David B. Greenberger

The impact of personal control on performance and satisfaction

Abstract Two separate longitudinal field studies were conducted to assess the relationship between personal control and job satisfaction and performance. In the first study, a sample of nursing service personnel from a variety of functional and hierarchical levels who were working in a hospital were utilized; in the second study, clerical workers in two regional offices of an insurance company were employed. After statistically controlling for locus of control, it was found that personal control significantly predicted job satisfaction and performance. Time lag analyses suggest that control may also be an outcome of these variables. The implications of these results for theories of motivation are discussed.

The patient satisfaction process: moving toward a comprehensive model.

For a number of reasons, the topic of patient satisfaction has recently gained much attention by academicians and practitioners alike. First, there has been a proliferation of total quality management (TQM) programs in which patients are targeted as a critical consumer group (Berwick 1989). Second is the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations’ (JCAHO’s) requirement that all hospitals have a formal complaint management system (Section MA.1.4.11). A third reason is management’s recognition that satisfied patients are more likely to continue using medical care services (Ware et al. 1975; Thomas and

Oppositionists and group norms: The reciprocal influence of whistle-blowers and co-workers

Who blows the whistle — a “loner” or a well-liked “team player”? Which of them is more likely to lead a successful opposition to perceived organizational wrongdoing? The potential influence of co-worker pressures to conform on whistle-blowing activity or the likely effects of whistle-blowing on the group have not been addressed. This paper presents a preliminary model of whistle-blowing as an act of nonconformity. One implication is that the success of an opposition will depend on the characteristics of the whistle-blower and how the complaint is pursued. Specific hypotheses and general suggestions for future research and practice are offered.

Equity, Marital Satisfaction, and Stability

Equity Theory, a social psychological theory concerned with fairness in interpersonal relations, has been shown to be predictivein casual encounters. Is it applicable in intimate relations as well? Newlyweds were asked a series of questions designed to measure the perceived level of equity in their relationship. Measures of their contentment/distress with the relationship and stability of the relationship were also taken. It was hypothesized that men and women who felt equitably treated would feel more content in their marriage and would perceive the marriage as more stable than would men and women in inequitable marriages. Strong evidence in support of both hypotheses was found. Also reported is a test of a post hoc hypothesis that women and men should be differentially concerned with equity. No significant sex differences were found on any of the dependent variables in the study.

The Relationship between Leadership and Time Orientation

A number of authors have suggested that leaders and organizations have temporal orientations that influence the behavior of individuals within those organizations. However, this literature and empirical evidence from psychology regarding temporal orientation have been largely ignored by leadership experts and practitioners. This has left the leadership literature with a big hole in terms of our ability to explain many leadership issues and select and train leaders. Here we present a model of the relationship between leadership and time orientation that can serve as a springboard for further discussion and research. This model introduces the concepts of temporal alignment and temporal skills and suggests that successful leaders must temporally attune themselves to both tasks and situations. We also explore the practical implications of the model for the selection and development of leaders.

Personal Control as a Mediator Between Perceptions of Supervisory Behaviors and Employee Reactions

The article assesses the construct of personal control in an organizational setting using a base model of personal control in organizations. The difference between control possessed and control des...

Modeling the Relationship Between Pay Level and Pay Satisfaction

The relationship between pay level and pay satisfaction was modeled in a field study with 456 employees of nursing departments in a large hospital. After controlling for person, job, and pay system characteristics, pay satisfaction variance was better explained by treating pay level as a power function rather than a linear function. This result was expected given the low wage rate relative to the market, the lack of a formal rewards system, and the high level of tenure in the workforce. Implications of this finding for theory, research, and practice were discussed.