Jessica Siegel Christian

Examining the Asymmetrical Effects of Goal Faultlines in Groups: A Categorization-Elaboration Approach

The purpose of this study was to use the categorization-elaboration model (CEM) to examine the asymmetrical effects of goal faultlines in groups, which are present when hypothetical dividing lines are created on the basis of different performance goals, splitting the group into subgroups. On the basis of the CEM, we expected groups with goal faultlines to exhibit higher levels of creative task performance than (a) groups with specific, difficult goals and (b) groups with do-your-best goals. We expected the benefits of goal faultlines to be due to increases in reflective reframing, which occurs when group members build on each others ideas by shifting to alternate frames. However, we expected groups with goal faultlines to exhibit lower levels of routine task performance than (a) groups with do-your-best goals and (b) groups with specific, difficult goals, due to increased perceptions of loafing. Results from 87 groups generally supported our hypothesized model. Implications are discussed as well as possible limitations and directions for future research.

Examining Retaliatory Responses to Justice Violations and Recovery Attempts in Teams

We examine the effect of supervisor injustice directed toward 1 team member and argue not only that the violated member will retaliate against the supervisor but that team members will band together as a collective in order to retaliate. However, we argue that effects depend on which member is violated, such that violating a strategic core member will result in greater retaliation. We then test the effect of a supervisor recovery attempt, hypothesizing that a recovery will negatively impact retaliation and that the coreness of the violated member moderates this effect, such that it is more important to recover a core member. We test our hypotheses utilizing 64 teams engaged in a command-and-control simulation. Results generally support our hypotheses for retaliation in the form of fewer supervisor-directed organizational citizenship behaviors but are less supportive for retaliation in the form of lower supervisor performance evaluations.

Examining the effects of turnover intentions on organizational citizenship behaviors and deviance behaviors: A psychological contract approach.

Although turnover intentions are considered the most proximal antecedent of organizational exit, there is often temporal separation between thinking about leaving and actual exit. Using field data from 2 diverse samples of working adults, we explore a causal model of the effects of turnover intentions on employee behavior while they remain with the organization, focusing specifically on organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) and deviance behaviors (DBs). Utilizing expectancy theory as an explanatory framework, we argue that turnover intentions result in high levels of transactional contract orientation and low levels of relational contract orientation, which in turn lead to a decrease in the incidence of OCBs and an increase in the incidence of DBs. We first used a pilot study to investigate the direction of causality between turnover intentions and psychological contract orientations. Then, in Study 1, we tested our mediated model using a sample of employees from a large drug retailing chain. In Study 2, we expanded our model by arguing that the mediated effects are much stronger when the organization is deemed responsible for potential exit. We then tested our full model using a sample of employees from a large state-owned telecommunications corporation in China. Across both studies, results were generally consistent and supportive of our hypotheses. We discuss the implications of our findings for future theory, research, and practice regarding the management of both the turnover process and discretionary behaviors at work. (PsycINFO Database Record