Belinda Allen

High Performance Work Systems and Employee Experience of Work in the Service Sector: The Case of Aged Care

In spite of the growing body of research on high performance work systems (HPWS), there is little evidence on their application in the service sector. It is commonly argued, however, that occupational segmentation in services is a barrier to HPWS. Analysis of data from aged-care workers indicates that: HPWS have positive outcomes for workers; highly skilled nurses are no more likely than lowly skilled personal care workers to be subject to HPWS; and in some cases, HPWS are associated with more positive outcomes for low-skilled than high-skilled workers. These findings suggest that HPWS may well be widely applicable in service settings.

Differential Effects of Task and Reward Interdependence on Perceived Helping Behavior, Effort, and Group Performance

The effects of task and reward interdependence on perceived effort, helping behavior, and group performance were investigated in a laboratory setting. Fifty-seven groups with 3 undergraduate students in each group completed two consecutive copyediting activities. Helping behavior was highest in groups with high task interdependence. However, no support was found for the interactive effects of task and reward interdependence. Differences across time were found for perceived effort, helping behavior, and performance. The implications of these findings suggest that the increased task complexity, introduced through the presence of high levels of task interdependence, can mitigate the positive performance effects of high levels of helping behavior and effort.

The effect of bullying on burnout in nurses: the moderating role of psychological detachment

AIMS The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between bullying and burnout and the potential buffering effect psychological detachment might have on this relationship. BACKGROUND There is evidence to suggest that bullying is relatively widespread in the nursing profession, with previous studies indicating that bullying is associated with higher levels of burnout. There is, however, limited research focusing on potential moderators of the relationship between bullying and burnout. DESIGN A cross-sectional quantitative study conducted with self-completed, anonymous questionnaires. METHODS The study was conducted in 2011 with 762 Registered Nurses in Australia. Two hypotheses were tested with validated measures of bullying, psychological detachment and burnout. The hypotheses were tested using hierarchical regression. RESULTS Bullying is positively associated with burnout. Psychological detachment does not significantly moderate the relationship between bullying and burnout. CONCLUSION The results indicate that bullying exacts a strong negative toll on nurses. Ensuring there are workplace policies and practices in place in healthcare organizations to reduce the instances of bullying and proactively address it when it does occur would therefore seem crucial. Individuals may also lower their risk of burning out by psychologically detaching from work.

Employee responses to ‘high performance work system’ practices: an empirical test of the disciplined worker thesis

This article considers the possibility that ‘high performance work system’ (HPWS) practices generate positive outcomes for employees by meeting their interests (specifically their interest in an orderly and predictable working environment). Utilising survey data on employees working in the Australian aged-care industry, statistical analysis is used to test the mediating effect of order and predictability on associations between HPWS practices and employee experience of work. The results suggest that positive outcomes arise in part because HPWS practices contribute to workplace order and predictability. In explaining this finding, the article highlights the importance of contextual factors, notably industry and employee characteristics, in shaping outcomes. The article concludes that socio-logically oriented analyses which apprehend the importance of employee interests provide a useful supplement to conventional psychologically oriented accounts of HPWS and provide a basis for continued development of labour process theory.

Enhancing the Experience of Student Teams in Large Classes Training Teaching Assistants to be Coaches

To address the increasing demand for mass undergraduate management education and, at the same time, a greater emphasis on student teamwork, this study outlines the development, delivery, and evaluation of a training intervention designed to build team-coaching skills in teaching assistants. Specifically, practice-centered and problem-centered techniques were used to provide teaching assistants with experiential learning opportunities to help them develop their skills. The authors evaluated the training intervention using a mixed-method multiple-data source design. Both the teaching assistants being trained as well as the student teams’ experiences and perceptions of their coaches’ performance were assessed. The evaluation showed that teaching assistants reported finding the program a positive experience. Importantly, students with trained coaches reported higher levels of coaching performance, team functioning, and productivity than those with untrained coaches. The implications of this intervention are discussed.

Reducing burnout in Australian nurses: the role of employee direct voice and managerial responsiveness

Burnout is a continuing concern for human resource management, as it affects not only employee well-being but also organisational performance. In particular, the nursing profession is widely recognised as a stressful occupation that leads to burnout. The present study examines the significance of employee voice and managerial responsiveness in reducing the levels of burnout experienced by nurses. Data were collected though an online survey of 762 Australian nurses. As hypothesised, the results showed that both employee voice and managerial responsiveness were negatively related to burnout. In addition, managerial responsiveness was found to fully mediate the relationship between employee voice and burnout. Implications of these findings are discussed in the context of developing interventions for dealing with burnout in the nursing profession.

The role of professional identity commitment in understanding the relationship between casual employment and perceptions of career success

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine potential differences in identity commitment and career success perceptions between casually and permanently employed nurses. Specifically, it aims to investigate whether casually employed nurses have lower levels of commitment to their professional identity, as compared to permanently employed nurses, and whether this in turn negatively affects their perceptions of career success.Design/methodology/approach – Role identity theory was used to predict the career success perceptions of casually employed (n=181) versus permanently employed (n=476) nurses. Data were collected via a self‐report questionnaire.Findings – The data revealed that casual nurses had lower levels of identity commitment and more negative career success perceptions. Affective commitment fully mediated the relationship between employment status and subjective career success.Research limitations/implications – Future studies should test the replicability of these findings with longitudinal...

I can see clearly now: The moderating effects of role clarity on subordinate responses to ethical leadership

Purpose – Although there is growing research on the relationship between ethical leadership and subordinate work behaviors, limited research has examined the boundary conditions under which ethical leadership is more or less effective. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether subordinate perceptions of role clarity in their job role influence the relationship between ethical leadership and subordinate work behaviors. Drawing on both social exchange and social learning theories, the authors predict that in contexts where subordinates perceive low levels of role clarity, the relationship between ethical leadership behavior and subordinate helping and deviant behaviors will be weaker. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 239 employees in the Chinese public sector completed surveys across three separate time points. Confirmatory factor analysis and hierarchical regression analysis were used to analyze the data. Findings – Analyses provided support for the hypothesized relationships. When subordi...

Building a better workforce: a case study in management simulations and experiential learning in the construction industry

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of experiential simulation-based learning of employee self-efficacy. Design/methodology/approach The research approach is an exploratory case study of a group of trainees from the same organisation. Using a quasi-experiment, one group, pre-test-post-test design (Tharenou et al., 2007), a questionnaire with validated scales at Time 1 (T1) prior to training and Time (T2) three months after training were used. All scales had been validated by the researchers and had acceptable levels of reliability. In addition interviews are undertaken with the participants immediately at the end of the programme. Findings The research found strong evidence of the positive impact of the training on skills transfer to the workplace with support from supervisors as key criteria. Research limitations/implications There remains a need for additional studies with larger and more diverse samples and studies which incorporate control groups into their design. Practical implications This study provided support for the transfer of knowledge using simulation-based training and advances our limited knowledge and understanding of simulation-based training as a form of experiential (management) learning and development. Originality/value This is the first study to undertake a longitudinal analysis of the impact on self-efficacy in the workplace and as such adds to the research in this field.