Judy P. Strauss

An investigation of personality similarity effects (relational and perceived) on peer and supervisor ratings and the role of familiarity and liking

We examined the effect of similarity on performance ratings in two data sets (peers and supervisors). Surprisingly, there was minimal support for a relationship between relational personality (i.e. actual similarity on dimensions of the Five-Factor Model of personality relevant for sales positions - extraversion, conscientiousness, and emotional stability) and performance ratings in either data set. However, perceived similarity in these same dimensions related strongly to performance ratings. Furthermore, the results indicated no support for interpersonal familiarity as a moderator of the relationship between relational personality and perceived personality similarity. Finally, results provided moderate support for liking as a mediator of the perceived personality similarity-performance rating relationship. Implications of the results for future research and practice are discussed.

Leadership perceptions as a function of race-occupation fit: the case of Asian Americans.

On the basis of the connectionist model of leadership, we examined perceptions of leadership as a function of the contextual factors of race (Asian American, Caucasian American) and occupation (engineering, sales) in 3 experiments (1 student sample and 2 industry samples). Race and occupation exhibited differential effects for within- and between-race comparisons. With regard to within-race comparisons, leadership perceptions of Asian Americans were higher when race-occupation was a good fit (engineer position) than when race-occupation was a poor fit (sales position) for the two industry samples. With regard to between-race comparisons, leadership perceptions of Asian Americans were low relative to those of Caucasian Americans. Additionally, when race-occupation was a good fit for Asian Americans, such individuals were evaluated higher on perceptions of technical competence than were Caucasian Americans, whereas they were evaluated lower when race-occupation was a poor fit. Furthermore, our results demonstrated that race affects leadership perceptions through the activation of prototypic leadership attributes (i.e., implicit leadership theories). Implications for the findings are discussed in terms of the connectionist model of leadership and leadership opportunities for Asian Americans.

The “Threat Hypothesis,” Personality, and Attitudes toward Diversity

Multiple regression procedures were used to evaluate the contribution to attitudes toward diversity of three personality-related variables (authoritarianism, tolerance for ambiguity, and self-esteem) for which theory suggests that diversity may be seen as a threat (the “threat hypothesis”) and two dimensions of the five-factor model (FFM) (openness to experience and agreeableness). Participants included 238 undergraduate business students, of whom 47% were female and 36% non-white. For confirmatory purposes, a full path analysis model including attitudes toward diversity, the three threat variables, and all five of the FFM variables was fit to the data. The results of the hierarchical regressions suggest two of the threat traits (authoritarianism and tolerance for ambiguity), as well as the FFM trait of agreeableness, relate to attitudes toward diversity, whereas self-esteem and openness to experience do not. In general, the results of path analyses support the regression results, although significance levels tend to be lower for the path model than for the regression model. This study highlights the importance of agreeableness for jobs where attitudes toward others impact performance.

Gender differences in leadership competencies, expatriate readiness, and performance

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role that gender differences play in evaluating perceptions of global competence, individual readiness for expatriate assignments and overall job performance.Design/methodology/approach – A total of 11 global leadership competencies and perceptions of expatriate readiness for international assignments, along with job performance are rated by self raters and supervisors.Findings – The results suggest mixed support for sex‐role stereotyping and role‐congruity theory (e.g., women will be rated lower than men for expatriate positions which have typically been held by men) and the similar‐to‐me hypothesis (supervisors will rate same‐sex subordinates higher than opposite‐sex subordinates).Research limitations/implications – The most interesting finding is that supervisors overall (and male supervisors in particular) rated women lower than men on perceptions of expatriate readiness for international assignments, while there were no differences in ratings ...

Measurement of Equity Sensitivity: A Comparison of the Equity Sensitivity Instrument and Equity Preference Questionnaire:

The psychometric properties of the Equity Sensitivity Instrument (Huseman, Hatfield, & Miles, 1985, 1987) and Equity Preference Questionnaire (Sauley & Bedeian, 2000) are compared. 173 undergraduate business majors completed several work attitude and personality measures. Results suggest that the Equity Preference Questionnaire may be a better measure of the equity sensitivity construct than the Equity Sensitivity Instrument which is typically used in research. Reliabilities for the scores on the Equity Sensitivity Instrument and Equity Preference Questionnaire were equivalent (coefficient alphas of .85 and .86, respectively); however, evidence for convergent and content validity was greater for the Equity Preference Questionnaire. Understanding individual differences in perceptions of equity and how best to measure these differences can affect workplace outcomes (e.g., turnover, employee engagement).

Perceived minority status and diversity attitudes: an exploratory study.

The relationship between perceived minority status (in race and gender) and attitudes toward diversity was investigated with 308 graduate and undergraduate students from the southwestern U.S. (54.5% women, 67.5% nonWhite, whose mean age was 26.7, SD=6.2). Analysis suggested perceived minority status in gender correlates significantly and positively with attitudes toward diversity. Specifically, women who perceived themselves to be of a minority gender were more likely to have positive attitudes toward other cultural groups than women who did not perceive themselves as of a minority. Furthermore, perceived minority status in gender mediated the relationship between sex and attitudes toward diversity. Perceived minority status in race was not correlated with attitudes toward diversity.