Raymond T. Sparrowe

Social Networks and the Performance of Individuals and Groups

A field study involving 190 employees in 38 work groups representing five diverse organizations provided evidence that social networks, as defined in terms of both positive and negative relations, are related to both individual and group performance. As hypothesized, individual job performance was positively related to centrality in advice networks and negatively related to centrality in hindrance networks composed of relationships tending to thwart task behaviors. Hindrance network density was significantly and negatively related to group performance.

An Examination of the Mediating Role of Psychological Empowerment on the Relations Between the Job, Interpersonal Relationships, and Work Outcomes

A field investigation of 337 employees and their immediate superiors tested the mediating role of empowerment in relations between job characteristics, leader-member exchange (LMX), team-member exchange (TMX), and work outcomes. The meaning and competence dimensions of empowerment mediated the relation between job characteristics and work satisfaction. The meaning dimension also mediated the relation between job characteristics and organizational commitment. Contrary to prediction, empowerment did not mediate relations between LMX, TMX, and the outcome variables. Rather, LMX and TMX were directly related to organizational commitment. In addition, TMX was directly related to job performance. These findings suggest that work satisfaction is explained largely by job characteristics (through empowerment) but that LMX and TMX combine with job characteristics and empowerment to explain variation in organizational commitment and job performance.

Empowerment in the hospitality industry: an exploration of antecedents and outcomes.

Does empowerment lead to positive employee outcomes? If so, to which antecedents should management turn in order to foster greater employee empow erment ? This study explored a number of potential antecedents and outcomes of empowerment among employees in the hospitality industry. A structural model was developed based on current theory and research and analyzed using structural equations modeling. The model was tested against data gathered from 182 employ ees in 33 hospitality organizations. From the data found, investments in efforts to foster psychological empowerment among hospitality employees seem worthwhile as satisfaction with promotion opportunities should rise, and turnover intentions decrease.

Management of Poor Performance: A Comparison of Manager, Group Member, and Group Disciplinary Decisions

Managers and 231 members of 41 work groups representing 4 diverse organizations participated in an experiment involving disciplinary decisions. Managers and group members responded individually to scenarios describing a group members poor performance, followed by group members meeting to reach consensus on the disciplinary decisions. As hypothesized, manager disciplinary decisions were more severe than decisions made by individual group members. Contrary to predictions, the severity of manager and group disciplinary decisions did not differ. A test of choice shifts revealed that when the prevailing view among individual group members was for a relatively lenient disciplinary action, the group consensus decision was more severe than the average of the individual decisions. Attributions and outcome seriousness were found to influence the severity of manager, group member, and group decisions.

Cracks in the Glass Ceiling? An Empirical Study of Gender Differences in Income in the Hospitality Industry:

Previous empirical research has substantiated the presence of significant gender-based differences in income within the hospitality industry. However, relatively little research has identified the extent to which the income gap is attributable to differences between men and women in educational preparation, part-time versus full-time employment, or occupation. Furthermore, previous research has relied on relatively small samples drawn from segments of the industry rather than on a true population sample of the industry as a whole from which to draw inferences. The authors examined whether there are gender differences in income when controlling for the effects of human capital (education), workforce participation, and occupational crowding among hospitality industry employees. Findings were drawn from a random sample comprising 1% of all of the employees of the hospitality industry in the United States. The authors found that gender-based income disparity persists, suggesting that more pernicious forms of sex discrimination continue in the industry.

Social Networks and Organizations

A review is presented of the book “Social Networks and Organizations,” by Martin Kilduff and Wenpin Tsai.