Dwight D. Frink

Development and Validation of the Political Skill Inventory

The present research was developed to examine the conceptualization and measurement of the political skill construct and to provide validation evidence for the Political Skill Inventory (PSI). The results of three investigations, involving seven samples, are reported that demonstrate consistency of the factor structure across studies, construct validity, and criterion-related validity of the PSI. As hypothesized, political skill was positively related to self-monitoring, political savvy, and emotional intelligence; negatively related to trait anxiety; and not correlated with general mental ability. Also, the PSI predicted performance ratings of managers in two samples. Implications of these findings and directions for future research are provided.

A Review of the Influence of Group Goals on Group Performance

This research combined meta-analytic and narrative review methods in an effort to assess the influence of group goals on group performance. The meta-analytic review revealed a strong group goal eff...

Perceptions of Organizational Politics: Prediction, Stress-Related Implications, and Outcomes

The perceptions of organizational politics model proposed by Ferris, Russ, and Fandt (1989) was tested in this study, and reasonably strong support was found for most of the linkages in the model, including the moderating effects of control and understanding, and the mediating effects of politics between predictors and outcomes. Furthermore, politics was characterized as a potential source of stress in the work environment, contributing to our understanding of the dynamics of politics in organizations. The results of the present study are discussed in light of the implications and directions for future research.

Toward a social context theory of the human resource management-organization effectiveness relationship

Abstract Increasing evidence has been found in support of a relationship between human resources management (HRM) systems and organization effectiveness, which has emerged as an important body of work in the past decade. Noticeably absent has been sound theoretical development that explains how such HRM system effects operate. In an effort to address such theoretical limitations in the area, the present article proposes a social context conceptualization that incorporates culture, climate and political considerations to shed light on the intermediate linkages between HRM systems and organization effectiveness. Then, the proposed conceptualization is used to examine how the process dynamics involved with diversity objectives and initiatives might be associated with organization effectiveness. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Human Resources Management: Some New Directions

The theory, research, and practice of Human Resource Management (HRM) has evolved considerably over the past century, and experienced a major transformation in form and function primarily within the past two decades. Driven by a number of significant internal and external environmental forces, HRM has progressed from a largely maintenance function, with little if any bottom line impact, to what many scholars and practitioners today regard as the source of sustained competitive advantage for organizations operating in a global economy. In this 25th anniversary Yearly Review issue, we conduct a less comprehensive and more focused review of the field of HRM. In doing so, we attempt to articulate some key concepts and issues that can be productively integrated with HRM to provide some interesting and important directions for future work, and consider ways to bridge the gap between the science and practice of HRM.

Reactions of Diverse Groups to Politics in the Workplace

The central research question examined in this study focused on whether diverse groups react differently. to politics in the workplace as a function of understanding. Understanding moderated the relationships between dimensions of politics perceptions and employee reactions for white males but not for racial/ethnic minorities, as hypothesized. The results for white females were mixed with significant moderating effects of understanding found for the Coworker Political Behavior-Outcomes relationships, and for the Political Organization Policies and Practices-Outcomes relationship. Implications of these results for theory and research are discussed.

The Effects of Organizational Restructure on Employee Satisfaction

In an effort to better understand the multidimensional nature of satisfaction, it is examined in the context of organizational restructuring. This context allows the test of a conceptual model that includes antecedents, components of work-related satisfaction, overall satisfaction, and satisfaction with life. The findings support the notions that (1) organizational restructuring has demonstrable implications for employee satisfaction and (2) work-related satisfaction is a major component of satisfaction with life. Contributions, limitations, and potential directions for future research are discussed.

Gender Demography and Organization Performance: A Two-Study Investigation With Convergence

Considerable theoretical work has been published to date concerning the relationship between demographic composition of organizations and the performance of those firms. Indeed, under the topics of organization demography, substantial thought has been given to how demographic composition influences organization performance. Unfortunately, little empirical research has been conducted. The present research reports the results of two organization-level studies that investigated the relationship between gender diversity of organizations and their performance and hypothesized a nonlinear association. Study 1 results demonstrated support for an inverted U-shaped relationship between gender composition and organization performance, as hypothesized, and these results were constructively replicated in Study 2, thus increasing confidence in the validity of the findings. The results of Study 2 suggest that some industries might not be able to take advantage of this gender composition–firm performance relationship. Implications of these results for theory and research are discussed.

Emotional Intelligence as a Moderator of the Relationship between Conscientiousness and Performance

This study investigates whether the relationship between conscientiousness and performance , is stronger for individuals who are high on emotional intelligence. The results of hierarchical moderated regression analyses supported the hypothesis by demonstrating that the relationship between conscientiousness and work performance is positive for individuals high (versus low) in emotional intelligence. However, the opposite pattern was found for those low in emotional intelligence; that is, increases in conscientiousness were associated with decreases in performance. Implications of these results are discussed, as are directions for future research.

Ethical issues in human resources systems

Abstract Currently, the topic of ethics is enjoying a surge in popularity among the media and corporate America. It is unclear if the reason for all the attention is “just for show” or if companies truly believe in the substantive benefits, which can be gained by facilitating an ethical context. However, by examining the negative consequences of unethical corporate cultures, as well as the benefits of ethical ones, we demonstrate that perhaps, in this case, the action is what is important, not the motivation. Human resource systems may be a means to promulgating an ethical culture in that ethics pervade selection and staffing, performance appraisal, compensation, and retention decisions. Thus, human resource systems and ethical corporate cultures should be considered partners in the process of creating competitive advantage for organizations.