Suzanne S. Masterson

A Typology of Organizational Membership: Understanding Different Membership Relationships Through the Lens of Social Exchange

Using a social exchange perspective and responding to prior calls to separate resources exchanged from the relationship between parties, we develop a relationship typology based on rights and responsibilities arguments. We begin with the idea that various levels and types of rights and responsibilities are the exchange currency utilized by the employer and employee, respectively. Further, the degree to which an organization grants rights to an individual and the degree to which the individual voluntarily accepts responsibilities results in four distinct organizational membership profiles (i.e., peripheral, associate, detached, and full). We believe this membership typology is an important theoretical mechanism that may be used to link the exchange between the employee and employer (as represented by psychological contracts) to psychological attachment (as represented by perceived membership) between these two parties. Specifically, members in each profile will tend to have certain kinds of psychological attachments to the organization, causing them to (i) perceive membership in certain ways and (ii) behave in a manner consistent with that perception. The article concludes by discussing the implications of the propositions for both researchers and practitioners, as well as making suggestions for future research efforts.

Beyond performance excellence: research insights from Baldrige recipient feedback

Collectively, the Malcolm Baldrige Award recipients, through a consortium in which many of them participate, have wrestled with the question of how to further improve and achieve higher levels of performance. Through a process of using qualitative text coding to extract, organise, summarise, and interpret vital information from the ‘opportunities for improvement’ provided to award recipients in Baldrige feedback reports, we have uncovered some significant insights about a sample of Baldrige recipients – insights we believe are fundamental to many contemporary organisations. In this article, we focus on understanding these key challenges and opportunities, and the lessons we can learn from them to help organisations accelerate the process of improving performance, no matter what their level of maturity.

GOAL-DIRECTEDNESS AND PERSONAL IDENTITY AS CORRELATES OF LIFE OUTCOMES

Although much research has been conducted on goal setting, researchers have not examined goal-directedness or propensity to set goals as a stable human characteristic in adults. In this study, a survey was developed and distributed to 104 adult participants to assess their goal-directedness, personal identity, and various life outcomes. A theoretical model was developed and tested using structural equation modeling that proposed that both goal-directedness and personal identity should positively influence important life outcomes. Analysis showed that goal-directedness and personal identity are positively related to personal well-being, salary, and marital satisfaction. Further, personal identity was positively related to job satisfaction but, contrary to related research, goal-directedness did not predict job satisfaction.

An Information Processing Perspective of Process Management: Evidence from Baldrige Award Recipients

This study employs an information processing perspective to advance the understanding of the relationship between process management and performance. Process management is viewed as a means for coping with information processing requirements under conditions of uncertainty. The central proposition is that as the amount of uncertainty surrounding an organizations task environment increases, performance evolves from managing processes to progressively higher degrees of maturity. The authors explore the validity of their conceptual framework using data from feedback reports of 11 past recipients of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award that included each of the award categories except manufacturing. Their analysis found that the processes of Baldrige recipients generally fell short of full integration and alignment sought by Baldrige and other frameworks. Because the sample organizations generally operate in stable contexts, these findings are consistent with the notion that high-performing organizations limit process management efforts to a degree that meets their information processing needs. Because this study constitutes one of the first to use primary data from the Baldrige Award process, a secondary contribution demonstrates how Baldrige data can be employed to advance both scholarship and practice.

Leader-member exchange and leader identification: comparison and integration

The purpose of this paper is to compare and integrate leader-member exchange (LMX) and leader identification (LID) as concurrently functioning mediators between three leadership styles (individual-focused transformational, contingent reward, and benevolent paternalistic) and two citizenship behaviors (helping and taking charge).,Data included 395 stable, independent leader-follower dyads from numerous Chinese organizations. Partial least squares structural equation modeling and relative weight analysis were used in data analyses.,In established, steady-state leader-member alliances, LMX was the dominant explanation between various leadership styles and helping; whereas LID explained leadership effects on taking charge. Three-stage indirect effects of leadership-LMX-LID-taking charge were found. Also, LMX and LID related to the three focal leadership styles in distinct ways.,Limitations include cross-sectional data. Strengths include a large, multi-source field sample. Implications include that LMX and LID provide different prosocial motivations; LMX indirectly engenders stronger other-orientation through LID; and the nature of indirect leadership effects via LID is more sensitive to the nature of the focal leadership styles. LMX and LID together provide a package of prosocial motivations.,Leaders interested in increasing employees’ helping vs taking charge behaviors can be more effective by understanding the different motivational potentials of LMX vs LID. Leaders also need to choose appropriate behavioral styles when they activate LMX vis-a-vis LID.,This study integrates multiple leadership theories to provide a nuanced account of how social exchange and self-concept explain leadership at the interpersonal level when leadership styles, LMX, and LID are stable.

Not All Transformational Leadership Behaviors Are Equal: The Impact of Followers’ Identification With Leader and Modernity on Taking Charge:

This study investigates how each dimension of transformational leadership directly and indirectly influences followers’ change-oriented behaviors. Using a sample of 329 independent leader–follower dyads from a wide range of Chinese organizations, we examine followers’ identification with leader as an intervening variable between the four dimensions of transformational leadership (“core” transformational behaviors, high-performance expectations, individualized support, and intellectual stimulation) and followers’ taking charge behaviors. Results showed that intellectual stimulation had the highest relative effect size that was largely due to its direct effect on taking charge. Individualized support only exerted a significant indirect effect. Additionally, the negative direct and positive indirect effects of high-performance expectations rendered its total effect nonsignificant. Furthermore, the direct, indirect, and total effects of “core” transformational behaviors were nonsignificant. We also found that followers’ value of modernity moderated the effect of identification with leader on taking charge. The indirect effects of intellectual stimulation, individualized support, and high-performance expectations were significant when modernity was high but nonsignificant when it was low. Implications for theory, practice, and future research are discussed.

The Human Side of Restructures The Role of Shifting Identification

Organizational restructures have been occurring for decades but are often rife with problems. Although researchers have studied these restructures, many studies focus on financial, strategic, and integration aspects and are limited in addressing the human side of restructuring. In addition, there is little study of internal restructures involving the movement of divisions within one organization. In our inductive case study, we examine how organizational members’ identification perceptions evolve and impact an internal restructure at a large university. We present our emergent findings in a process model that illustrates how identification perceptions evolved, as well as triggers that impacted identifying and de-identifying processes. These triggers, which helped move members simultaneously from a state of identification with the former entity (pre-restructure) to both de-identification with the former entity and identification with the new one (post-restructure), included experiences and expectations involving resources, justice, and organization oneness.

Where and How Does Fitting in Matter? Examining New Students’ Perceived Fit With Their University, Instructors, and Classmates

Researchers routinely find that individuals and organizations are better off when the personal characteristics of members fit with contextual organizational characteristics. Typically, this kind of research examines employees and the work environment. However, the dynamics of fit can be applied broadly, and some researchers have found fit-related theory to be a useful tool for examining students’ relationships with their universities. We build on this body of work by using new students’ perceptions of needs-based and values-based fit with their university, instructors, and classmates to predict both intention to recommend and turnover intention. For the purposes of recruitment and retention, results emphasize the importance of needs-based fit with the university and with classmates.