A Longitudinal Investigation of Person–Organization Fit,Person–Job Fit,and Contextual Performance: The Mediating Role of Psychological Ownership

In this study we present new insights into the relationships surrounding employees’ feelings of psychological ownership (PO) at work and the resulting effects on contextual performance. Characterized by a feeling of possession, PO has been theorized to have positive influences on the attitudes and behaviors of employees. To explore PO’s effects, we conducted a three-stage questionnaire survey of employees and their supervisors at a multinational pharmaceutical company in Taiwan. To help attenuate the errors associated with common method variance that trouble most studies using simultaneous data, a longitudinal approach was taken to investigate the relationships between person–organization fit, person–job fit, and PO. During the first stage of data collection, 330 questionnaires were sent to employees, and 168 (51%) valid questionnaires were returned. During the second stage, questionnaires were sent to the 168 employees who had responded to the first-stage survey. There were 134 (80%) valid questionnaires returned. Finally, during the third stage, questionnaires were sent to the supervisors of all 134 employees who had responded to the second-stage survey. There were 88 (66%) valid questionnaires returned. Findings reveal that person–job fit was significantly related to PO, and PO was significantly related to contextual performance. However, contrary to predictions, person–organization fit was positively, but not significantly, related to PO. We conclude by discussing the implications of these findings for both academics and practitioners and make suggestions for future research.     

Mexican American Adolescents’ Cultural Orientation, Externalizing Behavior and Academic Engagement: The Role of Traditional Cultural Values

This study of 598 7th grade students of Mexican origin examined the role of traditional cultural values as a mediator of the effects of immigrant status, Mexican cultural orientation and Anglo cultural orientation on adolescent externalizing behavior and academic engagement. Immigrant status of adolescents and their maternal caregivers uniquely predicted increased Mexican cultural orientation and decreased Anglo cultural orientation, and both Mexican and Anglo cultural orientation related positively to adolescents’ endorsement of traditional cultural values. Endorsement of traditional cultural values related, in turn, to decreased externalizing behaviors and increased academic engagement and these findings were replicated across adolescent and teacher report of these two outcomes. Tests of mediation provided further evidence to support these pathways. Findings support the central importance of traditional cultural values as a protective resource that explains why immigrant youth exhibit fewer externalizing problems and increased academic engagement when compared to their second and third generation peers.     

Motivational Mechanisms of Self-Concordance Theory: Goal-Specific Efficacy and Person–Organization Fit

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to elaborate on two mechanisms of self-concordance theory (SCT; Sheldon and Elliot in Pers Soc Psychol 24(5):546, 1998)—goal-specific efficacy and perceived person–organization (PO) fit—as mediators of the relationships between autonomous and controlled goal motives and goal accomplishment and job satisfaction.

Design/Methodology/Approach

Data were from two independently collected samples of administrative employees (N1 = 37, N2 = 102) and their significant others across two points in time.

Findings

Results indicated that autonomous motives were positively related to goal-specific efficacy and perceived PO fit (Time 1), and showed indirect effects on goal accomplishment and other-rated job satisfaction (Time 2). Controlled motives were negatively related to the same intermediaries and outcomes.

Implications

Goal motives implicate goal-specific outcomes, and individuals’ overall composition of goal motives—across their goals—shape their goal efficacy and PO fit perceptions. These mechanisms relate to distal outcomes of goal accomplishment and job satisfaction. The research offers theoretical implications for the proximal outcomes of goal motives, but also practical implications for ways in which organizations can improve incumbent PO fit perceptions.

Originality/Value

Although research has shown that having self-concordant goals is positively associated with individual outcomes, existing research has yet to understand why this is the case. In addition, most studies of SCT apply difference scores to study the construct at the individual-level rather than specifying motives separately and considering a multilevel perspective. Our research offers a novel investigation of the proximal outcomes of SCT and the levels at which they operate.

     

Is Person–Organization Fit Beneficial for Employee Creativity? Moderating Roles of Leader–Member and Team–Member Exchange Quality

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the effect of person–organization (PO) fit on employee creativity. We draw on social exchange theory and identify leader–member exchange (LMX) and team–member exchange (TMX) as moderating contingencies. Our empirical analysis based on 167 employee–supervisor dyads confirms that LMX activates the significance of PO fit toward creativity. In addition, under high LMX, PO fit effect on creativity is positive when TMX is high. Subsequent analyses show that employees with high PO fit exhibit the highest level of creativity when LMX and TMX are high. Findings on the three-way interaction among PO fit, LMX, and TMX toward creativity offer new insights into a phenomenon that is mostly neglected in the literature.     

Preschool Children’s Prosocial Behavior: The Role of Mother–Child,Father–Child and Teacher–Child Relationships

Prosocial behavior is considered an important dimension of positive development. Although previous research suggests the quality of children’s early relationships may influence prosocial behaviors, the specific contributions of mother, father and teacher to children’s prosocial behavior have been less examined. This is a cross-sectional study that investigates (a) the combined associations between mother–, father– and teacher–child relationships, and prosocial behavior in 168 children aged 36–72 months, and (b) the mediating role of the teacher–child relationship in the association between the parent–child relationship and prosocial behavior. Results suggested a positive link between the quality of relationships with early caregivers and children’s prosocial behavior. The quality of both father– and teacher–child relationships were found to have a direct association with children’s prosocial behavior. The quality of the mother–child relationship was indirectly linked to children’s prosocial behavior, via the teacher–child relationship. Results suggesting connections between multiple relational contexts were discussed based on the notion of internal working models proposed by attachment theory. Mothers’ and fathers’ contributions to children’s prosocial behavior were also discussed considering differences on relational styles and changing roles of mothers and fathers from dual-earner families.     

Supervisors’ Ethical Leadership and Employee Job Satisfaction: A Social Cognitive Perspective

Although several studies explored the relationship between supervisors’ ethical leadership and employee job satisfaction, little information is available on this relationship in the Chinese context. We propose that moral cognition is an essential process in the relationship between supervisor’s ethical leadership and employee subjective well-being. The present study, through the lens of the social cognitive theory, examined the relationship between supervisors’ ethical leadership and employee job satisfaction, as well as the employee moral-cognitive processes between them. Based on 371 employees in a Chinese enterprise, the present study employed structural equation modeling to examine the hypothesized research model. The results confirmed that supervisors’ ethical leadership was positively related to employee moral awareness, moral identity and job satisfaction, respectively. Moreover, employee moral awareness and moral identity partially mediated the relationship between supervisors’ ethical leadership and employee job satisfaction. The theoretical and managerial implications were further discussed.     

The Role of Teacher Cognition and Behavior in Children’s Peer Relations

This study explored the role of the classroom teacher in peers’ evaluations of liking and disliking of their classmates. Teacher cognitions about children (teacher liking of students, teacher attributions for aggressive student behavior) and teacher behavior toward children (positive, corrective/negative) were examined as mediators in the link between children’s own behavior (aggression, prosocial behavior) and peer liking and disliking. Participants were 127 second-graders in 12 classrooms (64 males, 63 females). Data on child behavior were collected through peer and teacher report, data on teacher cognitions about children were collected through self report, data on teacher behavior toward children were collected through naturalistic classroom observations, and data on peer liking and disliking were collected through peer nominations. Data were analyzed using path analysis. Results indicated that teacher cognitions about children and corrective/negative teacher behavior toward children mediated the relations between aggressive and prosocial child behavior and peer disliking.     

Students’ Anticipated Situational Engagement: The Roles of Teacher Behavior,Personal Engagement,and Gender

Among 9th-grade students (248 girls, 255 boys) from a large multiethnic school, the authors examined 2 aspects of anticipated situational engagement in relation to 3 types of hypothetical teacher behavior: authoritarian, authoritative, permissive. Furthermore, the authors investigated the moderating roles of students’ personal (trait-like) engagement and gender. Multilevel analyses showed differential effects of teacher behavior type. Anticipated situational engagement was generally highest with the authoritative teacher and lowest with the authoritarian teacher. However, students’ personal engagement and gender qualified these effects. The effects of the authoritative and authoritarian teachers versus the permissive teachers on anticipated situational engagement were more positive (or less negative) for students with high versus low personal engagement. Also, the positive effects of the authoritative and permissive teachers versus the authoritarian teacher were stronger for female students than for male students. Results show that anticipated situational engagement should be understood by examining the combined influences of contextual and individual characteristics.     

The Influence of Leader’s Spiritual Values of Servant Leadership on Employee Motivational Autonomy and Eudaemonic Well-Being

This research examined the role of leader’s spiritual values in terms of the “servant leadership” in the process of promoting employee’s autonomous motivation and eudaemonic well-being. Sample consists of 265 Chinese supervisor-subordinate dyads recruited from a variety of industries in Taiwan. Spiritual values perceived by the subordinates, as well as the discrepancy between leader-subordinate perceptions, but not the leader’s self-perceptions of spiritual values, were found to contribute significantly beyond transactional leadership in predicting subordinate motivational autonomy and eudaemonic well-being, and subordinate autonomous motivations fully mediates the relationship between spiritual values and eudaemonic well-being.     

Bridging Service Employees’ Perceptions of CSR and Organizational Citizenship Behavior: The Moderated Mediation Effects of Personal Traits

This study aims to examine how service employees’ perceptions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) affect their organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) at work and its mediated link through organizational identification. Another important purpose of this study is to see whether personal traits such as gender, age, and work experience moderate the relationship between the CSR perceptions of service employees and organizational identification. Using a sample of 250 frontline service employees at four five-star hotels in South Korea and employing a mediation model by way of structural equation modeling, we estimated the moderating effect of three personal traits - gender, age, and work experience - on the relationship between CSR perceptions of service employees and organizational identification. The CSR perceptions of service employees increase their organizational identification, which ultimately increases OCB. Moreover, organizational identification partially mediates the relationship between the CSR perceptions of service employees and OCB. Furthermore, the results of our study show that the positive relationship between the CSR perceptions of service employees and organizational identification are moderated by gender, age and work experience. Our study extends research in both the CSR and the OCB literature since we attempt to bridge the macro concept of CSR with the micro concept of OCB.     

Work Status Congruence’s Relation to Employee Attitudes and Behaviors: The Moderating Role of Procedural Justice

Purpose  

The purpose of this study is to explore procedural justice as a boundary condition of work status congruence’s (WSC) relationships with organizational commitment and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). WSC is defined as the degree to which an employee’s schedule, shift, full-time or part-time status, and number of working hours, match his or her preferences (Holtom et al. in J Appl Psychol 86:80–93, 2002). This exploration is grounded in the outcome favorability–procedural justice interaction literature (e.g., Brockner in Acad Manag Rev 27:58–76, 2002).     

The Impact of Managing School-aged Children’s Diabetes: The Role of Child Behavior Problems and Parental Discipline Strategies

Models of diabetes management in children emphasize family relationships, particularly parent–child interactions. In adolescents, parental involvement in disease-specific management relates to better health and adherence. However, information about parental involvement in disease management for young children is limited and mixed. This study investigated behavior problems of school-aged children with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) in association with parent discipline strategies and parents’ perceptions of (1) time spent managing diabetes and (2) the impact their child’s diabetes has on their discipline strategies. Parents of children ages 5–12 with T1DM completed standardized measures of child misbehavior, parent discipline strategies, and responded to questions regarding perceived time spent managing diabetes, and perceived impact of diabetes on ability to discipline. Results showed child mealtime misbehavior was common and associated with overreactive parental discipline. Further, overreactive discipline was also associated with reports of less time spent managing child’s illness. Child misbehavior was positively associated with parents’ perceived amount of time spent managing diabetes and with the impact of child diabetes on discipline. Findings suggest the importance of considering parent discipline strategies and child misbehavior when working with young children with diabetes.     

Islamic Personal Religiosity as a Moderator of Job Strain and Employee’s Well-Being: The Case of Malaysian Academic and Administrative Staff

Presently, there is increased in research on job strain and the effects of religiosity on employee well-being. Despite increased recognition of religiosity as a moderator of well-being, limited research has focused on Islamic perspective of moderating job strain. This study examines the moderating effects of Islamic personal religiosity on the relationship between job strain and employee well-being in Malaysian universities. One hundred and seventeen (117) Muslim academic and administrative staff from four public universities were sampled. Data were collected via questionnaires, and our findings show that the effect of job strain on well-being is significant for employees and that personal religiosity of employees contributed to alleviating job strain and enhancing well-being. Thus, the study concludes that Islamic personal religiosity moderates the relationship between job strain and employee well-being.     

It’s About Time: The Role of Locomotion in Withdrawal Behavior

Introduction

Locomotion is defined as a self-regulatory orientation that involves committing personal resources to initiate and maintain goal-directed activities Kruglanski et al. (J Personal Social Psychol 79: 793, 2000). This article examines the relation between locomotion and withdrawal behaviors in organizational setting.

Materials and Methods

In the first study, police officers’ (N = 203) locomotion was negatively related to self-report measures of absenteeism and lateness. In the second study, bank employees’ (N = 297) locomotion was negatively related to withdrawal behaviors as evinced by organizational records including hours of absenteeism, lateness, and early departures. In the third study, a two-wave research design replicated the results of Study 2 by demonstrating that telecommunication employees’ (N = 69) locomotion measured at Time 1 was negatively related to their respective withdrawal behaviors 3 months later at Time 2.

Conclusion

Overall, these three studies support the notion that locomotion impacts a plurality of withdrawal behaviors in different organizational settings. Consequently, locomotion can be a pertinent and valuable psychometric tool for managers and human resources interested in improving organizational effectiveness.

     

The Role of Religious Values in Decisions About Genetics and the Public’s Health

The latest health care legislation, which promotes prevention and health screening, ultimately depends for its success on recognition of people’s values concerning the technologies being employed, not just the interventions’ technical virtues. Values concerning the deterministic nature of a condition and what groups should be targeted rest on a sense of what is morally, often religiously right in a given health circumstance. This paper looks at a number of leading-edge case examples—breast cancer genetic screening and family decision-making, and newborn screening and biobanks—in examining how the choices made at the individual, family, and societal levels rest on faith in a higher source of efficacy and moral perspectives on the measures that can be taken. Qualitative responses expressing people’s attitudes toward these technologies underscore the importance of considering faith-based values in individual decisions and collective policies on their use. These examples are considered in the context of the historic interplay between science and religion and recent definitions and models of health which incorporate physical, emotional, and social elements, and most importantly, are expanding to incorporate the religious and spiritual values domains.     

A National Survey of Genetic Counselors’ Personal Values

Personal values are motivational sources for an individual’s actions [Hitlin and Piliavin (Annual Review of Sociology 30:359–393, 2004)]. Genetic counselors’ values may influence their behaviors in clinical practice, but a profile of their personal values has not been identified empirically. In this study, 292 genetic counselors completed the Schwartz Universal Values Questionnaire (SUVQ; Schwartz, S. H. (1992). Universals in the content and structure of values: Theoretical advances and empirical tests in 20 countries. In M. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (pp. 1–65). Boston, MA: Academic.), a widely used measure of value types, and provided information about their demographic characteristics. Results indicate that respondents highly valued benevolence, self-direction, achievement, and universalism indicating a strong pattern of concern for the welfare of others. They placed considerably less value on stimulation, tradition, and power, which reflect personal interests. Respondents who reported practicing a religion scored significantly lower on stimulation and hedonism and higher on tradition and spirituality than those not practicing; married respondents and parents scored significantly lower on stimulation and achievement; and males scored higher on power than females. The value types are described, and training and research recommendations are provided.     

When Do Leaders Initiate Changes? The Roles of Coping Style and Organization Members’ Stability-Emphasizing Values

We explore the roles of leaders’ coping style and organization members’ emphasis on stability in predicting leaders’ initiation of changes in their organizations. Specifically, we hypothesized that leaders’ problem-focused style will be positively, and emotion-focused style negatively, related to the initiation of change. We further proposed that organization members' emphasis on stability will moderate the effect of leaders’ problem-focused style. We tested our model using time-lagged data from 75 school principals and 495/409 (Time 1/Time 2) teachers. Our results support the moderating role that the emphasis on stability has on the effect of problem-focused coping on leaders’ initiation of changes and provide some support for the negative effect of emotion-focused coping. Our findings complement the psychological literature on recipients of change with psychological insights about the factors that make leaders become change agents.     

Maternal Emotion Regulation and Children’s Behavior Problems: The Mediating Role of Child Emotion Regulation

Children’s difficulties managing emotions are contributors to their behavior problems, and parents’ emotion regulation difficulties are also likely contributors to their children’s regulatory challenges and behavioral difficulties. This study examined the associations among mothers’ emotion regulation, children’s emotion regulation, and children’s behavior problems. Children’s emotion regulation difficulties were hypothesized to mediate the association between maternal difficulties with emotion regulation and children’s internalizing and externalizing problems. A sample of 454 mothers completed the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, the Emotion Regulation Checklist, and the Child Behavior Checklist for their children aged 3–7. Children’s emotion regulation difficulties accounted for the indirect association between mothers’ lower emotion awareness and both internalizing and externalizing problems. On the other hand, children’s emotional negativity accounted for the indirect association between mothers’ difficulties with emotion regulation and behavior problems. Future directions for research and clinical intervention focused on promoting parental and child emotion regulation are discussed.     

The “Fit” Model of Personal Control and Well-Being in Younger and Older Adults

The much studied concept of personal control has delineated separate constructs of perceived control (PC) and desired control (DC), with some findings suggesting a congruence between the two has more predictive power than considering either alone. The present study focuses on a comparison of PC and DC in two age groups. The congruence (or “fit”) model predicts that any disparity between these two constructs would be similar, regardless of age differences on either construct alone, for those who maintain a sense of well-being. Consistent with this model, although younger women reported significantly higher scores on measures of PC and DC than did older women, the groups reported equal degrees of congruence between PC and DC. In regression analysis, the congruence score also was a significant predictor of positive affect for the older group, suggesting that it is beneficial to make control adaptations with age.