John P. Wanous

Overall job satisfaction: How good are single-item measures?

A meta-analysis of single-item measures of overall job satisfaction (28 correlations from 17 studies with 7,682 people) found an average uncorrected correlation of .63 (SD = .09) with scale measures of overall job satisfaction. The overall mean correlation (corrected only for reliability) is .67 (SD = .08), and it is moderated by the type of measurement scale used. The mean corrected correlation for the best group of scale measures (8 correlations, 1,735 people) is .72 (SD = .05). The correction for attenuation formula was used to estimate the minimum level of reliability for a single-item measure. These estimates range from .45 to .69, depending on the assumptions made.

Single-Item Reliability: A Replication and Extension

The reliability of a single-item measure of student-rated college teaching effectiveness was estimated with two different methods and at two levels of analysis. The two methods are the correction for attenuation formula and factor analysis. The two levels of analysis are the group level (10, 682 classes) and the individual level (323, 262 students). Reliability estimates were higher using factor analysis (.88) than the correction for attenuation formula (.64), and they were higher using group-level data (.82) than individual-level data (.70). Based on the assumptions and limitations of each method used, the authors conclude that a minimum estimate of .80 for single-item reliability is reasonable for group-level data. The authors reaffirm a minimum reliability estimate of .70 for individual-level data, as previously concluded by Wanous, Reichers, and Hudy, who estimated single-item reliability for measures of overall job satisfaction using individual-level data.

Cynicism About Organizational Change MEASUREMENT, ANTECEDENTS, AND CORRELATES

A new construct called Cynicism About Organizational Change (CAOC) was proposed and distinguished from related concepts. The measure of CAOC was supported by confirmatory factor analysis and has acceptable internal consistency reliability. Potential antecedents (measured 21 months before the measurement of CAOC) were examined. Little support was found for CAOC having dispositional roots in one’s general negative affectivity. More support was found for CAOC being learned as a result of little previous change, ineffective leadership practices, and lack of participation in decisions. CAOC was negatively correlated with a concurrent measure of organizational change and with the motivation to keep on trying to support change efforts. In addition, CAOC was negatively correlated with factors outside the realm of change: organizational commitment and the number of labor grievances. Finally, CAOC weakened the instrumentality perception of the relationship between performing well and earning more money, while holding the actual pay system constant.

Recruitment Source Research: Current Status and Future Directions

Abstract The effectiveness of different recruitment sources for new employees has been the topic of speculation and research for over 50 years. Effectiveness has primarily been assessed by examining turnover/job survival rates and job performance. As reported in most narrative reviews and all five quantitative reviews, referrals by current personnel, in-house job postings, and the re-hiring of former employees are the most effective sources. Walk-ins have been slightly less effective, and the least effective sources are newspaper ads, school placement services, and employment agencies (government/private). Over these 50 years, six explanations for this pattern have been offered. They are summarized and evaluated here. The practical usefulness of recruiting from effective sources is estimated, based on the effect sizes from our meta-analysis. Finally, suggestions for future research are made.

Is remembered change useful

Measures of change are used for two main purposes in OD: (a) estimating the amount of change that occurred from an OD intervention (e.g. mean differences); and/or (b) assessing relationships between two or more variables as part of hypothesis testing (e.g. correlations). In this study we primarily focus on the hypothesis testing purpose for measuring change, although we will discuss the implications for estimating the amount of change. We focus on two alternative measures of the change in job satisfaction over time: (a) Longitudinal Change; and (b) Remembered Change. These two measures of change are used as predictors of organizational commitment and the number of labor grievances filed by individuals. Our results show that combining both measures of job satisfaction change together explains more variance than either measure alone. We conclude by discussing the meaning of change and the implications of these results for both OD practice and research.

Union elections at the local level: the role effectiveness of committee persons

Survey data were collected before and after a local union governance election in which half of the committeeperson incumbents lost. Examination of committeeperson role effectiveness shows that those who lost were rated significantly lower before the election compared to those who were retained. Newcomers who replaced incumbents were rated higher than those they replaced.

A quasi-experimental study of an action-research project: The effect of project visibility

A three-year Action-Research organizational development (OD) project in an automotive parts manufacturing plant was designed to: (a) increase employee participation, and (b) solve specific problems. All employees were surveyed before and after interventions. The OD effort was directed at the largest of four internal business units in the Plant, called the Experimental group. The remaining three business units formed the Comparison group, resulting in a quasi-experimental research design. Elements of the OD effort to increase employee participation included; (a) collaboration in data gathering, interpretation, and action planning, (b) widespread dissemination of survey results, and (c) collaboration in four issue-specific Task Forces. Besides differences in focus, the Task Forces also differed in the degree of their “visibility” to employees. We define visibility as: (a) the number of employees exposed to the intervention, and (b) the degree to which the intervention was directly observable by employees. Task force visibility was directly related to Task Force success, as measured by data from the second survey. Detailed suggestions for increasing employee participation and the visibility of OD projects are offered. In addition, some new suggestions are also offered for the effective conduct of Town Hall meetings in order to achieve decisions that need both high quality solutions and high employee acceptance.