THE IMPACT OF HUMAN RESOURCE AND OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON COMPANY PRODUCTIVITY: A LONGITUDINAL STUDY

Within the strategic human resource management (SHRM) perspective, psychology‐based practices, especially empowerment, extensive training, and teamwork, are seen as vital to sustained competitive advantage. Other approaches, such as those of integrated manufacturing and lean production, place greater emphasis on operational initiatives such as total quality management, just‐in‐time, advanced manufacturing technology, and supply‐chain partnering as determinants of organizational performance. We investigated the relative merits of these practices through a study of the productivity of 308 companies over 22 years, during which time they implemented some or all of these 7 practices. Consistent with SHRM theory we found performance benefits from empowerment and extensive training, with the adoption of teamwork serving to enhance both. In contrast, none of the operational practices were directly related to productivity nor did they interact with other practices in ways fully consistent with the notions of integrated manufacturing or lean production.     

Employment of Recent University Business Graduates: Do Age,Gender, and Minority Status Make a Difference?

This study examined differences in the process of job search based on age, gender, and minority status. A sample of 398 recent business graduates of a southern university completed a survey on their current status and job search process, which was matched to their academic record. Results showed that women had higher GPAs than did men, but fewer women went on to graduate school immediately after graduation. African Americans had lower GPAs at graduation, were more likely to have used the university placement center, and were less likely to have had internships than Whites. These results are discussed in terms of providing better preemployment opportunities for women and African Americans and in terms of a realistic employment preview mechanism for all students.     

Facilitative Style,Individual Innovation,and Emergent Leadership in Problem Solving Groups

ABSTRACT This study responded to an issue raised in a recent review of leadership research regarding the lack of available data concerning leader characteristics and management of creative work groups. Specifically, the effects of facilitative leadership style and individual creative contributions on emergent leadership were assessed in an initially leaderless creative problem solving situation. Participants were 34 university security officers who were divided into four groups to play Island Commission. At the end of the session, participants rated each other on facilitative style, innovative contribution, and leadership behavior. Both independent variables made a significant contribution to perceptions of leadership (R = .82, p < .0001). Results are discussed in terms of leadership theory, and implications for personnel selection, training, and development of creative problem solving teams.     

EMPLOYER SUPPORTED CHILD CARE, WORK/ FAMILY CONFLICT, AND ABSENTEEISM: A FIELD STUDY

This study examined the relations among employer supported child care, work/family conflict and absenteeism. No support was found for the hypothesis that use of a child care center at work would reduce the amount of work/family conflict and absenteeism of employed parents. Consistent with our hypotheses, the results indicated that supportive supervision and satisfaction with child care arrangements (regardless of location) were related to less work/family conflict. Further, it was found that less work/family conflict was related to lower levels of absenteeism. The results have implications for the role of employers in addressing child care concerns of employees.     

Assessing the Development of Relationships: A New Measure

This paper describes the development and application of a procedure (The Relationship World Index) to measure the development of intimate relationships. Grounded in symbolic interaction theory, the Relationship World Index is a measure of agreement on important aspects of relationships between members of intimate dyads. The development of the measure was guided by assumptions inherent in symbolic interactionism that predict the emergence of a shared construction of reality that bonds relationship members. Research results are presented providing evidence for the reliability and validity of the measure.