Handan Kepir Sinangil

Gender Differences in Expatriate Job Performance

Cette etude s’etait donne pour but l’analyse des differences de genre dans les performances professionnelles a l’etranger. Ce faisant, on cherchait a repondre a deux grandes questions: 1. Les femmes peuvent-elles remplir efficacement les fonctions d’un emploi a l’etranger? 2. Les expatriees peuvent-elles reussir dans un environnement culturel susceptible d’etre percu peu accueillant aux femmes selon les normes occidentales? L’echantillon etait constitue de 193 expatries, provenant de 36 pays, qui travaillaient en Turquie. L’evaluation des performances professionnelles a ete faite par un collegue de l’expatrie appartenant au pays d’accueil. Les sujets ont en moyenne eteevalues de facon similaire quant a leurs performances quel que soit leur sexe. Notre recherche est favorable a l’accroissement de la mixite chez les expatries. Si les multinationals faisaient davantage appel aux femmes, cela ameliorerait la diversite qualitative de la main-d’oeuvre et construirait des environnements plus riches a l’etranger sans nuire a la perfomance. The purpose of this study was to examine gender differences in expatriate job performance. In doing so, we sought answers to two main questions: (1) Can women effectively perform expatriate job duties? (2) Can female expatriates be successful in a cultural environment that may be perceived to be unfriendly to females by Western standards? One hundred and ninety-three expatriates from 36 countries around the world, currently working in Turkey, constituted the sample. Job performance ratings were obtained from a host country national coworker of each expatriate. Men and women expatriates on average were rated quite similarly in terms of their job performance. Our study lends support to the employment of more gender diverse expatriates. The employment of more women in the international workforce by multinational companies would enhance the quality of workforce diversity, and build more inclusive contexts in expatriate assignments, without decrements to job performance.

Explicit leader behaviour preferences

Purpose – In this study the authors endeavour to further develop and validate the Behavioural and Contingency theory of leadership.Design/methodology/approach – In a field survey research study, the authors collect, analyse, compare, and discuss explicit leader behaviour preferences of employed businesspeople in Istanbul and Izmir, Turkey, rating their “ideal managerial leader” and their actual organisational manager.Findings – In Istanbul and Izmir businesspeople tend to prefer leaders who focus on managing the business system over other considerations such as relationship management; task orientation is more important than relationship orientation. In the business environment, there appear to be little or no differences in preferences relating to gender; men and women have nearly identical preferences; age has some influence; generally, older businesspeople tend to have higher preference scores for a managerial leader who clearly defines his or her own role, and lets followers know what is expected, and...

The SAGE Handbook of Industrial, Work and Organizational Psychology

INTRODUCTION The content of every job reflects a series of work design decisions made when the job is first set up or during its enactment over time. Example ‘work design’ decisions include: Which tasks should be grouped together and performed within a job? What (and how many) procedures guide the work of the job incumbent? How much control over work methods does the incumbent have? How does the job connect to tasks carried out by other individuals? Does the work have some degree of mental challenge? Sometimes these work design decisions are conscious and deliberate; other times people unconsciously or indirectly configure their work roles for themselves or others. Either way, these work design decisions create a configuration of ‘job characteristics’ for each job. Some of the most well-established job characteristics include job autonomy, job variety, job demands, and social support. Job characteristics, in turn, affect multiple outcomes, including employees’ well-being at work and outside of work, their learning and development, and potentially their performance.

A Review of: “Work Motivation: History, Theory, Research, and Practice by Gary P. Latham”

In his book Work Motivation, Gary Latham presents a comprehensive review of the past hundred years of history, theory, and research on motivation, and its applications for the workplace. The book is unique in its relevance for a vast set of readers: students, academics, HR professionals, and people in the public sector. This is because Latham has worked as a staff psychologist in the private sector, currently consults for state and provincial governments in the USA and Canada, and is a professor at the University of Toronto. The book is enriched by a remarkable number of anecdotes from universitybased experts (e.g., Bandura 2001a, 2001b), and organizational settings (e.g., Jack Welch). Throughout the book Latham shows how theory provides a framework for practice, and how practice contributes to the evolution of theory. In addition, Latham serves as a role model for students and early career professionals by sharing his insights and experiences as a researcher and as a practitioner throughout his career. The book is divided into four parts: Part I – The 20th Century: Understanding the Past; Part II – The 21st Century: Examining the Present, 2000–2005; Part III – Future Directions and Potential Misdirections; and Part IV – Epilogue. The first chapter (1900–1925) focuses on the origins of motivation research and explains why the concept of motivation is a cornerstone in the fields of human resource management (HRM), industrial-organizational psychology (I=O), and organizational behavior (OB). The author also stresses that ‘‘motivation is the core competency of leadership’’ (p. 4). Chapter 2 (1925–1950) explains how the crash of the world economy and the Second World War influenced the study of motivation. The third chapter International Public Management Journal