Turnover of highly educated R&D professionals: The role of pre‐entry cognitive style,work values and career orientation

Retention of key R&D experts has been recognized as a critical managerial challenge for many technology‐based companies. In this study, we propose that turnover of highly educated professional workers is meaningfully related to individual characteristics such as cognitive style, work values and career orientation. We tested the hypotheses using data collected from a sample of 132 R&D professionals with PhD degrees in engineering or natural science in a Korean electronics firm. The time‐dependent risk of turnover was estimated by survival analysis using a proportional hazards regression model. The results showed that over the 7‐year period after their organizational entry, R&D professionals with high levels of intrinsic values and cosmopolitan orientation were more likely to leave the organization than were their counterparts with low levels of intrinsic values and cosmopolitan orientation. The hazard function showed that the positive effect of intrinsic work values on turnover was particularly salient in the third and fourth year of R&D professionals' organizational tenure. We found that the positive effect of cosmopolitan orientation on turnover increased over time, introducing a greater risk of turnover with increasing tenure. The present findings have practical implications for the retention of highly educated R&D professionals in a corporate setting.     

Post‐retirement work: The individual determinants of paid and volunteer work

This research investigates the prediction of post‐retirement work. Unlike prior research, we examined both paid and volunteer post‐retirement work, showing the similarities and differences in their prediction. Using multinomial logistic regression analysis, a framework based on image theory was tested, which included evaluations of pre‐retirement work, attitudes to retirement, behavioural style and demographics, and used to predict both intentions to work in retirement in a pre‐retiree sample (N = 987) and actual work in retirement in a sample of retirees (N = 725). Both volunteer and paid post‐retirement work were strongly related to people's evaluation of their pre‐retirement work and for pre‐retirees, a proactive style of behaviour was also predictive. However, gender, health and retirement satisfaction more related to volunteer work and education to paid work.     

The seventh penis: towards effective psychoanalytic work with pre‐surgical transsexuals

The author reflects on his contrasting analytic work with two transsexual patients. He uses three previous psychoanalytic studies (Stoller, Morel and Lemma) to explore whether effective analytic work with the issues driving a person's determined wish for sex reassignment surgery (SRS) is possible. Particular consideration is given to how such work might navigate a path between traumatizing and pathologizing the patient on the one hand and avoiding important analytic material out of fear of so doing on the other. The author proceeds to ask whether it is possible to tell in advance, with any degree of reliability, who is and who is not likely to benefit from surgery. He considers certain diagnostic issues in relation to these questions. Illustrations are given of how, in practice, countertransference anxieties about psychopathologizing transsexual patients can contribute to significant difficulties in working clinically with them. It is argued that the understanding and containment of such anxieties could eventually lead to more effective analytic work, and that such work might be further facilitated by considering the contribution of mind‐body dissociation to transsexualism.     

Surface‐ and deep‐level dissimilarity effects on social integration and individual effectiveness related outcomes in work groups: A meta‐analytic integration

Prior research linking demographic (e.g., age, ethnicity/race, gender, and tenure) and underlying psychological (e.g., personality, attitudes, and values) dissimilarity variables to individual group member's work‐related outcomes produced mixed and contradictory results. To account for these findings, this study develops a contingency framework and tests it using meta‐analytic and structural equation modelling techniques. In line with this framework, results showed different effects of surface‐level (i.e., demographic) dissimilarity and deep‐level (i.e., underlying psychological) dissimilarity on social integration, and ultimately on individual effectiveness related outcomes (i.e., turnover, task, and contextual performance). Specifically, surface‐level dissimilarity had a negative effect on social integration under low but not under high team interdependence. In return, social integration fully mediated the negative relationship between surface‐level dissimilarity and individual effectiveness related outcomes under low interdependence. In contrast, deep‐level dissimilarity had a negative effect on social integration, which was stronger under high and weaker under low team interdependence. Contrary to our predictions, social integration did not mediate the negative relationship between deep‐level dissimilarity and individual effectiveness related outcomes but suppressed positive direct effects of deep‐level dissimilarity on individual effectiveness related outcomes. Possible explanations for these counterintuitive findings are discussed.     

Volunteer work as a valuable leisure‐time activity: A day‐level study on volunteer work,non‐work experiences,and well‐being at work

In this 2‐week diary study, with 105 employees providing data on a total of 476 days, we examined relationships between the amount of time spent on volunteer work activities during leisure time, psychological non‐work experiences in the evening (i.e. recovery experiences of psychological detachment from work and mastery as well as need satisfaction), and work outcomes during the following working day (i.e. positive and negative affect, and active listening). Results confirmed the hypothesized positive relationships between the amount of time spent on volunteer work activities and psychological detachment from work, mastery experiences, and need satisfaction in the evening. Psychological detachment from work in the evening was positively related to active listening during the following working day. Need satisfaction in the evening was negatively related to negative affect and positively related to active listening during the following working day. The amount of time spent on volunteer work activities was negatively related to negative affect during the following working day. This relationship was mediated by need satisfaction in the evening.     

Marital adjustment in post‐Soviet Eastern Europe: A focus on Lithuania

Abstract Seventy‐five married female and 43 married male residents of Lithuania participated in a questionnaire study of their marital adjustment and marital chore division. The participants reported their marital chore division, beliefs about gender appropriateness for a list of chores, and the number of hours per week they spend on these chores. They also completed the Marital Adjustment Test ( H. J. Locke & K. M. Wallace, 1959 ). Egalitarian chore practices were positively correlated with marital adjustment for women, but egalitarian chore beliefs were positively correlated with marital adjustment for men. The results are consistent with speculation that chore division may be particularly relevant to marital adjustment in a post‐Soviet context that has a tendency toward egalitarianism in the workplace, but not in the home.     

Self‐other decision‐making differences in loss aversion: A regulatory focus perspective

Drawing on a cultural perspective, we examined whether differences in self‐other decision making documented in the West can be replicated in an Eastern context. Study 1 revealed that Chinese participants showed self‐other decision‐making differences in loss aversion similar to those observed in Western participants; loss aversion differed depending on the type of decision recipient, and trait regulatory focus moderated the self‐other decision‐making difference. Study 2 found a mediating effect of situational prevention but not promotion focus on the relationship between decision makers’ roles and loss aversion. Furthermore, both studies revealed that participants did not show a preference for loss aversion, suggesting that the baseline of self‐other decision‐making differences has shifted in China compared to the West.     

Sense of coherence and work characteristics: A cross‐lagged structural equation model among managers

This study investigated the dominance of predictive relationships between Sense of Coherence (SOC) and work characteristics (organizational climate and job control) in cross‐lagged longitudinal data with two measurement points and a time lag of 3 years. The sample consisted of 615 (587 men and 28 women) managers, aged between 27 and 64 years. The cross‐lagged longitudinal analysis was done by the use of Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) within the framework by LISREL. The results of the chi‐square difference tests indicated that the model where SOC at Time 1 predicted work characteristics at Time 2 better accounted for the data than the competitive models. However, the only significant path in addition to test‐retest stabilities was the path from SOC at Time 1 to organizational climate at Time 2 indicating that high SOC predicts good organizational climate over a 3‐year follow‐up period. The path from SOC at Time 1 to job control at Time 2 was not significant. Thus, it seems that SOC, as a relatively stable disposition, influences the ability to mobilize and generate social resources in the workplace but not the ability to produce job control.     

Changes in personality in pre‐ and post‐dialectical behaviour therapy borderline personality disorder groups: A question of self‐control

Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) is an evidence‐based therapy for people with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Past research has identified behavioural changes indicating improved functioning for people who undergo DBT. To date, however, there has been little research investigating the underlying mechanism of change. The present study utilised a between‐subjects design and self‐report questionnaires of Self‐Control and the five factor model of personality and drew participants from a metropolitan DBT program. We found that pre‐treatment participants were significantly lower on Self‐Control, Agreeableness and Conscientiousness when compared to both the post‐treatment assessment and the norms for each questionnaire. Neuroticism was significantly higher both before and after treatment when compared to the norms. These findings suggest that Self‐Control may play a role in both the presentation of this disorder and the effect of DBT. High levels of Neuroticism lend weight to the Linehan biosocial model of BPD development.     

Limited effects of pre‐existing maternal antisocial behaviours on infant neurodevelopment: A pilot study

Antisocial behaviour disorders (ABDs) are among the most costly and treatment resistant of all psychiatric syndromes. Select neurodevelopmental abnormalities have been labelled a risk factor for ABDs, but it is unknown if maternal ABDs are associated with early neurodevelopmental abnormalities. This study tested whether infants of ABD mothers had more neurodevelopmental abnormalities than mothers with no psychiatric disorder (ND). Thirty‐nine pregnant women (49% with ABDs; 51% no psychiatric disorder) were recruited from the community. Infant neurodevelopment was assessed at ≤1 and 8 weeks using the Neonatal Behavioural Assessment Scale and at 16 weeks of age using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development‐III. There was no significant group difference at ≤8 weeks. At 16 weeks, ABD mothers rated their infants higher on the Adapted Behaviours subscale, specifically on the leisure and self‐directed scales, when corrected for substance use and socio‐economic status. This pilot study found higher maternal ratings of Adapted Behaviours at 16 weeks, which may be due to unrealistic expectations about infant development.

Highlights

• Maternal Antisocial behaviour disorders (ABDs) do not impact early infant neurodevelopment at ≤ 8 weeks old as measured by standardized assessment.
• Mothers with ABDs view their infants at 16 weeks as better adapted than women without any psychiatric disorder.
• Specifically, mothers with ABDs reported their infants as better adapted on the leisure and self‐direction subscales of the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development‐III. This finding may be due to less knowledge about normal infant adaptive behavior.

     

Genetic and environmental influences on pre‐schizophrenic personality: MAXCOV‐HITMAX and LISREL analyses

Postulating that the predisposition to illness in Claridge's disease model of schizophrenia can be equated with the personality dimensions S or Insensitivity, (low) E or Extraversion, and N or Neuroticism, as measured by Van Kampen's 3DPT, and assuming that the mode of transmission of schizophrenia is basically polygenic, the genetic and environmental etiology of S, E, and N was assessed in a sample of 52 MZ and 76 DZ twin pairs and their parents by means of LISREL. Besides, in a sample of 2118 subjects MAXCOV–HITMAX analyses were conducted for these factors as well as for the personality dimension G or Orderliness, but now assessed by the 4DPT, in order to find out whether a discrete or quasi‐discrete variable might also underlie these dimensions, giving support to the possibility of dominance or epistasis. The results obtained in these investigations favoured a model for all three dimensions, allowing for both additive and non‐additive genetic effects in combination with non‐shared environmental influences. It was not possible to choose between a model involving dominance and a model involving epistatic genetic effects. With the use of scores corrected for sex and age, which were converted to normal scores, the proportion of variance explained by additive genetic factors was 20% for S, 40–41% for E, and 26–29% for N. Dominance or multiple‐gene epistasis accounted for 37–38% (S), 19–20% (E), and 30–31% (N), and unshared environmental influences for 42–43% (S), 41% (E), and 42–43% (N) respectively. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The significance of occupations in work careers: An empirical and theoretical review

The central position of occupations in work careers has been a widely accepted position in the study of careers. Furthermore, it has also been commonly believed that most work careers follow the temporal sequence of occupational choice, occupational preparation and training, and occupational entry and retention. An analysis of research findings, however, shows that most individuals do not make stable occupational choices as the first step in their work careers, nor do they show a strong commitment to a particular occupation during their work careers. On the contrary, occupational mobility is far more characteristic of most work careers than occupational stability. One possible explanation of the high rates of occupational mobility is that individuals are responding to opportunities that develop during the course of their careers. As opportunities unfold during work careers, individuals use those opportunities to make future career and occupational choices. Thus, careers may be more accurately considered as a series of responses to a succession of opportunity situations than the effort to realize a predetermined occupational goal.     

Control of voice gender in pre‐pubertal children

Adult listeners are capable of identifying the gender of speakers as young as 4 years old from their voice. In the absence of a clear anatomical dimorphism in the dimensions of pre‐pubertal boys' and girls' vocal apparatus, the observed gender differences may reflect children's regulation of their vocal behaviour. A detailed acoustic analysis was conducted of the utterances of 34 6‐ to 9‐year‐old children, in their normal voices and also when asked explicitly to speak like a boy or a girl. Results showed statistically significant shifts in fundamental and formant frequency values towards those expected from the sex dimorphism in adult voices. Directions for future research on the role of vocal behaviours in pre‐pubertal children's expression of gender are considered.     

Customer‐induced stress in call centre work: A comparison of audio‐ and videoconference

Call centre work was simulated in an experiment with 96 experienced call centre agents. The experimental design comprised two factors. First, agents communicated with customers either via phone, pc‐videoconference or pc‐videoconference with additional instructions increasing time pressure. The second experimental factor varied customer behaviour: half of the customers were friendly whereas the other half were rude. Several indicators of strain (e.g. emotional dissonance, tiredness) were assessed by self‐reports. Moreover, the levels of immunoglobulin A (IgA) in salvia were determined at three sampling points and specific behaviours of agents (e.g. smiling to customers) were assessed using video data. It was found that unfriendly customer behaviour led to more strain and lower call performance than friendly customer behaviour. Inducing time pressure increased IgA‐levels and reduced talking‐time with customers. However, contrary to the expectations, the availability of video data did not enhance strain of agents. Instead, it was found that videoconferencing increased activation of agents if customers were friendly. Since higher levels of activation can counteract boredom and because customers often prefer to see their service providers, adding videoconference facilities in call centres seem to be a fruitful way of enriching routine call centre work.     

A comparison of dyadic interactions and coping with still‐face in healthy pre‐term and full‐term infants

Pre‐term birth has a significant impact on infants' social and emotional competence, however, little is known about regulatory processes in pre‐term mother‐infant dyads during normal or stressful interactions. The primary goals of this study were to investigate the differences in infant and caregiver interactive behaviour and dyadic coordination of clinically healthy pre‐term compared to full‐term infant‐mother dyads and to examine pre‐term infants' capacity for coping with stress using the face‐to‐face still‐face paradigm (FFSF). Fifty mother‐infant dyads, including 25 pre‐term infants and 25 full‐term infants were videotaped during the FFSF. All infants were 6–9 months of age (corrected for gestational age in the pre‐term group). Infant and maternal socio‐emotional expressivity and self‐regulatory behaviours were coded and measures of dyadic coordination (Matching, Reparation Rate, and Synchrony) were calculated. There were no significant differences in infant and caregiver socio‐emotional behaviours between the two groups and both groups demonstrated the still‐face (SF) effect and the reunion effect. There was a difference in self‐regulatory behaviour. Pre‐term infants were more likely than full‐term infants to use distancing (e.g., by turning away, twisting, or arching) from their mothers during the FFSF. Additionally, during the Reunion episode of the FFSF pre‐term infants showed more social monitoring compared to full‐term infants. Regardless of the birth status, the dyads showed less coordination and a slower rate of reparation during the Reunion episode than during the Play episode. The higher proportion of distancing in the pre‐term group and the increase in social monitoring suggest that even in normal interactions pre‐term infants may experience a higher level of stress and have less capacity for self‐regulation compared to the full‐terms and that pre‐term infants appear to use a compensatory strategy of increased social monitoring to cope with the stress of renegotiating the interaction during Reunion. The findings suggest that pre‐term infants have different regulatory and interactive capacities than full‐term infants.     

Memory bias in the recall of pre‐exam anxiety: the influence of self‐enhancement

Previous research has shown that students asked to recall the anxiety levels they reported prior to an exam exaggerate how anxious they had been. The present study investigated the effect of current emotions on this memory bias by comparing the recall of pre‐exam anxiety in students who either achieved or failed to achieve their target grades. Participants rated their anxiety levels 48 hours prior to the exam and were asked to recall these levels after receiving their exam results. The exaggerated recall of pre‐exam anxiety was observed only in students who surpassed their target grade. Students who failed to achieve their target grade significantly underestimated their pre‐exam anxiety levels. The findings are attributed to self‐enhancement motives that bias the recall of pre‐exam anxiety in the direction that maximizes self‐esteem. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Meanings Turkish people perceive in everyday occupations: Factor structure of Turkish OVal‐pd

Occupational value with predefined items scale is an originally 26‐item Swedish tool used to assess values people find in their everyday doings. The present study validated this scale on a Turkish sample and described the values that Turks perceived in their daily doings. The participants included a convenience sample of 446 adults with mean age 26 (SD = 7.3). Initial item analysis followed by principal component analysis (Promax) and internal reliability analyses of the components were conducted. Statistics yielded a 19‐item solution distributed across four factors. The Cronbach's alpha was .86, indicating good reliability. Confirming the earlier applications of the scale in the European and the American samples, factors related to recuperation, goal direction and social interaction emerged. Additionally, there appeared another occupational value subfactor, conservation, which did not show up in the Swedish and the American data analyses.     

A Four‐Country Study of the Relationship of Affect‐Based Trust to Turnover Intention

In this study, employees' affect‐based trust of their supervisor was used as the main predictor of turnover intention. It is hypothesized that affect‐based trust has a curvilinear U‐shaped relationship with turnover intention. The sample consisted of U.S., Polish, Russian, and Turkish participants, all with work experience. Regression results indicated that only the responses of the Russian sample supported the hypothesis, suggesting that Russian participants with either weak or strong affect‐based trust of the supervisor had higher intentions to the leave the organization. The Turkish, Polish, and U.S. results showed a negative linear relationship between affect‐based trust and turnover intention.