THE COMPARABILITY OF JOB EVALUATION METHODS IN SUPPLYING APPROXIMATELY SIMILAR CLASSIFICATIONS IN RATING ONE JOB SERIES

There is a belief that any job evaluation method, when correctly applied to a series of jobs, will result in approximately the same rating classification as that supplied by any other method for the same job series. This study was aimed primarily at a determination of the extent to which a number of job evaluation methods, differing in methodology, and presently in use within South Africa, would in fact supply similar classifications. Correlation coefficients among the sixteen participating organisation job evaluation point ratings for a sample of jobs which were heterogeneous in terms of type and level within the job hierarchy, ranged from .93 to .99 with an average of .98. Coefficients for the same sample of jobs divided into a high prestige category and a low prestige category, ranged from .60 to .99 and .86 to .99 respectively. Correlation coefficients among point ratings for the same organisations but for a second sample of jobs, homogeneous in terms of type and level within the job hierarchy, ranged from .75 to .99 with an average of .90. These results indicate a high degree of agreement among job evaluation methods in assigning point ratings, irrespective of job type and level within the hierarchy.     

DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF THE FIVE‐FACTOR MODEL QUESTIONNAIRE (FFMQ): AN ADJECTIVAL‐BASED PERSONALITY INVENTORY FOR USE IN OCCUPATIONAL SETTINGS1

Despite a proliferation in the number of instruments for assessing the Big 5 traits, extant measures are beset with limitations that render their use problematic in the workplace; that is, they contain generic as opposed to occupationally relevant items, couched in idiosyncratic, culturally specific language, demanding high reading ability levels, and are overly cumbersome. The 5 Factor Model Questionnaire (FFMQ) was devised to address these concerns. Five studies, spanning multiple samples and organizational contexts, demonstrate that the FFMQ is suitable for use with individuals drawn from the widest possible range of ability levels and cultural and socioeconomic groupings. The findings of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses are in line with the hypothesized factor structure, and the resulting new scales exhibit acceptable reliability (internal consistency and temporal stability) and convergent and discriminant validity in respect of Costa and McCrae's (1992) NEO‐PI‐R scales. Furthermore, the new FFMQ scales are differentially correlated with independent ratings of overall job proficiency across three occupationally distinct samples.     

Predicting marital satisfaction from behavior: Do all roads really lead to Rome?

The concurrent and longitudinal associations between spousal communication and marital satisfaction were investigated using two systems of observation (rating and coding) and two statistical methods. A coding system and a rating system were used to assess the amount of positive, negative, and avoidant behavior exhibited by 30 couples engaged in a 15-minute discussion about a marital problem. Change scores as well as regression methods were used to calculate correlations between communication behaviors and one-year change in Marital Adjustment Test (MAT) scores. Positive behavior by both spouses predicted an increase in wives' satisfaction, and negative behavior by both spouses predicted a decrease in wives' satisfaction. None of the variables consistently predicted changes in husbands' satisfaction. The two systems of observation and the two methods of analysis produced similar though not identical results. The article discusses the constructs of negative and avoidant behavior, reviews limitations of standard marital research methods, and offers theoretical and methodological recommendations for future research.     

Religious Perfectionism Versus Spiritual Growth

This article explores the fundamentalist Christian focus on perfectionism and its possible contribution to an increase in dysfunctional individuals, family systems, and societies. Several Bible verses are analyzed, and the results of their misinterpretation discussed. The need for a program of spiritual growth, as expressed by Alcoholics Anonymous, as opposed to a program of spiritual perfection is proposed.