Donald C. Hambrick and Craig Crossland
Despite widespread interest in “behavioral strategy,” it is not clear what this term, or its associated academic subfield, is all about. Unless a critical mass of scholars can…
Abstract
Despite widespread interest in “behavioral strategy,” it is not clear what this term, or its associated academic subfield, is all about. Unless a critical mass of scholars can agree on the meaning of behavioral strategy, and professionally identify with it, this embryonic community may face a marginal existence. We describe three alternative conceptions for the academic subfield of behavioral strategy, along with assessments of the pros and cons of each. The “small tent” version amounts to a direct transposition of the logic of behavioral economics to the field of strategic management, specifically in the style of behavioral decision research. The “midsize tent” view is that behavioral strategy is a commitment to understanding the psychology of strategists. And the “large tent’ view includes consideration of any and all psychological, sociological, and political factors that influence strategic outcomes. We conclude that the midsize tent represents the best path forward, not too narrow and not too broad, allowing rich scope but with coherence. The large tent conception of behavioral strategy, however, is not out of the question and warrants serious consideration.
Details
Keywords
Alexander R. Marbut and Peter D. Harms
A key feature of performance in many professions is that of vigilance, carefully monitoring one’s environment for potential threats. However, some of the characteristics that may…
Abstract
A key feature of performance in many professions is that of vigilance, carefully monitoring one’s environment for potential threats. However, some of the characteristics that may make someone successful in such work may also be more likely to make them fail in the long-term as a result of burnout, fatigue, and other symptoms commonly associated with chronic stress. Among these characteristics, neuroticism is particularly relevant. To exert the effort that vigilance work requires, sensitivity to threats, a core aspect of neuroticism, may be necessary. This is evidenced by higher rates of neuroticism in vigilance-related professions such as information technology (IT). However, other aspects of neuroticism could attenuate performance by making individuals more distractible and prone to burnout, withdrawal, and emotional outbursts. Four perspectives provide insight to this neuroticism–vigilance paradox: facet-level analysis, trait activation, necessary conditions, and job characteristics. Across these perspectives, it is expected that too little neuroticism will render employees unable to perform vigilance tasks effectively due to lack of care while too much neuroticism will cause employees to become overwhelmed by work pressures. Contextual and personological moderators of the neuroticism–vigilance relationship are discussed, as well as two behavioral styles expected to manifest from neuroticism that could explain how neuroticism may be associated with either good or bad performance-relevant outcomes.
Details
Keywords
Hui Zhang, Shu Cole, Xiucheng Fan and Myungja Cho
As the hospitality industry is shifting its focus from service to experience, customers are becoming co-creators of the perceived value of a hospitality service because…
Abstract
As the hospitality industry is shifting its focus from service to experience, customers are becoming co-creators of the perceived value of a hospitality service because experiences customers obtained when consuming a hospitality service involve the participation of the customers. Thus, more research is needed to examine the relationships among consumer’s personal factors and their evaluations of hospitality services. This study developed and tested hypotheses that examined the effects of customers’ intrinsic characteristics on their evaluations of a restaurant service. Data were collected from college students in the United States (n = 220) and China (n = 254) using a scenario approach. Findings reveal that customers’ gender, personality, and cultural background had significant effects on their evaluations of a restaurant service. Specifically, female customers rated the same service higher than male customers on the reliability dimension of service quality and overall service quality; customers with personalities of extroversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness rated the service higher than customers with neuroticism personality on the responsiveness dimension; and customers in individualistic cultures rated the service higher than those in collectivistic cultures on most of the service evaluation measures. Implications of the study’s findings are discussed.
Details
Keywords
Simon Judge, Zoë Robertson and Mark Hawley
This study set out to collect data from assistive technology professionals about their provision of speech‐driven environmental control systems. This study is part of a larger…
Abstract
This study set out to collect data from assistive technology professionals about their provision of speech‐driven environmental control systems. This study is part of a larger study looking at developing a new speech‐driven environmental control system. A focus group for assistive technology professionals was conducted. This focus group was recorded, transcribed and then analysed using a framework approach. The analysis suggested that professionals have a ‘mental model’ of a successful user of a speech‐driven system and that in general they consider such systems either as a ‘last resort’ or to work in parallel with another system as a back‐up. Perceived poor reliability was highlighted as a major influence in the provision of speech‐driven environmental control systems although there were also positive perceptions about the use of speech under controlled circumstances. Comparison with published data from end‐users showed that professionals highlighted the majority of issues identified by end‐users. Assistive technology professionals think that speech has potential as an access method but are cautious about using speech‐driven environmental control systems predominantly due to concerns about reliability. Professionals seem able to empathise well with the challenges faced by end‐users in use of these systems.
Details
Keywords
Lucas Pujol-Cols and Guillermo E. Dabos
The purpose of this paper is to examine the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Core Self-Evaluations Scale (CSES) and the Brief Index of Affective Job…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Core Self-Evaluations Scale (CSES) and the Brief Index of Affective Job Satisfaction (BIAJS) in terms of internal consistency and factor structure and to, subsequently, analyze the influence of a set of dispositional factors (namely, core self-evaluations, CSEs) and situational factors (namely, psychosocial factors) on job satisfaction.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 209 academics from an Argentinian university completed online surveys at two stages, separated in time, to reduce the common method bias.
Findings
The Spanish version of the CSES and the BIAJS showed acceptable psychometric properties, which were similar to those previously reported in North-American, European and Asian settings. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that both situational and dispositional factors are significant predictors of job satisfaction.
Research limitations/implications
The CSES and the BIAJS seem to be valid and reliable instruments for assessing CSEs and job satisfaction, respectively, in Latin America. The adoption of an interactionist approach that includes both situational and dispositional factors is crucial in future research examining job satisfaction.
Practical implications
Managers should carefully evaluate the personality traits of candidates during personnel selection, as well as the working conditions they offer to their employees, since both factors seem to affect job satisfaction.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to the validation of two scales that may promote future organizational behavior/psychology research in Latin America. In addition, it provides empirical evidence on the relative influence of a set of situational and dispositional factors on job satisfaction, thus contributing to the resolution of the person-situation debate.
Objetivos
El objetivo de este estudio es examinar las propiedades psicométricas de las versiones en español de la Escala de Autoevaluaciones Esenciales (CSES) y el Índice Breve de Satisfacción Laboral Afectiva (BIAJS) en cuanto a su consistencia interna y estructura factorial y, posteriormente, analizar la influencia relativa de ciertos factores disposicionales (autoevaluaciones esenciales) y situacionales (factores psicosociales) sobre la satisfacción laboral.
Metodología
209 académicos de una universidad argentina completaron cuestionarios en dos etapas, separadas en el tiempo, para reducir la varianza por uso de método común.
Resultados
Las versiones en español de la CSES y el BIAJS poseen propiedades psicométricas similares a las reportadas previamente en contextos no hispano-parlantes. Los análisis de regresiones múltiples jerárquicas revelan que tanto los factores situacionales como los disposicionales constituyen predictores significativos de la satisfacción laboral.
Implicancias para la investigación
La CSES y el BIAJS parecen ser instrumentos válidos y confiables para medir las autoevaluaciones esenciales y la satisfacción laboral en el ámbito latinoamericano. La inclusión simultánea tanto de factores situacionales como disposicionales resulta esencial en futuras investigaciones que examinen la satisfacción laboral.
Implicancias para la práctica
Los directivos deberían evaluar cuidadosamente los rasgos de personalidad de los candidatos en los procesos de selección de personal, así como también las condiciones laborales tendientes a reducir los riesgos psicosociales, ya que ambos factores condicionan la satisfacción laboral.
Originalidad
Este artículo contribuye a la validación, en el ámbito latinoamericano, de dos escalas de gran utilidad para la Psicología Laboral y el Comportamiento Organizacional. Además, aporta evidencia empírica sobre la influencia relativa de un conjunto comprehensivo de factores situacionales y disposicionales sobre la satisfacción laboral, contribuyendo a la resolución del controversial debate individuo-situación.
Details
Keywords
Kevan Lamm, Nhu-Ngoc “Tina” P., Don Edgar, Abigail S. Borron and Alexa J. Lamm
Engaging learners is one of the most important responsibilities of an educator. Finding opportunities to connect with individuals in a meaningful way is a powerful tool…
Abstract
Engaging learners is one of the most important responsibilities of an educator. Finding opportunities to connect with individuals in a meaningful way is a powerful tool, particularly for leadership educators. The purpose of the study was to determine whether there were any statistically significant relationships between different demographic groups and core self-evaluations among a sample of adult agricultural leadership development program participants. The results of the study found that gender, educational attainment, and geographic region were not statistically significantly related to core self-evaluations. However, there was a statistically significant difference between groups in both the age and organizational level demographic clusters. A recommendation is for educators to use the findings as a starting point to inform learning interventions and to strive to accommodate the needs of individual learners accordingly.
Offers readers a broad overview of recent developments in the areaof professional negligence. Shows that in recent years there has been adramatic increase in the number of cases…
Abstract
Offers readers a broad overview of recent developments in the area of professional negligence. Shows that in recent years there has been a dramatic increase in the number of cases directed against surveyors and valuers for negligence. Details mortgage valuations and disclaimers and the bases for liability; the breach of the duty of care; and finally the negligent chattel valuation.
Details
Keywords
The United States has an uncomfortable relationship with pleasure. Cultural ambivalence is evident in discourses surrounding pleasure and the labeling and treatment of those who…
Abstract
The United States has an uncomfortable relationship with pleasure. Cultural ambivalence is evident in discourses surrounding pleasure and the labeling and treatment of those who act on their desires. Pleasure seeking, generally understood in moral terms, is often medicalized and criminalized (as in the case of pregnancy prevention and drug use), placing questions of how to manage pleasure under the purview of medical and legal actors. At the macrolevel, institutions police pleasure via rules, patterns of action, and logics, while at the microlevel, frontline workers police pleasure via daily decisions about resource distribution. This chapter develops a sociolegal framework for understanding the social control of pleasure by analyzing how two institutions – medicine and criminal justice – police pleasure institutionally and interactionally. Conceptualizing medicine and criminal justice as paternalistic institutions acting as arbiters of morality, I demonstrate how these institutions address two cases of pleasure seeking – drug use and sex – by drawing examples from contemporary drug and reproductive health policy. Section one highlights shared institutional mechanisms of policing pleasure across medicine and criminal justice such as categorization, allocation of professional power, and the structuring of legitimate consequences for pleasure seeking. Section two demonstrates how frontline workers in each field act as moral gatekeepers as they interpret and construct institutional imperatives while exercising discretion about resource allocation in daily practice. The chapter concludes with a discussion of how understanding institutional and interactional policing of pleasure informs sociolegal scholarship about the relationships between medicine and criminal justice and the mechanisms by which institutions and frontline workers act as agents of social control.