Juan M. Madera

Gender and letters of recommendation for academia: agentic and communal differences.

In 2 studies that draw from the social role theory of sex differences (A. H. Eagly, W. Wood, & A. B. Diekman, 2000), the authors investigated differences in agentic and communal characteristics in letters of recommendation for men and women for academic positions and whether such differences influenced selection decisions in academia. The results supported the hypotheses, indicating (a) that women were described as more communal and less agentic than men (Study 1) and (b) that communal characteristics have a negative relationship with hiring decisions in academia that are based on letters of recommendation (Study 2). Such results are particularly important because letters of recommendation continue to be heavily weighted and commonly used selection tools (R. D. Arvey & T. E. Campion, 1982; R. M. Guion, 1998), particularly in academia (E. P. Sheehan, T. M. McDevitt, & H. C. Ross, 1998).

What Drives Public Acceptance of Nanotechnology

How do the risks and benefits of nanotechnology, as viewed by the public, compare with those associated with other technologies such as genetically modified organisms, stem cells, biotechnology and nuclear power? And when deciding to use a specific nanotechnology product, will consumers consider the risks, the benefits, or both? We report the first large-scale empirical analyses of these questions.

A Strategy for Diversity Training Focusing on Empathy in the Workplace

The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of a diversity training exercise using perspective taking to increase positive attitudes toward non-English-speaking individuals. Ninety-six participants were given a pretest (survey) followed by the training and a posttest. Participants were randomly assigned as a “manager” or an “employee.” The managers were provided with a recipe and instructions in English, and the managers’ employees provided with the recipe and instruction in an abstract, non-English language. The results of a repeated-measures ANOVA showed a significant effect of perspective-taking training on attitudes toward non-English speakers, such that attitudes were more positive posttraining than pretraining. The effect of the training on the attitudes toward non-English-speaking individuals was moderated by the status role (i.e., manager or employee). In addition, participants’ empathy mediated the relationship between the perspective-taking training and attitudes, such that perspective taking induced empathy, resulting in more positive attitudes.

Bringing social identity to work: the influence of manifestation and suppression on perceived discrimination, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions.

In the current article, we explored whether manifesting or suppressing an identity (race/ethnicity, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, or disability) at work is related to perceived discrimination, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions. Participants included 211 working adults who completed an online survey. The results showed that efforts to suppress a group identity were positively (and behavioral manifestations of group identity negatively) related to perceived discrimination, which predicted job satisfaction and turnover intentions. These results suggest that diverse employees actively manage their nonwork identities while at work and that these identity management strategies have important consequences.

Best Practices in Diversity Management in Customer Service Organizations An Investigation of Top Companies Cited by Diversity Inc.

An analysis of diversity management programs used by fourteen companies cited for diversity found a suite of practices used by nearly all of them. Using a benchmarking assessment, this study analyzed the diversity management programs from a sample of hospitality and customer service organizations that were named by Diversity Inc. to be top companies for diversity. The analysis of the organizations’ specific practices revealed the following seven complementary and highly related categories of diversity management practice: corporate diversity council, diversity training programs, supplier diversity, employee networking and mentoring, cultural awareness, support for women, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender network programs and same-sex benefits. The result of these policies is a highly diverse workforce and relatively diverse management in the sample firms.

Using Social Network Sites for Selection Purposes: An Investigation of Hospitality Recruiters

Many U.S. employers are using social network sites to screen or investigate job candidates. Although this phenomenon has become increasingly popular for employers to use for marketing purposes, there is a dearth of studies examining how hospitality employers use social network sites as a human resource management practice. Thus, the purpose of the authors in this study was to examine organizational factors that predict the use of social network sites for screening applicants and how these sites are used by recruiters. Participants were industry recruiters attending a career fair. The results showed that 50% of the recruiters reported using social network sites to screen applicants. Negative information from the Internet was rated as more important than positive information of the applicants. Recruiters use social network sites more for management-level and front-of-the-house employees than entry-level and back-of-the-house applicants.

The Influence of Hotel Communication Practices on Managers’ Communication Satisfaction with Limited English–Speaking Employees

Communication satisfaction is an important antecedent to significant work outcomes. Therefore, this study examines how organizational practices influence the communication satisfaction of lodging managers. The results showed a strong correlation between organizational practices that deal with language barriers and the communication satisfaction of the managers. Management awareness and encouragement to improve English skills were independently correlated with communication satisfaction. However, translation of documents and translation by coworkers alone were not correlated with communication satisfaction. This was significant because the results showed that the majority (62.8%) of managers rely on a translator, typically a bilingual employee, to communicate for them. More than half of the respondents (53.5%) reported that top management has paid attention to language barriers in the workplace. In fact, 46.5% stated that their company encourages employees with limited-language skills to improve by offering English at work programs.

“Don't Stigmatize”: The Ironic Effects of Equal Opportunity Guidelines in Interviews

The purpose of the current study was to examine how staffing policies (identity-conscious or identity-blind) and interview structure might lead to stigmatizing behavior, particularly subtle behavior that is not illegal. In a 2 (staffing policy: identity-conscious or identity-blind) × 2 (interview structure: structured or unstructured) factorial design, 87 participants interviewed a Black interviewee for an ostensible study on employment interviews and were led to believe they would interview a second Black interviewee. The results showed that participants guided by the identity-blind policy and using an unstructured interview format chose the largest social distance from Black interviewees in the subsequent interview.

Strategic human resources management research in hospitality and tourism: A review of current literature and suggestions for the future

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of the strategic human resources management (HRM) literature from the points of view of both general management and hospitality and tourism. Design/methodology/approach The paper provides a critical, qualitative and comparative review of the strategic HRM research literature in the fields of general management and hospitality and tourism, providing insights into emerging research trends and pointing to the gaps in the literature. Findings The results of the review showed six streams of research from the hospitality and tourism literature: human capital and firm performance, high-performance HRM practices and performance, international/global issues and strategic HRM, individual HRM practices and performance, qualitative reviews of the hospitality and tourism HRM literature and country-specific strategic HRM. This review also points to the gaps between the two bodies of literature and gives recommendations for future research. Practical implications The current conceptual model provides a useful framework for examining how strategic HRM practices impact firm performance through macro (organizational) and micro (individual) levels. The current review illustrates the important role that frontline managers have in delivering HRM practices. Originality/value This review provides a conceptual model for future research and practical implications.

Breaking a communication barrier: the effect of visual aids in food preparation on job attitudes and performance.

Given the diverse workforce of the hospitality industry, language difficulties continue to create communication barriers for both employers and immigrant workers. As a result, these barriers have negative effects on job performance and organizational attitudes. In an effort to provide solutions, this article examines the effect of using pictures on job performance, task satisfaction, and job commitment when communication barriers exist in a food industry operation context. The results of this experimental study demonstrated that the performance of workers who used pictures when producing a dish was evaluated higher on dimensions of time, quality, and accuracy than that of workers who did not use pictures. Additionally, the participants who were given pictures reported higher task satisfaction and commitment than those who were only provided an abstract recipe.