Workspace characteristics,behavioral interferences,and screening ability as joint predictors of employee reactions: An examination of the intensification approach

This study explored the joint moderating (i.e. intensifying) effect of two central workspace characteristics (i.e. number of people and number of enclosures) on the relationships between behavioral interferences and affective responses among individuals with high and low ability to screen. One hundred and fifty-two clerical employees from a large university participated in the study. The results suggest that individual reactions to behavioral interferences at work (i.e. work fatigue and psychosomatic complaints) are intensified by the joint presence of few enclosures and high number of people in the setting; however, this intensification effect appears to hold primarily among individuals with low screening ability. Thus, the joint moderating effect of workspace characteristics itself appears to be buffered (i.e. moderated) by personal ability to screen. Implications of the results and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

The main effect model versus buffering model of shop steward social support: A study of rank-and-file auto workers in the U.S.A

Social support has long been considered an important factor in influencing the experience of stress and strain at work (e.g. Cohen and Wills, 1985). Yet the effect of union support on stress and strain has been largely neglected. In the present study we explored the role of social support provided by shop stewards as both a predictor of various indicators of strain experienced by their constituents as well as a buffer of stress–strain relations. These hypothesized relations were evaluated using data provided by rank-and-file members (N = 112) of a large local union associated with the automotive industry located in the midwestern region of the U.S.A. The results were not generally supportive of the main-effect model of steward support, but were consistent with the buffering model.     

Amniocentesis rate and the detection of down syndrome and other chromosomal anomalies in Israel

We investigated the contribution of different screening criteria to the prenatal detection of Down syndrome (DS) as well as other chromosomal anomalies in the Jewish population in Israel during 1990 and 1992. There was a significant decrease (P<0·03) in the incidence of DS live-births during 1992 (40:78 442) compared with 1990 (69:73 751) which paralleled a marked increase in total prenatal testing and in DS cases detected prenatally. Private laboratories, which perform amniocenteses mostly for women with a low risk of DS and without genetic counselling, had a significantly lower detection rate (1:917) compared with that of the genetic institutes, which following genetic counselling test both women ≥ 37 years of age (1:91) and women younger than 37 years (1:113). The detection of chromosomal anomalies other than DS was less affected by the reason for amniocentesis. Amniocentesis indicated by maternal serum marker screening of women younger than 37 years identified a greater number of chromosomal anomalies other than DS than amniocentesis based on age (≥37 years) alone (111:9604 versus 94:9810; P<0·06). Prenatal detection of DS is most effective when the indication for amniocentesis follows genetic counselling. The increasing use of maternal serum marker screening leads to a significant improvement in the positive detection rate of chromosomal anomalies other than DS in young women.     

Give them what they want or give them what they need? Ideology in the study of leadership

In recent years, a number of new, values‐based, or ideological models focusing on leader behavior have been proposed. These models include authentic, servant, character‐based, ethical, spiritual, and aesthetic leadership. In the present effort, we argue that these models, despite some differences in key dimensions, are tied together by a focus on moral behavior. The available evidence indicates that these models have only modest predictive power with respect to organizational performance criteria. More centrally, we argue that tests of these models are characterized by significant methodological problems with respect to both measurement and control. Moreover, these models suffer from some serious substantive concerns, including the explicit confounding of leadership and morality, discounting of system impacts, inappropriate assumptions about follower needs, and inappropriate scientific inferences. These models also fail to provide viable new approaches for leader development. We conclude that caution must be exercised when these models are employed as a basis for understanding leadership. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fear of terror and increased job burnout over time: Examining the mediating role of insomnia and the moderating role of work support

While the prevalence of terrorism has increased substantially, there is a paucity of research on the effects of terrorism on employee behavior at work. Building on conservation of resources (COR) theory, and its extension, the conservation of social resources theory, we close gaps in the literature by investigating the effect of fear of terror on increased job burnout over time, the mediating effect of insomnia, and the moderating effect of supervisor and co‐worker support on these relationships. This longitudinal study followed a large sample of Israeli employees (n = 670) across three time measurements over 7 years, in a time period characterized by a high number of terror attacks. The results showed fear of terror to be related to elevated job burnout over time, even during a period in which terror attacks were reduced substantially. Further, insomnia mediated the relationship between fear of terror and increased burnout, while co‐worker support, but not supervisor support, moderated the relationships between fear of terror and increased insomnia and between increased insomnia and increased burnout. The results further support the notion of loss cycles in COR theory, as well as the importance of social resources, which are the cornerstones of conservation of social resources theory. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.