Dejun Tony Kong

Examining a Climatoeconomic Contextualization of Generalized Social Trust Mediated by Uncertainty Avoidance

Social science research has focused on polieconomic factors for generalized social trust. Yet psychological research has shown that ecological factors can influence cognition, mood, and behavior. Following Van de Vliert’s climatic demands-resources theory, I proposed the view of a climatoeconomic contextualization of generalized social trust. Specifically, I found that the interplay of thermal climates (harshness) and wealth (GDP per capita) was related to generalized social trust, mediated by uncertainty avoidance rather than other cultural dimensions such as individualism-collectivism, masculinity-femininity, and power distance. These findings render direct support to Hofstede’s hypothesis that societal cultures are first-stage outcomes of climatic factors and second-stage intermediaries between these climatic factors and the sociopsychological functioning of markets, organizations, groups, and individuals. They also provide important implications for trust theory and climatic demands-resources theory.

Too tired to inspire or be inspired: Sleep deprivation and charismatic leadership.

We draw from theory on sleep and affect regulation to extend the emotional labor model of leadership. We examine both leader and follower sleep as important antecedents of attributions of charismatic leadership. In Study 1, we manipulate the sleep of leaders, and find that leader emotional labor in the form of deep acting (but not surface acting or authentically experienced positive affect) mediates the harmful effect of leader sleep deprivation on follower ratings of charismatic leadership. In Study 2, we manipulate the sleep of followers, and find that follower experienced positive affect mediates the harmful effect of follower sleep deprivation on follower ratings of charismatic leadership of the leader. Thus, both leader and follower sleep deprivation harm attributions of charismatic leadership, with the regulation and experience of affect as causal mechanisms. (PsycINFO Database Record

A self-determination perspective of strengths use at work: Examining its determinant and performance implications

We investigate the role of strengths use in the workplace by drawing on self-determination theory (SDT) to propose that strengths use at work can yield performance benefits in terms of task performance and discretionary helping, and that the social context, in the form of leader autonomy support, can promote employees’ strengths use. Further, consistent with an interactional psychology perspective, we contend that the relationship between autonomy support and strengths use will be stronger among individuals with strong independent self-construal. We tested the model using matched data from 194 employees and their supervisors and found evidence for the relevance of strengths use at work, even after accounting for the role of intrinsic motivation. In addition to providing practical implications on developing employee strengths use and how to do so, this study advances theory and research on workplace strength use, SDT, and positive organizational behavior.

Team Performance as a Joint Function of Team Member Satisfaction and Agreeableness

Recent research on team personality has paid growing attention to team agreeableness; yet the literature is replete with mixed findings regarding the relationship between team agreeableness and team performance. Following the emerging trend of examining the moderating role of team personality traits in team dynamics, we propose a novel view of team agreeableness as a moderator for the relationship between team member satisfaction and team performance. With 230 senior-level professionals in 42 self-managed teams, we found that when team agreeableness was low, team member satisfaction was positively related to team performance, whereas when team agreeableness was high, team member satisfaction was not significantly related to team performance. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Advancing the scientific understanding of trust in the contexts of negotiations and repeated bargaining

Advancing the scientific understanding of trust in the contexts of negotiations and repeated bargaining Dejun Tony Kong, Robert B. Lount Jr, Mara Olekalns and Donald L. Ferrin Bauer College of Business, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA; Fisher College of Business, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA; Melbourne Business School, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University, Singapore

Trust Building, Diagnosis, and Repair in the Context of Negotiation

Hong Kong Disneyland, a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company and the Hong Kong government, was conceived during the Asian financial crisis as a strategy for making Hong Kong a major tourist destination and providing Disney with a foothold into the potentially lucrative China market. Unfortunately, the park steadily lost money since opening in September 2005. The Hong Kong Disneyland is the smallest of Disneys theme parks worldwide, having only four “lands.” Many visitors complain that it is too small, with too few attractions to attract them for a second visit. In fact, Hong Kong Disneyland reflects Disneys new strategy of opening parks in phases, rather than trying to build an extensive park all at once as was done in Paris and Florida…

Perceived Competence and Benevolence of Political Institutions as Culturally Universal Facilitators of Political Trust: Evidence From Arab Countries

Political trust is important to any culture, but there has been a noticeable decline in political trust around the world. In search for the origin of political trust and ways to enhance political trust, institutional theorists have largely focused on perceived competence of political institutions in Western democracies and neglected another dimension of political institutions’ character—benevolence. The lack of empirical evidence from Arab countries also raises questions about the generalizability of the institutional theories developed in Western democracies. Following previous research on legal institutions, I extended institutional theories of political trust and found that both perceived competence and benevolence of political institutions facilitated political trust in Arab countries, using the archival data from the Arab-Barometer (2006-2007). Given the limited research on political trust in Arab countries or authoritarian regimes and the ongoing search for a global, multilevel theory of trust, the current research makes a contribution to the literatures on political trust and trust at large.

What are the determinants of interpersonal trust in dyadic negotiations? Meta-analytic evidence and implications for future research

ABSTRACT Given the practical importance of interpersonal trust in dyadic negotiations, scholars have increasingly turned their attention to the study of determinants of trust in negotiations. However, research in this area has not been well connected or integrated, which limits the ability of scholars and practitioners to ascertain the state of current scientific knowledge and identify questions for future research. Based on attribution theory and social exchange theory, we present a conceptual framework for understanding how a variety of factors combine to influence the development of interpersonal trust in dyadic negotiations. Then, to verify the conceptual framework, we identified and meta-analysed findings from a total of 25 independent studies of determinants of trust in negotiations. The meta-analyses provided support for two of the three factors in the conceptual framework – trustor attributes and shared attributes – that are likely to influence an individual’s trust in a negotiation partner. The framework and findings provide valuable scientific insights on trust and negotiation, and also valuable practical insights for negotiation practitioners.

Meta-Analyzing the Differential Effects of Emotions on Disengagement from Unethical Behavior: An Asymmetric Self-Regulation Model

Ethics are an important element of all kinds of social relations and conflict. Yet ethical scandals abound in various areas, including business, law, politics, medicine, education, and so forth. As unethical behavior becomes “in vogue” (Lewicki & Robinson, 1998, p. 665), researchers have increased effort to identify the individual-level causes of unethical behavior (Kish-Gephart, Harrison, & Trevino, 2010; O’Fallon & Butterfield, 2005;Tenbrunsel & Smith-Crowe, 2008; Trevino, Weaver, & Reynolds, 2006). Yet this line of inquiry, which has largely adopted rationalist approaches (e.g., Kohlberg, 1969; Piaget, 1965), focuses on trait and situational factors (Kish-Gephart et al., 2010; Moore & Gino, 2013) and neglects the important effects of state/temporary factors, such as emotions (Haidt, 2001;Tangney, Stuewig, & Mashek, 2007). Emotions have been considered “a non-essential aspect to the ethical decision process that is best ignored, if not controlled, as it interferes with a logical, rational ethical decision process” (Gaudine T also see Eisenberg, 2000;Trevino et al., 2006). Yet Tenbrunsel and Smith-Crowe (2008) noted that they are “disappointed that most research assumes that the process is a reason-based one (in the traditional sense), thus ignoring the roles of emotions, the subconscious, and intuition” (p. 547).

The performance implication of obsessive work passion: unpacking the moderating and mediating mechanisms from a conservation of resources perspective

ABSTRACT Work passion is an important determinant of work performance. While harmonious work passion (HWP) shows its consistent predictive value, obsessive work passion (OWP) appears to have a mixed relationship with work performance. To address this puzzle, we integrate research on OWP and emotional exhaustion with conservation of resources (COR) theory. Specifically, we argue that OWP determines emotional exhaustion, whose relationship with work performance is attenuated by leader-member exchange (LMX). By conducting a field study with a sample of 262 US employees, we found supportive evidence, even when controlling for psychological detachment from work. The findings somewhat reconcile the inconsistent results about OWP and work performance in the literature, shed light on research on work passion, LMX, and emotional exhaustion, and provide implications for managerial practice.