Michael J. Stahl

INFLUENCE SOURCES OF PROJECT AND FUNCTIONAL MANAGERS IN MATRIX ORGANIZATIONS

The article discusses a study which examined the influence of or authority structure in a military matrix organization which contains projects. Different power bases as sources of influence are des...

A Behavioral Decision Theory Approach for Measuring McClelland's Trichotomy of Needs

This article describes the initial research associated with a new approach for measuring McClellands trichotomy of needs. The new approach is based on behavioral decision theory and involves modeling an individuals decision-making behavior to determine how the person weighted his need for affiliation (« Aff), need for power (n Pow), and need for achievement (n Ach) in arriving at decisions. Three population groups—161 scientists and engineers, 149 Air Force officer graduate students, and 94 management executives—were involved in the initial validation effort. All eight hypotheses concerning intergroup and intragroup relationships and concurrent validity issues were supported by the empirical data. The dominant motive for scientists and engineers and graduate students was n Ach, whereas n Pow was dominant for management executives. Scientists and engineers and graduate students had higher n Ach scores than management executives, who had the highest n Pow scores. Student grade point average correlated with n Ach and officer performance scores correlated with n Pow. Scientists and engineers who published had higher n Ach scores than those who did not. The new approach, which requires further research and validation, suggests a new methodology for researchers of McClellands needs.

Weighted productivity in R & D: Some associated individual and organizational variables

Productivity in an Air Force Research and Development (R&D) Laboratory was measured with eight separate kinds of output, an unweighted total, and a weighted total measure of output for 135 scientists/engineers. The relationships among productivity and several individual and organizational variables were examined.

Cosmopolitan-local orientations as predictors of scientific productivity, organizational productivity, and job satisfaction for scientists and engineers

Data from over 400 civilian scientists and engineers in four Air Force Research and Development Laboratories were used to explore the predictive power of the cosmopolitan-local construct. Those respondents who scored high on the cosmopolitan dimension (concern with contribution to science) tended to score high on the scientific productivity dimension (publish papers in professional journals and present papers at symposia). Similarly, high scores on the local dimensions (concern for the employing organization) were found with high scores on the organizational productivity dimension (write laboratory technical reports and memoranda). Job satisfaction was positively associated with the local orientation and unassociated with the cosmopolitan orientation. The interaction or combined effect of the two orientations yielded no additional predictive power over that of the separate orientations.