Stanley J. Smits

Employee Work Attitudes: The Subtle Influence of Gender

Using the construct of job satisfaction, this study examined work attitudes of 286 females and 416 males employed in 27 female-owned and 29 male-owned small businesses in three industries: construction, manufacturing, and distribution. Job satisfaction scores (dependent variables) were analyzed with regard to the interaction of owner-employee gender. Demographic and job-related variables were also considered. The gender-moderated results are discussed in terms of methodological implications for conducting research regarding work attitudes.

Managing new MIS professionals

Abstract Job search and career planning in the MIS field have received relatively little attention among academic researchers; and yet they are of significant concern to practitioners who are faced with the on-going task of attracting, retaining, and motivating their MIS professional staff. This paper presents the results of a recent study of university graduates who are about to enter the MIS field and combines these findings with work that has been done in other disciplines to lead to some recommendations for managers who are responsible for recruiting and managing new MIS professionals.

Disability and employment in the USA: The quest for best practices

This paper reviews the progress to date in developing public policy, national infrastructure, and services in support of persons with disabilities seeking to enter and sustain meaningful employment. It reports on a study of ‘best practices’ in the aftermath of the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) and the Workforce Investment Act (1998). Unresolved disability–employment issues are explored and the paper concludes by calling for greater involvement by persons with disabilities to help resolve existing issues and improve services by identifying and promoting the adoption of ‘best practices.’

Female business owners in industries traditionally dominated by males

This study examined selected demographics, personality traits, and job-related characteristics of females and males operating small businesses in traditionally male-dominated industries. Of the 56 participating businesses owners, all but 2 were Caucasian. Organizational characteristics were also observed. Significant gender differences were found in marital status, industry experience, age of firms, number of females hired, and effectiveness of communication scores.

The I/S leader as 'innovator'

A number of challenges are facing senior information systems (I/S) executives, among them the demand to function as innovators and to promote creativity within their respective organizations. The authors present a model of I/S leadership which posits four key roles-technologist, manager, innovator and strategist-and focus attention on the particular role of innovator. They further discuss the conditions that facilitate I/S innovation and the role of the I/S leader in championing the reengineering of business processes.<<ETX>>

The Organizational Context for Medical Rehabilitation Services: A Pre-Chaos Theory Perspective

This article depicts the organizational context for rehabilitation team functioning. By choosing a pre-chaos theory perspective, the authors are able to present the organizational context as rational, predictable, and controllable, that is, as a system of planned linear relationships. However, the extensive changes occurring throughout health care are acknowledged, and their impacts on the delivery of rehabilitation services are explored.

Communication Bias in Black-White Groups.

Summary The study defined prejudice as a statistically significant bias in the direction of verbal statements in T-groups whose membership was balanced by race and sex. Three major hypotheses were tested, and the results were discussed in relationship to the nature of prejudice and communication dynamics. Two T-group methodologies were contrasted as an exploration of potential intervention strategies. The results indicated that both race and sex contributed to significant biases, although race seemed to be the more substantive contributor.

Assessment of Pediatric Pain

The assessment of pain among children has been a perplexing task. Pain is clearly a personal phenomenon, which confounds many attempts to evaluate it. Even beyond this, assessing perception of pain among children is very complex because of several different factors. First, children’s relative inability to communicate has placed them at a disadvantage. Second, our understanding of the actual neurological and physiological mechanisms involved in children’s pain has been impaired by both the lack of basic research and these same communication problems. Third, health care providers have highlighted emotional factors as the major component in pain response among children. Eland (Note 1) contends that adequate instruments for assessing children’s pain have been virtually nonexistent, thus requiring evaluation to be totally subjective and dependent upon the beliefs, sensitivity, and skills of the individual provider. It is easy to understand this scarcity.

The Culture Connection: Uncovering OB Concepts in Organizations

The organizational culture audit is presented as an organizational behavior class assignment designed to challenge executive MBA students to use their firsthand knowledge of the work environment to improve their sensitivity to behavior. The assignment, based on Scheins model, is described in terms of the instructional methods used to operationalize it. The authors conclude by sharing their observations of the benefits and problems associated with its use.