John E. Mathieu

Influences of Individual and Situational Characteristics on Measures of Training Effectiveness

A model of individual and situational influences on individuals’ training-related motivation and training effectiveness based on valence-instrumentality-expectancy theory was developed. A training ...

Meeting trainees' expectations : the influence of training fulfillment on the development of commitment, self-efficacy, and motivation

The development of organizational commitment, academic self-efficacy, physical self-efficacy, and motivation was examined in a socialization-type training context with data collected from 666 military trainees. The hypotheses were that (a) training fulfillment, or the extent to which training meets or fulfills a trainees expectations and desires, (b) trainee reactions, and (c) training performance would be related to the develpoment of posttraining attitudes. Support was obtained for each hypothesis.

A causal model of the antecedents of organizational commitment among professionals and nonprofessionals

Abstract A causal model of organizational commitment was developed from previous theory and research. The model included variables from each of the four categories of antecedents identified in previous research (i.e., personal needs, job characteristics, role states, and work experiences), as well as employees job satisfaction and mental health. It was tested using survey responses from a sample of nonprofessional employees and a sample of professionals. Using path-analysis, support was found for many of the hypothesized paths in both groups, yet areas of misspecification were found. Model revisions were performed separately for both groups and differences were highlighted. In particular, the influence of individual variables on the variables included in the hypothesized model differed markedly across the two groups. Implications of these findings, as well as substantive and methodological directions for future research, were discussed.

A FRAMEWORK FOR CONDUCTING MULTI-LEVEL CONSTRUCT VALIDATION

Organizational researchers have become increasingly interested in multi-level constructs – that is, constructs that are meaningful at multiple levels of analysis. However, despite the plethora of theoretical and empirical work on multi-level topics, explicit frameworks for validation of multi-level constructs have yet to be fully developed. Moreover, available principles for conducting construct validation assume that the construct resides at a single level of analysis. We propose a five-step framework for conceptualizing and testing multi-level constructs by integrating principles of construct validation with recent advancements in multi-level theory, research, and methodology. The utility of the framework is illustrated using theoretical and empirical examples.

Antecedents to Organizational Issue Interpretation: The Roles of Single-Level, Cross-Level, and Content Cues

This study examined the relationship between individual, group, and organizational antecedent variables and strategic and political interpretations of key organizational issues. Results showed that...

Modeling organizational processes across hierarchical levels: climate, leadership, and group process in work groups

Summary Perceptions of organizational climate, leadership, and group processes were aggregated within hierarchically nested work groups. Relationships across hierarchical boundaries were examined for two samples at different hierarchical levels in a military organization. Perceptions of climate were positively related across levels in both samples. There was evidence that the pattern of relationship among the other constructs was different in the two samples. The results have implications for the process which organizational interventions can be expected to flow through hierarchical levels of an organization. ?) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Role Strains, Tension, and Job Satisfaction Influences on Employees' Propensity to Leave: A Multi-Sample Replication and Extension

Using data from samples of four different employee populations, we tested Bedeian and Armenakis (1981) model of the relationships between role strains, tension, job satisfaction, and propensity to leave. Results from the path-analyses yielded mixed support for the model, both within and between samples. Furthermore, we explored the effects of employee personal characteristics on the variables included in the model and identified several additional sources of influence. The findings are discussed in terms of the applicability of the Bedeian and Armenakis model to various employee populations, the need to further develop and to refine the causal model, and the targeting of organizational interventions aimed at managing role strain and turnover-related processes in organizations.

Time urgency : conceptual and construct development

Although time urgency is seen as unidimensional in traditional measures of the Type A behavior pattern, F. J. Landy, H. Rastegary, J. Thayer, and C. Colvin (1991) concluded that it is a multidimensional construct. They developed behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARS) that correspond to 7 dimensions of time urgency. This multitrait-multimethod study used 4 raters evaluations of 183 students at 2 times to examine the construct validity of the BARS measures. This study also investigated environmental and individual difference variables that were linked to time urgency. Confirmatory factor analyses failed to support a hypothesized 7-dimension, 4-method solution but did show good fit indices for a 5-dimension, 4-method model. Potential directions for future research on time urgency are discussed

A test of the interactive effects of organizational commitment and job involvement on various types of absence

Abstract This study examined the joint direct and interactive influences of organizational commitment and job involvement on employee absence rates. Absences were categorized into four types: (1) Illness; (2) Personal Reasons; (3) Family Obligations; and (4) Transportation Problems. We hypothesized a significant interaction between commitment and involvement in relation only to absences for personal reasons. Moderated multiple regression analyses of survey responses and 6-month absence rates from a sample of 192 midwestern bus drivers yielded support for the hypothesis that commitment and involvement interact as related to drivers personal absences, although the form of the interaction was not as anticipated. Results were discussed in terms of methodological issues involved in the study of employees attitudes and absence rates, the need for more complex theories of how different attitudes may combine to influence absenteeism, and targeted organizational interventions to influence different types of absence.

Applying Utility Concepts to a Training Program in Supervisory Skills: A Time-Based Approach

An application of utility analysis concepts, this study employed a quasi-experimental design to demonstrate the effects of a training program in supervisory skills on the performance ratings of 65 ...