Joyce E. A. Russell

The influence of General Perceptions of the Training Environment on Pretraining Motivation and Perceived Training Transfer

The present study was conducted to determine whether trainees’ general beliefs about training affect pretraining motivation and transfer of training in a large-scale training curriculum. In addition, the influence of social support for training from four organizational constituents (top management, supervisors, peers, and subordinates) and task constraints in the work environment on pretraining motivation and training transfer were evaluated. Nine hundred sixty-seven managers and supervisors completed a questionnaire that assessed 14 constructs. Structural equations analysis with LISREL VII indicated that the overall reputation of training, intrinsic and compliance incentives, organizational commitment, and three social support variables (subordinate, supervisor, and top management support) were predictive of pretraining motivation. In addition, pretraining motivation and subordinate, peer, and supervisor support were predictive of managers’ perceived training transfer. These findings suggests that previo...

Understanding Managerial Development: Integrating Developmental Assignments, Learning Orientation, and Access to Developmental Opportunities in Predicting Managerial Competencies

Integrating the work experience, leadership development, and learning literatures, we developed and tested a model of managerial development linking experience in highly developmental assignments, ...

Protégé selection by mentors: what makes the difference?

This study examined protege characteristics that mentors reported were most influential when choosing a protege. Based on existing research, two variables were identified related to protege selection: perceptions regarding the proteges potential/ability and perceptions regarding the proteges need for help. The relationships of these two factors with perceived barriers to mentoring others, mentor advancement aspirations, and mentor gender were investigated. Data from 282 mentors revealed that mentors were more likely to choose a protege based on perceptions regarding the proteges ability/potential than based on perceptions regarding the proteges need for help. Additionally, women were more likely to choose a protege based on the proteges perceived ability than were men. Copyright

Ratings of Organizational Citizenship Behavior: Does the Source Make a Difference?

This study compared multiple ratings of the organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) of managers obtained from three different sources: self, superiors, and subordinates. The results examining convergence across sources demonstrated that there were stronger correlations between ratings made by others (subordinates and superiors) than between ratings made by self and others. The results also indicated that there were mean level differences in ratings across sources. Specifically, ratings made by self and superiors were higher than were ratings made by subordinates. The results examining convergence within sources suggested that the reliability of OCB ratings based on a single rater were quite low; however, reliability increased considerably when aggregating raters. Future research and implications are discussed.

The relationships among family domain variables and work-family conflict for men and women

Abstract The present study examined the relationships among family domain variables and three sources of work-family conflict for 156 working men and women. In general, the family variables were able to explain some of the variance in work-family conflict for both men and women, and evidence of specific correlates was fairly similar. Time-based conflict was best predicted by the frequency of family intrusions and total role involvement for men, and by family conflict for women. Strain-based conflict was best explained by level of family conflict for men and women. Also, for women, the frequency of family intrusions was positively related to reported levels of strain-based conflict. The family variable significantly related to behavior-based conflict for men and women was the level of family conflict reported. Implications of the findings for future research on work-family conflict were presented.

The Effectiveness of Distance Learning Initiatives in Organizations

Abstract Today, organizations are increasingly adopting distance learning methods to train and develop their employees. Despite the widespread use of these methods, little research has been done regarding their effectiveness. The present paper reviews current literature on the effectiveness of distance learning methods in terms of employees’ reactions, learning, behavior, and organizational results. Suggestions for future research and practice are also offered.

Promoting Subjective Well-Being at Work

Research has clearly shown the relationship between subjective well-being and work performance, even though there is debate over the causality of that relationship (i.e., does subjective well-being cause higher work performance or does greater work performance lead to subjective well-being?). Regardless, researchers and practitioners would agree that having employees who are productive and have high subjective well-being is valuable. The purpose of this article is to review research in this area and to discuss strategies for promoting well-being at the workplace.

Leader prototypes and prototype-contingent consensus in leader behavior descriptions ☆

A categorization model of leader perception suggests that people process and retrieve social information in terms of preexisting cognitive schemata. As a result, memory-based descriptions of leader behavior are thought to be systematically biased by individual prototypes of leadership. While direct evidence of schematic retrieval is difficult to show unequivocally, a corollary hypothesis derived from the model suggests that a collection of behavioral descriptions of different leaders should be very similar due to the common intrusion of leader prototypes. The results of the present study, in fact, revealed a significant tendency for individuals (N = 60) with similar prototypes of leadership to describe the leader behavior of their supervisors in a similar fashion, even though none of the subjects interacted with the same supervisor. Moreover, consensual agreement in leader behavior descriptions was evident only when the subjects shared a common prototype (good or poor) which was consistent with the evaluative label (good leader/poor leader) ascribed to the supervisors. These results appear to be in full accord with the effects of cognitive categorization processes.

Career Development Interventions in Organizations.

Abstract This article reviews the last 20 years of research and practice of career development interventions used within organizations. The review begins by describing the historical development of the field of organizational career development and the reasons why organizations have increasingly used career development programs to address human resource problems and challenges. Discussion then focuses on describing the types of interventions used by some companies over the last two decades. Illustrations of interventions such as self-assessment tools, individual counseling, information services, assessment programs, and developmental programs are included. Descriptions of programs which have been designed to meet the unique needs of individuals at various career phases (e.g., early, middle, and late career) and other special issues (e.g., high-potential employees, terminated employees, supervisors, women and minority employees, employed spouses and parents) are also provided. The article concludes by reviewing research on the effectiveness of career development programs and offering suggestions for future research and practice.

The effects of gender and leave of absence on attributions for high performance, perceived organizational commitment, and allocation of organizational rewards

The present study examined the effects of gender and type of leave of absence on attributions for high performance, perceptions of organizational commitment, and allocation of organizational rewards. Results of the study, utilizing a predominately white student sample with a mean age of 29 years, indicated that there were no negative effects in terms of perceived organizational commitment or allocation of organizational rewards associated with a leave of absence (medical or parental) of short duration (three months) when taken by a high performing male or female. Causal attributions for performance and perceived level of organizational commitment were, however, related to recommendations of reward allocations. Implications of findings and future research are presented.