Stewart I. Donaldson

UNDERSTANDING SELF-REPORT BIAS IN ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR RESEARCH

Self-report and mono-method bias often threaten the validity of research conducted in business settings and thus hinder the development of theories of organizational behavior. This paper outlines a conceptual framework for understanding factors that influence the motivation of an employee to bias his or her responses to questions posed by organizational researchers. Using a longitudinal, multitrait-multimethod dataset, we illustrate various aspects of the problem and argue that traditional approaches for controlling self-report bias do not adequately prevent the problem. The results suggest the need for developing a theory of method effects and companion analytic techniques to improve the accuracy of psychological research in business settings.

Analysis with missing data in prevention research

Missing data problems have been a thorn in the side of prevention researchers for years. Although some solutions for these problems have been available in the statistical literature, these solutions have not found their way into mainstream prevention research. This chapter is meant to serve as an introduction to the systematic application of the missing data analysis solutions presented recently by Little and Rubin (1987) and others. The chapter does not describe a complete strategy, but it is relevant for (1) missing data analysis with continuous (but not categorical) data, (2) data that are reasonably normally distributed, and (3) solutions for missing data problems for analyses related to the general linear model in particular, analyses that use (or can use) a covariance matrix as input. The examples in the chapter come from drug prevention research. The chapter discusses (1) the problem of wanting to ask respondents more questions than most individuals can answer; (2) the problem of attrition and some solutions; and (3) the problem of special measurement procedures that are too expensive or time consuming to obtain for all subjects. The authors end with several conclusions: Whenever possible, researchers should use the Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm (or other maximum likelihood procedure, including the multiple-group structural equation-modeling procedure or, where appropriate, multiple imputation, for analyses involving missing data [the chapter provides concrete examples]); If researchers must use other analyses, they should keep in mind that these others produce biased results and should not be relied upon for final analyses; When data are missing, the appropriate missing data analysis procedures do not generate something out of nothing but do make the most out of the data available; When data are missing, researchers should work hard (especially when planning a study) to find the cause of missingness and include the cause in the analysis models; and Researchers should sample the cases originally missing (whenever possible) and adjust EM algorithm parameter estimates accordingly.

Effects of perceived discrimination on job satisfaction, organizational commitment, organizational citizenship behavior, and grievances

This study of 366 ethnically diverse operating-level employees examined how their perceptions of discrimination from a variety of sources—including supervisors, coworkers, and the organization itself—affect their work-related attitudes and behaviors. The results suggest that all three types of perceived discrimination have an effect on organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and organizational citizenship behavior. Contrary to predictions, however, there was no relationship with grievances.

Consequences of Work-Family Conflict on Employee Well-Being Over Time

The effects of work-family conflict on the well-being of a diverse sample of 342 non-professional employees from the greater Los Angeles area were examined. Data were collected at two points in time, and a rigorous research design was employed. The effects of self-report bias were considered by controlling for social desirability bias, and by collecting two sources of data (i.e. self-reports and co-workers reports). The results revealed that work-family conflict predicted employee well-being over and above social desirability bias. In addition, analyses were consistent when both self-reports and co-workers reports were utilized. Finally, work-family conflict was a longitudinal predictor of employees positive well-being. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses were consistent across self-reports and co-worker reports.

Longitudinal Examination of Mentoring Relationships on Organizational Commitment and Citizenship Behavior

In most occupations, younger less experienced individuals learn from older, more experienced mentors. Mentorship relationships are often the primary means through which employees become socialized into an organization and career. Much research has shown that mentors advance a proteges career by providing emotional support and confidence, suggesting useful strategies for achieving work objectives, providing opportunities for the protege to demonstrate competence, bringing the protege to the attention of top management, protecting the protege from the repercussions of errors, helping them avoid risky situations for their careers, and advancing the proteges career by nominating him or her for promotions (cf. Kram & Hall, 1996; Ragins, 1995; 1997a; 1997b; Russell & Adams, 1997). One theoretical framework that provides insight into the mentoring process is social learning theory (Bandura, 1986). Social learning the-

Drug Abuse Prevention Programming: Do We Know What Content Works?

This article summarizes the theoretical underpinnings, substantive contents, and limitations of comprehensive social-influences-based drug abuse prevention programming. This type of programming has produced the most consistently successful preventive effects. There is some evidence that one major part of these programs, changing social norms, is an essential ingredient for successful drug abuse prevention programming. Research suggests that these effects may not be contingent on the use of refusal assertion training, a prototype activity of social-influences-based prevention programs. Because programs, when disseminated to the public, often contain only a subset of lessons from the social influences curriculum, there remains the potential error of implementing a combination of lessons that may not be effective. Further, there is evidence that other types of prevention programming, such as physical consequences programming, may be successful in some situations. Finally, social-influences-based programming may not be as effective with some subpopulations such as high-risk youths.

Positive organizational psychology, behavior, and scholarship: A review of the emerging literature and evidence base

The positive psychology movement seems to have stimulated new research and applications well beyond the discipline of traditional psychology. Among the various areas of inquiry, research and scholarship about positive organizations have received considerable attention from both researchers and practitioners. The current review examined the scholarly literature published between 2001 and 2009 on positive organizational psychology to provide a detailed picture of the current state of the field. This review sought to discover the overall growth rate, trends, and prevalent topics in the literature. It also aspired to provide an understanding of the empirical evidence for each topic through in-depth reviews. The findings suggest that there is a growing body of scholarly literature and an emerging empirical evidence base on topics related to positive organizations. Strengths, limitations, and implications of building a practical knowledge base for making significant improvements in the quality of working life and organizational effectiveness are discussed.

Applied Positive Psychology: Improving Everyday Life, Health, Schools, Work, and Society

J.N. Cleveland, E.A. Fleishman, Series Foreword S. Donaldson, M. Seligman, Preface Part 1. Introduction S. Donaldson, Determining What Works, if Anything, in Positive Psychology Part 2. Core Areas in Applied Positive Psychology E.Diener, K. Ryan, National Accounts of Well-Being for Public Policy B.L. Fredrickson, L.E. Kurtz, Cultivating Positive Emotions to Enhance Human Flourishing C. Peterson, N. Park, Character Strengths and Virtues: Their Role in Well-being Part 3. Applications for Improving Health, Education, and Positive Human Development S. Taylor, How Psychosocial Resources Enhance Health and Well-Being N.L. Sin, M. D. Della Porta, S. Lyubomirsky, Tailoring Positive Psychology Interventions to Treat Depressed Individuals H.H. Knoop, Education in 2025: How Positive Psychology can Revitalize Education S.J. Lopez, V.J. Calderon, Gallup Student Poll: Measuring and Promoting What is Right with Students Part 4. Improving Institutions, Organizations, and the World of Work I. Ko, S.I. Donaldson, Applied Positive Organizational Psychology: The State of the Science and Practice J.E. Dutton, L.M. Roberts, J. Bednar, Prosocial Practices, Positive Identity, and Flourishing at Work K.S. Cameron, Effects of Virtuous Leadership on Organizational Performance J. Nakamura, Contexts of Positive Adult Development Part 5. Future Directions for Applying the Science of Positive Psychology M.Csikszentmihalyi, Positive Psychology and a Positive World-View: New Hope for the Future of Humankind S. I. Donaldson, Epilogue: A Practitioners Guide for Applying the Science of Positive Psychology

Strategies for Managing Evaluation Anxiety: Toward a Psychology of Program Evaluation

Excessive evaluation anxiety (XEA) can be a destructive phenomenon in modern program evaluation. Some of the negative consequences include: Lack of access to important information and data; compliance and cooperation problems; false reporting; effects on bias and validity; and reduced utilization of evaluation findings. If left alone, XEA can lead stakeholders to behave in ways that destroy the credibility of evaluation findings and evaluators. The purpose of this paper is to examine the sources and signs of XEA in program evaluation, and to provide practicing evaluators with strategies to prevent and manage this common problem. This example of how more than technical skills are required to conduct high quality program evaluations illustrates the need for and begins a broader discussion of the psychology of evaluation.

Happiness, excellence, and optimal human functioning revisited: Examining the peer-reviewed literature linked to positive psychology

Since the original call by Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi (2000) for a new science of happiness, excellence, and optimal human functioning, there has been an explosion of activity in, acclaim for, and criticism of positive psychology. The purpose of this study was to identify and examine the peer-reviewed literature linked to the positive psychology movement. An extensive systematic review identified 1336 articles published between 1999 and 2013. More than 750 of these articles included empirical tests of positive psychology theories, principles, and interventions. The results show a fairly consistent increase in the rate of publication, and that the number of empirical studies has grown steadily over the time period. The findings demonstrate that positive psychology is a growing and vibrant sub-area within the broader discipline of psychology, committed to using the same rigorous scientific methods as other sub-areas, in pursuit of understanding well-being, excellence, and optimal human functioning.