基于管理者安全管理行动的高风险企业安全氛围改善

随着系统可靠性的提高,高风险企业超过三分之二的事故原因涉及人的因素。员工不安全行为是系统失效的触发因素,潜藏的社会情境因素(如安全氛围)是“常驻的病原体”,因此探索并改善影响安全行为的社会情境因素是有效提升组织安全的关键。在众多的情境因素中,安全氛围对安全绩效的积极影响已得到充分的文献支持,但对如何改善安全氛围的探索却有限。本项目围绕管理者对安全的承诺这一安全氛围的核心维度,基于信号理论提出直接安全管理行动是体现管理者安全承诺的重要途径,并在探索主管和经理关键安全管理行动对团队和组织安全氛围影响的基础上开展相应的干预研究。具体而言,在团队层面,探索改善主管关键安全管理行动对团队安全氛围提升的有效性;在组织和团队两个层面,探索改善经理的关键安全管理行动对同时提升组织和团队安全氛围的有效性。研究结果预期可以在安全管理实践中推广应用。     

Change and Management of Complex Services: The Ethno-narrative Form to Support Good Living and Working Together

Nowadays, managing change in complex services requires that middle management re-designs its objects and professional practices, in order to cope with new needs. It seems therefore crucial to activate training settings that allow managers to: (1) develop research and analytical skills on their own work practices and professional objects; (2) face and manage conflict, related to every change, that represents an opportunity to reflect and review one's own practices; and (3) build new and shared repertories of managerial practices, able to support a better form of living and working together within the management community. Moving from these hypotheses, inside the setting of a training intervention conducted in an educational service, the article discusses a specific tool used to generate opportunity of exchange, and reflection, within a challenging framework of change.     

Complexity in the relationships among the subdimensions of extraversion and job performance in managerial occupations

The present study investigated differential relationships, nonlinear relationships, and multiplicative relationships among the subdimensions of extraversion (agency and affiliation) and job performance (getting ahead and getting along) for a sample of 179 managers. We found that: (i) agency was positively related to getting ahead performance, whereas affiliation was unrelated to getting ahead; (ii) agency had an inverted‐U relationship with getting along performance; and (iii) there was a multiplicative effect of agency and affiliation on getting along. The findings provide insight into the nature of the relationship between extraversion and managerial performance, the level of breadth at which to represent these variables for optimal prediction and explanation, and the use of extraversion measures for selection purposes.     

Interim Managers: Distinguishing Personality Characteristics of Managers on Short-term Contracts

The use of interim managers by companies is increasing, and reasons for this trend are discussed. A study is reported in which the normative personality make-up of a group of interim managers is compared with that of a general sample of UK managers. Ninety-four interim managers completed the revised PA Preference Inventory (PAPI-N) and the results are compared with those from a general UK managerial sample. Statistically significant differences are reported for 12 out of 20 scales, with nine of the effect sizes ≥ 0.5. Results are also compared with a priori job expert predictions. Of nine predictions that interim managers would differ from the general management norm, seven are consistent with the statistical findings. Practical and methodological implications of the findings, and their relation to the ‘Big Five’, are discussed, together with broader implications for the study of workers in new and emerging forms of employment. The findings are also interpreted in the particular context of interim management roles.     

Evidence for a basic level in event taxonomies

The proposition that event taxonomies have a “basic” level was tested. In the first two tasks of the experiment, taxonomically related event categories were elicited. Nine taxonomies were constructed from subjects’ responses on these tasks. In the third task, subjects listed attributes for events categories from the three levels of abstraction of these taxonomies. A single, common level of abstraction (the basic level) was identified. Subjects listed significantly more attributes for basic categories than for superordinate categories, but not significantly more attributes for the lower, subordinate-level categories. Further analyses showed that basic and subordinate categories elicited a greater number of concrete and event-related features than action and personrelated features, and that superordinate categories showed the opposite trend. These findings are discussed in terms of general principles of categorization applied to events, objects, and scenes, and the particular characteristics of events.     

From selling to managing strategic customers - a competency analysis

An increasing number of companies select strategic customers, who are then treated differently from standard customers. Thus, the customer-facing function has been divided into two separate functions: traditional selling and strategic account management. This article seeks to provide a comprehensive overview that compares the competencies of salespeople with the competencies of strategic account managers. The article's objective is to highlight a competency path that can lead salespeople to transition successfully into strategic account managers. Leveraging the two distinct competency classifications, we identify the key skills that traditional salespeople must be trained in or “unlearn” to successfully transition. From a theoretical perspective, this article bridges the gap between the literature on sales and the literature on strategic account management and pinpoints the major differences between those two customer-facing dimensions. From a managerial perspective, the article helps practitioners draw a competency grid to assess both salespeople's ability to succeed in their role transition and the training required to support this transition.     

HOW SUPERVISORS INFLUENCE PERFORMANCE: A MULTILEVEL STUDY OF COACHING AND GROUP MANAGEMENT IN TECHNOLOGY-MEDIATED SERVICES

This multilevel study examines the role of supervisors in improving employee performance through the use of coaching and group management practices. It examines the individual and synergistic effects of these management practices. The research subjects are call center agents in highly standardized jobs, and the organizational context is one in which calls, or task assignments, are randomly distributed via automated technology, providing a quasi-experimental approach in a real-world context. Results show that the amount of coaching that an employee received each month predicted objective performance improvements over time. Moreover, workers exhibited higher performance where their supervisor emphasized group assignments and group incentives and where technology was more automated. Finally, the positive relationship between coaching and performance was stronger where supervisors made greater use of group incentives, where technology was less automated, and where technological changes were less frequent. Implications and potential limitations of the present study are discussed.     

Does whom you work with matter? Effects of referent group gender and age composition on managers' compensation

Much research has examined gender and age effects on compensation, concluding that a wage gap exists favoring men and negative stereotypes against older workers persist. Although the effect of an employee's gender or age has been widely studied, little work has examined the impact of the demographic characteristics of a focal employee's immediate referent groups (e.g., subordinates, peers, or supervisors) on pay. The effect of the gender and age composition of a focal manager's subordinates, peers, and supervisor on the manager's compensation levels was investigated in a sample of 2,178 managers across a wide range of organizations and functional areas. After controlling for a number of human capital variables, results indicated that not only does a wage gap favoring men exist, but also managerial pay is lower when managers' referent groups are largely female, when subordinates are outside the prime age group, and when peers and supervisors are younger.     

EFFECTIVENESS OF PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL TRAINING USING COMPUTER ASSISTED INSTRUCTION AND BEHAVIOR MODELING

The present study evaluated the effectiveness of performance appraisal training in an organizational setting. Four hundred and two middle level managers were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: no training, computer assisted instruction only (CAI), or CAI training plus a behavior modeling workshop (CAIW). Training effectiveness was assessed on two categories of dependent variables, managerial learning and managerial job performance. As predicted trained managers were found to be more knowledgeable of performance appraisal than untrained managers. Also as predicted, managers in the CAIW group conducted appraisal discussions which were perceived by employees as more satisfying than employees of managers in the no training group. Only partial support was obtained for the hypothesis that trained managers would be more effective in completing performance appraisal forms.     

The relationship of management level to effort level,direction of effort,and managerial performance

Using a sample of 100 managers at different levels, within a government agency, this study examined the relationship of management level to effort level, direction of effort, and managerial performance. Management level was found to be significantly related to effort level and several direction of effort scales. Management level was also found to moderate the relationship between direction of effort and managerial performance. Results and limitations of the study are discussed.     

Validation of a personality measure of managerial performance

Recent interest in the characteristics of effective managers raises the notion that personality factors may be part of the effectiveness syndrome. Modern research in personality systematics makes it possible to refine and extend earlier analyses of this topic. A job analysis of three levels of management in a large trucking company identified the personality characteristics of good managers, as described by peers and subordinates. These managers and a large group of incumbents (n=372) completed the Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI). Managers were assigned scores reflecting their status in the organization; they also were rated by their supervisors. A subset of HPI components were significantly associated with the criteria, with correlations ranging from .22 to .66. These components were combined and used in five separate validity studies. The resulting measure was significantly associated with managerial performance in a variety of organizational settings. These results are consistent with the growing body of evidence suggesting that a coherent set of noncognitive characteristics promotes managerial performance across organizational types.     

The effects of perceived pressures on managerial and nonmanagerial scientists and engineers

The two major purposes of the present study were (1) to empirically investigate the effects of excessive pressures perceived by Ph.D.-level scientists and engineers employed in a large multidivisional energy R&D laboratory on work attitudes and performance; and (2) to test the proposition that scientists with managerial responsibilities perceive more pressures and strains than do those with no such duties. Results indicated that the pressured scientists perceived more role strain and a less positive climate, were less satisfied, and received lower performance evaluations from their supervisors than non-pressured ones. No differences were found in the perception of pressures between the managerial and nonmanagerial scientists, although the managers reported a more positive climate and higher satisfaction than did nonmanagers. The implications of these findings with regard to management practice (i.e., dual ladders) and future research on stress among this occupational group were briefly discussed.     

Limits to participative leadership: Task,structure and skill as contingencies-a German-British comparison

The research investigated the relationship between managerial decision-making and a set of specified contingent situational factors: decision type, perceived skill requirements and objective skill inputs. The study was based on 663 German and British managers in two interlocking senior management levels of 37 large enterprises. The data were collected by means of Group Feedback Analysis as part of a large study of managerial decision-making in eight countries. The results show a significant (p = <.05) relationship between the choice of decision styles and the postulated contingency variables. Only 1 % of 615 senior managers consistently use a single decision style, more than two-thirds use four or five different styles. Very large variations occur as a function of different decision tasks, perceived skill requirements and objective skill availability. There are differences between the relatively well matched samples of German and British managers, but they are less significant than the broadly similar way in which both samples respond to the particular contingencies under investigation. The results are interpreted in the context of an open systems contingency framework. Their action implications are seen to suggest a link with sociotechnical theory on job design and wider issues of organisational and social policy.     

Sales Managers' Perceptions of Gray Markets: The Role of Incentives,Channel Dependence,and Type of Gray Market

The objective of this paper is to develop an empirical understanding of sales managers' perceptions of gray markets, that is, exclusive territory violations. We examine a number of factors that can affect these perceptions and then make recommendations about how senior management can align actions on gray markets by changing aspects of the contexts in which sales managers operate. Specifically, we develop a typology of gray markets and use the typology in conjunction with the constructs of distributor dependence and managerial incentives to make predictions regarding sales managers' positive or negative perceptions of gray markets. We test these predictions with a within-subjects, full-factorial experiment that incorporates role-playing by experienced managers. Most of the predictions are supported by the analysis and we develop recommendations based on these results involving compensation design and distributor dependence by which top management can achieve consensus within firms about managing gray markets.     

Ethics Training,Ethical Context,and Sales and Marketing Professionals’ Satisfaction with Supervisors and Coworkers

Because organizational support for ethical conduct is valued highly in personal selling and sales management, ethics training, functioning through a company’s ethical values and culture, should prompt greater satisfaction with supervisors and coworkers because these individuals play a part in the ethical practices that impact job satisfaction in others. Using a national sample of 324 sales and marketing professionals representing a variety of organizations, this study examined the mediating role of perceived ethical context in the proposed relationships between hours of ethics training and satisfaction with supervisors and coworkers. The results indicated that the focal variables were indeed related, with either full or partial mediation identified, using two separate measures of perceived ethical context. Organizational leaders in the sales and marketing professions should consider using ethics training to institutionalize an ethical environment in sales organizations, as well as involving sales managers and other professionals in this institutionalization process. Such efforts could yield greater employee satisfaction for supervisors and coworkers.     

Managerial Structuring of Work as a Moderator of the Machiavellianism and Job Performance Relationship

In this study, we addressed the effect of the perceived work environment structure, as initiated by the managerial superior, on the relationship between Machiavellianism and job performance of store managers in a retail setting. The results showed a significant effect for managers who perceived that their supervisors initiated a loose work environment structure. No effect was found for managers working in a highly structured environment.     

The Differential Focus of Supervisors and Peers in Evaluations of Managerial Potential

This study proposes that evaluations of managerial potential by supervisors and peers differentially relate to the personality of the job candidate being evaluated. Specifically, we hypothesized that supervisors would focus on more task‐based personality traits, such as Conscientiousness and its facet of Self‐discipline while peers would instead focus on more contextual personality traits, such as Agreeableness and its facet of Tender‐mindedness. We applied a path analysis SEM approach to data collected from a field study of 114 triads of incumbents, supervisors, and peers of retail managers in a Fortune 500 organization. This approach provided support for our overall hypothesized models. A further analysis of significant paths suggested that ratees with high levels of Conscientiousness and Achievement‐striving appeal to supervisors when making evaluations of managerial potential. Ratees with high levels of Agreeableness, Altruism, and Tender‐mindedness and low levels of Openness to Experience, in contrast, appeal to peers.     

主管认知信任和情感信任对员工行为及绩效的影响

采用问卷调查法,检验主管认知信任与情感信任对员工行为及绩效影响的双路径模型。通过结构方程模型分析563份上下级配对数据,结果显示：主管认知信任通过注意聚焦的完全中介作用正向影响员工的任务绩效和组织公民行为。主管情感信任则通过情感承诺的部分中介作用正向影响员工的任务绩效和组织公民行为,即一方面直接影响员工的任务绩效和个体指向公民行为,另一方面通过情感承诺间接影响员工的任务绩效和组织公民行为。并且,主管情感信任对员工行为和绩效的影响作用要大于认知信任的作