Sara M. Freedman

The Changing Nature of Research on Women at Work

A thematic review of the recent literature on women at work indicates that women continue to fair more poorly than men in organizational reward decisions. Otherwise, gender related differences are more prevalent than actual sex differences in many research contexts. These differences are, however, inconsistent across studies. Our evaluation of the most recent research on women at work suggests that more emphasis on information processing models for explaining gender relevant attitudes and behavior might not only resolve some of the inconsistencies, but also provide valuable new insights into the variability that exists among women. Each of these advances could significantly improve our understanding of the role of women in modern organizational life.

The task-related competency and compliance aspects of goal setting: A clarification

Abstract The relative salience of the competency information and compliance aspects of the goal-setting context was manipulated to study its effect on affective task reactions to an interesting and a boring task. The results indicated that task satisfaction was the highest when goal attainment was essential for obtaining monetary incentives but highly salient competency information was also provided. This effect, however, held only for the boring task. On the interesting task, there was no evidence of an adverse effect for goals on task satisfaction regardless of the relative salience of the two aspects. Subjects performing either task were, however, significantly more satisfied with the goal-setting process itself when the goals conveyed competency information than when the goals failed to convey this information.

Managing the quality process: lessons from a Baldrige award winner A conversation with John W. Wallace, chief executive officer of the Wallace Company

Executive Overview The Wallace Company is a distributor of pipe, valves, and fittings for the oil, chemical, and petrochemical industries. During an industry downturn in the mid 1980s, Wallace embarked upon an all-encompassing quality improvement program. In the Fall of 1990, Wallace received the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. This article examines the Wallace experiences in implementing a quality improvement program and winning the Baldrige Award. Extensive interviews with John Wallace, the chief executive officer, and other key individuals with the Wallace Company provide insights into both the positive and negative aspects of their experiences. The Wallace Company example reveals several of the trade-offs associated with a quality improvement program, the critical features of a successful program, and the possible pitfalls of quality programs. In addition, some of the issues surrounding the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award are discussed.

Goal utility, task satisfaction, and the self-appraisal hypothesis of Type A behavior.

Strubes (1987) self-appraisal model of Type A behavior suggests that externally mediated performance goals that are useful for assessing task-related competencies will possess greater utility and be more satisfying to Type A persons than to Type B persons. In contrast, because Type Bs may have an aversion to competency verifications, they should be more satisfied than Type As when goals are uninformative about task-related competencies. The 102 undergraduate Ss performed either a word puzzle or proofreading task under 1 of 4 goal conditions that varied in terms of the goals instrumentality for assessing competencies and for obtaining a financial incentive. Results are generally consistent with this prediction, thereby providing verification for one of the more basic propositions derived from the self-appraisal model.

Organization Structure and Administrative Control: A Question of Dimensionality

A large, diverse sample of national firms was used to investigate the relationship between specialization, formalization, and centralization in the functional work unit. A finding was that the three variables compose a single dimension of organizational structure. Another finding was that, within this dimension, specialization, formalization, and centralization were negatively related; this indicates that these are alternative mechanisms for achieving administrative control. The findings are discussed in the light of previous research in the area and the implications for practicing managers.