Differential effects of strain on two forms of work performance: individual employee sales and creativity

In this research, we develop and test a model of the links between psychological strain (subjective experiences of feeling conflict and tension) and work performance. Our model includes two types of strain (work strain and home strain) and two forms of work performance (quantity of individual sales performance and creativity). Thus we acknowledge the importance of work and non‐work sources of strain as well as the multidimensional nature of work performance. We test the proposed relationships with data collected over six months from a field sample of 195 hair salon stylists (personal service workers who interact directly with customers and provide services directly to individuals and not to other firms). Results demonstrate a positive relation between work strain and individual employee sales performance and a negative relation between home strain and employee creativity at work. Leader–member exchange moderated the effects of work strain and home strain on creativity. We discuss findings and implications, emphasizing multiple roles, the importance of differentiating types of strain, and the multidimensionality of work performance. We conclude by suggesting that strain may be particularly relevant to work performance of employees in jobs like those in our sample which are characterized by high social interdependence and low task interdependence. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Coordinating work in complex organizations

Differentiation, interdependence, and interest conflict between work units were investigated as determinants of managerial selection between coordination strategies. One hundred and four MBA students with managerial experience participated in a simulation in which they were required to select a strategy to manage systematically different relations between work units. Findings reveal a three-way interaction between differentiation, interdependence, and interest conflict affecting the degree of cooperation and centralization of selected strategies. The formalization of such strategies was affected by an interaction between differentiation and interest conflict. Implications for theory and practice are described.     

Incentives and cooperation: the joint effects of task and reward interdependence on group performance

We examine the joint effects of task interdependence and reward interdependence on group behavior and performance. We develop a model that predicts that task and reward interdependence will interact to increase performance, and present results of a laboratory experiment that confirms our prediction. We explore the efficacy of group reward systems for different task designs, and the relationship between cooperation and performance. We confirm earlier results on the weakness of the free-rider effect in small face-to-face groups. We also find, surprisingly, that while reward interdependence is important to performance, task interdependence, but not reward interdependence, drives observed cooperative behavior. This last result suggests caution in interpreting the efficacy of changes in the design of work. Such changes, if unaccompanied by changes in the design of the reward system, are likely to appear successful in terms of observed cooperation, but may not enhance performance. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Juggling work and family responsibilities when involuntarily working more from home: A multiwave study of financial sales professionals

Using multiwave survey data collected among 251 financial sales professionals, we tested whether involuntarily working more from home (teleworking) was related to higher time‐based and strain‐based work‐to‐family conflict (WFC). Employees' boundary management strategy (integration vs. segmentation) and work–family balance self‐efficacy were considered as moderators of these relationships. Data were collected one month before, three months after, and 12 months after the implementation of a new cost‐saving policy that eliminated employees' access to office space in a centralized work location. The policy resulted in employees being forced to work more from home. A voluntary telework program had been in effect before the new policy, implying that working more from home as a result of the new policy was involuntary in nature. Results revealed that involuntarily working more from home was associated with higher strain‐based WFC but not higher time‐based WFC. However, moderator analyses revealed that the positive association between involuntarily working more from home and both types of WFC was significantly stronger among employees with weaker self‐efficacy in balancing work and family. Boundary management strategy had no detectable moderating effect. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Editorial safety science special issue road safety management

The articles presented in this Special Issue on Road Safety Management represent an illustration of the growing interest in policy-related research in the area of road safety. The complex nature of this type of research combined with the observation that scientific journals pay limited attention to this type of research was the background for SWOV Institute for Road Safety Research in the Netherlands to organise a workshop on Scientific Research on Road Safety Management. This workshop generated a lot of attention in the road safety research community as well in the policy making community, and it was decided – in addition to the nine articles based on the presentations at the workshop – to include another seven articles which are considered of relevance for the chosen topic of this special issue.     

Pilot study on the influence of stress caused by the need to combine work and family on occupational accidents in working women

The influx of a large number of women into the workforce involves the need for these women to combine family and work responsibilities. Multiple roles lead to work–family conflict. This study analyzes the influence of work–family conflict on the causes of minor occupational accidents suffered by working women. A survey was done on working women in the Madrid region, who had suffered a minor occupational accident in 2004. The main finding was that nearly half of the women with children considered that the stress and fatigue caused by trying to combine work and family played a part in the accident; 21% of the respondents whose accidents took place while traveling to or from work and 11% the respondents who suffered the accident in the workplace said that family reasons played a part. Additionally, 50% of the women suffered after-effects as a result of the accident; children had to change their routine in almost 1 in 4 cases; nearly a quarter of the respondents said their work situation had been temporarily modified. This point to a need for polices that encourage men and employers to contribute more to solve work–family conflicts.     

Relationships of gender,family responsibility and flexible work hours to organizational commitment and job satisfaction

Psychological contract theory (Rousseau, 1995) suggests that women and those with family responsibilities may negotiate new psychological contracts that include family-responsive benefits such as flexible work hours. Relationships of gender, family responsibility, and flexible work hours to organizational commitment and job satisfaction were examined among 160 matched male and female managers in a cross-organizational study. Results revealed that women who perceived their organizations offered flexible work hours reported higher levels of organizational commitment and job satisfaction than women who did not. Also, flexible work hours were related to higher organizational commitment and job satisfaction for those having family responsibilities. Implications of these results for future research and organizational policy are discussed. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Different motivations for knowledge sharing and hiding: The role of motivating work design

Little research to date has focused on understanding employee motivation to share and hide knowledge. Using self‐determination theory, we tested the premise that knowledge sharing and hiding might be differentially motivated and that work design characteristics might influence the motivation to share knowledge with colleagues. In a panel survey of Australian knowledge workers and in a Chinese knowledge‐intensive organization, we asked knowledge workers, using time‐lagged designs, about perceptions of work design, motivation to share knowledge, and self‐reported knowledge sharing and hiding behaviors. Results, largely replicated across both samples, indicated that cognitive job demands and job autonomy were positively related to future reports of knowledge‐sharing frequency and usefulness via autonomous motivation to share knowledge. Unexpectedly, task interdependence was positively related to the three forms of knowledge hiding (evasive and rationalized hiding, and playing dumb) via external regulation to share knowledge. Implications for the design of jobs that motivate knowledge sharing and demotivate knowledge hiding are discussed.     

After-effects of job-related stress: Families as victims

In recent years, the unique stress experienced by those who do ‘people work’ has been acknowledged by the helping professions as a widespread problem and has been recognized by social scientists as a topic requiring systematic research. This paper begins by briefly reviewing research on the type of job stress experienced by workers in the helping professions. Then, a study of 142 police couples is reported, illustrating the effects of job stress on family life. In a survey study, police officers and their wives described family interactions. Officers who were experiencing stress, as measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory, were more likely to display anger, spend time off away from the family, be uninvolved in family matters, and to have unsatisfactory marriages. An examination of the coping patterns used to deal with the stress of police work highlights differences between coping strategies used by husbands versus wives.     

基于协整和因果分析的我国安全生产宏观政策干预研究

为进一步分析我国安全生产政策的实施效果及存在问题,根据政策时效干预度量化模型,采用协检验、格兰杰因果检验和脉冲响应分析等计量方法对1978-2006年我国特别重大事故发生趋势与政策时效干预力度关系进行量化分析,得出特别重人事故的发生与政策时效干预力度问存在长期均衡关系,且在10%的显著水平下,特别重大事故的发生是政策时效干预力度加强的格兰杰原因.同时分析表明,目前我国安全生产政策干预表现出两大缺点:被动性和滞后性.因此,应逐步开展生产安全事故宏观预警与政策模拟等研究,为提高安全生产宏观政策干预的主动性和前瞻性提供技术支持.     

Emergent network structure and initial group performance: The moderating role of pre‐existing relationships

Organization restructurings often put groups of employees into new teams and roles, and it is not unusual for some of these new teammates to have pre‐existing work and friendship relationships. While there has been much theorizing on the impact of existing social network structures on group performance, there has been less research on how pre‐existing relationships help or hinder initial group performance, especially in teams with interdependent roles and tasks. We explore several hypotheses in a competitive management simulation involving 42 teams and find that (1) the density of pre‐existing work and friendship relationships are directly associated with higher initial group performance, and (2) pre‐existing work network density moderates the relationship between emergent work network density and initial group performance. In other words, the degree to which emergent work ties are based on pre‐existing work relationships (i.e., former co‐workers actually work together in their new roles) also contributes to higher initial group productivity. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Balancing work and family: a field study of multi‐dimensional,multi‐role work‐family conflict

Little is known about the effectiveness of family‐friendly policies (FFPs) in reducing interrole conflicts involving work and family. The present study examined the influence of FFPs, work‐family culture, and family characteristics on salient job outcomes, and multiple dimensions of work‐family conflict (WFC) and family‐work conflict (FWC). Results from a survey of 564 workers, indicate that FFPs exert minimal effects on felt conflict, and that a positive work‐family culture and family support may be more instrumental in helping employees balance work and home roles. Findings also suggest that sources of conflict varied among workers, as did the mechanisms used to address WFC and FWC. This study underscores the importance of examining WFC as a multi‐dimensional phenomenon affecting employees in a variety of family structures, as well as considering the impact of FFPs in conjunction with work‐family culture. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Work—family conflict: A comparison of dual-career and traditional-career men

This research examines differences in the antecedents and consequences of work—family conflict — a form of interrole conflict that occurs when the demands of work and family are mutually incompatible in some respect — for two groups of career-oriented men: those with a homemaker wife (called traditional-career men) and those with a spouse in a career-oriented job (labelled dual-career men). Using a model built on the work of Kopelman, Greenhaus and Connolly (1983), the responses from 136 dual-career men and 137 traditional-career men were compared. The primary conclusion of this research is that maternal career employment has a significant effect on the antecedents of work — family conflict. Dual-career men appear to experience a significant negative spillover from their work domain. We suggest that this spillover is due to a lack of structural flexibility in the workplace, outdated organizational policies that operate on the myth of separate worlds' and a lack of social support for the male dual-career role which contradicts societal norms.     

中国安全生产政策变迁及其内在逻辑——基于间断均衡模型的实证分析*

为全面发挥安全生产政策对推进安全生产治理体系与治理能力现代化的保障作用,基于间断均衡模型审视改革开放以来我国安全生产政策变迁过程,并提出将其划分为3个均衡期和2个间断期。研究结果表明:在政策目标的转换下,我国安全生产政策变迁先后历经“生产安全”、“安全发展”与“总体安全”3个阶段的深刻调整。决策主体注意力分配、焦点事件持续冲击与地方政府创新供给利用改变政策场域而影响安全生产政策变迁,分别呈现“原动力”、“驱动力”与“拉动力”的作用机制,具有典型的中国情境。研究结果可为廓清中国安全生产政策变迁机制提供理论思考。     

21世纪中国安全减灾战略问题新论——兼议国家“十五”计划应纳入安全减灾问题的思考

中国正处于社会经济全面高速发展阶段,２１ 世纪仍将面临不同程度的自然灾害及人为事故的影响。虽然,在１９９９ 年即联合国“国际减灾十年”的最后一年召开了日内瓦“世界减灾大会”,并通过了一系列宣言及声明,但笔者认为,同近十年兴起的环境保护科学与管理相比,中国在灾害及事故的预测预报、规划战略、科技管理、文化教育诸方面尚有不少差距。为此,就其重要方面作一论述,并对国家“十五”计划未纳入安全减灾目标提出建议,以期引起科技界、决策管理界的关注。     

Diversity and team outcomes: the moderating effects of outcome interdependence and group longevity and the mediating effect of reflexivity

Reflexivity—the extent to which teams reflect upon and modify their functioning—has been identified as a possible key factor in the effectiveness of work teams. We examined the extent to which team composition affected team process (i.e., reflexivity) and in turn team outcomes (i.e., satisfaction, commitment, and performance). The results of diversity research thus far have been inconclusive in terms of positive or negative effects of team composition on team process and outcomes. In the current research, group longevity and outcome interdependence were expected to moderate the relationship between diversity on the one hand and reflexivity and team outcomes on the other hand. Reflexivity was expected to mediate these interaction effects. The current field study was conducted among 54 work teams from 13 different organizations. As predicted, few main effects were found. Instead, analyses showed interaction effects of diversity and outcome interdependence on the measures of reflexivity, satisfaction, and performance. As predicted, interaction effects were also found for diversity and group longevity on the measures of reflexivity, satisfaction, and performance. Three‐way interactions were found for satisfaction and commitment. Also, reflexivity was shown to mediate these relationships, indicating that the moderating effects of outcome interdependence and group longevity on the relation between diversity and team outcomes are due to the effects on process. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

安全政策评估分析与研究

分析了安全政策评估的内涵和主要内容及安全政策评估的必要性;对安全政策评估的类型进行了分类与阐述,着重对安全政策评估系统构成的5个要素,即评估者、评估对象、评估目的、评估标准和评估方法进行了分析和研究;最后,对安全政策评估的步骤和基本方法进行了初步的探讨。认为:提出及早开展安全政策评估工作,对指导新政策的制定、已实施政策的修订、把握政策执行方向以及控制安全生产形势均有重要作用。     

Leader‐member exchange,differentiation, and task interdependence: implications for individual and group performance

We investigated the effects of leader‐member exchange (LMX) differentiation on individual and group performance with a sample of 120 work groups consisting of 834 employees who represented six different organizations. LMX differentiation was defined as the degree of variability in the quality of LMX relationships formed within work groups. Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) results did not indicate support for a main effect of LMX differentiation on individual performance. Rather, the results demonstrated that LMX moderated the relation between LMX differentiation and individual performance, such that increases in LMX differentiation were accompanied by increases in individual performance for low LMX members, but no change in individual performance for high LMX members. At the group level, there was not a main effect for LMX differentiation on group performance. However, the hierarchical regression results revealed that the relation between LMX differentiation and group performance was moderated by task interdependence, such that for groups high in task interdependence, the greater the differentiation among group members, the higher the performance of the group. Conversely, for groups with relatively lower levels of task interdependence, differentiation among subordinates was not related to group performance. Finally, LMX differentiation was positively related to group performance in groups with a low LMX median, but was not related to performance in groups with a high LMX median. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Alcohol-impaired driving and its consequences in the United States: the past 25 years

INTRODUCTION: Progress in dealing with the alcohol-impaired driving problem in the United States during the past 25 years is addressed. METHODS: Trends in various measures of the problem were tracked and a thorough review of the relevant literature conducted. RESULTS: In the 1980s and continuing into the early 1990s, major decreases occurred in alcohol-impaired driving and its consequences. The contribution of alcohol to fatal crashes dropped by 35-40% during this period. Two primary reasons for the decline appear to be the emergence of citizen activist groups that mobilized public support and attention to the problem, and the proliferation of effective laws. Since about 1995 the alcohol-impaired driving problem has stabilized at a reduced but still quite high level. CONCLUSIONS: Highway safety organizations and citizen activist groups have continued to highlight the problem, but its status as a social issue has diminished. We basically know what the primary target groups are, and we know measures that would work to reduce the problem if implemented more fully. We know that political leadership, state task forces, and media advocacy are important ingredients in addressing the problem. It is likely that a resurgence in citizen activism will be necessary to foster these elements and refocus the nation on the unfinished battle against alcohol-impaired driving. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: Alcohol-impaired driving is still a major problem that needs continuing attention.