Gayle Porter

WORKAHOLIC TENDENCIES AND THE HIGH POTENTIAL FOR STRESS AMONG CO-WORKERS

The dangers associated with excessive time at work do not apply equally to all people. Attempts to specify how much is too much have often referenced underlying motives as a factor in whether time at work is excessive and, therefore, likely to lead to undesirable outcomes. The literature on workaholism separates joy in work and perfectionism as two contrasting characteristics, either of which can lead to long hours at work. This study categorized subjects on those two characteristics to examine how the differences might relate to stress among coworkers. In line with suggestions of earlier studies, the joy/perfectionism difference was not linked to standard demographic breakdowns. However, tendencies toward one or the other did correspond to perceptions that may affect the quality of personal interaction in the workplace and, therefore, the level of stress among coworkers.

Expatriate success may depend on a “learning orientation”: Considerations for selection and training

To support globalization, managers increasingly are sent to live and work in other countries. An unsuccessful expatriate assignment is costly for the organization and damaging to the individuals career, yet few companies have adequate processes for selecting and training expatriate managers. The concept of “learning orientation” is proposed as a valuable dimension for assessment and training. Employees with weaker learning orientation tend to withdraw from situations that could result in low judgment of performance; those with stronger learning orientation adapt and continue. The described approach can benefit employees and their families and can increase the organizations chance for international success.

Creating intellectual capital: a Habermasian community of practice (CoP) introduction

John Seely Brown notes that context must be added to data and information to produce meaning. To move forward, Brown suggests, we must not merely look ahead but we must also learn to “look around” because learning occurs when members of a community of practice (CoP) socially construct and share their understanding of some text, issue or event. We draw explicitly here on the structural components of a Habermasian lifeworld in order to identify some dynamic processes through which a specific intellectual capital creating context, CoP, may be theoretically positioned. Rejecting the individualistic “Cogito, ergo sum” of the Cartesians, we move in line with Brown’s “we participate, therefore we are” to arrive within a Habermasian community of practice: we communicate, ergo, we create.

Understanding CEO pay: A test of two pay-to-performance sensitivity measures with alternative measures of alignment and influence

Abstract This study contributes to the agency and corporate governance literature by: (1) demonstrating that CEO tenure can have a positive relationship to pay-performance sensitivity; (2) providing empirical evidence which illustrates the importance of the choice of compensation measure; and (3) examining alternative measures of influence, as well as alignment of interests, to further explore the competing interpretations of a tenure effect. Our analysis of two data sets emphasizes that the use of total pay—stock and options, as well as salary and bonus—is essential when testing alignment hypotheses with current data, due to the growing trend toward high non-cash rewards in CEO compensation. Our results further suggest that the alignment of interests between the CEO and shareholders is more important in linking pay to performance than CEO influence over the board of directors. We also provide evidence that the percent of stock owned by the CEO may be a better measure of alignment than tenure as CEO. Our analysis failed to support a significant relationship between pay-performance sensitivity and two alternative measures of influence: the CEO also serving as chairman of the board and an insider dominated board of directors.

Understanding the work passion–performance relationship: The mediating role of organizational identification and moderating role of fit at work

Despite a burgeoning of research that examines work passion, the relationships between harmonious and obsessive work passion and job performance have received insufficient attention. Using data from 233 employee–supervisor dyads from multiple organizations in Russia, this study examines the mediating role of organizational identification and the moderating roles of three different types of fit perceptions on this relationship. Results indicate that organizational identification mediates the effect of harmonious work passion – but not obsessive work passion – on performance. Only two types of fit perceptions – person–organization and demands–abilities – were found to moderate the relationship between work passion and performance. Finally, the results showed that person–organization fit perceptions moderate the indirect effect (through organizational identification) of both types of work passion on performance, whereas needs–supplies fit perceptions only moderate the indirect effect of harmonious work passion on performance. This study contributes to the work passion and fit literatures by empirically addressing the complex relationship between work passion, fit, organization identification and job performance.

Profiles of workaholism among high‐tech managers

Purpose – To explore whether workaholism seems to be a pre‐requisite for success in the high‐technology industry.Design/methodology/approach – Survey results from a team of fourteen managers are used as a case study, to examine tendencies believed to relate to workaholism. A variety of cross comparisons are presented as scatter plots to frame the discussion, along with composite profiles of individual managers.Findings – While some of the managers seemed to represent the archetypal workaholic, some were quite the opposite. Others classified as either moderate or at‐risk.Research limitations/implications – Study took place within one company and using measures taken within a relatively short time span of several months. Statistical comparisons were not possible with a group of 14. The management group was exclusively male, eliminating any potential for gender comparisons.Practical implications – These managers had proven success within the same company and a high demand industry. Yet some did not display w...

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.

Historic Roots of Team Theory and Practice

Current levels of development in the theory and practice of work teams rest on a complex historical foundation. This chapter provides an overview of that foundation with an emphasis on early laboratory research and practical developments at work sites in Western Europe, the U.S., and Australia. The contributions of major thought leaders are mentioned, including Lewin, Emery, and Trist. And the path of development is traced up to the recent use of virtual teams. The theory continues to be further elaborated by field studies in a wide range of settings and by practice that has spread to new areas of business, to non-profit organizations, and to government. Finally, the business case for use of teams is briefly addressed, emphasizing the point that teams are so widely used now that the quality of their implementation rather than their presence is the key to competitive advantage.

Alleviating the “dark side” of smart phone use

Technology offers great potential to reshape our relationship to work, but the form of that reshaping should not be allowed to happen haphazardly. As work and technology use become increasingly intertwined, a number of issues deserve re-examination. Some of these relate to work intensification and/or longer hours and possible exchange for flexibility. Recent research on use of employer-supplied smart phones offers some insight into employee perceptions of why the company supplies this technology and whether there is risk to declining the opportunity. Because dangers are more readily apparent, current limitations of technology use have been approached more often through laws related to driving than through general policies or regulation about the work itself. However, there are other concerns that may translate into employer liability beyond the possibility of car accidents. A variety of these concerns are covered in this article, along with related suggestion for actions by employers, their advisory groups, technology companies, government and employees themselves.

READERS ARE READING

The article reviews books about management, including “Bringing Out the Best in People,” by Aubrey C. Daniels, “Action Research and Organizational Development,” by J. Barton Cunningham, and “EEO Law and Personnel Practices” by Arthur Gutman.