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This paper examines how routine patterns are recognized as either stable or flexible and which mechanisms are enacted to maintain this patterning work. We address this question through an ethnographic [...]

A critical omission in the coworker influence literature is how a coworker influences a closely related (focal) employee's performance behaviors and whether this influence is contingent on that coworker's own [...]

This research examines the effects of job insecurity on job satisfaction and organizational performance. Performance was measured with perceptual data. A total of 320 employees from various organizations participated in […]

Evidence that support the hypothesis that system comprehensiveness partially explains how participation leads to job-relevant information. It is suggested that organizations benefit from performance measurement systems that incorporate a broader set of measures.

A time-based theory is used to show the influence of team attributes, in terms of formal plans and knowledge, on episodic transition and interpersonal processes and their relationships with team performance. Mixed support was found for the notion that episodic processes partially mediate the relationships between team attributes and performance were found.

The difficulties in measuring the work performances of employees are discussed. The tendencies of employees to engage in performance of influence activities for private benefit are discussed. The role of job transfers in curtailing such deviation from duties is discussed.

TQM literature suggests that hard TQM has a profound impact on organisational performance. However, most empirical studies have examined the impact of each dimension of TQM on performance separately. We argue that it is more appropriate to investigate the direct impact of soft TQM on the diffusion of hard TQM, and then assess the direct impact of hard TQM on performance. Analysis of 261 Australian manufacturing companies revealed significant positive relationships between soft TQM and hard TQM elements. In addition to direct affects, soft TQM also has an indirect affect on performance through its effect on hard TQM. Keywords: Total quality management (TQM; Hard TQM; Soft TQM; Organisational performance; Australian Manufacturing Council (AMC), 1. Literature review and hypotheses Empirical studies which have examined the relationship between total quality management (TQM) and organisational performance have investigated the impact of each dimension of TQM on [...]

This study applies a three component model of communication competence (motivation, knowledge, and skill) within an organizational context and analyzes the relationship between job performance, position level, and communication competence. […]

A discussion on two field studies undertaken to test the negative effects of layoffs on the employees who are still working and the hypothesis that high-perceived control may serve as an antidote to those effects is presented. Findings of the two field studies as well as steps to be followed by the management of an organization downsizing, that heighten survivors perceived control are discussed.

This study examines the determinants of performance measure choices in worker incentive plans. The results indicate that informativeness issues such as those addressed in economic theories have a significant effect on measurement choices. However, other reasons for adopting the plans, such as upgrading the workforce and linking bonuses to the firm's ability to pay, also influence measurement choices, as do union representation and management participation in plan design. Moreover, the factors influencing the use of specific measures vary, suggesting that the aggregate performance measure classifications commonly used in compensation research provide somewhat misleading inferences regarding performance measurement choices.

ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to examine the co-relationship between information quality and validity and managers' acceptance of performance appraisal systems in multinational companies in Malaysia. A total [...]

A newly developed personality taxonomy suggests that self-esteem, locus of control, generalized self-efficacy, and neuroticism form a broad personality trait termed core self-evaluations. The authors hypothesized that this broad trait is related to motivation and performance. To test this hypothesis, 3 studies were conducted. Study 1 showed that the 4 dispositions loaded on 1 higher order factor. Study 2 demonstrated that the higher order trait was related to task motivation and performance in a laboratory setting. Study 3 showed that the core trait was related to task activity, productivity as measured by sales volume, and the rated performance of insurance agents. Results also revealed that the core self-evaluations trait was related to goal-setting behavior. In addition, when the 4 core traits were investigated as 1 nomological network, they proved to be more consistent predictors of job behaviors than when used in isolation.

Considerable thought has been given to the effects of various strategies of weighing predictor information on adverse impact, minority hiring, and quality of the selected workforce. However, these efforts do not solve the dilemma faced by employers who want to achieve an optimally qualified workforce but at the same time want to eliminate adverse impact. To remove this limitation, the present article shows how constrained nonlinear programming can be used to combine job performance predictors into a predictor composite such that the average quality of the composite selected employees is maximized, the intended overall selection rate is achieved, and the adverse impact ratio remains within acceptable bounds. Although the new procedure allows for situations in which the performance criterion is multidimensional, a further extension is needed to handle multistage selection decisions.

A national policy is needed to coordinate the various state and regional groups providing information on the quality of health care. Consumers, physicians, employers and health care plans all need information and the quality of health care. Although these information systems would be formed at the local level, they would use national standards to determine the quality of health care. Existing systems include the Minnesota Health Data Institute, the California Cooperative Health Care Reporting Initiative and the Cleveland Health Quality Choice program., Concerted national action is needed to meet the growing demand for health care quality information among all health care stakeholders. We propose a coordinated national network of independent, public-private quality measurement alliances established through strong purchaser and consumer leadership at the state, regional, or local levels. These independent alliances could assume a variety of organizational forms, but all would undertake specific quality measurement and consumer information projects to meet local health care market needs by drawing on various combinations of the emerging national standardized quality measures. Local implementation of quality measures based on national standards will facilitate cross-market benchmarking and multistate comparisons useful not only to state and local market constituencies, but to national employers, health plans, provider organizations, and the federal government as well. Successful models of such alliances already exist that demonstrate the feasibility of this national strategy, but concerted national leadership and federal matching funding will be needed to meet the scope of implementation required in markets across the country. JAMA. 1998;279:1254-1258

During the evolution of business ethics as a profession, the fields it draws from have identified separate knowledge and skills they believe define business ethics; however, there is little agreement among these fields. This means the strengths of each are seldom combined to guide ethical decision making in business and industry, which leaves business ethicists looking less effective, and perhaps less professional, than their counter-parts in medicine and law. It also means that those who have been thrust into the role of guiding business ethics - or those who have added the title of ethics consultant after their name, without having the preparation to do so, have no standards to look to. This article examines one of the touchstones of mature professions, performance standards by which members of the profession can measure themselves and the profession can self-monitor. Further, it suggests that business ethics has not yet addressed one of the standards by which all professions are measured, that of service. Finally, the article describes how other professions have used qualitative methods to develop performance standards and suggests that the leaders in the filed of business ethics could use some of these methods to identify the sets of knowledge and skills that ought to be the standards for the profession and practice of business ethics.

Performance excellence begins with recruiting and hiring qualified employees. Determining correct job responsibilities and classification is the first step, followed by a well-planned and organized interview process. The process continues as a collaborative and interactive one between employees and managers, during which specific expectations are delimited and evaluated. It is management's responsibility to ensure that employees understand the organization's mission and goals with respect to protecting the public's health and the environment, as well as to instill confidence and demonstrate high expectations of the employees. A successful performance management process is augmented by creativity, trust, and good morale; it motivates employees to improve their own performance, promotes self-motivation and strengthens relationships through open communication between managers and employees., Introduction It takes time to do important tasks well. The art of leading and managing employees and having them perform to the best of their abilities does not come easily, [...]

Rebates and energy-efficiency labelling towards given performance standards effectively heighten consumer demand for electrical appliances. However, consumer impacting of rebate strategies is temporary and with no significant reduction effect on production costs. Promoting energy-efficiency standards on the other hand, promises strong market development, consumer satisfaction and competitive advantage.

The performance indicators created by the UK's Audit Commission for use in evaluating local councils are discussed. Also presented are actual comparative ratings using the indicators. The publication of these indicators was intended to generate public debate with the assumption that an informed public would be more appreciative of the services they receive from their local governments.

Experimental analysis of the impact of delta planform tip sails (DPTSs) on the planar rectangular wing performance shows that DPTSs enhance the performance, maximum lift-coefficient and wing lift curve slope. Increases in the taper ratio and DPTS leading edge sweep angle lead to a rise in the Oswald efficiency factor of the wing. DPTS addition also stabilizes nose-down pitching moment. Experimental results on DPTS effects are valid at high Reynolds number also.

An evaluation of the Yee, Hunt and Pellegrino model of information coordination and subsequent extension provides proof of the role of information coordination in individually varied multitask performances. Experiments using confirmatory factor analysis were performed to evaluate information coordination with proof of across-domain and within-domain coordination abilities. The experiments revealed that coordination ability contributed less to task performance with experience. The difficulty of coordination factors determines the role of coordination ability in coordination task performance; there is no correlation between cognitive ability and other coordination abilities.

Several methods are available for estimating component scores, but the scores have serious limitations such as poor reliability, speed-error confounds and imperfect process models. For these reasons, and due to residual variations, component scores cannot explain individual differences in overall task performance. Residual variations are composed of person-by-item interactions and other disturbances, and variance components are high in homogeneous tests of componential analysis. Component scores are not as accurate as residual variations since they cannot explain larger variance components.

Although the use of evaluative performance standards is common in most organizations, research in our field has focused almost exclusively on selection standards (and predictor cut-off scores), rather than standards for subsequent performance. This review considers aspects of the performance standard-setting process that influence incumbents' job reactions, specially in terms of motivated performance and job satisfaction. We draw upon the following literatures to specify future research needs and directions: goal setting, feedback and framing, performance expectations, job satisfaction, and utility analysis. The result is an outline of research propositions concerning the acceptance of performance standards, the content of performance standards, the communication of standards, and the difficulty levels of those standards. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

The relationship between test-anxiety and school performance is thought to be mediated by stress of cognitive appraisal and interference. Worry appears to be the critical component of test-anxiety which affects task performance done in the USA. The present goal was to investigate relationships among cognitive interference, test-anxiety, and school performance of Italian children, 11 to 13 years old (150 boys, 150 girls). The results show that prior findings are applicable to the Italian youngsters, namely, that cognitive interference is positively related to test-anxiety and both are related to school performance., Cognitive appraisal and interference, when stressed, mediate the relation between test-anxiety and school performance. In the US, children going to schools were largely affected by the fear of tests and exams, and this resulted in their poor performance. The study conduct to examine the effects of such stress on Italian school children in the age group 11 to 13 years reveals that cognitive interference is positively related to anxiety during tests which is, in turn, related to performance at school.

A controlled laboratory validation experiment was conducted to catalogue performance deficit against various Blood Alcohol Concentrations of small, medium and large dosages, and also in a placebo condition. The calibration experiment revealed sizeable linear monotonic connections between eight of the nine Automated Performance Test System subtests and graded alcohol dosages. Nearly 52-54% of the variance assigned to alcohol was indicated by comparing scores from two or three tests.

The Automated Performance Test System (APTS) has been developed as a human performance assessment battery. It is comprised of a menu of tests embedded in a hardware-software package which may be used in repeated-measures studies of agents and materials which may decrease human performance. The development of APTS and other automated human performance tesing devices will be invaluable in testing the performance of individuals who are alllowed access to workplaces or stations which involve public safety.

A study was conducted to compare the efficiency of electronic and paper text. The two mediums were compared as to outcome measures, process measures, ergonomic issues and manipulation facilities. Electronic text manipulation was found to be more tediuos than paper text manipulation. However, added electronic text perks such as searching and multi-windowing may give it an edge over paper text. A more realistic conceptualisation of human reading is necessary if a system improving, not only matching, the benefits of paper text is desired.

Four subjective workload scales were compared along four dimensions: sensitivity, operator acceptance, resource requirements, and special procedures. The scales were the Modified Cooper-Harper scale, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index (TLX), the Overall Workload (OW) scale, and the Subjective Workload Assessment Technique. Three U.S. Army systems were studied for potential workload concerns. Data from five different studies on the three systems were compared along the aforementioned four dimensions. Results indicate that all four scales are acceptable tools and are sensitive to different levels of workload. However, TLX and OW are consistently superior when considering sensitivity, as measured by factor validity, and operator acceptance. This research is an example of a systematic approach for examining human factors measurement tools.