van de Evert Vliert

Intragroup interdependence and effectiviness : Review and proposed directions for theory and practice.

This paper reviews the empirical research dealing with two types of intragroup interdependence at both the group and individual levels of analysis. Based on this review we identify directions for further research, including attention to levels‐of‐analysis issues, the effects of interdependence over time, and the development of prescriptive theory. The paper ends with the description of a theory‐based intervention framework, intended as a tool for choosing the appropriate intervention in work teams and for stimulating the development of such a prescriptive theory.

Temperature, Cultural Masculinity, and Domestic Political Violence A Cross-National Study

Cross-national data sets were used to examine the association between ambient temperature and internal political violence in 136 countries between 1948 and 1977. Political riots and armed attacks occur more frequently in warm countries than in both cold and hot countries, after controlling for effects of population size and density and levels of socioeconomic development and democracy. National differences on the cultural masculinity dimension, however, do account for this curvilinear temperature-violence association, in a subsample of 53 countries, suggesting that culture mediates the association. An explanation for this mediation in terms of Paternal Investment Theory is proposed.

Effects of interdependencies in project teams

The associations between task interdependence, outcome interdependence, and the effectiveness of team members were examined. The sample consisted of 181 employees at 10 engineering companies in The Netherlands. The participants evaluated their interdependence with 1 specific team member and rated the effectiveness of that relationship. The results showed that an increasing level of task interdependence did not enhance effectiveness by itself. Instead, increased task interdependence accompanied by decreasing levels of positive or increasing levels of negative outcome interdependence appeared to be related to reduced effectiveness.

Opening the black box between justice and reactions to an unfavorable outcome in the workplace

Though several studies have shown that the perception of social justice can effectively reduce negative attitudinal and behavioral reactions to an unfavorable outcome, few studies have tried to empirically test explanations of this mitigating effect. The present study was undertaken to fill this gap by examining under what conditions social justice suppresses negative reactions, such as exit, neglect, and aggressive voice, and stimulates positive reactions, such as considerate voice and patience. Two potential moderators were derived from the control model (Thibaut and Walker, 1975, 1978) and the group-value model (Lind and Tyler, 1988, Tyler and Lind, 1992). Ninety-eight teachers participated in the study. Results support the hypotheses that overall procedural and distributive justice discourage negative reactions, particularly when employees value control or standing, or both. Moreover, distributive justice stimulates positive reactions (i.e., considerate voice) when employees value control. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Climato-Economic Imprints on Chinese Collectivism

A still unsolved question is why humans create collectivism. A new theory proposes that poorer populations coping with more demanding winters or summers become more collectivist. Preliminary support comes from a province-level analysis of survey data from 1,662 native residents of 15 Chinese provinces. Collectivism is weakest in provinces with temperate climates irrespective of income (e.g., Guangdong), negligibly stronger in higher income provinces with demanding climates (e.g., Hunan), and strongest in lower income provinces with demanding climates (e.g., Heilongjiang). Multilevel analysis consolidates the results by demonstrating that collectivism at the provincial level fully mediates the interactive impact of climato-economic hardships on collectivist orientations at the individual level, suggesting that culture building is a collective top-down rather than bottom-up process.