The relationship between multiple levels of learning practices and objective and subjective organizational financial performance

Multi‐level learning approaches suggest that individuals, groups and organizations act both independently and interact dynamically to contribute to organizational performance. We directly examined this proposition in an Australian sample using a longitudinal design that employed subjective and objective financial performance data. Respondents completed a survey that provided details on their individual, team and organizational learning practices (ILP, TLP and OLP, respectively), and self assessed performance compared to 3 years ago. Concurrently, we collected objective performance data (sales/employee numbers) at 3 yearly intervals and averaged these data to create an index. Using hierarchical and moderated regression, we found a positive main effect for OLP with both subjective and objective performance. Main effects for ILP and TLP were not found. Further, we found a significant interaction between ILP and TLP such that the effect of TLP on productivity was better in organizations with less ILP. Three‐way interactions were not found. Overall, these results provide some support for the model. We discuss some limitations of the study and make recommendations for future studies. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The relationship between employees' perceptions of safety and organizational culture

PROBLEM: With limited resources to help reduce occupational injuries, companies struggle with how to best focus these resources to achieve the greatest reduction in injuries for the optimal cost. Safety culture has been identified as a critical factor that sets the tone for importance of safety within an organization. METHOD: An employee safety perception survey was conducted, and injury data were collected over a 45-month period from a large ready-mix concrete producer located in the southwest region of the United States. RESULTS: The results of this preliminary study suggest that the reductions in injuries experienced at the company locations was strongly impacted by the positive employee perceptions on several key factors. Management's commitment to safety was the factor with the greatest positive perception by employees taking the survey. DISCUSSION: This study was set up as a pilot project and did not unitize an experimental design. That weakness reduces the strength of these findings but adds to the importance of expanding the pilot project with an appropriate experimental design. SUMMARY: Management leadership has been identified, along with several other factors, to influence employee perceptions of the safety management system. Those perceptions, in turn, appear to influence employee decisions that relate to at-risk behaviors and decisions on the job. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: The results suggest that employee perceptions of the safety system are related to management's commitment to safety, which, in turn, appear to be related to injury rates. Management should focus on how to best leverage these key factors to more positively impact injury rates within their companies.     

电气伤亡事故的主客体场景指标设计及统计规律

为合理预防控制电气伤亡事故的发生提供依据,通过检索查阅国内外相关文献和政府网站公布的电气伤亡事故和案例情况描述,选取105起典型电气伤亡事故案例进行统计与分析;针对电气伤亡事故涉及的主客体场景要素,对其进行筛选、分类、排序及指标设计,形成系统的电气伤亡事故指标体系;结合现实情况对统计结果进行原因分析,根据统计结果,得到电气伤亡事故发生的一般规律,据此提出安全管理中需要关注与重视之处,以此来预防电气伤亡事故的发生。     

Moderating effects of self-efficacy for the relationship between training method and anxiety and stress reactions of newcomers

The purpose of this study was to examine the moderating effect of self-efficacy for the relationship between training method and newcomers' anxiety and stress reactions. The two methods of training examined were formal orientation and training and tutorial training. A sample of 198 newly-hired entry-level accountants completed a questionnaire following their first few weeks of entry. The results indicated that self-efficacy was negatively related to anxiety but not stress. However, a positive relationship between anxiety and stress suggested that self-efficacy was indirectly related to stress through its relationship with anxiety. Further, self-efficacy was found to moderate the relationship between training method and anxiety. Formal orientation and training was related to lower anxiety for newcomers with low technical self-efficacy. The opposite result was found for tutorial training. Tutorial training was related to higher anxiety for newcomers with low academic self-efficacy. The relationship between training and anxiety did not vary by training method for newcomers with high self-efficacy. The research and practical implications of a self-efficacy theory framework are discussed for the training, socialization, and adjustment of newcomers.     

Organizational level as a moderator of the relationship between justice perceptions and work‐related reactions

In this study, we examined the role of organizational level as a moderator of the relationships of procedural and distributive justice with seven employee attitudes and behaviors. Based on social identity and resource allocation theories, we suggested an allocational model of authority in organizations. We posited that lower rank encourages a more process‐oriented perspective that emphasizes procedural concerns while higher rank imbues a more result‐oriented perspective that emphasizes distributive outcomes. We considered the cultural context that characterized work relationships in our sample of respondents from a Chinese state‐owned enterprise. Significant sets of interactions supported the predicted relationships of procedural justice with three outcomes at lower levels and distributive justice with four outcomes at higher levels. Implications and extensions of these findings are considered. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The comparative merits of expert observation,subjective and objective data in determining the effects of in-vehicle information systems on driving performance

In this paper we report the results of a field study conducted for the EU project HASTE, in which the effect of IVIS task difficulty on driving performance was assessed by three concurrent methods. These included objective vehicle-related measures, subjective ratings from drivers and expert observers’ evaluations. Results showed that all three techniques were sensitive to detecting the effect of IVIS task difficulty on driving performance. As well as demonstrating a promising technique for measuring the effect of varying levels of visual spatial IVIS task on driving performance, this study highlights the value of subjective ratings and observer evaluation in assessing the effect of IVIS on driving performance.     

On the relationship between intragroup conflict and social capital in teams: A longitudinal investigation in Taiwan

In response to the prevalent deployment of teams in organizations, there is a need to jointly consider conflict and social capital within the teams to offer novel ways to understand group process. This study proposes that the association between intragroup conflict and group social capital may be dynamic and reciprocal. Specifically, this study investigates longitudinally how intragroup conflict influences group social capital within cross‐functional teams and recognizes whether the teams with high group social capital can further produce intragroup conflict. The two‐year longitudinal study sampled 527 individuals in 90 teams across two time periods. This study finds that when teams are formed (Time 1), task conflict relates positively to structural social capital, and relationship conflict relates negatively to cognitive social capital. There is an inverted U‐type relationship between task conflict at Time 1 and social capital at Time 2. Established teams (Time 2) with higher levels of social capital experience higher levels of task conflict and lower levels of relationship conflict than teams with lower levels of social capital. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

机场安检人员心理授权与违章行为关系研究

为减少民航机场安检人员的违章行为、提升民航机场安全水平,研究民航机场安检员的心理授权与违章行为之间的关系。在心理授权与违章行为关系中加入安全意识、安全动机和安全服从3个中介变量,构建机场安检人员心理授权与违章行为关系的理论假设模型;通过实证研究收集国内机场的安检员相关数据,对已构建的理论假设模型采取结构方程模型(SEM)进行检验。结果表明:机场安检员心理授权与违章行为存在一定相关性,即通过安全意识、安全动机与安全服从对违章行为产生间接影响;心理授权通过违章行为产生间接影响,通过安全意识、安全动机和安全服从的中介作用对心理授权与安全意识、安全动机和安全服从均呈现显著正相关。其中,对于安全动机的影响最大,其次是安全意识,影响最小的是安全服从;安全意识、安全动机和安全服从对于机场安检员的无意识违章、失控违章和故意违章3个维度均呈现显著负相关;安全动机对于违章行为的3个维度产生影响的差异性最小,即安全意识动机越高,机场安检员的违章行为的出现概率就会越低;安全服从与机场安检员的故意违章行为显著正相关。     

连续长坡路段驾驶员心率与平曲线半径关系研究

为研究公路连续长坡路段驾驶员心率与曲线半径的关系,提高行车安全,选取9名驾驶员进行实际道路试验.用多导生理记录仪采集驾驶员的心率数据,按上、下坡方向将试验路段的每个曲线划分为7个位置,分别对上、下坡方向每个位置驾驶员的心率增长率和曲线半径的关系进行回归分析,建立相应的模型,并对每个位置的模型进行分析,提出合理的曲线半径设置建议.综合上、下坡方向各位置的曲线半径研究结论提出合理的曲线半径取值建议,公路连续长坡路段曲线半径在r≥900 m和200 m≤r≤300 m内取值.     

Dissociation between driving performance and drivers' subjective estimates of performance and workload in dual-task conditions

Introduction

The current study measured how concurrent driving and in-vehicle activities of different levels of engagement varied in terms of performance and subjective estimates of demand and performance.

Method

In this test track study, 41 younger and older drivers completed a series of cognitive tasks while driving an instrumented vehicle. One task involved an engaging guessing game where drivers tried to guess the identity of an object. The other task involved a simple mental arithmetic task.

Results

We observed some dissociation between drivers' performance and their subjective reports. For instance, drivers tended to estimate their performance as better for the more engaging guessing task than the arithmetic task, though their performance was actually worse. At the same time, subjective estimates of workload across the two tasks did not vary in the dual-task condition even though they did in the single-task baseline conditions, suggesting that drivers failed to account for the added demands in dual-task situations.

Conclusions

We discuss the implications of these findings for driver safety.

Impact on Industry

Crashes due to distraction can carry tremendous costs for employers, in terms of injury, disability, and loss of potentially productive work years, whether these crashes occur on or off the job.     

Effects of attribute set size and pay ambiguity on reactions to ‘help wanted’ advertisements

Findings in multiattribute decision research were used as a basis for predicting the effects of help-wanted advertisement characteristics on vacancy attractiveness. In the first experiment, undergraduate students were presented with entry-level service job advertisements differing in attribute set size, attribute relevance, and pay ambiguity. Results revealed strong evidence for a set-size effect, with ads containing more (relevant or irrelevant) attributes increasing the attractiveness of the vacancies being advertised. Pay ambiguity decreased the attractiveness of vacancies with ads containing a small set of attributes. A second experiment presented students with the same advertisements, except that the small-set ads were physically enlarged to equal the size of the large-set ads. Results replicated the (large) set-size effect only for relevant-attribute ads. Also, pay ambiguity increased the attractiveness of vacancies promoted by ads containing a larger amount of relevant attributes. We conclude that merely adding relevant attribute information to help-wanted advertisements can lead to the inference that the jobs promoted in the ads are more attractive. Moreover, we tentatively suggest that pay ambiguity can lead to pessimistic inferences about pay for ads containing less information, and optimistic inferences about pay for ads containing more information. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Work performance,affective commitment,and work motivation: the roles of pay administration and pay level

The purpose of this study was to investigate employee attitudes and behaviors among knowledge workers under different forms of pay administration and pay levels. To examine these issues, I collected data from two business units in a large Norwegian multinational company with pay plans combining individual and collective performance and behaviors as the foundations for individual bonuses; one with two collective components (profit and behavior of the unit and the organization) and one with an individual component in addition to the two collective components. After controlling for organizational tenure, education, gender, perceived unit support, perceptions of distributive and procedural justice, and type of pay plan, the key findings are that base pay level, but not bonus level, was positively related to both self‐reported work performance and affective unit commitment, and that these relationships were partly mediated by intrinsic motivation. Furthermore, moderation analyses revealed that the relationships between bonus level and the outcome variables were not affected by type of pay plan. Implications and directions for future research on pay in knowledge intensive organizations are discussed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The changing pictures of the relationship between career and family

This paper discusses how male managers perceive the relationship between their careers and family lives. The authors suggest that a typology of perceptions is necessary to describe this relationship. The way individuals perceive the relationship is influenced by the emotional outcomes of work and the relative importance of work in the life of the person. While the former is mostly the consequence of the job-person fit, the latter is closely linked to the individual's life stage. Thus, work appears to be the more significant environment in an individual's early adult stages, while family and private life become the more salient environment later in life.     

On the subjective experience and correlates of downtime at work: A mixed‐method examination

In the current paper, we studied downtime at work. Downtime represents a unique aspect of work time, as employees have low workload and more discretion about their activities but are still paid to be at work. Despite its prevalence and potentially significant implications for productivity and well‐being, the experience of downtime has not been a focus in the literature. To study this phenomenon, we first used a qualitative method involving 15 focus groups. Results from 95 employees showed that downtime is distinct from formal breaks and withdrawal behavior and is generally a negative subjective experience. Categories of antecedents of experience and downtime activities were classified. Next, to further explore the phenomenon, and based on Study 1 and relevant literature, we proposed several hypotheses and tested them using an experience sampling method. Results from 86 employees (across 5 workdays and 689 data points) indicated that the amount of downtime was negatively related to day level job satisfaction, job performance, and subjective health. The duration of relaxation activities during downtime mitigated the negative effects of downtime on fatigue. The effects of enjoyment level of the activities, job autonomy, work engagement, and boredom proneness were also examined. Implications, limitations, and future research are discussed.     

风险管控是安全管理的根基和主线

为解决对风险"心中无数",控制风险措施"心中无底",预防事故方法"手中无术"问题,中铝集团在其职业健康安全环保精准管理体系中,将辨识、评估、管控风险作为安全管理的根基和主线,优化风险辨识方法,将管控措施落实到每个作业环节中。     

呼吸性煤尘与尘肺的剂量-反应关系分析

分析6个煤矿3082名煤尘接尘工人,其中包括51名尘肺患者接尘资料,首先通过比例换算法,按总煤尘EIC/TWA为1.5、总煤尘TWA/呼吸性煤尘TWA为3.82,将总煤尘EIC转换为呼吸性煤尘TWA;再用寿命表法分析累计接尘量与尘肺发病的剂量-反应关系,得到回归方程logit=5.714lgd-18.902(r=0.939),采用区间估计法,得接尘30年尘肺累计发病率为1%时,呼吸性煤尘TWA为6.52mg/m3,对估算结果取1.2的安全系数,呼吸性煤尘接触浓度管理限值为5mg/m3。     

Overview of the relationship between organizational and workplace factors and injury rates

This paper summarizes data from ten studies examining the relationship between organizational and workplace factors and injury rates. The studies were identified from a systematic literature search, as well as from other sources, and were included if they reported comparisons among at least 20 workplaces. Factors that were examined in at least two studies were identified. Their relationship with injury rates was determined. It was not possible to make quantitative comparisons between studies. We looked for ‘consistency’ or ‘contradiction’ in the relationships. Among the variables ‘consistency’ associated with lower injury rates were: empowerment of the workforce (in general matters); delegation of safety activities; and an active role (in health and safety) of top management. Among the ‘contradictory’ variables were the level and use of discipline for safety violations; and several others that were contradictory only in subgroups of the same study. We discuss the limitations of synthesizing results from the diverse studies.     

福建省安全生产与经济社会发展关系研究

安全生产是一个国家或地区经济社会发展过程中必然面临的一个课题.通过统计分析福建省经济社会发展相关指标及安全生产事故相关指标,分析了安全生产与经济社会发展之间的联系,论述了两者的辩证统一关系.