Leonard H. Chusmir

Motivation Needs and Their Relationship to Life Success

This article reports on a study of the relationship between motivation needs (achievement and power) and six measures of life success (status/wealth, contribution to society, professional fulfillment, family relationships, personal fulfillment, and security). Respondents were 756 full-time managerial and nonmanagerial service industry workers (439 women, 317 men) in the Southeast Florida area of the U.S. Results indicate that need for achievement is positively related to success strivings for status/wealth, professional fulfillment, and contribution to society. It is negatively related to personal fulfillment and security. Results also indicate that need for power is positively related to status/wealth and professional fulfillment, but negatively related to family relationships. Multiple regression analysis shows that type of work (managerial vs. nonmanagerial) is a significant predictor of both achievement and power needs. Implications are discussed.

Relationship between Sex Role Conflict and Work-Related Variables: Gender and Hierarchical Differences.

Abstract Subjects were 200 managerial and nonmanagerial American women and men (112 female, 88 male) who were tested for degree of sex role conflict (SRC) and various work-related attitudes and outcomes. Both gender and hierarchical differences were analyzed. Results showed that SRC was related to low job involvement for managerial women but not for nonmanagerial women or for men at any rank; it was negatively correlated with professional commitment for both female and male managers but not for nonmanagerial subjects of either sex. Overall, women scored higher than men in SRC but were not significantly different in levels of job involvement, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, professional commitment, or propensity to leave the organization. Managerial women scored higher in SRC than nonmanagerial women.

Success strivings and their relationship to affective work behaviors: gender differences.

Gender differences in the importance of six life success dimensions and their relationships to job satisfaction, job involvement, and propensity to stay on the job were examined among 756 working women and men in southeast Florida. Results showed that the female participants rated family relationships, personal fulfillment, and security as more important success measures than their male counterparts did, and they rated status/wealth as less important. Professional fulfillment and security were not significantly different. The relationships between measures of success and work behaviors also varied significantly by gender, even after controlling for demographic and job position variables.

Gender Identity and Sex Role Conflict Among Working Women and Men

Abstract Results of this study of 293 American working women and men showed that gender had a significant main effect on sex role conflict, with a significantly greater effect on women than on men. The combination effects of gender and sex role orientation had no significant impact on sex role conflict scores for the total sample and for the women subjects. But males with masculine sex role orientation scored higher in sex role conflict than those with feminine, undifferentiated, or androgynous gender identity.

Relationship between Self-Confidence and Sex Role Identity among Managerial Women and Men

The self-confidence and sex role identities of 437 American female and male managers were examined by using three subscales of the Adjective Check List. Results showed that, contrary to stereotypes and older research, female and male managers were strikingly similar. Women and men with cross-sex role identities showed lower levels of self-confidence than those did with androgynous orientations; high self-confidence was linked with masculine and androgynous orientations. The managers were not significantly different in self-confidence when demographic variables and sex role identity were held constant. Sex role identity (but not gender) was a major factor in the level of self-confidence.

Personalized vs. Socialized Power Needs Among Working Women and Men

Nonmanagerial and professional women subjects have significantly higher socialized power (s Pwr) needs than their men colleagues but similar needs for power (n Pwr) and personalized power (p Pwr). Although s Pwr and n Pwr correlate negatively with degree of job commitment, age, and number of children for the total sample and for the male subset, the same is not true for the females. The level of sex-role conflict and family pressure is higher for the women, however, and possible job commitment implications are discussed.

Perceived work competency and sex role conflict: an empirical study

ABSTRACT The present study examined sex role conflict, perceived work competency, and motivational needs among a broad sample of 298 working women and men (135 men, 163 women) at different hierarchical levels to see what possible gender differences existed in relationships among the variables. Correlation analysis and analysis of variance indicated that the female subjects had significantly higher levels of sex role conflict than the men, but a similar sense of work competency. Sex role conflict and perceived work competency were found to be negatively linked for the women but not for the men. Significant relationships were found between certain motivational needs and both sex role conflict and sense of work competency.

An integrative process model of organizational commitment for working women and men

Previous organizational commitment models may not be complete since few combined more than one theory, none looked at gender differences, and nearly all ignored the impact of a feedback mechanisms on the overall process. A new model presented here shows a three-stage organizational commitment process. The first, or preorganizational, stage consists of personal characteristics. These are modified in stage two by job and other external characteristics, and in stage three all of these moderate the six independent variables that have major direct impact on organizational commitment. They are 1. need satisfaction, 2. work/job satisfaction, 3. job commitment, 4. work commitment, 5. role stress, and 6. personal/organizational goal congruence. Implications are discussed.