J. Timothy McMahon

Education as a moderator of goal setting effectiveness

Abstract The majority of empirical support for Lockes (1968) goal setting theory is based on a series of well designed and rigorous laboratory experiments with educated college students performing rather simple arithmetic and memorization tasks. There is little known about what role educational attainment plays in responsiveness to goal setting in a field setting. A sample of 128 skilled technicians working under an assigned goal setting program were studied in order to learn about the moderating impact of education on the relationship between performance and six goal setting properties. Speculation is advanced as to why education is an important moderator variable for specific types of goal setting properties.

Black—white differences in a goal—setting program

Abstract The issue of the composition of a sample on external validity is an important factor in most areas of organizational research. While knowledge about goal setting derived from white samples may be applicable to black samples, there are virtually no studies available to support such an assertion. The present study of 190 skilled technicians, 40 of whom are black, examines the moderating impact of race on the relationship between six-factor analytically derived task-goal. attributes and task-effort and performance measures. It was found that the black technicians report that different goal attributes are associated with task-effort and performance in an assigned goal-setting program than their white counterparts.

Toward a Contingency Theory of Organizational Control

The association between three organizational control variables and measures of effectiveness is examined. The findings indicate that organizational performance at the first level of management is enhanced under various conditions involving the interaction of the control variables. Implications are drawn for the development of a contingency theory of organizational control.

When Does Virtuality Really “Work”? Examining the Role of Work–Family and Virtuality in Social Loafing

We sought to clarify the relationship between virtuality and social loafing by exploring two work–family moderators—family responsibility and dissimilarity in terms of family responsibility—and two mediators—cohesion and psychological obligation—in two studies. We expected that “busy teams” (i.e., comprising similar individuals with many family responsibilities) would exhibit the strongest positive virtuality–social loafing relationship, and teams comprising similar individuals with few family responsibilities would experience a weaker virtuality–social loafing relationship. We expected that individuals working with dissimilar others would report consistently high levels of social loafing regardless of virtuality. Furthermore, we expected cohesion and psychological obligation to one’s teammates would mediate these effects. Similar individuals in teams indeed exhibited different virtuality–social loafing relationships in both studies, suggesting that the flexibility provided by virtuality might be more effective in teams comprising similar people with few family responsibilities. Study 2 further revealed that cohesion and obligation may mediate these effects, such that high levels of these mediators were associated with low levels of social loafing in similar teams comprising people with few family responsibilities. We discuss contributions to the virtual work and social loafing literatures, as well as the work–family and team literatures. We also suggest several specific actions managers can take on the basis of these findings, including for employees with few versus many family responsibilities.

Sex Differences and Job Attitudes: Some Unexpected Findings

This note questions the traditional assumption that males and females hold different attitudes toward various aspects of their jobs and job environment. Many of these differences may be more clearly associated with status as a household head than with sex per se.

Group Development, Trainer Style and Carry-over Job Satisfaction and Performance

The effects of variations in trainer style on group development and back-home job satisfaction and performance were studied. A directive and structured style (TGS) and a facilitative or less direct...

Information and Control in Organizations

This article presents a review of the book “Information and Control in Organizations,” by Edward E. Lawler and John Grant Rhode.