Jamie A. Gruman

Employee engagement, human resource management practices and competitive advantage

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to argue in support of a model that shows how four key HRM practices focused on engagement influence organizational climate, job demands and job resources, the psychological experiences of safety, meaningfulness and availability at work, employee engagement, and individual, group and organizational performance and competitive advantage. Design/methodology/approach – This conceptual review focuses on the research evidence showing interrelationships between organizational context factors, job factors, individual employee psychological and motivational factors, employee outcomes, organizational outcomes and competitive advantage. The proposed model integrates frameworks that have previously run independently in the HR and engagement literatures. Findings – The authors conclude that HRM practitioners need to move beyond the routine administration of annual engagement surveys and need to embed engagement in HRM policies and practices such personnel selection, socializatio...

Getting newcomers engaged: the role of socialization tactics

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between socialization tactics and newcomer engagement and the mediating role of person‐job (PJ) and person‐organization (PO) fit perceptions, emotions, and self‐efficacy.Design/methodology/approach – A survey was completed by 140 co‐op university students at the end of their work term.Findings – Institutionalized socialization tactics were positively related to PJ and PO fit perceptions, emotions and self‐efficacy, but not newcomer engagement. Socialization tactics were indirectly related to newcomer engagement through PJ fit perceptions, emotions, and self‐efficacy.Research limitations/implications – Socialization tactics might be too broad and general to predict newcomer engagement. Future research should measure more specific socialization practices and job resources.Practical implications – Organizations that want to engage new hires should use social socialization tactics to create positive emotions, develop higher PJ fit perceptions,...

Tests of Equivalence for One-Way Independent Groups Designs.

Researchers in education are often interested in determining whether independent groups are equivalent on a specific outcome. Equivalence tests for 2 independent populations have been widely discussed, whereas testing for equivalence with more than 2 independent groups has received little attention. The authors discuss alternatives for testing the equivalence of more than 2 independent populations, and they use a Monte Carlo study to demonstrate and compare the performance of these alternatives under several conditions. The results indicate that a 1-way test (e.g., Welleks F test) is recommended for assessing the equivalence of more than 2 independent groups because approaches based on conducting pairwise tests of equivalence are overly conservative.

Making organizations more effective through organizational socialization

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to consider the potential effects of organizational socialization on organizational-level outcomes and to demonstrate that organizational socialization is an important human resource (HR) practice that should be included in research on strategic human resource management (SHRM) and should be part of a high-performance work system (HPWS). Design/methodology/approach – This paper reviews the research on SHRM and applies SHRM theory and the ability-motivation-opportunity model to explain how organizational socialization can influence organizational outcomes. The implications of psychological resource theories for newcomer adjustment and socialization are described and socialization resources theory is used to explain how organizational socialization can influence different indicators of newcomer adjustment. Findings – An integration of SHRM theory and organizational socialization research indicates that organizational socialization can influence organizational outcomes ...

The Lennox and Wolfe Revised Self-Monitoring Scale: latent structure and gender invariance

Abstract The present investigation examined the factor structure and gender invariance of the Revised Self-Monitoring Scale (RSMS), a 13-item scale to assess personal changes in self-presentation to fit the social setting. Scale responses from 836 Canadian university students were analyzed by confirmatory factor methods to determine whether the data fit according to an hypothesized two-factor model (Ability to Modify Self-Presentation and Sensitivity to the Expressive Behavior of Others). Though results failed to support this model, there was support for a three-factor correlated solution: (1) the Lennox and Wolfe Sensitivity subscale; (2) a modified Ability subscale; and (3) a new subscale (“Difficulty Modifying Self Presentation”), composed of the two negatively worded items from the Lennox and Wolfe Ability subscale. Whereas the omnibus assumption of factorial invariance was applicable (invariant) to male and female respondents with respect to factor loadings, factor correlations, and error variances, a few individual parameters were not. Implications for scale utility, practitioner interpretation, future research directions are discussed.

A Hospitality Management Education Model: Recommendations for the effective use of work-based learning in undergraduate management courses

Abstract Work-based learning is an active learning approach to management education that incorporates a variety of different pedagogical practices. The integration and application of these different practices are an effective means of building essential managerial and leadership skills. While hospitality management programs have long taken an active approach to education, this paper presents a comprehensive conceptual foundation for active learning that can be applied in hospitality courses and numerous other management courses. Specifically, this paper presents the application of a work-based learning approach to pedagogy in two undergraduate business courses – Organizational Behavior and Management Skills. Examples of learnings from student papers, and anonymous survey data, provide evidence that engaging in work-based learning helped students learn the subject matter in their respective courses. The present paper expands on earlier work on applied learning by synthesizing disparate pedagogical methods, by providing an integrated conceptual basis for applied learning projects, and by providing a framework for the implementation of work-based learning in multiple management courses. As many hospitality programs in North America are being integrated into colleges of business, work-based learning is especially pertinent given contemporary criticisms of traditional pedagogical techniques in management education

Organizational Socialization and Newcomers’ Psychological Capital and Well-Being

From the start, organizational socialization has been all about learning. In fact, most definitions of organizational socialization are very explicit about this and the general notion that socialization involves learning “the ropes” of a particular organizational role (Fisher, 1986). Socialization has been described as a sense-making and learning process in which newcomers acquire a variety of types of information and knowledge to become effective members of the organization (Klein & Weaver, 2000).

An exploratory study of the level of disaster preparedness in the Canadian hospitality industry.

Disaster planning is an important, but often neglected, part of leading an organization. Currently there exists little data on the level of disaster preparedness of organizations in the Canadian hospitality industry. In this article we present the results of a survey of a representative sample of organizations in this industry to assess the level of disaster preparedness. Results reveal an overall low level of preparedness. Implications of these results are discussed and recommendations for research and practice are suggested.

Socialization resources theory and newcomers’ work engagement: A new pathway to newcomer socialization

Although work engagement has become an important topic in management, relatively little attention has been given to newcomers’ work engagement in the socialization literature. The purpose of this paper is to explain how newcomers’ work engagement can fluctuate during the first year of organizational entry and the role of organizational socialization in developing and maintaining high levels of newcomers’ work engagement.,A review of the socialization literature indicates that uncertainty reduction theory has been the basis of research on socialization tactics and newcomer information-seeking both of which function by providing newcomers with information to reduce uncertainty. Socialization resources theory is used to develop a new pathway to newcomer socialization which focuses on providing newcomers with resources during the first year of organizational entry and socialization.,The uncertainty reduction pathway to newcomer socialization is narrow and limited because it primarily focuses on minimizing and reducing the negative effects of job demands rather than on providing newcomers with resources that are necessary to facilitate work engagement and socialization.,Organizations can use newcomers’ work engagement maintenance curves to map and track fluctuations in newcomers’ work engagement during the first year of organizational entry and they can conduct an audit of socialization resources to determine what resources are required to develop and maintain high levels of newcomers’ work engagement.,This paper describes newcomer work engagement maintenance curves and explains how socialization resources can be used to develop and maintain high levels of newcomers’ work engagement. A model of a new pathway to newcomer socialization is developed in which socialization resources, personal resources, and job demands influence newcomers’ work engagement and socialization outcomes.

Incorporating Balance: Challenges and Opportunities for Positive Psychology.

Positive psychology (PP), the empirical study of optimal human functioning (Linley, Joseph, Harrington, & Wood, 2006), has grown considerably and made important contributions to science and practice since its introduction at the end of the last century. It has also been the subject of a number of persistent criticisms. Addressing these criticisms to move the area forward represents a major challenge and opportunity for PP. However, doing so is hampered by the lack of a framework to guide this effort. The present paper presents a strategic guiding framework explicitly based on balance that allows PP to effectively address the criticisms leveled against it and advance the study of optimal human functioning. Implications for theory, research and practice are discussed. La psychologie positive (PP), étude empirique du fonctionnement humain optimal (Linley, Joseph, Harrington, & Wood, 2006), a connu un essor considérable et fait d’importantes contributions à la science et à la pratique depuis son arrivée à la fin du dernier siècle. Elle a également fait l’objet de nombreuses critiques. Le fait de répondre à ces critiques dans le but de faire avancer cette discipline constitue un défi majeur mais aussi une occasion importante pour la PP. Ces efforts sont toutefois entravés par le manque de cadre pour guider ces derniers. Cet article présente un cadre d’orientation stratégique explicitement basé sur l’équilibre qui permet à la PP de répondre aux critiques lui étant destinées et de faire avancer l’étude du fonctionnement humain optimal. Les implications pour la théorie, la recherche et la pratique y sont discutées.