Short report: The impact of measurement conditions on the validity of self-assessment in a selection setting

Two experimental studies investigated the impact of format and instructions on the validity of SAs, using participants applying for junior management positions in a public sector organization. In Study 1 (607 participants) self-assessments (SAs) were valid when applicants rated overall competencies or the same competencies broken down into discrete elements, but not when providing behavioural evidence prior to rating competencies. The effect of social comparison instructions was also explored but found to have no impact on validity. Study 2 used a subset of 193 candidates from the previous study who attended the next stage of the selection process. Consistent with predictions it was found that unbalanced, positively toned scales were more valid than conventional scales, and highest validities were achieved when used with instructions requesting a realistic SA of strengths and weaknesses. Interestingly, gender differences were found in both studies. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for both research and practice.     

Doing bad through being selective in doing good: the role of within-unit variability in ethical leadership

Although it is commonly assumed that perceptions of equity at work have a significant impact on employee absenteeism, our understanding of the equity–absence relationship is limited in that (1) little is known about equity concepts other than procedural and distributive justice; and (2) for the most part, research has overlooked variables likely to mediate and moderate the impact of equity on absenteeism. Drawing from the effort–reward imbalance model (ERI; Siegrist, 1996), our study advances past research by investigating the association between status inconsistency (a situation in which there is a mismatch between, for example, a person's education and his/her income) and absenteeism, and the variables likely to account for this association. Results from a sample of 416 customer-care employees show that stress mediates the relationship between status inconsistency and absenteeism, and that HRM practices attenuate this relationship. Moderated mediation analyses further reveal that HRM practices moderate the indirect effect of status inconsistency on absenteeism via stress.     

Job demands–resources model in the context of recovery: Testing recovery experiences as mediators

The aim of the present study was to extend the original Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model by taking into account recovery as an important mediation mechanism between work characteristics and well-being/ill-health. Specifically, we examined whether recovery experiences—strategies promoting recovery—might have a mediating role in the JD-R model among 527 employees from a variety of different jobs. The results showed that psychological detachment fully mediated the effects of job demands on fatigue at work and mastery partially mediated the effects of job resources on work engagement. Altogether, the results suggest that recovery merits consideration as a mediating mechanism in the JD-R model.     

Work–family conflict and facilitation: The combined influence of the job demand–control model and achievement striving

This study investigated the moderating effect of achievement striving (AS) on the relationship between situational variables, defined by the Job Demand–Control model (JDC), and both work–family conflict and work–family facilitation. In a sample of 224 employees in the welfare sector, the results of two hierarchical regression analyses showed that job demands were significantly positively related and job control was significantly negatively related to work–family conflict but not to work–family facilitation. For AS, a significant positive relationship was found with both work–family conflict and work–family facilitation. Interactions between situational variables and AS were insignificant although the interaction between AS and job control on work–family facilitation was close to significance in line with the expectations. Specifically, a lower level of job control did not lower the level of WFF experienced by individuals high on AS. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

Intuition and entrepreneurial behaviour

Entrepreneurs can be differentiated from non-entrepreneurs on the basis of intention, but intention is not always translated into performance that produces entrepreneurial outcomes. It is proposed that an alternative basis for differentiation is cognitive style (preferred approach to information processing). The present study hypothesizes that those owner managers who are, in practice, successful at identifying and exploiting opportunities for growth and capital accumulation (i.e., successful entrepreneurs) are (1) more intuitive in their cognitive style than the general population of managers; (2) no different in cognitive style from senior managers and executives; and (3) more intuitive than middle and junior managers. A questionnaire containing the Cognitive Style Index (CSI), a measure of the intuitive-analytic dimension, was distributed to the 437 founders of high growth companies listed in the latest edition of the publication Local Heroes (Scottish Enterprise, 1997). The 156 replies (representing a response rate of 35% were compared with those of 546 managers from various organizations who had completed the questionnaire previously. Results showed that all three hypotheses were upheld. Although the study was essentially exploratory, the findings are encouraging. They suggest fertile ground for further research by highlighting the importance of cognitive aspects of entrepreneurial behaviour.     

Does an intrinsic work value orientation strengthen the impact of job resources? A perspective from the Job Demands–Resources Model

Based on assumptions of the Job Demands–Resources model and the Person–Environment fit literature, the present research conceptualizes an intrinsic relative to an extrinsic work value orientation as a personal resource. We examine whether such an orientation may strengthen the relations of classical job resources (i.e., autonomy and learning opportunities) with well-being outcomes. The results in a large, representative sample of Dutch employees (N = 4009) show that a predominant intrinsic work orientation strengthened the negative association of learning opportunities with emotional exhaustion as well as the buffering role of autonomy for the health-impairing impact of workload. With respect to work engagement, a predominant intrinsic work orientation strengthened the positive association of autonomy, the expected boosting impact of workload on the stimulating association of autonomy, as well as the—rather unexpected—attenuating impact of workload on the positive association of learning opportunities with work engagement. Although not all hypotheses were confirmed, in general, results point at the importance and practical relevance of personal resources in the realm of the Job Demands–Resources model.     

The Demand–Control model and target's reports of bullying at work: A test within Spanish and Belgian blue-collar workers

The present study explores whether Karasek's Job Demand–Control (JDC) model's strain hypothesis can be applied to target's reports of bullying at work in matched samples of Spanish and Belgian blue-collar workers. In the Spanish sample, results reveal a positive main effect of workload and a negative main effect of autonomy. The relationship between workload and bullying is particularly strong under the condition of low autonomy (i.e., interaction), in line with Karasek's strain hypothesis. In the Belgian sample, results show a positive main effect of workload and a significant workload–autonomy interaction effect in accordance with the strain hypothesis. In sum, high strain jobs associate with target's reports of bullying in both the Spanish and Belgian sample. Karasek's JDC model may accordingly be extended to target's reports of bullying as a form of social behavioural strain. These findings furthermore enhance research in the realm of bullying at work by introducing a well-established theoretical framework to account for the relationship between workload, autonomy, and target's reports of bullying.     

Eight Decades of Employment Interview Research: A Retrospective Meta-review and Prospective Commentary

Abstract

This article presents a critical review and commentary on eight decades of research into the employment interview. Two alternative theoretical perspectives are identified from the body of empirical studies into the interview: the objectivist-psychometric perspective and the subjectivist-social perception perspective. Criticisms of both are presented, and calls are made for additional research into impression management behaviour, dysfunctions in interviewer decision-making, and situational power effects at interview. The article concludes with a cautiously optimistic evaluation of the interview research paradigm but emphasizes the requirement for future research efforts to be concentrated upon integrative theory-building in conjunction with ongoing empirical studies.     

Missed first appointments: Prevalence and associated factors in first-time attendees at an outpatient psychiatric clinic in Nigeria

In Nigeria, outpatient care forms the bulk of the psychiatric service. While there are no published data, empirical observations indicate that default may be high and exerting a huge toll on the cost of care. The aims were to determine the first-appointment default rate among newly seen outpatients in a psychiatric clinic and to identify factors associated with it. The study was a survey of all newly seen patients from 1 January 2006 to 31 January 2006, and who were given a follow-up appointment. A total of 223 new patients were seen. Of these, 151 (67.7%) turned up for their appointment, 61 (27.4%) defaulted, and 11 (4.9%) were referred. Defaulters were more likely to be Christians, younger in age, and in employment. On using correlation statistics, respondents’ religion and occupational status demonstrated a linear relationship and a significant association with follow-up attendance/non-attendance. The rate of non-attendance at first follow-up is of clinical concern, and the possible contribution of religion to this may be enormous. Clinicians and health policy makers need to be sensitive to this. The introduction of community psychiatric services and collaboration between orthodox and traditional/religious practitioners may help reduce default rates.