R. Wayne Boss

ANTECEDENTS AND OUTCOMES OF EMPOWERMENT

Using a statistical model, this study examined the correlates and consequences of psychological empowerment among a group of 612 technically skilled, professional, and managerial hospital employees (129 men and 483 women). Whereas individual as well as group and organizational characteristics influenced feelings of empowerment, group and organizational variables accounted for more variance in empowerment than did the individual variables. Empowerment perceptions increased with organizational rank and with leader approachability, group effectiveness, and worth of group. Individuals with more tenure in the organization felt more empowered; however, men and women, and Whites and non-Whites reported no significant differences in feelings of empowerment. Empowerment perceptions also were associated with increased job satisfaction and work productivity/effectiveness, as well as a decreased propensity to leave the organization.

If someone is watching, I'll do what I'm asked: mandatoriness, control, and information security

Information security has become increasingly important to organizations. Despite the prevalence of technical security measures, individual employees remain the key link – and frequently the weakest link – in corporate defenses. When individuals choose to disregard security policies and procedures, the organization is at risk. How, then, can organizations motivate their employees to follow security guidelines? Using an organizational control lens, we build a model to explain individual information security precaution-taking behavior. Specific hypotheses are developed and tested using a field survey. We examine elements of control and introduce the concept of ‘mandatoriness,’ which we define as the degree to which individuals perceive that compliance with existing security policies and procedures is compulsory or expected by organizational management. We find that the acts of specifying policies and evaluating behaviors are effective in convincing individuals that security policies are mandatory. The perception of mandatoriness is effective in motivating individuals to take security precautions, thus if individuals believe that management watches, they will comply.

Correlates and Consequences of Protege Mentoring in a Large Hospital

Using a statistical model, this study examined the correlates and outcomes of mentoring among a sample of 635 technically skilled, professional, and managerial hospital employees (men and women). Whereas individual as well as group and organizational characteristics influenced mentoring, group and orgnizational variables accounted for more variance in mentoring than did the individual variables. Mentoring increased with the proteges organizatoal rank, with leader approachability, and with group effectiveness; it decreased as the protégés tenure in the organization increased. Men reported more mentoring than women, and non-White minority individuals reported higher levels of mentoring than did White individuals. Mentoring was also associated with increased job satisfaction and decreased work alienation.

Trust and Managerial Problem Solving Revisited

The centrality of interpersonal trust for effective managerial problem solving was illustrated by inducing either a high-trust or a low-trust mental set in experimental groups. The results indicated that subjects operating in a high-trust environment were significantly more effective in problem solving than those working in a low-trust environment.

Is burnout static or dynamic? A career transition perspective of employee burnout trajectories

Despite decades of theory and empirical research on employee burnout, its temporal and developmental aspects are still not fully understood. This lack of understanding is problematic because burnout is a dynamic phenomenon and burnout interventions may be improved by a greater understanding of who is likely to experience changes in burnout and when these changes occur. In this article, we advance existing burnout theory by articulating how the 3 burnout dimensions should differ in their pattern of change over time as a result of career transition type: organizational newcomers, internal job changers (e.g., promotions or lateral moves), and organizational insiders (i.e., job incumbents). We tested our model in a broad sample of 2,089 health care employees, with 5 measurement points over 2 years. Using random coefficient modeling, we found that burnout was relatively stable for organizational insiders but slightly dynamic for organizational newcomers and internal job changers. We also found that the dimensions of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization were more sensitive to career transition type than reduced personal accomplishment. Finding some differences among different types of employees as well as the dimensions of burnout may begin to explain longstanding inconsistencies between theory and research regarding the dynamics of burnout, offering directions for future research that address both dynamism and stability.

Team building and the problem of regression: the personal management interview as an intervention.

This article describes the characteristics of a Personal Management Interview (PMI) and reports the results of its implementation in 16 different organizational contexts. Based upon Group Behavior Inventory and personal interview data collected from 208 participants (135 experimental and 71 comparison group members), the results show that the implementation of regular PMls can prevent the regression or fade-out which often occurs after off-site teambuilding sessions.

The Effects of Leader Absence on a Confrontation Team-Building Design:

Leader absence in a confrontation team-building session illustrates the critical role the Chief Executive Officer plays in a successful OD effort. In this study, six natural teams (family groups) and one cousin group participated in a 6-day confrontation team-building session. Five of the six natural teams, however, met without the Chief Executive Officer of their respective organizations. Although each team experienced the same design and environmental constraints, only the team with the leader present evidenced growth during the 6-day session, as measured by the Likert Profile of Organization and Performance Characteristics and the Group Behavior Inventory. The remaining six teams either retrogressed or remained unchanged.

Do You have to Start at the Top? The Chief Executive Officer's Role in Successful Organization Development Efforts

The central role of the chief executive officer (CEO) in an organization development project is illustrated by two different CEOs in a medium-sized medical center during a 4-yearperiod. Organization climate, nursing turnover, net profits, and market share data showed no significant improvement during the first 2 years but improved during the second 2-year period. The other critical variables-the consultant, the design of the project, the number of days the consultant spent in the organization, the general approach to delivering patient services, the medical staff the economy, the medical job markets, and the organizational population-all remained approximately the same during the 4-year period. Results from questionnaire and interview data attribute both the negative results during the first 2 years and the positive results during the second to the person who filled the role of the CEO.

Team Building in Health Care

The pressures currently facing US health care organisations, especially hospitals, in a risk environment are analysed. An important route to maximising efficiency is identified as improved collaboration amongst personnel. Team‐building interventions are recommended and the elements essential to effective team building are listed together with the benefits that can accrue from such exercises.

The Destructive I mpact of a Positive Team-Building Intervention

Team-building interventions seek to build competent, collaborative, and creative work teams by removing the barriers to effective group functioning and by helping participants better understand and utilize the group processes associated with effective group behavior. This article examines a confron tation-team-building intervention that was highly successful in building the supervisors into a cohesive, trusting, and unified group. However, the team became the most important variable, with little consideration given to the rest of the organization. As a result, the whole organization was severely crippled and had to be completely rebuilt. Lessons are drawn from this excellent example of a lopsided intervention.