Judith A. Kolb

The Relationship Between Work Engagement and Performance A Review of Empirical Literature and a Proposed Research Agenda

Engagement has been defined in a variety of ways. Engagement in the workplace generally is viewed as a positive, fulfilling, affective-motivational state of work-related well-being. Due to its structural relationship between antecedents (e.g., job resources and personal resources) and consequences (e.g., performance and turnover intention), work engagement has been receiving considerable attention from both scholars and practitioners in the fields of human resource development (HRD), organization development (OD), psychology, and business. In spite of this popularity, there is a scarcity of empirical research on work engagement in the academic literature. The relationship between work engagement and performance, in particular, is deserving of attention given our field’s focus on performance improvement. In this article, we review and analyze relevant research and then propose a research agenda to guide future research on this topic. Conclusions and implications for HRD and OD are discussed.

Leader Behaviors Affecting Team Performance: Similarities and Differences Between Leader/Member Assessments

Team leaders and team members do not always view leader performance in the same way, particularly in terms of leader behaviors related to team perfor mance. In this study, self and other assessments of leader performance were compared. Data were collected for 32 organizational teams and analyzed by means of t-tests and qualitative methods. Results indicate that self-assessments of leader performance were more favorable than were assessments by team members for 12 of 13 measured dimensions of leader behavior. Leaders and members agreed, for the most part, on leader strengths and weaknesses; there was less agreement, however, on the effect of specific leader behaviors on team performance. Implications for leadership assessment and development are discussed.

The Relationship Between Self-Monitoring and Leadership in Student Project Groups.

High self-monitoring individuals respond to cues from others and adapt their self-presentations to suit their audience. Since one of the goals of this behavior is to create a favorable impression in the audience, self-monitoring has been identified as a factor that might be related to an individuals being perceived as a leader. Although several studies have revealed a significant relationship between self-monitoring and leader emergence, relatively few have examined the relationship outside the laboratory setting. The purpose of the two studies reported in this article was to examine whether self-reported scores on a mea sure of self-monitoring would be related to leader emergence in student groups working on realistic, sustained projects. Study One revealed a low, but signifi cant, correlation between self-monitoring and leader emergence. Study Two found a negligible relationship in the overall sample, but a significant moderate correlation in a group of preferred leaders who were examined separately. The variation in magnitude of correlations in the overall sample seemed to be explained by fluctuations in correlations for females. The relationship between self-monitoring and males remained at a low but stable level over the two studies.

The influence of learning culture on perceived knowledge conversion: an empirical approach using structural equation modelling

In this research, data collected from 633 participants were used to assess the influence of learning culture on the perceived knowledge conversion process in Korean for profit organizations. The seven dimensions of the learning organization (Watkins and Marsick 1993, 1996) served as exogenous variables; four modes of the knowledge conversion SECI theory – socialization, externalization, combination, and internalization – were endogenous variables (Nonaka and Takeuchi 1995). Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to measure the influential relationships among the four modes of the knowledge conversion process and the impact of cultural aspects of learning organization on the overall process. Supplemental analysis techniques were utilized, including confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for construct validation and canonical correlation analysis (CCA) for the relationship among the sets of each variable. Results confirmed the positive influence of the learning organization culture on the overall process of knowledge conversion. The most powerful direct impacts of learning culture were found in the knowledge combination and socialization modes.

Let's Bring Structure Back. A Commentary.

In our desire to rid our corporations of excessive structure, we may have gone too far. Some elements of structure are essential if organizations, and teams working within these organizations, are to achieve their goals. This commentary provides an overview of two aspects of structure that are necessary in team-centered organizations: an internal facilitative structure appropriate for each teams specific needs and an organizational framework that supports teamwork in general. Managers and team leaders should be proactive in ensuring that essential structural components are in place.

Major workforce and workplace trends influencing the training anddevelopment field in the USA

A recent research study sponsored by the US-based Society for Human Resource Management identified six key workforce and workplace trends facing HR managers. These trends focused around changes in technology, globalisation, cost containment, speed in market change, knowledge capital, and change. This article examines the implications of these trends for training and development professionals.

A project in small-group decision making

This article describes a small group decision-making/problem-solving assignment that is suitable for use in any class in which decision making is a topic of interest. Students are given information on a variety of decision-making techniques and are then assigned to groups of four to six people to choose and demonstrate a technique that is appropriate for an organizational decision-making situation that they develop. Class members observe and evaluate each groups performance on criteria such as choice and explanation of situation, choice and demonstration of technique, and quality of resolution.

Competencies of small group facilitators: what practitioners view as important

The purpose of this study was to examine the facilitator competencies viewed as important by experienced small group facilitators. Participants were provided with a literature‐generated list of facilitator competencies and asked to rate each competency on frequency of use and importance and to add other competencies believed important. Results and implications are discussed.

Learning Organizational Culture and Firm Performance The Mediating Effects of Knowledge Creation in Korean Firms

The aim of the current research is to examine the relationships between learning culture and performance along with the mediating interaction of knowledge creation. Data for this study were collected from five Korean firms through use of in-house intranet self-response surveys. Responses from 633 manager-level employees were used to identify the relationships among four variables: cultural aspects of the learning organization, four modes of knowledge creation practices, perceived level of knowledge gaining, and perceived level of financial performance. All constructs previously have been identified as related concepts in certain ways; however, no specific and empirically verified structural complex model exists. In this research, first, the influential and causal relations among the variables were examined, and second, a model comparison was conducted between the initially proposed and alternatively proposed structural models. Structural equation modeling and canonical correlation analysis were used for the analyses. The results suggest that the input-related concept of learning culture is not directly related to outcome-related organizational financial improvement but rather has mediating effects through the process-related concept of knowledge creation. Suggestions for future research and implications for human resource development and performance-oriented management are discussed.

Leading engineering teams: leader behaviors related to team performance

The author examines the relationship between leader behaviors and engineering team performance. Data were collected for 18 engineering teams (nine research, nine nonresearch) from manufacturing and aerospace organizations located in Rocky Mountain, Midwest, and East Coast regions of the United States. Results indicate that both team members and leaders believed that providing autonomy and initiating structure were important leader behaviors; however, neither of these behaviors was significantly correlated with team performance as evaluated by managers external to the team. Members also believed that leaders should exhibit personal commitment to the team goal and show consideration for team members. Specific leader behaviors were significantly correlated with team performance only for those teams with a research purpose. For such teams, public relations activities performed by leaders were important. >