Karsten Mueller

The effects of corporate social responsibility on employees' affective commitment: A cross-cultural investigation.

This study investigated the moderating effects of several Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness (GLOBE) cultural value dimensions on the relationship between employees perceptions of their organizations social responsibility and their affective organizational commitment. Based on data from a sample of 1,084 employees from 17 countries, results showed that perceived corporate social responsibility (CSR) was positively related to employees affective commitment (AC), after controlling for individual job satisfaction and gender as well as for nation-level differences in unemployment rates. In addition, several GLOBE value dimensions moderated the effects of CSR on AC. In particular, perceptions of CSR were more positively related to AC in cultures higher in humane orientation, institutional collectivism, ingroup collectivism, and future orientation and in cultures lower in power distance. Implications for future CSR research and cross-cultural human resources management are discussed.

Beyond conflict: the role of life-domain enrichment for expatriates

The employment of expatriates has become an increasingly important part of professional business careers, and thus factors that influence the success of international assignments have increased in importance. Among these factors, the interaction of life domains plays an important role. This study applied recent advancements in the domestic literature on the interplay between different life domains to the expatriates situation. These advancements affect the scope of the life domains considered, the different directions of interactions between life domains and the inclusion of a positive perspective on the interplay. Among a sample of expatriates in the development cooperation sector on four continents, this study investigated the impact of life-domain enrichment on expatriates assignments. Results showed that life-domain enrichment accounted for variance in job satisfaction, turnover intentions and accomplishment of role-related expectations, beyond what was accounted for by life-domain conflict. These findings underscore the need to consider life-domain variables and processes when examining expatriate adjustment. Implications for training and support of expatriates are discussed.

Managing user acceptance: an empirical investigation in the context of business intelligence standard software

This study suggests and tests a model for the systematic evaluation of management activities in company-wide standard software implementations using the example of a business intelligence (BI) software package. The proposed model builds on an extended technology acceptance model (TAM), previous research on IT implementation success factors and reviews of relevant change management variables. Using structural equation modelling, several hypotheses are tested. The investigated management variables demonstrate significant influences on the psychological acceptance factors included in the model. Seven out of ten hypotheses are confirmed. In addition, the model explains a substantial amount of variance in actual user behaviour measured with a system-based indicator. Practical implications for the implementation of company-wide standard software in organisations are discussed.

A Cross-National Investigation of the Measurement Equivalence of Computerized Organizational Attitude Surveys: A Two-Study Design in Multiple Nations

Multinational organizations frequently administer employee surveys online. This process is accompanied, however, by concerns about the psychometric equivalence of measures administered by different modalities. Using data from a large multinational organization (N = 57,861 in Study 1; N = 105,734 in Study 2), the present research examined cross-national generalizability of the measurement equivalence of an organizational attitude survey administered by computer and paper-and-pencil. Results of multiple group confirmatory factor analysis indicated psychometric equivalence of the test modalities in disparate national samples. Implications for the cross-national use of computerized organizational attitude surveys are discussed.

Testing Interactive Effects of Commitment and Perceived Change Advocacy on Change Readiness: Investigating the Social Dynamics of Organizational Change

ABSTRACT In a study of the social dynamics in organizational change, the present research examined whether employees who are more committed to their top managers, supervisors, and workgroups have greater change readiness than those with lower commitment. Moreover, the study investigated whether the associations between commitment and change readiness depend on the perceived advocacy of change by commitment targets. Using data from 220 blue-collar workers, results showed higher change readiness among employees with greater commitment, and, as predicted, the commitment was more strongly related to change readiness when the target of one’s commitment had greater change advocacy. Conversely, the positive effects of commitment on change readiness disappeared or even turned negative if the target’s change advocacy was low. Therefore, change managers should try to enhance change support among relevant commitment targets, or foster commitment to groups that advocate for change. Overall, the study contributes to our understanding of the role of commitment in the context of organizational change, by identifying specific conditions under which commitment is linked to change readiness.

A Configurational Perspective on the Theory of Planned Behaviour to Understand Employees' Change-Supportive Intentions: COMPLEX PATTERNS OF CHANGE REACTIONS

This study aims to deepen the understanding of the psychological processes involved in the formation of change-supportive intentions by adopting a configurational perspective. To investigate potential configurations in relevant psychological processes suggested by the theory of planned behaviour (Ajzen, 1991), classical linear analytic methods are supplemented by the application of two case-centred methods: latent profile analysis (LPA) and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). The study uses data from two measurement times drawing on employees of a city council (t1: N 5 1,589; t2: N 5 1,524) undergoing complex and continuous organisational changes. While the case-centred results from LPA and fsQCA generally accord well with the results from regression analysis, they consistently highlight the relevance of configurational patterns. Specifically, LPA and fsQCA reveal that different combinations of change-related attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control relate to the presence or absence of high supportive intentions. These results provide valuable insights for fostering employees change-supportive intentions. Moreover, the present study demonstrates that case-centred analytical methods can essentially enrich research and theory-building in change management as well as in the field of behavioural intention formation in general.