Lawrence R. James
Georgia Institute of Technology
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Featured researches published by Lawrence R. James.
Journal of Applied Psychology | 1984
Lawrence R. James; Robert G. Demaree; Gerrit Wolf
Abstract : This article presents methods for assessing agreement among the judgments made by a single group of judges on a single variable in regard to a single target. For example, the group of judges could be editorial consultants, members of an assessment center, or members of a team. The single target could be a manuscript, a lower-level manager, or a team. The variable on which the target is judged could be overall publishability in the case of the manuscript, managerial potential for the lower-level manager, or team cooperativeness for the team. The methods presented are based on new procedures for estimating interrater reliability. For situations such as the above, these procedures are shown to furnish more accurate and interpretable estimates of agreement than estimates provided by procedures commonly used to estimate agreement, consistency, or interrater reliability. In addition, the proposed methods include processes for controlling for the spurious influences of response biases (e.g., positive leniency, social desirability) on estimates of interrater reliability. (Author)
Journal of Applied Psychology | 1984
Lawrence R. James; Jeanne M. Brett
Abstract : The following points are developed. First, mediation relations are generally thought of in causal terms. Influences of an antecedent are transmitted to a consequence through an intervening mediator. Second, mediation relations may assume a number of functional forms, including nonadditive, nonlinear, and nonrecursive forms. Special attention is given to nonadditive forms, or moderated mediation, where it is shown that while mediation and moderation are distinguishable processes, a particular variable may be both a mediator and a moderator within a single set of functional relations. Third, current procedures for testing mediation relations in industrial and organizational psychology need to be updated because these procedures often involve a dubious interplay between exploratory (correlational) statistical tests and causal inference. It is suggested that no middle ground exists between exploratory and confirmatory (causal) analysis, and that attempts to explain how mediation processes occur require well-specified causal models. Given such models, confirmatory analytic techniques furnish the more informative tests of mediation. (Author)
Organizational Behavior and Human Performance | 1979
Allan P. Jones; Lawrence R. James; S. B. Sells
Abstract The present study attempted to develop a comprehensive measure of work environment perceptions and to investigate the appropriateness of using aggregated perceptual scores to describe subunit or organizational conditions. Dimensions underlying these work environment perceptions (i.e., psychological climate) were explored and related to a variety of situational, positional, and individual measures. Results indicated that: (a) five of the six dimensions found to underlie the perceptions of 4315 US Navy enlisted men were generalizable to comparison samples of firemen ( n = 398) and health care managers ( n = 504); (b) use of aggregated individual perceptions to describe subunit conditions was appropriate only for homogeneous subunits (i.e., divisions); (c) aggregated scores were significantly related to division context, structure, and personnel composition; and (d) division structure, context, personnel composition, and aggregated perception scores were significant predictors of division performance.
European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology | 2008
Lawrence R. James; Carol C. Choi; Chia-Huei Emily Ko; Patrick K. McNeil; Matthew K. Minton; Mary Ann Wright; Kwang-il Kim
This article offers a brief history of psychological climate and the products of aggregates of psychological climate, typically referred to as “organizational climate”. The article begins with a synopsis of psychological climate. Discussion proceeds to organizational climate, where attention is given to what it means to form within-group aggregates of psychological climate, and what conditions these aggregates need to satisfy in order to qualify as measures of organizational climate. The relationship between climate and culture is next, where we build on prior theorizing and empirical research to argue that the two are distinct constructs. Finally, recent research in climate is briefly summarized.
Journal of Applied Psychology | 1993
Jennifer M. George; Lawrence R. James
Recently, F. J. Yammarino and S. E. Markham (1992) summarized the basic within and between analysis (WABA) approach, applied it to data previously collected and reported on by J. M. George (1990), and used this application to critique Georges findings. After briefly reviewing the theoretical underpinnings of George, the authors discuss several points of confusion in Yammarino and Markhams article in regard to the determination of the appropriateness of aggregation and the existence of relations between variables at the group level of analysis. The authors then discuss several short-comings in Yammarino and Markhams description of WABA, including the failure to consider Person × Situation interactions in the basic WABA equation and misinterpretations of comparisons of the within component to the between component in WABA
Organizational Behavior and Human Performance | 1976
Lawrence R. James; Allan P. Jones
Abstract The paper reviews aspects of organizational structure and the conceptual relationships between organizational structure and individual attitudes and behavior. The review is separated into the following five parts: (1) the rationale underlying the development of organizational structure, (2) a synthesis of dimensions of organizational structure with emphasis placed on the identification of major explanatory constructs of structure, (3) a review of the interrelationships of the proposed dimensions of organizational structure, (4) a discussion of the conceptual relationships between organizational structure and individual attitudes and behavior, and (5) a summary and conclusions section. Major conclusions based upon the review included the need to identify the parsimonious constructs of organizational structure and the need to use more sophisticated integrating models in relating organizational structure to individual attitudes and behavior. A potential model is proposed, followed by speculative attempts to demonstrate applications of the model.
Organizational Research Methods | 2003
James M. LeBreton; Jennifer R.D. Burgess; Robert B. Kaiser; E. Kate Atchley; Lawrence R. James
The fundamental assumption underlying the use of 360-degree assessments is that ratings from different sources provide unique and meaningful information about the target manager’s performance. Extant research appears to support this assumption by demonstrating low correlations between rating sources. This article reexamines the support of this assumption, suggesting that past research has been distorted by a statistical artifact—restriction of variance in job performance. This artifact reduces the amount of between-target variance in ratings and attenuates traditional correlation-based estimates of rating similarity. Results obtained from a Monte Carlo simulation and two field studies support this restriction of variance hypothesis. Noncorrelation-based methods of assessing interrater agreement indicated that agreement between sources was about as high as agreement within sources. Thus, different sources did not appear to be furnishing substantially unique information. The authors conclude by questioning common practices in 360-degree assessments and offering suggestions for future research and application.
Journal of Applied Psychology | 1986
Lawrence R. James; Lois E. Tetrick
Abstract : Three alternative models of causal relations between job perceptions and job satisfaction were tested using confirmatory analytic techniques. The three causal models are: (a) a postcognitive-nonrecursive model in which job satisfaction occurs after job perceptions in the causal order, and job perceptions and job satisfaction are reciprocally related; (b) a precognitive-recursive model in which job perception occur after job satisfaction in the causal order and are effects but not causes of job satisfaction; and (c) a precognitive-nonrecursive model in which job satisfaction occurs prior to job perceptions, and job satisfaction and job perceptions are reciprocally related. Results of confirmatory analyses indicated disconfirmation of all but the postcognitive-nonrecursive model. (Author)
Journal of Applied Psychology | 2002
Shelley D. Dionne; Francis J. Yammarino; Leanne E. Atwater; Lawrence R. James
The purpose of this research was to examine alternative models of substitutes for leadership theory given the general lack of empirical support for the moderating effects postulated by the theory. On this basis, the research posited that the effects of substitutes also could be conceptualized as mediated relations. The research examined moderated and mediated relations for several sets of leader behaviors and substitutes that have been examined in the literature. The research design sampled 49 organizations, with 940 subordinates rating 156 leaders. Results, although generally not supportive of the moderator or mediator hypotheses, essentially demonstrated that leadership matters. The findings also suggest that prior significant effects in substitutes literature may be merely a statistical artifact, resulting from common-source bias.
Organizational Research Methods | 2005
Lawrence R. James; Michael D. McIntyre; Charles Glisson; Phillip D. Green; Timothy W. Patton; James M. LeBreton; Brian C. Frost; Sara M. Russell; Chris J. Sablynski; Terence R. Mitchell; Larry J. Williams
This article describes a new approach for assessing cognitive precursors to aggression. Referred to as the Conditional Reasoning Measurement System, this procedure focuses on how people solve what on the surface appear to be traditional inductive reasoning problems. The true intent of the problems is to determine if solutions based on implicit biases (i.e., biases that operate below the surface of consciousness) are logically attractive to a respondent. The authors focus on the types of implicit biases that underlie aggressive individuals’attempts to justify aggressive behavior. People who consistently select solutions based on these types of biases are scored as being potentially aggressive because they are cognitively prepared to rationalize aggression. Empirical tests of the conditional reasoning system are interpreted in terms of Ozer’s criteria for ideal personality instruments. Noteworthy findings are that the system has acceptable psychometric properties and an average, uncorrected empirical validity of 0.44 against behavioral indicators of aggression (based on 11 studies).