Patricia J. Holahan

A Review of Current Practices for Evaluating Causal Models in Organizational Behavior and Human Resources Management Research

This paper reviews the literature on structural model evaluation. It discusses the use of fit indices, the influential work of James, Mulaik, and Brett (19821, with emphasis on their prescriptions for model assessment, and recent developments in model evaluation presented since James et al. It then analyzes current modeling practices to determine how well evaluation techniques are being applied. Although modeling practices have improved since an earlier review (James & James, 19891, several problems remain. Suggestions are made for improving model evaluation.

Parsimony‐based fit indices for multiple‐indicator models: Do they work?

A frequently used type of model in applications of covariance structure analysis is one referred to as a multiple‐indicator regression model. This study takes a simulation approach to investigate seven parsimony‐based indices used to evaluate this type of model. Four representative theoretical models were examined, and the number of indicators used to represent latent variables was varied with two of the models. Both correctly and incorrectly specified models were fit to the data. The results show that the Akaike information criteria, the root mean square index, and the Tucker‐Lewis index were the most effective indices. The implications of the findings for the model selection process are discussed.

Don't Take it Personally: Exploring Cognitive Conflict as a Mediator of Affective Conflict

Research has sought to explain the multi-dimensionality of conflict and its paradoxical effects on decision making (Amason, 1996; DeDreu and Weingart, 2003; Jehn, 1995). The primary prescription to emerge from this work has been for teams to seek the benefits of cognitive (task) conflict while simultaneously avoiding the costs of affective (emotional) conflict. The problem is that these two types of conflict often occur together and researchers have offered few explanations as to why this happens or guidance as to how it can be avoided. In this paper, we provide empirical evidence that cognitive conflict can contribute to affective conflict. As a result, by encouraging cognitive conflict, teams may inadvertently provoke affective conflict. We provide evidence that behavioural integration can mitigate this tendency. Copyright Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2007.

Evaluation of a Mentor Teacher Model for Enhancing Mathematics Instruction through the Use of Computers

Abstract Thirty-nine middle- and high-school mathematics teachers, located in 33 different New Jersey schools in 14 districts, were trained in the effective use of computer-based technologies for teaching mathematics. These 39 teachers were also trained and supported as mentor teachers who worked with 212 mentee teachers during Year 3 of the project. Thus, the program affected a total of 251 classrooms. In the classrooms where teachers became regular users of computer technology for mathematics instruction, greater use of student-centered teaching methods that employed cooperative-learning and problem-solving activities was observed. An important component of this project was the development of a model for working with schools and school systems to diffuse computer-based technological approaches to staff development. Application of the model developed in this project has the capability of achieving large-scale diffusion and institutionalization of new teaching methods that incorporate the use of computer technology.

The Effect of Monetary Reward on Creativity: The Role of Motivational Orientation

The prolonged debate on the effect of monetary reward on creative performance is still ongoing. Research has shown monetary rewards to have both positive and negative effects on creative performance. We contend that a person’s motivational orientation moderates the effect of monetary rewards on creative performance. An experiment was conducted showing that creative performance can be influenced through two distinct causal pathways. The pathways appear different for people driven predominately by extrinsic motivation and those driven predominately by intrinsic motivation. The exact role of how motivational orientation affects the relationships between monetary reward and creative performance needs further investigation. However, this study generates some insights and suggests directions for future research.

Virtuality and Media Synchronicity: Their Effects on Conflict in Virtual Teams

Past research has provided evidence that teams who are able to gain the benefits of the task conflict but avoid the pitfalls of relationship conflict should perform better than they would if they let relationship conflict occur. The problem is that task conflict has a tendency to trigger relationship conflict, making it difficult for teams to gain the benefits of task conflict without also incurring the costs of relationship conflict. Researchers have offered mechanisms by which teams can keep conflict task oriented, but this research has been focused on face-to-face, non-virtual teams. Little is still known about how task and relationship conflict can be managed in a virtual environment.In this paper, we argue that virtuality influences the relationship between task and relationship conflict by the manner in which it relates to two factors – trust and behavioral integration. Based largely on social influence processes, we hypothesize that when teams communicate more virtually (e.g., use ICTs that are less rich and more asynchronous), it is more difficult for them to develop trustworthiness (and therefore trust) and behavioral integration. Lacking trust and behavioral integration, virtual teams should then be more likely to make misattributions about task conflict, which leads to greater relationship conflict. In other words, we propose that virtuality makes managing task and relationship conflict even more difficult. This effect, however, we argue can be avoided when teams have strong experience with the media and with working together.