Lynn K. Harland

TEMPORARY EMPLOYEES AS GOOD CITIZENS: FACTORS INFLUENCING THEIR OCB PERFORMANCE

Companies utilizing contingent workers face a dilemma between the need to employ a flexible (i.e., low fixed-cost) work force and the need to employ a work force providing performance above and beyond the call of duty. One potential solution to this dilemma is to determine ways to promote the commitment and high performance of temporary employees. To that end, we conducted a study examining factors influencing organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) performance in temporary employees. Our results support or partially support hypotheses proposing that 1) job attitudes held by the temporary employee about the client organization were related to OCB performance in the client organization, 2) job attitudes held by the temporary employee about the staffing agency were related to OCB performance in the client organization, and 3) the employees motivation for taking an assignment is related to OCB performance. Implications for enhancing OCB performance in temporary employees are discussed.

Expatriate Selection: Evaluating the Discriminant, Convergent, and Predictive Validity of Five Measures of Interpersonal and Intercultural Competence

Effective screening and selection of expatriates is a critical function in organizations, yet the use of paper and pencil instruments in expatriate selection is limited by the paucity of existing validity evidence. This study assessed the discriminant, convergent, and predictive validity of two Intercultural Competence measures (the Behavioral Assessment Scale for Intercultural Communication Effectiveness and the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale) and three Interpersonal Competence measures (the Interpersonal Competence Questionnaire, the Social Problem-Solving Inventory-Revised: Short Version, and the Self-Monitoring Scale). The Intercultural competence measures exhibited discriminant validity with the Interpersonal competence measures and none of the five measures exhibited convergent validity. However, four of the five measures did predict ratings of intercultural decision quality in an intercultural organizational scenario.

Peer Performance Appraisals: The Impact of Rater Competence, Rater Location, and Rating Correctability on Fairness Perceptions

Evidence suggests that peer performance appraisals are being increasingly used in organizations and that peers are accurate sources of performance information, yet empirical research on factors contributing to peer rating acceptability is sparse. This field experiment (using 359 public health nurses as subjects) used procedural justice theory as a framework for investigating the impact of the following three peer rating system characteristics on fairness perceptions: rater competence, rater location, and rating correctability (i.e., the opportunity to correct errors in the appraisal). Results supported the hypotheses that rater competence and rating correctability will positively influence fairness perceptions, but did not support the hypothesis that rating systems using external raters will be perceived as more fair. Additionally, the hypothesized interaction between rater competence and rating correctability was not supported.

Perceived Fairness of Personality Tests and the Impact of Explanations for Their Use

Utilizing a sample of 138 printing firm employees, this field experiment tested two hypotheses regarding the perceived fairness of using personality tests in employment contexts. The results largely supported Hypothesis 1, which proposed that a selection procedure utilizing both an employment interview and a personality test would receive significantly lower fairness ratings than an interview-only selection procedure. In contrast, the results provided only partial support for Hypothesis 2, which proposed that negative fairness perceptions of personality tests can be reduced via the use of explanations for the use of such tests. In total, these findings suggest that it may be difficult to overcome negative perceptions toward the use of personality tests in employment contexts.

Perceptions of Service Quality: What's Fun Got to Do With It?

While incorporating fun into healthcare work environments to improve productivity, employee satisfaction, and patient satisfaction has been gaining attention since the release of the popular Fish! books (e.g., Lundin, Christensen, Paul, & Strand, 2002), no empirical research has been conducted examining customer/client reactions to witnessing the use of such fun activities. Using a 2 × 2 × 2 experimental scenario-based study, this research evaluated the impact of 3 independent variables (attentiveness to the customer, customer waiting time, and level of fun) on the dependent variables of perceived service quality and intent to return, refer, and complain.