Aline D. Masuda

Flexible Work Arrangements, Job Satisfaction, and Turnover Intentions: The Mediating Role of Work-to-Family Enrichment

ABSTRACT The authors examined the relation between the availability of 2 popular types of flexible work arrangements (i.e., flextime and compressed workweek) and work-to-family enrichment and, in turn, the relation between work-to-family enrichment and (a) job satisfaction and (b) turnover intentions. In a sample of 220 employed working adults, hierarchical regression analyses showed that work-to-family enrichment mediated the relation between flexible work arrangements and both job satisfaction and turnover intentions, even after controlling for gender, age, marital status, education, number of children, and hours worked. Thus, the availability of flexible work arrangements such as flextime and compressed workweek seems to help employees experience greater enrichment from work to home, which, in turn, is associated with higher job satisfaction and lower turnover intentions. The authors discuss the implications for research and practice.

An Examination of the Leader’s Regulation of Groups

This research used Bandura’s social cognitive framework of self-regulation to examine functional group leadership. Antecedents and outcomes of leader goals and leadership self-efficacy (LSE) were central to this investigation. Leaders were 96 college students who led three-person teams on either a more simple or complex production task. Results indicated that LSE predicted leader goal levels, and together LSE and leader goals predicted task strategies communicated by leaders to group members. Most effects of LSE and leader goals on group outcomes were mediated by leader strategies. In addition, LSE was instrumental to the leader’s maintenance of challenging goals when leaders confronted a complex task. Findings offered general support for extending Bandura’s self-regulation model to group leadership task settings.

Interaction of Core Self-Evaluations and Perceived Organizational Support on Work-to-Family Enrichment

ABSTRACT The purpose of this article was to offer an empirical test of J. H. Greenhaus and G. N. Powells (2006) model of work–family enrichment by examining dispositional (i.e., core self-evaluations; CSEs) and situational (i.e., perceived organizational support; POS) factors associated with work-to-family enrichment (WFE) and whether these variables interact in predicting WFE. In a survey of 220 employed adults, our hierarchical regression analysis revealed that in highly supportive work environments, individuals reported high WFE regardless of CSE. However, when POS was low, individuals high in CSEs reported higher WFE than those low in CSEs, in support of conservation of resources theory (S. E. Hobfoll, 2002). Implications for research and practice are discussed.

The effects of simultaneous learning and performance goals on performance: An inductive exploration

This study was the first to examine the simultaneous use of multiple learning and performance goals on single task performance. We report the results of two studies (one study used self-set goals; the other study used assigned goals) to examine the effects of the concurrent pursuit of proximal and distal learning and performance goals. The first study was correlational in nature and the second used an experimental manipulation. In both we found a negative curvilinear relationship between total goal difficulty and performance. We discovered that an intermediate level of total goal difficulty was optimal. The results were also tied to self-efficacy and task strategies where additional curvilinear relationships were found. These results expand goal-setting theory and suggest new research directions. Our study has implications for managers who want to find the best combination of goals for their employees.

The Role of a Vivid and Challenging Personal Vision in Goal Hierarchies

ABSTRACT This study examines personal vision and its role in human motivation. It examines the concept of personal vision within goal hierarchies, describes the elements that constitute goal hierarchies, and examines the effect of students’ compelling personal vision on the quality of proximal goals. Asking participants to describe their expected or compelling personal vision did not influence the difficulty and vividness of such vision. Instead, individual differences overrode the manipulations with some students conceptualizing a more challenging and vivid personal vision compared with others. Students who naturally set a challenging and vivid personal vision also set more difficult and specific college goals. Students who conceptualized a vivid personal vision were more committed to their semester goals.

The impact of career visions on work attitudes: a longitudinal approach

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of difficult and specific career visions on job satisfaction and turnover intentions seven years after students reported their visions.Design/methodology/approach – Data for this study were collected in two waves, seven years apart, from the same cohort. At time 1 the career visions of MBA students were measured in terms of difficulty and specificity. At time 2 MBA students reported their job satisfaction and turnover intentions.Findings – Results showed that MBA students with a specific and challenging career vision were less likely to report intentions to leave their work seven years after reporting their visions. Further, job satisfaction mediated this relationship.Research limitations/implications – The study was limited due to the small sample size used (n=74). Future studies should also test whether goal progress and job performance could be mediators between the quality of career vision and job satisfaction.Practical implications – Resul...

How and When Do Core Self-Evaluations Predict Career Satisfaction? The Roles of Positive Goal Emotions and Occupational Embeddedness: CSE, CAREER GOALS, AND CAREER SATISFACTION

We draw on theories of self-verification and situational strength to examine how and when core self-evaluations (CSE) predict career satisfaction. We tested our hypotheses using a time-lagged study with 139 alumni of two business schools across three measurement waves. Results showed that compared to individuals with lower CSE those with higher CSE were more satisfied with their careers because they associated more positive emotions with pursuing their career goals. However, a high degree of occupational embeddedness attenuated the indirect effect of the CSE–career satisfaction relationship through positive goal emotions and compensated for low levels of positive goal emotions. We discuss theoretical and practical implications.

Why the availability of telecommuting matters: The effects of telecommuting on engagement via goal pursuit

Purpose In line with conservation of resources theory and signaling theory, the purpose of this paper is to conceptualize and test a multiple mediation model in which telecommuting affects engagement via perceived supervisor goal support and goal progress. Design/methodology/approach A three-phase longitudinal study carried out over ten months was used to test the hypotheses. Findings Individuals who worked in organizations that offer telecommuting were more engaged than those who worked in organizations that did not offer telecommuting. Furthermore, telecommuting availability was not only directly but also indirectly related to engagement via perceived supervisor goal support and goal progress. Engagement in general decreased over time. However, individuals who attained their personal work goals were able to maintain high levels of engagement. Research limitations/implications Giving employees the option to telecommute could increase employee engagement. This study is correlational in nature and relied on self-report data. Originality/value This is the first study examining the effects of telecommuting on engagement over a period of ten months. It is also the first study to use perceived supervisor goal support and goal progress as explanatory variables to the teleworking and engagement relationship.