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Factors Affecting the Acceptance of People with Disabilities at Work: A Literature Review

Purpose A lack of social acceptance by non-disabled co-workers is often the reason why employees with disabilities fail to stay in regular organizations for sustained periods. The aim of the study is to present a coherent review of the extant literature on factors affecting the acceptance of people with disabilities in regular employment. Method We conducted a search of the electronic databases PsychINFO and Web of Science (period: 1996–2011) supplemented with a search for additional relevant articles by means of cross-referencing. In total 48 articles were selected, coded and analyzed by three coders into three overarching themes. Results The analysis of included articles shows that the acceptance of employees with disabilities is influenced by three main variable groups: characteristics of co-workers, of the persons with disabilities and of the employers/organizations. Most studies present factors that influence co-workers’ or employers’ attitudes toward employees with disabilities such as demographic variables. Conclusion Although, recent research has started to accumulate findings on factors that affect the acceptance of employees with disabilities, many gaps remain in the understanding of the concept of acceptance and its relation to the employment of people with disabilities.

Mental Model Updating and Team Adaptation

In this article, we build on theories of team adaptation by exploring the role of team members’ cognitive knowledge structures in team adaptation to a changing task context. We introduce the notion of mental model updating as the extent to which team members update their mental models in reaction to a change in the task situation. In a laboratory study we investigate the relations between initial mental model similarity and accuracy, team mental model updating, the development of novel interaction patterns, and postchange team performance. The results indicate that mental model updating is positively related to postchange team performance. Also, team adaptation patterns accounted for the effect of mental model updating on postchange team performance. We did not find evidence for a positive relation between initial mental model similarity and accuracy and mental model updating.

A temporal common ground for learning: The moderating effect of shared mental models on the relation between team learning behaviours and performance improvement

In this longitudinal study, we integrated a team process and a learning curve perspective on team learning and empirically analysed whether team learning processes lead to performance improvement. In addition, we tested whether this relation is moderated by the similarity of team members’ task, team, and temporal mental models. We tested our model on a sample of 67 teams (314 individuals) competing in a management simulation over five consecutive time periods, using random coefficient modelling (RCM). Our findings suggest that team learning behaviours do not have a direct effect on the team learning curve, but temporal and task mental models are crucial for the translation of team learning behaviours into performance improvement. We found that when teams have similar task and temporal mental models, engaging in team learning processes is beneficial, whereas, when teams have dissimilar task and temporal mental models, it is detrimental to performance improvement. We did not find a significant effect for the moderating role of team mental model similarity. Our study emphasizes the importance of integrating different perspectives on team learning and provides support for the role of team cognition as a catalyst for team learning.

Why is Your Team More Creative than Mine? The Influence of Shared Mental Models on Intra‐Group Conflict, Team Creativity and Effectiveness

In competitive and dynamic contexts team members need to be creative to ensure that teams achieve high levels of performance and feel satisfied with their work. At the same time, team members need to have a shared understanding regarding relevant aspects related to task accomplishment and team interaction. In this study we investigate the mediating mechanisms of intra‐group conflict and creativity in the relationship between shared mental models and team effectiveness (team performance and satisfaction). We tested our model in a sample of 161 teams (735 individuals) performing in a management simulation. We collected data at three time points. Our results suggest that high shared mental models are related to low levels of intra‐group conflict, foster creativity, and in turn improve team performance and satisfaction. These findings contribute to a scarce thematic – the relationship between shared mental models and creativity – emphasizing the importance of a shared understanding for creativity and team effectiveness.

Aircraft Accidents with Student Pilots Flying Solo: Analysis of 390 Cases

INTRODUCTION This study involves an investigation of accidents of student pilots flying solo. METHODS We analyzed NTSB probable cause reports of 390 crashes that occurred in the period 2001-2005. RESULTS The results indicate that despite the apparent dangers of unsupervised flights, this type of accident manifests lower rates of injuries and fatalities than those found with other types of instructional flights. A relatively high number of accidents occurred in the landing phase, particularly during the flare maneuver, which confirms earlier research on accidents with instructional flights. Compared to all solo pilots, student pilots on their first solo flight had a relatively low risk of injury, while students with more than 100 h of flight experience had a relatively high risk of injury. CONCLUSION More research is needed into methods for teaching the flare maneuver to student pilots. Furthermore, there is an important role for the flight instructor in continuing to check on solo flying student pilots, in particular when they have accumulated a considerable number of flight hours without obtaining a private pilot license and in remedying planning and decision-making errors by assisting in flight preparations.

Disability and employment – overview and highlights

ABSTRACT Due to the expected decline in the working-age population, especially in European countries, people with disabilities are now more often recognized as a valuable resource in the workforce and research into disability and employment is more important than ever. This paper outlines the state of affairs of research on disability and employment. We thereby focus on one particular group of people with disabilities, that is to say people with mental disabilities. We define disability according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) of the World Health Organization, by that recognizing that disability results from the interaction of person and environment. Key issues, including the complexity of defining disability, the legal situation in Europe and North America concerning disability at work, and barriers and enablers to employment, are discussed. For each of the topics we show important findings in the existing literature and indicate where more in-depth research is needed. We finalize with a concrete research agenda on disability and employment and provide recommendations for practice.

Should you switch off or stay engaged? : The consequences of thinking about work on the trajectory of psychological well-being over time

This study examined how 2 different ways of being mentally engaged with work-related issues during evenings (affective rumination and problem-solving pondering) cause changes in psychological well-being over a 1-year period. We conducted a 3-wave longitudinal study with a time lag of 6 months between each wave. At the first measurement moment, participants filled out a survey over 5 consecutive working days assessing work-related affective rumination and problem-solving pondering during evenings. Exhaustion and health complaints were assessed at the first measurement moment as well as after 6 and 12 months. The 3 waves of data obtained from a total of 123 participants with full-time and primarily mentally demanding jobs were analyzed using latent growth curve modeling (LGM). The results showed that affective rumination is a significant predictor of increase in exhaustion over time. Problem-solving pondering was not found to be a significant predictor of change in psychological well-being over time. These findings demonstrate that work-related rumination during evenings may lead to health problems over time depending on the type of rumination. It suggests that unlike affective rumination, problem-solving pondering during evenings has no influence on psychological well-being over time.

Dynamics of team cognition and team adaptation: Introduction to the special issue

Although cognitions are known to play a major role in team adaptation, the cognitive dynamics underlying a team’s responsiveness are poorly understood. The studies brought together in this special issue break new ground in this area. In this introductory article, we offer a brief summary of the research field, provide an overview of the contributions, and suggest directions for future research.