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Using a longitudinal study of professionals in two information technology services firms, as well as interview data, this paper illuminates how organizational fortunes influence individual performance over time, examining how the economic situation of an organization leaves a lasting imprint on new employees and how that imprint affects subsequent job performance. The core hypothesis, supported by the results, is that the more similar the initially experienced level of organizational munificence is to the level of munificence in a subsequent period, the higher an individual’s job performance. This relationship between what I call “imprint–environment fit” and performance is contingent on the individual’s career stage when entering the organization and the influence of secondhand imprinting resulting from the social transmission of others’ imprints. A possible implication of the core hypothesis may be a “curse of extremes,” whereby both very high and very low levels of initial munificence are associated with lower average performance during a person’s subsequent tenure. One mechanism underlying these patterns is that employees socialized in different resource environments develop distinct approaches to problem solving and client interactions, which then lead to varying levels of imprint–environment fit in subsequent resource environments. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We explore the impact on employee attitudes of their perceptions of how others outside the organization are treated (i.e., corporate social responsibility) above and beyond the impact of how employees are directly treated by the organization. Results of a study of 827 employees in eighteen organizations show that employee perceptions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) are positively related to (a) organizational commitment with the relationship being partially mediated by work meaningfulness and perceived organizational support (POS) and (b) job satisfaction with work meaningfulness partially mediating the relationship but not POS. Moreover, in order to address limited micro-level research in CSR, we develop a measure of employee perceptions of CSR through four pilot studies. Employing a bifactor model, we find that social responsibility has an additional effect on employee attitudes beyond environmental responsibility, which we posit is due to the relational component of social responsibility (e.g., relationships with community). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to examine the mediating role of collective self-esteem in the relationship between employees’ perceived corporate social responsibility (CSR) and their work engagement. We also explore the moderating role of employees’ concern for face in the linkage between their perceived CSR and collective self-esteem. A two-wave panel data from a final sample of 217 employees in six companies in Wuhan, China, completed the questionnaire survey. Employees’ perceived CSR has a direct and positive effect on their work engagement, which is partially mediated by their collective self-esteem. Furthermore, employees’ concern for face moderates the relationship between their perceived CSR and collective self-esteem. CSR has a stronger effect on collective self-esteem for employees who concern more for face than for those who concern less for face. Understanding the outcomes, the mediating mechanisms, as well as the boundary conditions of perceived CSR on work engagement, help firms to better formulate their CSR strategy. First, we introduce collective self-esteem as an important mediating mechanism in the relationship between CSR and employees’ work engagement. Second, we identify concern for face as an important limiting condition in the linkage between CSR and employees’ collective self-esteem. Finally, previous research investigating employees’ reactions to CSR has predominantly been conducted in the West. We conduct our study in the Chinese or Confucian context to provide some new and complementary insights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We refine the findings of Vardaman, Allen, and Rogers that indicate the structural position of nonfamily employees in friendship networks can enhance organizational identification and reduce turnover in family firms. We extend their work by offering a more nuanced perspective that not all friendships are created equal. We propose that a family friend’s membership in the family in-group or out-group influences nonfamily employees’ organizational identification, and in turn, their behavior (i.e., organizational citizenship behavior and deviance). Our theorizing expands the nascent literature on nonfamily employees, offering a theoretical rationale for their complex and often poorly understood behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In human resource management, employee performance is strongly affected by both formal and informal employee networks. Most previous research on employee performance has focused on monolayer networks that can represent only single categories of employee social relationships. We study employee performance by taking into account the entire multiplex structure of underlying employee social networks. We collect three datasets consisting of five different employee relationship categories in three firms, and predict employee performance using degree centrality and eigenvector centrality in a superimposed multiplex network (SMN) and an unfolded multiplex network (UMN). We use a quadratic assignment procedure (QAP) analysis and a regression analysis to demonstrate that the different categories of relationship are mutually embedded and that the strength of their impact on employee performance differs. We also use weighted/unweighted SMN/UMN to measure the predictive accuracy of this approach and find that employees with high centrality in a weighted UMN are more likely to perform well. Our results shed new light on how social structures affect employee performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study is an attempt to conceptualize, develop and validate a scale for the purpose of measuring Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) practices adopted by an organization and also evaluating its performance on different dimensions of SSCM. Based on extensive review of literature, the study has identified five constructs of SSCM practices, namely Environmental Management Practices, Operations practices, Supply Chain Integration, Socially Inclusive Practices for Employees, and Socially Inclusive Practices for Community and another five constructs of SSCM performance namely Environmental Performance, Operations Performance, Competitiveness, Employee-centred Social Performance, and Community-centred Social Performance. A survey instrument was designed based on the extant literature and relevant data was collected on this instrument from 255 organizations. The data analysis primarily involves application of confirmatory factor analysis for validating the instrument in respect of unidimensionality, reliability, convergent validity, discriminant validity, nomological validity and criterion-related validity. The outcome of the analysis gives rise to a parsimonious instrument which makes a significant contribution to SCM literature. The instrument would enable an organization to implement different elements of SSCM practices, monitor the status of its implementation and finally assess organizational performance on the dimensions of SSCM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay draws on 1970s feminist critiques of the ideologies of love and romance to develop a critique of the popular advice literature that directs employees to find love and happiness at work. Te author argues that, under heteropatriarchal capitalism, the ideology of romantic love is being harnessed not only to continue to assign domestic work to women, but to recruit all waged workers into a more intimate relationship with work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the comparative analysis method of the national social security systems in the Member States, we propose to identify the minimum social elements common to the social systems so that, regardless of the worker's residence, the social protection of the worker is ensured as a right guaranteed for employees for the work done. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study is to advance the research on working objectification by analyzing its nature and the mechanism underlying this process. In particular, we hypothesized that working objectification involved an automatic association of the worker with an object and a full denial of humanness related to both agency and experience. Further, we expected that perceived alienation could explain the relationship between critical working conditions and objectifying perceptions. Results showed that, compared to an artisan, a factory worker was automatically associated with the objectrelated words rather than with person-related words. Furthermore, the factory worker was perceived as having less agency and experience than the artisan. Finally, the perception of the factory work as fragmented, repetitive, and other-directed was related to a view of work as being more alienating, which, in turn, led to the increased objectification of the worker. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this article is to examine the explanatory forces of power resources and institutional factors on whistle blowing activity, its effectiveness and reactions. The authors analyse survey material of 6000 Norwegian employees across sectors and industries, and find that individual power resources have little impact, but the organizational power resources of positions, and institutional factors matter. Departing from a Norwegian labour market model, this is a result that encourages continued focus on codetermination, democracy and openness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The organizational landscape is changing for sexual minorities in U.S. workplaces. A dramatic increase in organizational policy protections reflects a broader societal shift toward social acceptance of sexual diversity. However, as participant narratives demonstrate, discrimination and bias are still present in contemporary organizations. As such, sexual minority employees must manage their sexual identities in a changing environment that is rife with mixed messages. In this study, 20 employees from across the United States in a variety of occupations described policies and communication with coworkers as influential to their sexual identity management. Using the framework of the communication theory of identity, gaps between communal frame communication (organizational policy) and relational frame communication (coworker communication) resulted in mixed messages participants had to discursively navigate to manage their sexual identities. Implications for practitioners and scholars are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Scientific Papers of Silesian University of Technology. Organization & Management / Zeszyty Naukowe Politechniki Slaskiej. Seria Organizacji i Zarzadzanie is the property of Silesian Technical University, Organisation & Management Faculty and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper focuses on the differences between solo self-employed individuals and selfemployed persons that hire employees, in terms of individual, social and economic variables. The study is based on Dyer's (1994) model of entrepreneurial careers and Schwartz' (1992, 1994) values inventory and uses data from Wave 7 of the European Social Survey released in 2016. The analysis found that, compared to solo self-employed, self-employed individuals with employees have higher scores regarding their need for power values, i.e., they attach higher importance to achieving high social status and prestige, authority, wealth, and a positive public image. Moreover, the level of overall happiness is higher for self-employed with employees, even when controlling for their higher incomes. On the other hand, entrepreneurs attaching a high importance to self-direction (including job autonomy) were more often found to be working on their own (i.e., solo selfemployed). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Established professions and knowledge workers identify more with their professional groups than with their organisations. The purpose of the study was to find what kind of work-related identities are shown by clinical research sector employees in Poland, what is the intensity of those identities and which one is dominant. Methodology: The study started with qualitative interviews dedicated to professional changes and to work-related identity. The latter was selected for the main quantitative part of the study and its five types were defined related to the trained profession, the practised profession, organizational, relational and task-related work identities. Intensity of these pre-defined identities was tested with a use of a questionnaire completed by 147 representatives of the sector under study. Statistical analysis of the collected data verified the research hypotheses that assumed a certain gradation of these work-related identities. Results: Professional identity related to the practised occupation was placed on the highest level followed by task-related identity. Relational and organisational identities were classified on the third and fourth levels. Identity related to the trained occupation achieved the lowest score. The employing organization type had no effect on the manifested professional identity. Originality value: As a developing new occupation, the study group itself was an interesting population for studying work-related identity. Combining the qualitative and quantitative methods enabled evaluation of the results against the professional changes shaping the sector, which can have an impact on building the work-related identity of its employees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employees can be a driving force behind organizational corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts, yet the vast majority of literature has focused on firm-level understanding and implementation of CSR. Recent literature that explores the relationship between employees and CSR has not investigated how employees conceive of their role in CSR. We propose that in order to understand the factors that affect employee engagement in CSR, we must first understand how employees conceptualize the phenomenon of CSR and how that conceptualisation fits into their work. Our exploratory, inductive study interviews two cohorts of employees, one in a not for profit and the other in a corporate organization, revealing stark contrasts in how the different cohorts conceptualize and engage in CSR, particularly with regards to how CSR contributes to meaningfulness at work. Implications for organizations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article contests a racialised skills regime in Canada. Canadian studies of the labour market transitions of skilled immigrants are analysed through the lens of critical race theory. The analysis shows that knowledge and skills of recent immigrants in Canada are racialised and materialised on the basis of ethnic and national origins. Skin colour is a central basis of social marking. Through processes of de-skilling and re-skilling, a racialised regime of skill has become a social engineering project for manufacturing normative, white, docile corporate subjects who conform to Canadian norms and workplace cultures. The study demonstrates that skill is not colour-blind; it is coloured. Skill is not only gendered and classed, but it is also racialised. The findings move us beyond the traditional colour-blind, gender- and class-based analyses of skill that fail to account for racial differences in the social construction of skill. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this research is to analyze the different factors that determine the level of time devoted to volunteer activity involving employed people. To this end, we applied a logistic regression model to a sample of 5,067 employees, considering four categories of factors: family and personal, on the one hand, and contextual factors, on the other. This second group involves three factor categories: occupational, organizational, and community involvement factors. The findings of this work are especially relevant to two areas: first, to design a policy of corporate social responsibility that effectively integrates the figure of corporate volunteering, considering its pertinent factors; and second, to broaden the perspective of the third-sector organizations beyond the traditional profile with which volunteers are commonly associated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The psychosocial problems that today's employees are facing can cause considerable stress, and such stress is likely to affect negatively their individual traits as well as organizational fulfillment. This study thus analyzed the impacts of the employees' psychosocial problems, which occurred widely in work life, family life, and cultural- and health-related life, on their stress, self-esteem, and organizational commitment. Seven hundred and thirty employees in a public enterprise in South Korea were randomly selected, and the research method of the structural equation model with survey questionnaires was applied. The results of the study confirmed that the psychosocial problems that the workers have confronted influenced stress, which was proved to deteriorate their level of organizational commitment and their self-esteem. This implies that more systematic assistance and management of the psychosocial problems must be developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents research on the development of the concept of perceived proximity as experienced among geographically dispersed work colleagues in dyadic work relationships and the measurement of how relationship quality is effected by objective distance and perceived proximity. It discusses the role of perception of proximity in relationship quality by mediating communication and role identification, the use of information systems as channels to convey shared meaning and symbolic value, and suggests implications of the research for virtual teams and other geographically dispersed workers.

This paper presents the impact of leadership style practiced by managers on their subordinates' job performance. Emotional Intelligence of the employees has been considered as a moderator to the leadership-performance relationship. Self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted from convenient sampled 100 young employees of telecom and banking sector. They were asked to respond about their perception regarding their manager's leadership style, job performance and their perceived level of emotional intelligence. 77 out of 100 distributed questionnaires were received back completely filled that yield response rate of 77%. Current research concluded that the style of leadership exhibited by a manager is significantly associated with the subordinates' job performance while emotional intelligence of employees has no moderating effect on this leadership-performance relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term "job satisfaction" is derived from the humanities, psychology and sociology. In the field of psychology, it is a state where an employee has an emotional perception of his situation and reacts with feelings of pleasure or pain. In sociology, it is considered a variable in different categories related to how each employee evaluates and thinks about his work. Job satisfaction is closely related to the performance and quality of work performed by an employee and, consequently, translates into the success of an organization, because a satisfied employee builds and participates in the success of any organization. This article presents the results of the research conducted by the author in 2012 on a sample of 215 people. Respondents represented different organizations. The aim of the study was to identify and assess the significance of individual factors influencing satisfaction and dissatisfaction with work and demonstrate their impact on the overall assessment of job satisfaction. The study showed that between the weight attributed to individual factors and overall job satisfaction there are many statistically significant correlations referring mainly to selected on the basis of analysis respondents' groups. The study confirms the raised thesis concerning the validity of research in the factors affecting the general feeling of satisfaction by the employees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: While strategies for optimising individual performance have been widely studied a greater understanding of group-level processes is needed to better inform managers and team leaders about group performance. The purpose of this study was to investigate, in groups of three, the relationship among group efficacy, attributions made by group members and subsequent performance. The study explored the performance patterns of small groups that exhibited a group efficacy 1) increase, 2) decrease or 3) an initial decrease followed by an increase. Design/methodology/approach: The current study used both quantitative and qualitative data collection processes. A case study design was used to investigate the six research hypotheses. Quantitative data were gathered to screen and classify the study participants and to assess group performance and group efficacy. Qualitative data were also gathered in the form of performance attributions from transcripts of videotape recordings. Findings/results: Results indicate that the connection between group efficacy perceptions and group performance is not a simplex relationship and is influenced by the history of a group's success and failures. Further, group-level performance attributions appeared to influence the relationship and differed depending on performance patterns. Practical implications: The results of this study are relevant to managers who rely on groups and teams of employees to make decisions and to accomplish tasks efficiently and effectively. The paper provides recommendations to manage the efficacy-performance relationship in pods, groups and teams. Originality/value: In this research a case study approach exploring the relationship between efficacy perceptions and performance patterns was validated. This approach provided a methodology that allowed the author to closely examine the pattern of relationships between these variables. This methodology may have potential value to other researchers investigating complex phenomenon. Another contribution of the research is the mixed-method approach and findings that showed performance attributions play an important role in the relationship between group efficacy perceptions and performance outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research demonstrated that fun in the workplace has both beneficial and potentially negative effects on employees in the hospitality industry. This research focused on the impact of fun activities and manager support for fun on employee performance and turnover. Fun activities include such endeavors as productivity contests, social events, teambuilding activities, and public celebrations of work achievements and personal milestones. In turn, manager support for fun reflects whether managers in general allow and encourage employees to have fun on the job. With a sample of 195 servers from a national restaurant chain, we found that fun activities had a favorable impact on performance and manager support for fun had a favorable impact in reducing turnover. Interestingly, manager support for fun had an adverse impact on performance. Thus, whether fun ultimately is beneficial depends on the type of fun and the desired human resource outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supported by well-known motivation theories, and the logical notion that people should be rewarded for achievement, pay-for-performance (PFP) schemes are now widely applied across the public service in Asia Pacific as a means to raise employee performance. This comparative survey of over 300 Australian and Malaysian federal government employees examines whether their positive perceptions of PFP schemes have been associated with an improvement in their performance on formal and prescribed organizational activities or in-role behaviour (IRB). The respondents’ favourable perceptions of their agency’s PFP scheme were not found to be accompanied by a significant rise in their IRB levels. In contrast, other factors – psychological empowerment, organizational citizenship behaviour, and culture (high collectivism and low power distance) – positively influenced the respondents’ IRB levels. These factors, however, did not significantly strengthen the PFP–IRB relationship. Country differences in the findings were also noted. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study intended to verify the validity evidence of the Zulliger, focusing on the relationship and productivity variables in correlation with the Social Skills Inventory HIS - Del-Prette. The sample was composed of 40 subjects between 18 and 43 years of age, employees of a company. Among the indicators, the variables GHR, GPHR, Pure H and Sum H had significant positive correlations with factors GIHS, F3, F5 and F1. On the other hand, the variables AG and PHR demonstrated significant negative correlation with F5. The number of responses R had no significant relation with the factors of IHS-Del- Prette, but it showed a qualitative connection. The results contributed to ensure the validity of ZSC and confirmed other expectations of the study by demonstrating a good productivity and relationship with the participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guided by three alternative theoretical perspectives, we investigated the effects of objective and perceived existence of high performance work practices (HPWP) on employee outcomes in workplace. The ability-motivation-opportunity framework predicts that the relation between objective HPWP and employee outcomes is mediated by perception of the existence of HPWP. The self-fulfilling prophecy perspective predicts that the perceived existence of HPWP moderates the relation between objective practices and employee outcomes. Additionally, the social information processing perspective argues that the fit between objective existence of HPWP and perceived HPWP results in best employee outcomes. We tested these alternative theoretical predictions with a Chinese sample. The data yielded mixed evidence, mainly supporting the self-fulfilling prophecy perspective. The social information processing perspective is the least supported [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the effectiveness of comedy as human resources tool of companies in the U.S. The author mentions that comedy sessions are effective in eroding rough edges of employees and bringing them together. Moreover, the author states that comedy is also proven to groom the company's future leaders and modify corporate culture.

El artículo se enfoca en las éticas de las familias empresarias. Los autores enfatizan que las vivencias compartidas de las familias empresarias son un ejemplo del valor vivido, lo cual conduce la empresa a través de las diferentes generaciones. Los autores indican que la base de la cultura organizacional de la empresa familiar demuestra un alineamiento entre el comportamiento de los empleados y las virtudes de la familia.

This article explores the role that skills and knowledge play in the relationships between national and international volunteers and staff. Based on biographical interviews with people working for a wide range of aid organisations, the experiences and strategies of individuals and organisations dealing with inequality and diversity are explored. In particular, the paper addresses the question of whether professionalisation processes that can currently be observed in the field of humanitarian aid might contribute to minimising or perpetuating the gap between national and international aid personnel. Professionalisation processes can have positive effects not only for aid recipients, who obtain better services, and for the careers of aid personnel, but also for donors and hiring aid organisations, which benefit from a skilled workforce. However, we need to critically reflect on what kind of knowledge is validated, where it can be obtained and whether credentials guarantee hiring and promotion of qualified staff from all regions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Occupational Dentistry is a specialty focused on the collective that aims to improve in quality of life workers and consequently the productive development more efficient, minimizing the risks of complications and work accidents. This work of review of literature has as objective describe the aspects ethical and legal of odontology of work. The present article not if limited only the literature "scientific", because it incorporates also discussions recent related to legal aspects and its implications in dentistry practice. The professional should be conscious of work that develops and of importance of his insertion in teams of occupational health in companies. We conclude that becomes required more studies in said area for that dentist specialist can guide your conduct Professional and better contribute with the society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to determine the extent to which team processes vary between team types, as well as the relative importance of these processes for different team types. Design/methodology/approach -- A survey study evaluated a sample of 316 members of various work teams that were classified as either intellectual (e.g. executive team) or physical (e.g. production team) teams. Independent samples t-tests, paired samples f-tests, and confirmatory factor analysis were used to evaluate hypotheses. Findings -- Confirmatory analysis indicated transition and action oriented process behaviors were distinct from one another. Intellectual teams were found to value transition processes (planning and strategizing) more highly than physical teams. Intellectual teams also valued transition processes (planning and strategizing), more than action processes (monitoring and coordinating). Research limitations/implications -- Research on team processes tends to focus upon a "one size fits all" approach to teamwork, but this approach has yielded inconsistent frameworks. This study provides evidence that these inconsistencies are due to the changing nature of teamwork. This study was limited in that only two broad types of teams and two types of process competencies were assessed. Practical implications -- Differences in the importance of certain processes for specific team types should be taken into account when implementing systems for team selection, performance appraisal, and training. Originality/value -- This paper provides empirical support for previous theoretical suppositions that different team types differ in the level of importance they place on certain processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative study examines factors that influence the career decisions of dislocated workers. The research focuses on individuals identified as working class, as this group has been relatively ignored in past research compared to individuals from higher socioeconomic statuses. Participants include 13 individuals (10 females and 3 males) ranging in age from 42 to 65 years. A total of 12 participants were identified as European American and 1 identified as African American. Participants' reported average incomes ranged from $21,000 to $60,000 per year. A consensual qualitative research approach was used to collect and analyze the data. Four major domains emerged, highlighting the importance of individual characteristics, the influence of others, developmental history, and decision-making processes in the career development of this particular sample. Results from the study highlighted the resilience and hopefulness of participants, despite the various barriers they encountered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the controversy on the actions taken by the U.S. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) such as the new notice-posting rule and the new election procedures. It says that employers are required under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to post notices which inform employees of their rights. It mentions that the Board's new election rules preserve the secret ballot while wringing delay of the representation process.

We examine financial literacy in Germany using data from the SAVE survey. We find that knowledge of basic financial concepts is lacking among women, the less educated, and those living in East Germany. In particular, those with low education and low income in East Germany have low financial literacy compared to their West German counterparts. Interestingly, there is no gender disparity in financial knowledge in the East. In order to investigate the nexus of causality between financial literacy and retirement planning, we develop an instrumental variables strategy by making use of regional variation in the financial knowledge of peers. We find a positive impact of financial knowledge on retirement planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Municipalities throughout South Africa face increased demand for sport services. To meet this demand, they employ a variety of sport professionals, among whom are municipal sport officers. To prevent the voluntary turnover of their employees, municipalities have the obligation to ensure that the needs and expectations of these employees are satisfied. The purpose of this study was to examine factors influencing the job satisfaction of municipal sport officers. Using a quantitative approach, a questionnaire was developed and administered to municipal sports officers in Gauteng province of South Africa. A total of 185 municipal sport officers successfully completed the questionnaire. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and factor analysis to establish the factors that contributed to the job satisfaction of municipal sport officers. Five underlying factors, namely working conditions, skill utilisation, teamwork, creativity and autonomy that contributed to job satisfaction were extracted. Of these factors, working conditions of the respondents was perceived as contributing the most to their job satisfaction. The findings suggest that there is a need for municipalities to develop strategies to improve and sustain the job satisfaction of municipal sport officers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How control is exercised in organizations remains a central issue for the study of workers' behaviour. The Foucauldian concept of disciplinary power could prove useful, even though Foucault made virtually no distinction between different modalities of disciplinary control. Our purpose here is to investigate different forms of organizational control through the discourses of different kind of workers (35 in-depth interviews and 11 focus groups). Although classic forms of control remain important, new logics and modalities seem to be emerging, which are characterized by the attribution of responsibility and initiative to workers. However, this apparent self-disciplining conceals a greater estrangement between workers and the source of power, which renders organizational control invisible and hinders resistance to these new logics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper compares over a 12-year period (1) patterns of contracting between a state transportation agency and its prime contractors providing engineering design services with (2) patterns between these prime contractors and their subcontractors. We find evidence of different contracting patterns at each level that emerge over time and coexist in the same contracting context. While patterns at the agency-prime level are characterized by repeated contracts, patterns at the prime-sub level indicate fewer repeats and more contractor turnover. Implications for outsourcing practice and theory are discussed. © 2011 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the ability of workers to adapt and manage their employability through their commitment to transitory projects. It explores the question of whether their adaptability signals a new relationship to work which involves a positive flexibility. It highlights the development of hypothesis of self entrepreneurship which emerges as a justification for social vulnerability.

The article discusses the potential implementation of the expectancy theory of the psychologist Edward C. Tolman and the Hierarchy of Needs theory of the researcher Abraham Maslow in library cataloguing and classification duties. According to the article, library managers should consider the potential impact of isolation on the well-being of their employees, encouraging socialization and self-actualization. In addition, library leaders should understand that different employees have different needs. Strategies for facilitating employee motivation are emphasized.

Whereas prior research has focused on women’s access to managerial authority, an equally important question is the effect on subordinates’ careers when they report to a female boss. One line of thought suggests that female bosses act as change agents by fostering the careers of female subordinates, whereas the cog in the machine perspective suggests that female bosses either willingly or are constrained to promote men’s careers. Using data from the 2002 National Study of the Changing Workforce, analytic models of subordinates’ perceived job-related support from supervisors and advancement prospects were developed. Results were consistent with the cog in the machine perspective in that in contrast to women, men received more job-related support and were more optimistic about their careers when they reported to a female supervisor. Yet, given the paucity of research on this topic, more research (especially longitudinal studies) is needed to fully understand how supervisors affect subordinates’ careers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Early in 2009, the newly appointed Director of Offender Management, South-East Region, asked the Governor of Grendon to lead a flagship project to improve the quality of prisoner-staff relationships in the region's prisons. A recent HM Chief Inspector's report on Parkhurst had been highly critical, while Grendon has been repeatedly praised by HM Chief Inspector for its outstanding and excellent prisoner-staff relationships. The flagship project, now an innovation project, encompasses a wide range of initiatives throughout the South-East Region, one of which seeks to identify aspects of the Grendon regime which could be distilled and transferred to other prisons in order to assist in improving prisoner engagement and interactions with staff. This article describes how the Head of Psychology at Grendon, along with a group of Grendon prisoners, have set about distilling aspects of the Grendon regime with a view to exporting them to HMP Isle of Wight. This work forms part of a developing link between the two prisons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the psychological contract existing between line managers and employees is examined in the context of the transition to motherhood and reduced hours or part-time working. The article argues that professional work norms, including working long hours and being ever-available, operate to legitimise the reduction in career development opportunities that accompanies the transition from full to part-time work in professionalised occupations. On one level, therefore, these norms generate mutuality between managers and employees. When combined with demands of motherhood, however , they fundamentally influence how each party interprets their obligations to each other , generating incongruity and, potentially, a breach of the psychological contract. These arguments are illustrated with the use of case study data collected from part-time police officers and their managers in three UK police forces. The theoretical and practical implications of this analysis are developed and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Ciencias Estratégicas is the property of School of Strategic Studies - ECE and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Drawing on research regarding the utility of coworker support in mitigating work/ family conflict, the authors developed a scale to measure Coworker-enacted Informal Work Accommodations to Family (C-IWAF). C-IWAF differs from coworker support in that it describes actual behaviors coworkers engage in to help one another deal with incompatible work and family demands. Results based on a sample of 390 working caregivers provide support for the independence of C-IWAF from other forms of coworker support. Analyses of the factor structure obtained for this instrument indicate that C-IWAF is composed of six unique factors: child care assistance, facilitating telework, continuing work modification, short-term work modification, helping behavior, and deviating behavior. Implications of these results for research and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Filosofija, Sociologija is the property of Lithuanian Academy of Sciences Publishers and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)