Brian D. Lyons

The Effects of Training Design, Individual Characteristics and Work Environment on Transfer of Training

This study aims to gain insight into some of the factors that determine the transfer of training to the work context. The present research examined the relationship between three types of predictors on transfer of training, including training design, individual characteristics and work environment. Data was collected at two points in time from 182 employees in a large grocery organization. The results indicated that transfer design, performance self-efficacy, training retention and performance feedback were significantly related to transfer of training. Contrary to expectation, supervisory support was not significantly related to transfer of training. These results suggest that in order to enhance transfer of training, organizations should design training that gives trainees the ability to transfer learning, reinforces the trainees beliefs in their ability to transfer, ensures the training content is retained over time and provides appropriate feedback regarding employee job performance following training activities.

Great man or great myth? A quantitative review of the relationship between individual differences and leader effectiveness

This study presents a meta-analysis of 25 individual differences proposed to be related to effective leadership, with an emphasis on comparing trait-like (e.g. personality and intelligence) to state-like individual differences (e.g. knowledge and skills). The results indicate that although both trait-like (achievement motivation, energy, dominance, honesty/integrity, self-confidence, creativity, and charisma) and state-like (interpersonal skills, oral communication, written communication, administrative/management skills, problem-solving skills, and decision making) individual differences were consistent predictors of effective leadership, the impact of trait-like and state-like individual differences was modest overall and did not differ substantially (ρ= .27 and .26, respectively). Finally, organizational level of the leader, method of predictor and criterion measurement, and organization type moderated the relationship between individual differences and effective leadership.

Got image? Examining organizational image in web recruitment

Purpose – This study aims to investigate whether organizational image: mediates the relationship between web site attributes and organizational attraction and moderates the relationship between person‐job (P‐J) fit and organizational attraction.Design/methodology/approach – A total of 320 observations were collected from 80 senior‐level undergraduates, each half navigating a different set of four actual organizational web sites.Findings – Organizational image was found to fully mediate the relationship between a web sites aesthetic features and organizational attraction; and moderate the relationship between P‐J fit perceptions and organizational attraction such that the change in organizational attraction was more sensitive to perceptions of P‐J fit when organizational image perceptions were more unfavorable rather than favorable. In addition, intercept differences revealed that individuals with below average P‐J fit were more attracted to organizations having a favorable image than an unfavorable image...

Is the Full-Range Model of Leadership Really a Full-Range Model of Effective Leader Behavior?:

A field study was conducted to compare the three meta-categories assessed in the Managerial Practices Survey (MPS) with the “full-range” taxonomy assessed in the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ). Dyadic and group-level analyses found that subordinate job attitudes and boss-rated managerial effectiveness were predicted better by the MPS meta-categories than by the MLQ meta-categories. Results also suggested that at least one of the three meta-categories from the MPS was more important in predicting each effectiveness outcome than any of the meta-categories from the MLQ. Implications germane to leadership theory and research are further discussed.

Not Much More Than g? An Examination of the Impact of Intelligence on NFL Performance

The purpose of this study was to determine the efficiency and equity of general mental ability (GMA) in a nontraditional employment setting—professional football. The National Football League (NFL) uses a measure of GMA, the Wonderlic Personnel Test, to evaluate potential draftees in an assessment-style environment. A total of 762 NFL players, represented from three draft classes, were included in our sample. In terms of efficiency, results indicated that GMA was unrelated to (a) future NFL performance, (b) selection decisions during the NFL Draft, and (c) the number of games started in the NFL. In regards to equity, differential prediction analyses by race suggested only the existence of intercept bias. The implications of these findings to the NFL and the selection literature are further discussed.

On the Predictive Efficiency of Past Performance and Physical Ability: The Case of the National Football League

This study investigated the criterion-related validity of past performance and physical ability tests over time in a physically demanding context, the National Football League (NFL). Results suggested that an indicator of past performance, collegiate performance, engendered a stronger relationship with future NFL performance than a variety of physical ability tests administered during the NFL Combine. Unlike physical ability, past performance remained a valid predictor across four years of the criterion domain; however, the validity coefficients eventually deteriorated over time, following a simplex pattern commonly found with general mental ability tests. Implications germane to staffing research and practice are discussed.

Beyond personality: the impact of GMA on performance for entry‐level service employees

Purpose – While personality is often deemed important, few studies have examined the relationship between general mental ability (GMA) and job performance for entry‐level service employees. As such, the present study aims to examine the impact of GMA, along with the Big Five personality dimensions, on performance in this context.Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected on servers from multiple units of two large restaurant chains. The employees completed GMA and personality assessments. Managers in Sample 1 provided ratings of service performance and two dimensions of contextual performance – interpersonal facilitation and job dedication. In Sample 2, sales performance data were obtained from company records.Findings – Unlike the Big Five taxonomy, GMA was the only variable to significantly predict all performance criteria.Research limitations/implications – Successful job performance requires more than habits and motivation rooted in personality; it also requires knowledge acquisition and ongoin...

Off-duty deviance: Organizational policies and evidence for two prevention strategies.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that organizations are increasingly concerned with employee off-duty deviance (ODD), yet management research has rarely investigated this type of deviant behavior. We define ODD as behaviors committed outside the workplace or when off-duty that are deviant by organizational and/or societal standards, jeopardize the employees status within the organization, and threaten the interests and well-being of the organization and its stakeholders. Three studies are presented to better understand the relevance of ODD to modern organizations and then to understand potential approaches to reduce the incidence of ODD. The first study provides a qualitative review of publicly available ODD policies within the Fortune 500; the results showed that 13.4% of the Fortune 500 had a publicly available ODD policy, with the majority prohibiting criminal forms of ODD to protect the firms reputation. The next 2 studies examine the efficacy of different approaches to reduce criminal ODD: policy adoption and personnel selection. In the second study, a longitudinal, quasi-experimental design showed a significant-albeit modest-reduction in criminal ODD following the adoption of a conduct policy. In the third and final study, a criterion-related validity design supported the predictive validity of general mental ability and prior deviance in predicting criminal ODD. This compendium of studies provides an initial empirical investigation into ODD and offers implications relevant to the deviance literature, policy development, and personnel selection.

On the effectiveness of peer reporting policies

Purpose Unlike general codes of conduct, little is known about whether peer reporting policies achieve their intended purpose – that is, to increase the base rate of peer reporting counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs). The purpose of this paper is to use a person-situation perspective to examine if and when peer reporting policies impact the base rate of peer reporting CWBs. Design/methodology/approach The authors collected data from 271 employed participants and used moderated regression to examine whether policy presence and strength (situational variables) enhanced the relationship between a subjective obligation to report CWBs (person variable) and the base rate of peer reporting CWBs. This study also explored whether these interactions differ by CWB target (i.e. the organization vs coworkers). Findings Both situational variables – policy presence and policy strength – moderated the relationship between an obligation to report CWBs and the base rate of peer reporting CWBs. The interactions also differed by CWB target. Originality/value This study represents one of the initial academic investigations into the effectiveness of peer reporting policies. It primarily draws on the person-situation perspective to explain why peer reporting policies should influence the base rate of peer reporting CWBs. The results support the impact of peer reporting policies, but also suggest the benefit of examining different targets of CWB to help clarify when peer reporting policies are actually effective.

Benchmarking the Frequency, Content, and Efficacy of Peer Reporting Policies

Employee theft, verbal altercations between co-workers, and destruction of company property are a few examples of employee misbehaviors that threaten an organization’s effectiveness. These misbehav...