, and fears of actually delegating authority.
Findings
Findings are grounded on actual practices which have been researched. There is a “science” to manager delegation of authority, and the critical information about how to delegate is presented.
Originality/value
This work gives shape to the actions that help to create effective delegation. There are many benefits that accrue from effective delegation, and these benefits are often under-represented.
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Paul R. Lyons and Randall P. Bandura
The purpose of this paper is to express metacognitive functioning in general terms and to explain how it influences employee learning/knowledge acquisition, self-regulation…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to express metacognitive functioning in general terms and to explain how it influences employee learning/knowledge acquisition, self-regulation, engagement and growth mind-set.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors provide a viewpoint grounded on a review of recent research regarding the regulation of learning on-the-job. Concepts are expressed in a direct manner for the use of human resource practitioners and managers.
Findings
Metacognition is mental work that helps one to regulate and improve his/her learning. The authors find that there are ways for human resource practitioners and/or managers to assist employees improve their learning practices that ultimately influence work activities and outcomes.
Originality/value
Metacognition is not a scientific mumbo-jumbo; it represents how one learns to learn. In organizations, it is important to understand how a typical employee may improve her/his learning processing and learning outputs. Authors suggest that practitioners and managers attain some understanding of metacognition and how one may stimulate improved learning processing in employees.
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Paul R. Lyons and Randall P. Bandura
This paper aims to offer the views that the psychological construct, self-efficacy, is significantly related to high or strong performance at work and that a brief, efficient…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to offer the views that the psychological construct, self-efficacy, is significantly related to high or strong performance at work and that a brief, efficient survey allows for managers and HR practitioners to assess individuals per the characteristic.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors performed a broad review of literature, mostly empirical research, focused in particular upon the linkage of self-efficacy with work performance. Important conclusions of this review are reported. Also researched were the existing measures (surveys and scales) of self-efficacy that demonstrated validity and reliability.
Findings
Hundreds of studies, in combination, have concluded that the construct, self-efficacy, is highly and positively related to individual motivation, self-confidence, proactive behavior, and work performance, among other valued characteristics. There are measures to use to assess individual beliefs regarding self-efficacy that may be used in for recruitment and placement decisions.
Originality/value
Clearly expressed is the substance and value of the self-efficacy construct which has been the subject of hundreds of studies. The importance of self-efficacy and its linkage to motivation and performance is expressed. A brief, statistically valid, and reliable instrument is offered in its entirety for use by managers and/or HR practitioners.
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The purpose of this paper is to provide human resources (HR) practitioners with some information and tools to assist managers become more effective delegators of authority…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide human resources (HR) practitioners with some information and tools to assist managers become more effective delegators of authority. Included is information that might be used in a training session for managers.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawn from research and opinion is information that serves to help managers form solid partnerships with employees in sharing of some tasks and responsibilities. Several findings from research aim to illuminate key prescriptions for effective delegation. A survey instrument is provided to assist managers assess their own preferences in delegation practices.
Findings
Findings clear the fact that delegation can be deliberately planned and executed. There are several areas that can be assessed to ultimately guide a manager in effective delegation.
Originality/value
The originality of this paper lies in its potential to: a) assist and guide a manager as he/she goes about establishing an effective delegation; and b) the arrangement of the content of the paper to enable HR practitioners to use the material as a training module for managers.
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Randall P. Bandura and Paul R. Lyons
This paper aims to provide some bounds to the concept of employee engagement, explain how it links to job performance and offer a practical training tool, skill-charting (SC)…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to provide some bounds to the concept of employee engagement, explain how it links to job performance and offer a practical training tool, skill-charting (SC), that can assist a manager and her/his employees attain higher levels of work engagement.
Design/methodology/approach
The discussion of SC and employee engagement is based on a literature review of recent research.
Findings
In the realm of opportunities for managers to encourage and enhance employee engagement, the learning and problem-solving tool, SC, presents a practical means to achieve positive results in several domains.
Originality/value
There are few instances in the literature where highly specific advice is offered to practitioners regarding how managers can quickly and directly stimulate, encourage and assist employees to reach higher levels of engagement. The approach suggested in this paper can be of much value to both manager and employees.
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Paul R. Lyons and Randall Paul Bandura
In this exploratory, correlational study the authors set out to demonstrate the relationships as well as inter-correlations among direct and indirect performance measures, along…
Abstract
Purpose
In this exploratory, correlational study the authors set out to demonstrate the relationships as well as inter-correlations among direct and indirect performance measures, along with measures of knowledge of cognition, and evaluation of cognition. The information helps inform manager learning and development. The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, primary purpose, to identify linkages of performance with individual’s efforts to improve their learning processes via metacognition; and second, secondary purpose, primarily for the benefit of practitioners, is the provision of detailed information regarding performance measures and practical measures of metacognition.
Design/methodology/approach
The study made use of correlation analysis among performance measures and measures of metacognitive effort. The design is not intended to support cause and effect relationships, nor demonstrate the technical, predictive value of measures.
Findings
A majority of associations among indirect performance measures with one another and with nearly all of the measures of knowledge of cognition, and evaluation of cognition were positive and significant (mostly at the 0.01 level). Findings offer broad support for the linkage of self-efficacy (SE), and core self-evaluation (CSE) with performance.
Practical implications
Relationships identified in this study may help practitioners alter and improve their practices/methods of identifying individuals who possess attributes that are highly related to performance and learning. The new knowledge may influence decisions about recruitment, selection and training.
Originality/value
Little research has focused on relationships among indirect performance indicators such as SE, CSE and established measures of metacognition. The present study helps to identify important relationships.
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Paul R. Lyons and Randall P. Bandura
This paper aims to provide pragmatic guidance to HR practitioners and managers in the understanding and use of the psychological concept of mindset. This paper expresses a…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to provide pragmatic guidance to HR practitioners and managers in the understanding and use of the psychological concept of mindset. This paper expresses a description of what mindset is and how it normally functions, as well as information about how mindset behavior is found in employee behavior on a day-to-day basis. Finally, examples are provided which show ways that managers and HR practitioners may use mindset information in coaching and mentoring employees to improve functioning and performance.
Design/methodology/approach
Academic research is reviewed. A brief summary of the relevant literature provides support for the descriptions, manifestation, and examples of mindset behavior.
Findings
Available academic research can provide useful information for practicing HR professionals and managers in encouraging and motivating employees toward enhanced performance.
Originality/value
Practical information is derived from academic research to equip managers and HR practitioners with helpful tools which can be used in real situations involving supervision of employees.
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This paper aims to complement an earlier article (2010) in Journal of European Industrial Training in which the description and theory bases of scenistic methods were presented…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to complement an earlier article (2010) in Journal of European Industrial Training in which the description and theory bases of scenistic methods were presented. This paper also offers a description of scenistic methods and information on theory bases. However, the main thrust of this paper is to describe, give suggested uses for, and then to examine the empirical research already conducted on three scenistic methods: skill charting, case‐based modeling and performance templates. The thrust of the research review is to examine the efficacy of each of the three methods.
Design/methodology/approach
Following the descriptive information regarding scenistic methods in‐general, each of the three specific methods (see above) are explained in detail as they might be used in training practice. Then, for each method, samples of the extant empirical research attendant to the method is examined.
Findings
With regard to the empirical research presented in the paper it is found that in most practical applications of the methods, employees trained with scenistic methods out‐perform employees trained with more conventional methods on some if not most of the variables under examination. The findings demonstrate that scenistic methods clearly have promise, although statistical precision is compromised owing to small sample sizes.
Research limitations/implications
Studying the effects of different forms of training in these studies is constrained because the very nature and design of scenistic training approaches limits the number of trainees that can be included in a group. In brief, this means that results of use of conventional statistical tools demonstrate less sensitivity to group‐to‐group differences in performance. It is much easier to demonstrate statistical significance if comparing large groups of 60 or more individuals, each. Regardless, comparisons of groups in the reported studies demonstrate significant differences in performance following training on most variables.
Practical implications
Overall, scenistic methods show much promise for use by training practitioners as the available empirical research, in the field, demonstrates their value.
Originality/value
The paper groups together the findings of use of a variety of scenistic methods of training. There has been practically no research reported in recent years of the efficacy of methods such as these that use cases, incidents, stories, etc. to ground training and practice.
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Randall P. Bandura and Paul R. Lyons
The purpose of this paper is to present the concept of voluntary, helpful organizational behavior and offer a discussion of research that aims to help managers to encourage such…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present the concept of voluntary, helpful organizational behavior and offer a discussion of research that aims to help managers to encourage such behavior among their employees.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper discusses voluntary, helpful organizational behavior based on a review of recent research, as well as findings from the authors’ research.
Findings
This paper explains that voluntary, helpful organizational behavior could include, for example, taking the initiative to increase one’s knowledge about the job, technology, tools, industry, competitors and so on; making constructive suggestions; taking the initiative to help solve unexpected problems; working diligently to meet some deadlines; and volunteering to help with some tasks that are not part of one’s normal task duties.
Practical implications
The authors reveal that for voluntary, helpful organizational behavior to flourish, manager or supervisor supportiveness is important; management should provide and reinforce procedural justice in the workplace; managers should help employees in attaining job satisfaction; and managers should use positive reinforcement.
Social implications
A set of behaviors that can be useful not only in the work environment but also in society as a whole has been described.
Originality/value
This paper points out that there is little information in practitioner journals addressing the behaviors in pragmatic terms. It also offers practical suggestions for human resource management.