Cynthia M. Pavett

Managerial work: The influence of hierarchical level and functional specialty.

The article examines the importance of managerial skills across functional and general management areas. It examines the influence of hierarchical level and functional specialty on managerial roles...

TURNOVER AMONG NURSES: IT CAN BE MANAGED

A practical and theoretical approach is presented to assist nursing administrators in dealing with turnover. Data from an attitude survey ol 242 were analyzed and underlying factors that influence turnover were identified through utilization of a model to predict voluntary turnover. The authors illustrate the use of this predictive model.

Management Styles Within a Multinational Corporation: A Five Country Comparative Study:

This study examines participatory management systems and productivity in similar plants located in five different countries. Likerts System 4 theory was used as a tool to measure the nature and extent of participation. All five plants were engaged in identical operations that were designed and implemented by its U.S.-based owner. Each of the plants, however, was under the direction of host nationals. Data demonstrated that the degree of participation differed widely between the Italian, Mexican, Spanish, American, and English plants. It appears that the management systems in each of the plants reflects the expectations of the society and the local workforce. The data also revealed significant differences in the levels of productivity. While the most productive plants had the lowest levels of participation, the relationship between productivity and participation was not statistically significant across the five plants. The study concludes that management systems which are culturally congruent can produce equal levels of productivity independent of whether managers are empowered, or operate under centralized, autocratic control.

Total Quality Management as an Organizational Change: Predictors of Successful Implementation

This article describes the development of a diagnostic tool used to assess TQM implementation success. The tool is based on the results of interviews and questionnaire studies of 32 companies. One goal of the research was to empirically examine the proc..

Evaluation of the Impact of Feedback on Performance and Motivation

The present research was designed to use an expectancy-theory framework to determine the role of performance feedback in the prediction of motivation and job performance. The frequency of positive and negative feedback from supervisors, co-workers, and clients was hypothesized to make a significant independent contribution to the prediction of supervisory-rated performance. The relationships among feedback, the components of motivation, and performance were examined in a sample of staff nurses. Results of moderated regression analysis indicated that positive feedback served as an independent predictor of performance. Positive feedback from coworkers, clients, and the supervisor were differentially related to the instrumentality, motivation, role perceptions, and performance. Implications for management are discussed.

High Stress Professions: Satisfaction, Stress, and Well-Being of Spouses of Professionals:

Traditional stress literature contains limited information about the impact of job stress on ones family. This study examines the relationship between stress, satisfaction, and physical and psychological well-being in a group of people married to an individual in a high-stress occupation. Stress and satisfaction were operationally defined to assess the impact of the high-stress occupation on ones spouse. Results supported the hypothesized negative relationship between the multiple sources of stress and satisfaction with the source. Source specific stress was also related to psychological and physical indications of stress. The hypothesis, that Type A personality and the use of social support coping mechanisms would moderate the stress-outcome relationships, was not supported. These results suggest that professional requirements or demands can serve as sources of stress and negative affect for ones spouse.

Increasing Student-Learning Team Effectiveness With Team Charters

Because teams are a ubiquitous part of most organizations today, it is common for business educators to use team assignments to help students experientially learn about course concepts and team process. Unfortunately, students frequently experience a number of problems during team assignments. The authors describe the results of their research and efforts to enhance student team effectiveness by providing a team charter assignment and coaching students about its implementation. Descriptions of the team charter assignment, its components, theoretical foundations, effectiveness, and ideas for future developments are provided.

Quality values, attitudes, and behavioral predispositions of employees in Mexico, Australia, and the United States

This study examined cultural differences in total quality management (TQM) values, attitudes, and behavioral predisposition. The first part of the study reviews the TQM literature to highlight the importance of individual-level constructs, define salient attitudes and values that impact quality, and theorize about the impact of culture on TQM philosophy. Cultural distance is described and used as the basis for hypothesizing about similarities and differences in TQM values among respondents from climatically similar regions of Mexico, Australia, and the United States. Results provided mixed support for the hypothesized differences in quality values between culturally distant countries. The data imply that quality-related values, attitudes, and behavioral predispositions may transcend national borders. ©1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Global Strategy and Local Management: How Does It Work?

This study examines productivity and participatory management systems in similar plants located in five different countries. Likert’s System 4 theory was used as an instrument to measure the extent of management participation within the foreign subsidiaries. All five plants engaged in identical operations that were designed and implemented by its U.S.-based owner. Each of the plants, however, were managed by host nationals. The data indicated that the degree of participation differed widely between the Italian, Mexican, Spanish, American and English plants. The data did not support Likert’s contention that participation and productivity are linearly related. Rather, it appears that the management systems in each of the plants reflects the expectations of the local society and may not be directly related to productivity.