Paul R. Jackson

Examining the antecedents and consequences of corporate reputation: A customer perspective

This paper extends previous work to examine the antecedents and customer-related consequences of corporate reputation for one important stakeholder group, customers, and within a special service sector where product and corporate associations are synonymous. We begin by linking the concept of corporate reputation to related concepts. Then, using structural equation modelling on customer survey data (n=511), we examine the impact of customer satisfaction and trust on corporate reputation, as well as how corporate reputation affects customer loyalty and word of mouth behaviour. The management implications of these results are discussed.

Rethinking internal communication: a stakeholder approach

Purpose – Effective internal communication is crucial for successful organisations as it affects the ability of strategic managers to engage employees and achieve objectives. This paper aims to help organisations improve internal communication by proposing theory with the potential to improve practice.Design/methodology/approach – This paper identifies gaps in the academic literature and addresses calls for discussion and definition of internal communication, for theory on its mandates, scope and focus and to counteract the tendency to treat employees as a uni‐dimensional “single public”. To address these gaps, internal communication is defined and positioned within the corporate communication school of thought.Findings – The paper proposes an Internal Communication Matrix which could be used to supplement other forms of internal situational analysis and as an analytical tool which may be applied to the strategic analysis, planning and evaluation of internal communication.Practical implications – Strategi...

The effect of empowerment on job knowledge: An empirical test involving operators of complex technology

Two studies were conducted to investigate the predicted effect of empowerment on employees job knowledge. Study 1 developed a measure of job knowledge, based on knowledge elicitation techniques, for use in work settings. Study 2 used that measure to examine change in employee knowledge following an empowerment initiative. Findings showed a substantial increase in job knowledge, particularly among less experienced employees. Improvements were also recorded for employee self-confidence and strain, but not for motivation or job satisfaction. The wider theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Production Teamworking: The Importance of Interdependence and Autonomy for Employee Strain and Satisfaction

A UK manufacturer introduced a common model of teamworking which achieved quite different performance results in wire-mills and roperies. Survey data (n = 231) showed higher job-related strain and lower job satisfaction in the wire-mills, where teamworking was not a success. Findings indicated that the differences in employee well-being could be accounted for by contrasting levels of process inter-dependence in the two production areas. Teamworking was a success in the roperies where process interdependence was high, but not in the wire-mills where there was a mismatch between this production process characteristic and a team-based form of work organization. Interactions between interdependence and autonomy were also found, such that higher autonomy had a positive impact only for those working in low interdependence processes. The unintended consequence of teamworking under low interdependence is to create winners and losers, as individual team-members take on responsibilities of the team as a whole.

Call Centers as Lean Service Environments: Job-Related Strain and the Mediating Role of Work Design

Call centers can be considered as lean service systems, with leanness being described in terms of both dialog scripting and performance monitoring. Using data from a sample of 823 call handlers from 36 call centers, these lean characteristics are examined in relation to the prediction of call handler job-related strain. Moreover, the extent to which this relationship can be accounted for by work design characteristics are examined. Findings confirm that employees who experience greater dialog scripting and more intensive performance monitoring show higher levels of strain. These relationships are fully mediated by work design. These findings demonstrate the importance of considering the impact of lean working practices on employee health.

Impact of just-in-time on job content, employee attitudes and well-being : a longitudinal study

Just-in-time (JIT) production systems are increasingly being seen as a vital way for manufacturing organizations to enhance their competitiveness. A number of commentators have suggested that this will simplify jobs and reduce employee well-being. This paper presents a conceptual framework for interpreting the effects of JIT and reports findings from a study of the impact of JIT on the content of workersjobs and on job satisfaction and psychological strain. The introduction of JIT led to a reduction in control over work timing, an increase in production pressure, and a drop in job satisfaction. Contrary to claims in the literature, no changes were found in control over work methods, other aspects of cognitive demands and skill use, and in psychological strain. The study shows that JIT can be implemented without radical changes in job content or adverse impact in terms of employee strain, and the implications of these findings are discussed.

Eliciting and Analysing Employees' Expectations of a Merger

The merger of the head offices of two public service organizations in Sweden was used to examine differences in the meanings that employees attach to the organizations involved and their expectations of the new merged organization, nine months prior to the merger. A two-stage methodology was used, combining the repertory grid method with a survey questionnaire based on the elicited constructs. Predictions from a social constructivist perspective on culture and social identity theory were largely confirmed. The results showed that both groups expected one of them to be dominant after the merger. Members of this organization expected to change very little, while employees in the non-dominant group felt themselves to be threatened by the prospect of merger and this led them to emphasize their own distinctiveness. The findings suggest that the success of the integration process after a merger is critically dependent on how employees of merger partners perceive the culture of the organizations involved and the expectations they have of the new organization. The study has practical implications for how to manage the merger integration process.

Asperger Through the Looking Glass: An Exploratory Study of Self-Understanding in People with Asperger’s Syndrome

Hobson (Autism and the development of mind. Lawrence Erlbaum, Hove, UK 1993) has proposed that the cognitive and linguistic disabilities that characterise autism result from abnormalities in inter-subjective engagement during infancy, which in turn results in impaired reflective self-awareness. The aim of the present study was to test Hobson’s hypothesis by examining self-understanding in Asperger’s syndrome (AS) using Damon and Hart’s (Self-understanding in childhood and adolescence. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1988) model of self-concept. Ten participants with Asperger’s syndrome were compared with ten non AS controls using the Self-understanding Interview (Damon and Hart in Self-understanding in Childhood and Adolescence. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1988). The study found that the Asperger’s group demonstrated impairment in the “self-as-object” and “self-as-subject” domains of the Self-understanding Interview, which supported Hobson’s concept of an impaired capacity for self-awareness and self-reflection in people with ASD. The results are discussed with reference to previous research regarding the development of self-understanding in people with ASD.

Employee commitment to quality: Its conceptualisation and measurement

The commitment of employees to the goals of the organisation is a critical component of any total quality programme. This study presents a conceptualisation of employee commitment to quality together with a new 12‐item scale for its measurement. Data from employees performing a variety of jobs within two manufacturing organisations (n=1,120) showed a unidimensional measure with good psychometric properties, and a number of antecedents of quality commitment suggested by existing literature were examined. Multiple regression analysis showed that quality commitment is higher for older workers and for women, and is also related to a number of work design characteristics. A case study is also reported of the implementation of self‐managing teams within one of the organisations (n=37). Data from three measurement occasions showed marked changes in work design characteristics, and this was associated with a significant increase in quality commitment. A conceptual model is presented showing how quality commitment plays a key role in achieving success in organisational strategic change initiatives.

Realizing the potential of empowerment: the impact of a feedback intervention on the performance of complex technology

An empowerment initiative involving enhanced fault-management responsibility for operators of complex technology had not led to expected increases in performance, and investigations suggested that this was due to a lack of appropriate feedback. Thus, a feedback intervention was designed to provide specific, timely feedback on operator-correctable faults. It was hypothesized that the intervention would increase operator self-reliance in operating complex technology and promote system performance. Moreover, given the feedback was continuous from the point of intervention, it was predicted that gains would increase over time. Time series analysis of data on engineer call-outs (self-reliance) and machine utilization (performance) showed clear positive effects of the feedback intervention, with call-outs also showing progressive improvement. Selfreport data showed no change over time in motivation, but an increase in knowledge dissemination and a reduction in the likelihood of making expensive mistakes. There were no detrimental effects on operator well being. Implications for theory and practice in the management of complex technology are discussed.