Jeffrey B. Arthur

Gainsharing and Organizational Learning: An Analysis of Employee Suggestions Over Time

The authors propose a model of gainsharing as an organizational learning system. Analyzing employee suggestions submitted over the first four years of a gainsharing plan at one plant, the authors f...

Do HR System Characteristics Affect the Frequency of Interpersonal Deviance in Organizations? The Role of Team Autonomy and Internal Labor Market Practices

Current research on determinants of interpersonal deviant behaviors in organizations, including incivility, bullying, and sexual harassment has focused primarily on the effects of individual-level characteristics while neglecting inter-organizational differences in human resource (HR) systems that shape the context for employee interactions at work. Using data from a nationally representative survey of over three hundred U.S. work establishments, I find empirical support for theory-based predictions that organizations with HR systems characterized by greater use of internal labor markets and less team autonomy are associated with lower frequencies of reported interpersonal deviance behaviors than those that rely on external labor markets and self?managed teams.

Current Topics in Industrial and Labor Relations Research and Practice

Recent research on six current topics in industrial and labor relations is reviewed: (a) the decline in union membership in the United States, (b) concession bargaining, (c) unions and employee participation programs, (d) the effect of unions on productivity and profits, (e) dispute resolution, and (f) international industrial relations. For each topic, major research findings are summarized and evaluated along with suggestions forfuture research. The article concludes by considering future scenarios for the U.S. labor movement.

How Does Leader-Member Exchange Disparity Affect Teamwork Behavior and Effectiveness in Work Groups? The Moderating Role of Leader-Leader Exchange

In this study, we propose that the upward leader-leader exchange (LLX) relationship is an important moderating condition in predicting the consequences of leader-member exchange (LMX) differentiation within work groups. We assert that the structural and operating efficiencies created by LMX differentiation will depend on group members’ appraisal of the legitimacy of the within-group LMX disparity. Drawing on relative deprivation theory, we argue that the level of perceived legitimacy of LMX differentiation varies with levels of LLX. Using data collected from 579 subordinates and 74 managers in 74 work groups over two time periods, we propose and test hypotheses that the quality of a leader’s LLX relationship will moderate the mediated relationship between LMX differentiation, group-level teamwork, and team effectiveness. We find support for our moderated-mediation model and suggest implications for theory and practice.