G. Stephen Taylor

Human resource practices, job embeddedness and intention to quit

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to test the whether job embeddedness is a mediator of the relationship between human resource practices and employees’ intention to quit. The study presented here used job embeddedness, a new construct, to investigate its mediation effect on the relationship between employees’ intentions to leave and four areas of human resource practices: compensation, supervisor support, growth opportunity and training.Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire was given to employees at a state department of corrections asking their attitudes about their job, their place of employment, and the agency as a whole. The results of this questionnaire were analyzed utilizing the four‐step method for mediation analysis.Findings – Job embeddedness fully mediated compensation and growth opportunity, partially mediated supervisor support, and did not mediate training in relation to employees’ intention to quit. Research limitations/implications –A self‐reported, cross‐sectional questionna...

Ethics, gratuities, and professionalization of the purchasing function

This study investigated (1) whether potential future purchasing agents were predisposed to accept gratuities or whether the practice of gratuity acceptance is a manifestation of the job itself, (2) whether the existence of a code of ethics forbidding gratuity acceptance curtails the occurrence, and (3) whether disparities in ethics policies between the sales and purchasing functions affect gratuity acceptance. Hypotheses based upon the concepts of organizational concern and institutionalized ethics are developed and empirically tested. Results suggest that future purchasing agents are predisposed to accept gratuities and that formal written ethics policies decrease the acceptance of gratuities. Disparities in ethics policies between the sales and purchasing functions concerning gratuities failed to affect gratuity acceptance significantly.

The relationship between sources of new employees and attitudes toward the job

Abstract This study investigated the effectiveness of different recruitment sources used by six American companies for new employees. New workers who came through referrals by current employees had longer tenure with the organizations than did those recruited in other ways. Two competing explanations for this were tested; tentative support was provided for realistic job previews as one way to reduce turnover. Recruitment sources differed only in terms of tenure with the organization. Individual job performance and attitudes toward the employer were largely unaffected by the source through which the employee was recruited.

An Investigation of the Determinants of Extrinsic Job Satisfaction Among Drivers

Driver turnover is one of the most pressing issues facing the trucking industry. Low job satisfaction has been identified as a major reason for turnover among employees. Conventional wisdom in the trucking industry is that low pay and lack of home time are the factors that cause driver dissatisfaction. This manuscript investigates this conventional wisdom and draws on the theory of met expectations to help identify other factors that lead to driver dissatisfaction. The results indicate that conventional wisdom is only partially correct, and that the factors that cause driver dissatisfaction are directly controllable by the firm.

Factors Influencing the Success of Organizational Learning Implementation: A Policy Facet Perspective

Despite a cumulative tradition of over 50 years, the organizational learning (OL) literature contains very little research on its implementation into practice. Because OL is a multidisciplinary topic and consequently has a myriad of diverse definitions, research on getting organizational members to adopt its tenets has been scarce. Using the policy facet of the theoretical multi-faceted model (MFM) of OL, this paper presents 10 propositions intended to spur OL implementation research. Each of these propositions is aimed at advancing one of three expressed policies: (1) commitment to learning, which involves the symbolic behavior of managers which influences member learning; (2) tolerance for failure, which involves policies that do not punish (but even reward) errors; and (3) commitment to the workforce, which is policy guiding behavior that will lead to increased member commitment to the organization. Pertinent literature was reviewed to provide greater specificity and explanation of the antecedents of ‘productive learning’ in the MFM framework. Implications are that managers can influence OL implementation success through the design of these three organizational policies. The paper discusses: how these propositions contribute to MFM; a causal model developed from the propositions; prescriptive implications for practice and research; and measurement and testing issues. It is concluded that this research can contribute to the demystification of OL, especially as it pertains to MFM and its policy facet.

Individual privacy and computer-based human resource information systems

The proliferation of computers in the business realm may lead to ethical problems between individual and societal rights, and the organizations need to control costs. In an attempt to explore the causes of this potential conflict, this study examined the varying levels of sensitivity 223 respondents assigned to different types of information typically stored in computer-based human resource information systems. It was found that information most directly related to the job — pay rate, fringe benefits, educational history — was considered to be the most sensitive. Participants, however, were more concerned about certain types of individuals/groups accessing these systems than about the kinds of information contained in them. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Modelling choice in logistics: a managerial guide and application

Purpose – Much of the research conducted in logistics/SCM has focused on satisfaction/retention of customers. This has left a critical gap for managers: before customers can be satisfied and ultimately retained, a purchase choice of logistics services has to occur. To date, very little research has addressed how logistics customers make purchase choice decisions about logistics services. The purpose of this paper, using logistics research methods, is to introduce adaptive choice modelling (ACM) to address this gap and put forth a research method that is useful for academic researchers and logistics/SCM managers.Design/methodology/approach – This paper provides an overview of ACM, along with a discussion of its important research advantages, limitations, and practical applications. Additionally, an empirical demonstration of this research technique is provided to illustrate how academic researchers and logistics managers can use ACM to better understand the decision‐making process of customers when selecti...

Owner operators: employing a segmentation approach to improve retention

Purpose – Owner operators are an important group of truck drivers, yet have been the subject of very little academic research. Specifically, no research has explored retention issues among owner operators. Thus, this paper aims to employ a segmentation approach to owner operator retention, examining important independent variables that include: pay and compensation, top management support, time at home, and safety.Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from a large truckload (TL) carrier. The drivers surveyed were irregular route long‐haul drivers. A total of 239 responses were obtained, for a response rate of 74.6 per cent. Latent class regression (LCR), a technique new to logistics and supply chain management (SCM) research, was utilized for data analysis.Findings – The results show there are four different need‐based driver segments, which means that specific driver retention programs must be developed for each segment.Research limitations/implications – The major limitation of this paper is...

Managing the diffusion of organizational learning behavior

This paper addresses the need for organizations to manage the transformation from traditional hierarchical models to ‘learning organizations.’ We propose a five-stage methodology useful in the diffusion of behaviors associated with organizational learning (OL) theory. The stages of OL diffusion are (1) agenda-setting, (2) matching, (3) restructuring, (4) clarifying, and (5) routinizing. Each stage involves both managerial (structural) or member (cultural) influences on organizational memory (OM). Salient definitions are provided and the OM aspects and deliverables associated with each OL diffusion stage are discussed. This research provides a theoretically-driven approach to help change agents diffuse and realize the potential of OL behavior in the firm.

Ethical implications of Human Resource Information Systems

As a result of the proliferation of Human Resource Information Systems among organizations, employee data are being used in nontraditional ways. Although these uses increase efficiency, they can conflict with the rights and interests of employees, external stakeholders, and society at large. Yet the ethical concerns associated with automated data bases larely have been ignored. This paper examines these issues within the context of three ethical theories. Implications and suggestions for managers are discussed.