Thriving at work: Toward its measurement,construct validation,and theoretical refinement

Thriving is defined as the psychological state in which individuals experience both a sense of vitality and learning. We developed and validated a measure of the construct of thriving at work. Additionally, we theoretically refined the construct by linking it to key outcomes, such as job performance, and by examining its contextual embeddedness. In Study 1, we conducted second‐order confirmatory factor analyses in two samples, demonstrating initial support for the two‐dimensional structure of thriving. We provided evidence for the convergent and discriminant validity of thriving in relation to theoretically related constructs, such as positive and negative affects, learning and performance goal orientations, proactive personality, and core self‐evaluations. In Study 2, across two different samples, we further assessed construct validity by establishing a relationship between thriving and career development initiative, burnout, health, and individual job performance, explaining significant variance beyond traditional attitudinal predictors, such as job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Finally, in Study 3, we focused on understanding the contextual embeddedness of thriving. We found differences in reports of thriving across two points in time, when substantial changes are occurring in peoples' work lives and across contexts (i.e., work and non‐work). Implications for theory and practice, as well as directions for future research, are discussed. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Development and initial validation of an Aviation Safety Climate Scale

PROBLEM: A need was identified for a consistent set of safety climate factors to provide a basis for aviation industry benchmarking. METHOD: Six broad safety climate themes were identified from the literature and consultations with industry safety experts. Items representing each of the themes were prepared and administered to 940 Australian commercial pilots. RESULTS: Data from half of the sample (N=468) were used in an exploratory factor analysis that produced a 3-factor model of Management commitment and communication, Safety training and equipment, and Maintenance. A confirmatory factor analysis on the remaining half of the sample showed the 3-factor model to be an adequate fit to the data. DISCUSSION: The results of this study have produced a scale of safety climate for aviation that is both reliable and valid. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: This study developed a tool to assess the level of perceived safety climate, specifically of pilots, but may also, with minor modifications, be used to assess other groups' perceptions of safety climate.     

Best practice recommendations for scale construction in organizational research: The development and initial validation of the Character Strength Inventory (CSI)

Proper scale development and validation provide the necessary foundation to facilitate future quantitative research in the organizational sciences. Using the framework provided by the Researcher's Notebook , the purpose of this study is twofold. First, we present a modern summary of best practice procedures for scale development, reliability analysis, and validity analysis. Second, we explain and illustrate these best practice procedures by describing each procedure in the context of developing and psychometrically analyzing a new Character Strength Inventory (CSI). Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mobile phone use while driving: Development and validation of knowledge,attitude, and practice survey instruments

Introduction: Instruments that assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of mobile phone use serve as a primary assessment tool on which mobile phone distracted driving interventions can be designed. The objective of this study is to develop and validate KAP-modeled survey instruments that measure the knowledge of mobile phone hazards while driving (KMPHD), the attitude of drivers towards mobile phone use while driving (AMPUD), and the practice of mobile phone use while driving (PMPUD). Method: This study was a cross-sectional analytical survey conducted in Ibadan, Nigeria. Three instruments were designed to measure KMPHD, AMPUD, and PMPUD. Content validity, item analysis, exploratory factor analysis were conducted, and items were excluded based on the collective results of the analysis. The domains of the constructs and the reliability of the instruments are reported. A confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess the regression weights of each item and the model fit. Results: From an original list of 13, 12, and 10 items in the KMPHD, AMPUD, and PMPUD instruments, a final list of 7, 5, and 7 items were generated in each survey instrument, respectively. Two domains of the knowledge of hazards and practice of mobile phone use were obtained, and attitude to phone use while driving was a single domain. The reliabilities (Cronbach alpha) of the KMPHD (0.881), AMPUD (0.954), and PMPUD (0.920) were sufficiently high. Also, all items in the three instruments had moderate-to-high regression coefficients, and the model fits of the instruments were good. Conclusions: This study provides KAP-modeled survey instruments that can be used to assess a population-based knowledge, attitude, and practice of mobile phone use while driving. Practical Applications: This survey instrument can be used in assessing baseline knowledge, attitude, and practice of phone use while driving and determine the focus and effectiveness of mobile phone-induced distracted driving interventions.     

Memento Mori: The development and validation of the Death Reflection Scale

Despite its potential for advancing organizational behavior (OB) research, the topic of death awareness has been vastly understudied. Moreover, research on death awareness has predominantly focused on the anxiety‐provoking aspect of death‐related cognitions, thus overlooking the positive aspect of death awareness, death reflection. This gap is exacerbated by the lack of a valid research instrument to measure death reflection. To address this issue, we offer a systematic conceptualization of death reflection, develop the Death Reflection Scale, and assess its psychometric properties across four studies. Further, using a sample of 268 firefighters, we examine whether death reflection buffers the detrimental impact of mortality cues at work on employee well‐being and safety performance. Results provide strong support for the psychometric properties of the Death Reflection Scale. Further, moderation analysis indicates death reflection weakens the negative effect of mortality cues on firefighters' safety performance. Overall, these findings suggest the newly developed Death Reflection Scale will prove useful in future research on death‐related cognitions.     

Person-based reward systems: A theory of organizational reward practices in reform-communist organizations

A type of organizational reward system based on personal power is described and partially tested. The theory, developed from observations of Hungarian organizations, is grounded in theories of procedural justice and learned helplessness. Person-based organizational reward systems are characterized by highly valued rewards combined with personalistic criteria for reward distribution. Such organizational reward systems were hypothesized to lead to employee perceptions of organizational unfairness; negative evaluations of others; anxiety; and perceptions of self, collegial and organizational inefficacy. These hypotheses were supported in tests in a sample of three Hungarian state-owned organizations classified as having person-based systems and five non-person-based organizations (two Hungarian privately-owned companies, one American state-owned and two American privately-owned organizations). In addition, several behavioral effects of person-based reward systems were proposed: they foster bargaining behavior, withholding of information, avoidance of collaborative tasks, ingratiation and noncompliance with rules.     

Dynamic Inherently Safer Modifications: Metric development and its validation for fire and explosion prevention

Of the numerous inherent safety assessment tools, a dynamic metric capable of investigating and incorporating the temporal risk evolution when conducting Inherently Safer Modifications (ISMs) is yet to be established. To this end, this work developed a Dynamic Inherent Safety Metric (DISM) and validated its functionality and viability through a case study. Firstly, the Information-Flow-based Accident-causing Model (IFAM) was adapted to construct the topology of Bayesian Networks (BN). Then, Bayesian deductive reasoning was executed to do crucial risk identification by ranking posterior probabilities. Finally, risk-based ISMs were performed to address the relatively contributing risk factors. The case study results show that the fire and explosion risk decreased by approximately a third after implementing ISMs, thus demonstrating that the modified processing scenario could be inherently safer than the original processing scenario. The newly developed inherent safety metric (i.e., DISM) can assist in temporal risk identification and assessment, and it is expected to function as a novel assessment tool for measuring and comparing the inherent safeness before and after implementing ISMs with simultaneous considerations on the time-varying risk factors.     

Measuring climate for work group innovation: development and validation of the team climate inventory

This paper reports the development and psychometric validation of a multi-dimensional measure of facet-specific climate for innovation within groups at work: the Team Climate Inventory (TCI). Brief reviews of the organizational climate and work group innovation literatures are presented initially, and the need for measures of facet-specific climate at the level of the proximal work group asserted. The four-factor theory of facet-specific climate for innovation, which was derived from these reviews, is described, and the procedures used to operationalize this model into the original version measure described. Data attesting to underlying factor structure, internal homogeneity, predictive validity and factor replicability across groups of the summarized measure are presented. An initial sample of 155 individuals from 27 hospital management teams provided data for the exploratory factor analysis of this measure. Responses from 121 further groups in four occupations (35 primary health care teams, 42 social services teams, 20 psychiatric teams and 24 oil company teams; total N=971) were used to apply confirmatory factor analysis techniques. This five-factor, 38-item summarized version demonstrates robust psychometric properties, with acceptable levels of reliability and validity. Potential applications of this measure are described and the implication of these findings for the measurement of proximal work group climate are discussed. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The development and validation of a psychological contract of safety scale

Introduction

This paper builds on previous research by the author and describes the development and validation of a new measure of the psychological contract of safety. The psychological contract of safety is defined as the beliefs of individuals about reciprocal safety obligations inferred from implicit and explicit promises.

Method

A psychological contract is established when an individual believes that perceived employer and employee safety obligations are contingent on each other. A pilot test of the measure is first undertaken with participants from three different occupations: nurses, construction workers, and meat processing workers (N = 99). Item analysis is used to refine the measure and provide initial validation of the scale. A larger validation study is then conducted with a participant sample of health care workers (N = 424) to further refine the measure and to determine the psychometric properties of the scale.

Results

Item and correlational analyses produced the final employer and employee obligations scales, consisting of 21 and 17 items, respectively. Factor analyses identified two underlying dimensions in each scale comparable to that previously established in the organizational literature. These transactional and relational-type obligations provided construct validity of the scale. Internal consistency ratings using Cronbach's alpha found the components of the psychological contract of safety measure to be reliable.

Impact on Industry

The refined and validated psychological contract of safety measure will allow investigation of the positive and negative outcomes associated with fulfilment and breach of the psychological contract of safety in future research.     

Leader–member social exchange (LMSX): development and validation of a scale

In the last 10 years, research devoted to the construct of leader–member exchange (LMX) has increasingly relied on the tenets of social exchange as a theoretical foundation to propose and test relationships between supervisor‐subordinate dyads and variables of significant consequence. Despite the theory underpinning such relationships, researchers continue to measure LMX with scales developed to assess vertical dyad linkage (VDL), not social exchange. To address this concern, we investigated the content validity of LMX7 (the most widely cited measure of LMX) and LMX‐MDM (a popular multidimensional measure of LMX). Findings from content validity assessments by 25 LMX experts revealed LMX7 and LMX‐MDM items are not representative of the construct of social exchange. As such, we undertook a series of studies to develop a new scale we label, leader–member social exchange (LMSX). Results indicate LMSX is able to assess different, as well as the same, components of the supervisor–subordinate relationship as previous scales while being more theoretically consistent with the notion of social exchange. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On-road and simulated driving: concurrent and discriminant validation

Introduction

A converging pair of studies investigated the validity of a simulator for measuring driving performance/skill.

Study 1

A concurrent validity study compared novice driver performance during an on-road driving test with their performance on a comparable simulated driving test.

Results

Results showed a reasonable degree of concordance in terms of the distribution of driving errors on-road and errors on the simulator. Moreover, there was a significant relationship between the two when driver performance was rank ordered according to errors, further establishing the relative validity of the simulator. However, specific driving errors on the two tasks were not closely related suggesting that absolute validity could not be established and that overall performance is needed to establish the level of skill.

Study 2

A discriminant validity study compared driving performance on the simulator across three groups of drivers who differ in their level of experience - a group of true beginners who had no driving experience, a group of novice drivers who had completed driver education and had a learner's permit, and a group of fully licensed, experienced drivers.

Results

The findings showed significant differences among the groups in the expected direction -- the various measures of driving errors showed that beginners performed worse than novice drivers and that experienced drivers had the fewest errors. Collectively, the results of the concurrent and discriminant validity studies support the use of the simulator as a valid measure of driving performance for research purposes.

Impact on industry

These findings support the use of a driving simulator as a valid measure of driving performance for research purposes. Future research should continue to examine validity between on-road driving performance and performance on a driving simulator and the use of simulated driving tests in the evaluation of driver education/training programs.     

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.     

Effects of initial resources on the development of strains during a stressful training situation: Some counterintuitive results

Resource theories of occupational stress argue that employees' personal and environmental resources protect them from too much distress or strain during stressful work experiences. We examined four resources (emotional stability, previous experience, low drain on pre‐existing resources, and workgroup quality) available to soldiers at the beginning of a stressful 3‐month training experience as predictors of the trajectories of their strains over that period of time. Based on conservation of resources theory and the job demands–resources model, we predicted that the trends of strains would be more favorable (would increase more slowly or decline more quickly) if participants started the training with greater resources. The resources, primarily emotional stability and lack of pre‐existing resource drain, tended to be negatively related to strains, consistent with the idea that they can reduce strains. Significant interactions predicting trends were found predicting two of the three strains (post‐traumatic stress symptoms and depression, but not reports of physical health). Contrary to expectations, however, the three resources that significantly predicted trends over time (emotional stability, previous experience, and low pre‐existing resource drain) were associated with worsening rather than improving strains. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A test and refinement of the equity sensitivity construct

This paper reports results from two studies that test a refinement of the equity sensitivity construct first in an experimental setting and second in a field setting. Results from Study 1 show that benevolents express tolerance for both overreward and underreward relative to entitleds and equity sensitives and that benevolents report relatively high levels of satisfaction regardless of reward condition. Study 1 results also show that manipulation of outcomes produce a more dramatic effect on satisfaction than does manipulation of inputs. Results from Study 2 reveal significantly different exchange ideologies for benevolents and entitleds and show that entitleds place more importance on pay whereas benevolents place more importance on the work itself. For both benevolents and entitleds, there is a positive correlation between assessments of distributive justice and job satisfaction. Implication of the findings both for equity theory research and the practice of management are discussed.     

国外单兵装备介绍之美国警察专责特别行动小组(SWAT)

概述 1967年,美国第一个警察专责特别行动小组(SWAT)在美国的洛杉矶诞生.从此以后,全美国的警察力量都日益军事化了.包括乡村的警察局在内的各警察局,都纷纷建立了属于自己的警察专责特别行动小组.它们在60年代和70年代的国内骚乱中起了一番作用.80年代,反毒品战愈演愈烈,这种准军事化警察部队在很多城市都被用于打击毒品贩子.目前,许多可以由普通警官来处理的事情,都动用了这些特种部队;大约20%的警局都说,他们的特种部队是用来在社区进行巡逻的.     

Team effectiveness under stress: a structural contingency approach

To examine whether working under stressful circumstances restricts or enhances team effectiveness, a structural contingency model for team effectiveness was tested by focusing on job structuring (mechanistic/organic structuring) as a key factor, which interacts with qualitative and quantitative stress on team attitude (team commitment) and outcomes (team effectiveness). Findings from 73 primary care teams indicated that mechanistic structuring for teams working under quantitative stress was positively associated with team commitment, which in turn fostered team effectiveness, whereas organic structuring for working under qualitative stress improved team effectiveness. Furthermore, team commitment mediated the relationships between stress and structuring and team effectiveness. These findings support a structural contingency model for improving team effectiveness under stress. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

临时团队快速信任形成机制及在危机救援团队中的应用

危机救援团队是一种典型的临时团队,成员间的快速信任问题是研究的焦点。采用量表施测和情景模拟实验的方法,借助"公物两难"的研究范式,探讨责任感和风险感知阈两个变量对临时团队快速信任的影响。研究发现:责任感因素主效应显著,体会到较高责任感的个体更倾向于表现出合作行为和快速信任;风险感知阈因素主效应显著,对风险不敏感的个体倾向于表现出合作行为和快速信任;风险感知阈与责任感因素交互作用不显著。根据研究结论,具体提出危机救援团队建立快速信任的几点建议。     

Incremental effects of reward on experienced performance pressure: positive outcomes for intrinsic interest and creativity

Two field studies and a laboratory study examined the influence of reward for high performance on experienced performance pressure, intrinsic interest and creativity. Study 1 found that employees' expected reward for high performance was positively related to performance pressure which, in turn, was positively associated with the employees' interest in their jobs. Study 2 replicated this finding and showed that intrinsic interest, produced by performance pressure, was positively related to supervisors' ratings of creative performance. Study 3 found that college students' receipt of reward for high performance increased their experienced performance pressure which, in turn, was positively related to intrinsic interest and creativity. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Attitudes toward computers: Construct validation and relations to computer use

Attitudes toward computers are generally thought to be composed of two factors: (1) beliefs that the computer is a beneficial tool, and (2) beliefs that computers are autonomous entities. We employed confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling to examine (1) the convergent and discriminant validity of scales assessing two attitudes toward computers, (2) the relative predictive validity of the two attitude dimensions with computer use, and (3) a theoretical model of attitudes toward computers and computer use. Results supported the hypothesis that attitudes toward computers are composed of two distinct constructs and the hypothesis concerning the ordering of the two computer attitudes and computer use. We found partial support for the hypothesis that the two attitude factors differ in their prediction of computer use. Overall, the results supported the idea that two distinct beliefs about computers are present and that these two beliefs are significantly related to computer use.     

Safety management system: Development and validation of a multidimensional scale

The literature has recognised that implementing a safety management system is the most efficient way of allocating resources for safety, since it not only improves working conditions, but also positively influences employees’ attitudes and behaviours with regards safety, consequently improving the safety climate. The safety climate and the safety management system are considered basic components of the firm's safety culture in various models. However, the literature has focused more on measuring the safety climate, while few studies have correctly tested the psychometric properties of the instruments used to measure how advanced the firm's safety management system is. This paper reviews the most important works on safety management, with the aim of developing a measurement scale operationalising the safety management system concept, and subsequently calculating its reliability and validity. For this purpose, exploratory factor analyses and confirmatory factor analyses are conducted, using structural equation models, on a sample of 455 Spanish companies. This scale provides organisations with a tool for evaluating their situation with regards safety management, as well as guidance about which areas they must improve if they wish to reduce occupational accidents.