Susan M. Stewart

Productivity, counterproductivity and creativity: The ups and downs of job insecurity

Organizations frequently downsize in the hopes of creating a ‘lean and mean’ company able to be flexible and quick to adapt to changing environmental needs. The purpose of the current research was to assess the effects of job insecurity on productivity, counterproductivity, and creativity in a simulated organizational environment and a field setting. In the first study, 104 non-traditional undergraduate students (M ¼ 30:48 years) participated in a laboratory experiment that manipulated the threat of lay-offs (job insecurity) and measured creativity and productivity over two time periods. Compared to control group participants, results indicate that participant productivity increased in the condition of higher levels of job insecurity, whereas creative problem solving decreased. In the second study, 144 employees in five organizations completed a survey measuring their job insecurity perceptions, enactment of counterproductive work behaviours, and creative problem-solving ability. Regression analyses indicate that job insecurity predicted lower creativity scores, yet was also related to lower numbers of counterproductive work behaviours. Taken together, these studies suggest that job insecurity may have adverse effects on creativity, yet moderately beneficial effects on productivity. Results are interpreted in light of the increasing prevalence of job insecurity and organizational downsizing in today’s workplace. Commercial rivalries around the globe, government deregulation of industry, and the ever-increasing pace of organizational technology change have led organizations worldwide to take extreme measures in order to remain competitive. Organizational restructuring in the form of corporate downsizing, mergers and acquisitions, plant closings, and workforce reorganizations affect millions of workers each year. According to the Society for Human Resource Management (2001), 43% of US organizations conducted employee lay-offs in 2000 and 2001, with corporate reductions averaging 10–13% of the workforce.

In the Eyes of the Beholder: A Non-Self-Report Measure of Workplace Deviance

Because employees may be reluctant to admit to performing deviant acts, the authors of this study reexamined the commonly used self-report measure of workplace deviance developed by R. J. Bennett and S. L. Robinson (2000). Specifically, the self-report measure was modified into a non-self-report measure based on multiple other-reported assessments to address methodological concerns with self-reported information regarding deviant workplace behaviors. The authors assessed the psychometric properties of this new measure by first conducting an exploratory factor analysis, which indicated a 3-factor structure (production deviance, property deviance, and personal aggression). Subsequent confirmatory factor analysis on a different sample verified these findings. Taken together, the results suggest that the content and psychometric qualities of this non-self-report measure of workplace deviance closely represent S. L. Robinson and R. J. Bennetts (1995) original typology of workplace deviance. The potential usefulness of this measure in organizational studies is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved).

An integrative typology of personality assessment for aggression: Implications for predicting counterproductive workplace behavior.

This study presents an integrative typology of personality assessment for aggression. In this typology, self-report and conditional reasoning (L. R. James, 1998) methodologies are used to assess 2 separate, yet often congruent, components of aggressive personalities. Specifically, self-report is used to assess explicit components of aggressive tendencies, such as self-perceived aggression, whereas conditional reasoning is used to assess implicit components, in particular, the unconscious biases in reasoning that are used to justify aggressive acts. These 2 separate components are then integrated to form a new theoretical typology of personality assessment for aggression. Empirical tests of the typology were subsequently conducted using data gathered across 3 samples in laboratory and field settings and reveal that explicit and implicit components of aggression can interact in the prediction of counterproductive, deviant, and prosocial behaviors. These empirical tests also reveal that when either the self-report or conditional reasoning methodology is used in isolation, the resulting assessment of aggression may be incomplete. Implications for personnel selection, team composition, and executive coaching are discussed.

Values Enactment in Organizations: A Multi-Level Examination:

Business writers and practitioners recommend that core organizational values be integrated into employee work life for enhanced organizational productivity, yet no published studies have empirically examined the antecedents and outcomes of values enactment. Using longitudinal data on 2,622 employees, hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) results revealed that tenure and department-level values enactment were significant predictors of individual values enactment. Furthermore, employees who demonstrated high levels of values enactment were less likely to leave, and employees of high or low levels of values enactment in departments whose levels of values enactment matched their own were the most likely to be promoted.

Choosing to Report: Characteristics of Employees Who Report the Counterproductive Work Behavior of Others

Managers typically expect employees to report counterproductive work behavior (CWB) when they see or have knowledge of other employees engaging in such acts. However, the degree to which individuals actually report CWB to company officials has not been addressed in the literature. Previous research has also not explored the personality traits, attitudes, and workplace behaviors of those employees who report CWB on the part of others. Hence, we conducted 2 studies with 2 independent samples to provide information on both of these points in an effort to assist organizations in curbing negative workplace acts and in making more informed personnel selection decisions.

Business etiquette in 12 countries: special considerations for female expatriates

The current paper provides a summary and highlights issues that are specific to female expatriates completing assignments in 12 different countries from four regions around the world. The regions and countries reviewed include North America (USA, Mexico, Canada), Europe (Spain, France, Italy), Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Israel, Afghanistan) and Asia (Korea, China, Japan). The information provided will be of assistance to female expatriates who are making preparations to travel to any of the countries reviewed and might also help decision-makers focus on how women can be effectively utilised in global business assignments and transactions.

An Investigation of Calculator Use on Employment Tests of Mathematical Ability: Effects on Reliability, Validity, Test Scores, and Speed of Completion

Handheld calculators have been used on the job for more than 30 years, yet the degree to which these devices can affect performance on employment tests of mathematical ability has not been thoroughly examined. This study used a within-subjects research design (N = 167) to investigate the effects of calculator use on test score reliability, test score validity, and test performance as well as the possible moderation of these effects across different types of tests, numbers, and arithmetic operations. Results indicate that total test scores maintained reliability and validity in the calculator condition regardless of test type. However, calculator use disrupted the measurement of mathematical skill when items were composed of integers and decimals, but not of fractions, and this disruption depended on the arithmetic operation required by the item. Nonetheless, the findings suggest that selection specialists may allow job applicants to use calculators on standardized math tests that have an adequate diversity of items without compromising the accuracy of the obtained total test scores.