Patricia M. Fandt

The management of information and impressions: When employees behave opportunistically

Abstract Researchers in the area of organizational politics or impression management have been interested not only in determining the effectiveness of political behaviors, but also in identifying the conditions under which employees will behave opportunistically. In the present study, the effects of two situational characteristics (accountability and ambiguity) and one personal characteristic (self-monitoring) on the management of information and impressions were investigated. Results demonstrated that when accountability was high and ambiguity was low, there was greater use of defensive information and more emphasis on positive aspects of the decision than in any other condition. Also, high self-monitors were more likely to engage in information manipulation, and the effects were more pronounced under conditions of high accountability. Implications of these results for theory, research, and practice are discussed.

The Relationship of Accountability and Interdependent Behavior to Enhancing Team Consequences

The study examines a relationship that links accountability and interdependent behavior to enhanced team consequences. The high-accountability teams relied on more interdependent behaviors, experienced greater satisfaction with their team, and expressed higher success than low-accountability teams. Implications for practicing managers and for strengthening training programs are discussed.

The impact of goal setting of team simulation experience

This article examines the effects of goal setting on team experience while competing in a computerized business simulation. A randomly selected sample of 186 business majors from their required business policy course participated in the study. Cohesiveness, conflict, perceptions of success, and performance in the simulation were examined over a 6-week period that involved 12 quarterly decisions. The findings demonstrated that teams receiving the goal-setting intervention exhibited higher levels of cohesiveness and perceived success, while expressing reduced levels of conflict, than control teams.

Direct From the Horse's Mouth: Exploring Dual-Career Issues in the Classroom

The number of individuals who are members of dual-career families in which both partners have professional careers, has been continually increasing. Consequently, many of our students are confronting pressures and conflicts between work/school and family/personal responsibilities. Lecturing on dual careers seems to convey a parent (teacher)-child (student) relationship. Exercises and cases don’t offer the realism or dynamics that I feel is essential for introducing this topic. During the past year, I have been experimenting with an alternative format for presenting dual-career issues in the classroom. My students facetiously named the program &dquo;Straight From the Horse’s Mouth.&dquo; Since I have been a partner in a dual-career family for ten years, I realize the impact of this lifestyle and the numerous strategies that my husband and I have developed to cope with personal and professional career dilemmas. At the same time, I knew that other individuals in dual-career families were using assorted strategies to deal with role pressures, personal conflicts, and