Organizational influence on working people's occupational noise protection in Hong Kong

INTRODUCTION: While there is some evidence of the influences of personal knowledge and organizational factors on workers' hearing protection, a causal model examining relationships between these variables is lacking. METHOD: To create and test such a model, this study collected data from 1,701 workers in Hong Kong through a random sample telephone survey. RESULTS: Fitting the model to the data revealed that organizational regulation of occupational noise protection was a root cause of workers' protective behavior, whereas workers knowledge about the protection exhibited only a minimal effect. CONCLUSIONS: These findings cast doubt on the significance of personal knowledge as a unique factor contributing to noise protection. The study also finds that organizational regulation was predictable by a number of organizational and industrial factors. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: To prevent occupational deafness, organizational regulation accompanied by regular inspection and a norm of noise protection is important.     

Attitudinal organizational commitment and job performance: a meta‐analysis

A meta‐analysis was conducted to estimate the true correlation between attitudinal organizational commitment and job performance and to identify moderators of this correlation. One‐hundred and eleven samples from 93 published studies were included. The corrected mean correlation was 0.20. The correlation was at least marginally significantly stronger for: (a) extra‐role performance as opposed to in‐role performance; (b) white‐collar workers as opposed to blue‐collar workers; and (c) performance assessed by self ratings as opposed to supervisor ratings or objective indicators. Four other assumed moderators (commitment measure: Affective Commitment Scale versus Organizational Commitment Questionnaire, job level, age, and tenure) did not have at least marginally significant effects. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Religion and attitudes toward work: A new look at an old question

This study examined the relationship of specific religions and degree of religious beliefs to various job-related attitudes and values such as motivational needs, job satisfaction, work ethic, and work, job and organizational commitment. Subjects were 222(107 male, 115 female) managerial and non-managerial workers in the Rocky Mountain area. Results showed no significant correlations between work-related altitudes and specific religious affiliation or degree of religious conviction. However, religious conviction was significantly finked to organizational rank, with non-managerial employees reporting a higher degree of religious conviction than managerial employees. Protestant workers scored higher in Protestant Work Ethic than did non-Protestants and persons with no religious affiliation had higher need for Power than Protestants, Catholics or affiliates of Eastern religions.     

Transformational leadership and organizational commitment: mediating role of psychological empowerment and moderating role of structural distance

Using a sample of 520 staff nurses employed by a large public hospital in Singapore, we examined whether psychological empowerment mediated the effects of transformational leadership on followers' organizational commitment. We also examined how structural distance (direct and indirect leadership) between leaders and followers moderated the relationship between transformational leadership and organizational commitment. Results from HLM analyses showed that psychological empowerment mediated the relationship between transformational leadership and organizational commitment. Similarly, structural distance between the leader and follower moderated the relationship between transformational leadership and organizational commitment. Implications for research and practice of our findings are discussed. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Organizational behavior implications of the congruence between preferred polychronicity and experienced work‐unit polychronicity

This research hypothesizes that greater congruence between preferred polychronicity (the extent to which an individual prefers to be involved with several tasks simultaneously) and experienced work‐unit polychronicity (the polychronic behaviors and preferences of the supervisor and co‐workers) will be associated with higher levels of (1) three components of organizational commitment (willingness to exert effort, desire to remain a member of the organization, and belief in and acceptance of organizational goals), (2) the individual's perceived performance evaluation by the supervisor and co‐workers, and (3) the individual's perceived fairness of the performance evaluation. Based on a sample of employed business school graduates, the results indicate that polychronic congruence is significantly related to these variables in the predicted direction. The use of polynomial regression analysis reveals additional characteristics of the relationships that would not have been available from the analysis of squared‐difference scores. The findings support the position that polychronicity and other temporal variables are important factors in organizational research. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Predictors of turnover amongst volunteers: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Volunteers represent a global workforce equivalent to 61 million full-time workers. A significant decline in volunteering has highlighted the urgency to better understand and address turnover amongst volunteers. To address this, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of turnover amongst volunteers. We also examined whether staying or leaving has different predictors. The meta-analysis integrated and synthesized 117 studies, encompassing 1104 effect sizes across 55 335 volunteer workers, to identify and quantify relationships between turnover and the broad range of variables that have been examined in the volunteer work domain. Amongst the strongest predictors of volunteer turnover were attitudinal variables, in particular, job satisfaction (ρ = −.58), affective commitment (ρ = −.58), engagement (ρ = −.54) and organizational commitment (ρ = −.54). Contextual variables that showed the largest effects included communication (ρ = .62), organizational support (ρ = −.61) and the quality of the relationship between volunteers and their leader (leader-member exchange, ρ = −.55). We synthesize our findings into an integrative framework delineating the predictors of volunteer turnover. In doing so, we extend turnover research to consider non-remunerated work contexts and provide a basis for developing turnover theory that is responsive to the unique experience of volunteers.     

Organizations and supervisors as sources of support and targets of commitment: a longitudinal study

The main objective of this study was to examine the relationship between perceived support and affective commitment, and the linkages between these constructs and some of their common antecedents and consequences. More precisely, using a sample of 238 employees, we conducted a longitudinal study to examine the linkages between the favorableness of intrinsically and extrinsically satisfying job conditions, perceived organizational support, perceived supervisor support, affective commitment to the organization and supervisor, and turnover. Affective commitment to the supervisor was found to completely mediate the effect of perceived supervisor support on turnover, whereas neither perceived organizational support nor organizational affective commitment were significantly related to turnover. Perceived organizational support partially mediated the effect of favorable intrinsically satisfying job conditions on organizational affective commitment and fully mediated the effect of extrinsically satisfying job conditions on organizational affective commitment. Finally, perceived supervisor support totally mediated the effect of favorable intrinsically satisfying job conditions on affective commitment to the supervisor. As a whole, findings suggest that exchange relationships between employees and their supervisors should be further investigated in future turnover research. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Etzioni's model of organizational involvement: A perspective for understanding commitment to organizations

There are two predominant views of organizational commitment: instrumental and affective. The purpose of the paper is to explore the extent to which an adapted version of Etzioni's macro organizational model of involvement may serve as a single model of both affective and instrumental perspectives of organizational commitment. Moral commitment and alienative commitment are treated as affective forms of organizational attachment, and calculative commitment is treated as an instrumental form of organizational attachment. The paper employs five samples for the investigation. It develops scales for measuring each of the three dimensions of commitment. The paper concludes that organizational commitment is multidimensional. It also concludes that employees report a mixture of commitment types. Evidence is offered in support of the affective character of moral and alienative commitment. Although the evidence is equivocal, there is support for the independence of the two dimensions of affective commitment: moral and alienative. Evidence is also offered for the differential association of the three dimensions of organizational commitment with related aspects of organizational behavior. The paper extends our understanding of organizational commitment by providing a place for both instrumental and affective forms of psychological attachment to organizations. It offers scales which may be used for future research, and it suggests research which may extend the adapted model in this paper as well as provide direction for practising managers.     

A longitudinal assessment of the determinant relationship between employee commitments to the occupation and the organization

A review of the research literature suggested that occupational commitment may be an antecedent to employees' commitment to the organization. Although several studies have assessed the general relationship between occupational and organizational commitment, none have attempted to establish the causal priority between the two constructs. In the present study, occupational commitment was viewed as a causal antecedent to organizational commitment. Based on longitudinal data from 100 management information systems professionals, this view was supported through cross-lagged analysis. Further, we examined a longitudinal causal model of the turnover process in which occupational commitment was placed as an antecedent to organizational commitment. Structural equation analysis supported the fit of this model to the data. Implications of the findings are discussed.     

The effects of perceived organizational support and perceived supervisor support on employee turnover

This study examines mediated effects of perceived supervisor support (PSS) and perceived organizational support (POS) on turnover cognitions, and their interactive effects on turnover behavior in a sample of 225 social services workers. In this study, we address a seeming contradiction in current findings regarding support and attachments to managers versus attachments to the organization itself. The POS literature suggests fully mediated causal paths to turnover from POS and PSS, through affective commitment. Whereas, the commitment, LMX, and turnover literatures suggest alternative causal paths that imply broader effects for POS and PSS on turnover. Contrary to earlier POS literature, findings showed that PSS had independent effects on turnover cognitions not mediated through POS. Model tests also indicated that POS had significant effects on turnover mediated through normative commitment, as well as affective organizational commitment. Moreover, a new significant interactive relationship was discovered such that low PSS strengthened the negative relationship between POS and turnover, while high PSS weakened it. Implications for research and practice are discussed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

How do organizational practices relate to perceived system safety effectiveness? Perceptions of safety climate and co-worker commitment to safety as workplace safety signals

Introduction: Integrating safety climate research with signaling theory, we propose that individual perceptions of safety climate signal the importance of safety in the organization. Specifically, we expect that three work-related organizational practices (training effectiveness, procedure effectiveness, and work pressure) relate to the broader risk control system in the workplace via individual perceptions of safety climate as a broad management signal. Further, we expect this broad management signal interacts with a local environmental signal (co-worker commitment to safety) to amplify or diminish perceived system safety effectiveness. Method: In a field study of oil and gas workers (N = 219; Study 1), we used mediation modeling to determine the relationships between work-related organizational practices, perceived safety climate, and perceived safety system effectiveness. In a field study of railway construction workers (N = 131; Study 2), we used moderated mediation modeling to explore the conditional role of co-worker commitment to safety. Results: We found that training effectiveness, procedure effectiveness, and work pressure predicted perceived system safety effectiveness indirectly via perceived safety climate (Studies 1 and 2) and that these indirect paths are influenced by co-worker commitment to safety (Study 2). Conclusions: Findings suggest that perceived safety climate is driven in part by work practices, and that perceived safety climate (from managers) and co-worker commitment to safety (from the local environment) interact to shape workplace safety system effectiveness. Practical applications: The insight that training, procedures, and work pressure are meaningful predictors of perceived safety climate as a signal suggests that organizations should be cognizant of the quality of work-related practices for safety. The insight we offer on the competing versus complimentary nature of managerial safety signals (perceived safety climate) and co-worker safety signals (co-worker commitment to safety) could also be used by safety personnel to develop safety interventions directed in both areas.     

A longitudinal study of the relationship between career management and organizational commitment among graduates in the first ten years at work

This paper reports the findings of a two‐wave longitudinal study investigating relationships between organizational and individual career management activities and organizational commitment in the early years of graduate careers. Several hypotheses are tested and receive mixed support. High organizational commitment predicts the practice of career management activities by graduates to further their career within the organization while low commitment is closely associated with behaviour aimed at furthering the career outside the organization. Graduates who manage their own careers also receive more career management help from their employer. This suggests that there may be the potential for employers to create a ‘virtuous circle’ of career management in which individual and organizational activities complement each other. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Work-safety tension, perceived risk, and worker injuries: a meso-mediational model

IntroductionWork-safety tension arises when workers perceive that working safely is at odds with effectively doing their jobs. We proposed that workers’ perceptions of work-safety tension would be associated with higher levels of perceived risk, which would, in turn, relate to worker injuries on the job.MethodGrocery store workers (n = 600) completed an online survey and organizational worker injury reports were obtained for a two-year period following the survey. Survey results were linked to subsequent worker injuries using hierarchical generalized linear modeling.ResultsWe found support for the proposed meso-mediation model: department work-safety tension predicted subsequent worker injuries, partially through an association with workers’ risk perceptions.ConclusionsSafety researchers and consultants and organizational leaders should look beyond typically-examined safety climate constructs, such as management commitment to safety, and pay particular attention to workers’ perceptions of work-safety tension.     

Organizational commitment,supervisory commitment,and employee outcomes in the Chinese context: proximal hypothesis or global hypothesis?

This study examines the relationship between organizational commitment and supervisory commitment (commitment to supervisor) in terms of their effects on employee outcomes in the Chinese context. Based on the principle of compatibility, we hypothesized that organizational commitment and supervisory commitment served as logical mediators (global hypothesis and proximal hypothesis) for predicting organization‐relevant and leader‐relevant outcomes respectively. Moreover, because of the impact of personalism in Chinese culture, we predicted that supervisory commitment also significantly influenced organization‐relevant outcomes, in addition to its effect on leader‐relevant outcomes. Two separate questionnaires were administered to 538 subordinates and their supervisors in Taiwanese companies. Structural equation modeling and hierarchical block regression analysis shows that the principle of compatibility and personalism can explain the proposed relationship in this study. Implications and research directions are discussed in light of Chinese culture for future investigation into organizational commitment and supervisory commitment. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

组织及环境因素对员工不安全行为影响的SEM研究

为分析组织及环境因素对员工不安全行为意向和不安全行为的影响,收集7个煤矿的735名一线作业人员有效调查问卷,采用因子分析方法(FAM)和结构方程模型(SEM),构建组织与环境因素对不安全行为意向及其行为的SEM。结果表明:不安全行为意向与安全装备、安全理念、危险源管理、工作压力、违章处罚、安全管理行为显著相关;不安全行为与危险源管理、工作压力、管理承诺、物态环境、违章惩罚显著相关;不安全行为与安全理念、安全装备、安全管理行为关系不显著;不安全行为意向与管理承诺、物态环境关系不显著。     

Differentiating antecedents of organizational commitment: a test of March and Simon's model

Recent theory regarding the nature of organizational commitment suggests that viewing it as comprised of two dimensions, value commitment and continuance commitment, is of theoretical and practical value. This field study found the differential antecedents of these two commitment dimensions to be consistent with the March and Simon (1958) framework using the two-dimensional organizational commitment questionnaire from Mayer and Schoorman (1992). Organizational tenure, retirement benefits, education, and age were more highly correlated with continuance commitment, while felt participation, perceived prestige, job involvement, and role ambiguity were more highly correlated with value commitment. Analysis using LISREL 7 supported the pattern of relationships between the antecedents and the two commitment dimensions. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Developing and maintaining union commitment: A theoretical framework

This article presents a dynamic model of the process in which union commitment is developed and maintained. Central to the model is the fact that commitment occurs in a context of organizational rights which are provided by the union as well as organizational responsibilities or citizenship behaviors on the part of union members. Based on an integration of the literature on organizational citizenship behaviors, psychological contracts, and organizational socialization, specific hypotheses are proposed.     

Managing the career deal: the psychological contract as a framework for understanding career management,organizational commitment and work behavior

This paper reports the findings of a study that investigated the relationship between different kinds of career management activities, the psychological contract, and outcomes of psychological contract fulfillment. The study tested a series of linked hypotheses which propose that individual career management behavior is associated with the experience of organizational career management help, which is related to fulfillment of the psychological contract. Fulfillment of the psychological contract in turn is linked to organizational commitment and is associated with behaviors at work, including absenteeism, turnover, and independent ratings of job performance. The findings provide some support for these proposed links. As a result, the paper makes four contributions to the psychological contract and careers literature: first, it shows that both individual and organizational career management behaviors are linked to psychological contract fulfillment; second, organizational career management help is associated with affective commitment and job performance; third, psychological contract fulfillment plays a key role in mediating the relationship between career management help and such attitudes and behaviors; and fourth, organizational commitment may mediate between psychological contract fulfillment and individual career management behavior aimed at furthering the career outside the organization. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

组织支持感对建筑业农民工不安全行为的影响*

为对建筑业农民工的不安全行为进行科学有效的管理,探讨组织支持感、自我效能感与建筑业农民工不安全行为之间的关系,防止因建筑业农民工不安全行为造成的不安全事件发生,从组织行为学和计划行为学视角出发,以218名一线建筑业农民工为研究对象,通过构建结构方程模型进行实证分析。结果表明:组织支持感的3个维度均可直接对建筑业农民工的不安全行为产生负向显著影响,其中关心利益维度影响最大,工作支持维度次之;建筑业农民工的自我效能感在其组织支持感与不安全行为的负向关系中起到中介作用。     

Leadership self‐efficacy and managers' motivation for leading change

This study develops and tests a leadership model that focuses on managers' motivation for attempting the leadership of change. The construct of leadership self‐efficacy (LSE) is defined, and a measure comprising three dimensions (direction‐setting, gaining followers' commitment, and overcoming obstacles to change) is developed. Based on Bandura's (1986) social cognitive theory, the primary hypothesis is that high LSE managers will be seen by direct reports as engaging in more leadership attempts. Relationships are also proposed between LSE and several factors that are expected to influence this confidence judgment. Managers' organizational commitment and crisis perceptions are modelled as potential moderators of the relationship between LSE and leadership attempts. The model was tested through surveys distributed to managers (n = 150) and their direct reports (n = 415) in a real estate management company and an industrial chemicals firm. Positive relationships (p < 0.05) were found between the first two dimensions of LSE and managers' leadership attempts. An interaction effect involving organizational commitment was discovered for the LSE/overcoming obstacles dimension (p < 0.05). Several positive relationships were found between LSE dimensions and proposed antecedents, including self‐esteem (p < 0.05), subordinates' performance abilities (p < 0.05), and managers' job autonomy (p < 0.05). Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.