Subject: Groups and Organizations

Compiled by Susan LaCette.GroupsandOrganizations.pdf: 992 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020

Entrepreneurship by circumstances and abilities: the mediating role of job satisfaction and moderating role of self-efficacy

Prior studies have found that job dissatisfaction and self-efficacy are significant factors influencing individuals’ entrepreneurial propensity. Existing literature on entrepreneurship often regards job dissatisfaction as an entrepreneurial push factor and self-efficacy as an entrepreneurial pull factor. The argument is that individuals who are dissatisfied with their jobs are more likely to seek alternative mode of employment such as self-employment. In other words, poor job circumstances may push individuals to leave their paid employment to start their own businesses. On the other hand, personal abilities such as self-efficacy may pull individuals toward starting their own businesses in areas where they are confident and competent in. Despite the importance of job dissatisfaction and self-efficacy for new venture creation, few if any studies have examined the entrepreneurial phenomena from a holistic perspective. Utilizing concepts from the P-E fit and self-efficacy literatures, this paper argues that the path to entrepreneurship is a multi-faceted interactive process between individuals’ personal attributes and their work environment. We specifically examined how IT professional’s personal attributes such as innovation orientation and self-efficacy condition individuals for an entrepreneurial career in unsatisfactory work environments.

What and Why of Technostress: Technology Antecedents and Implications

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (2002) reports that, on average, individuals worked seven hours per week from home in addition to regular work hours. This is made possible by advances in information and communication technologies (ICTs). While the increasing workload is not unusual, it has been related to stress, including the relatively new phenomenon of stress induced by technologies (technostress). Academic literature, popular press and anecdotal evidence suggest that ICTs are responsible for increased stress levels in individuals. However, it is not very clear as to how or why ICTs create stress. Prior research on technostress has been largely descriptive. As ICTs become ubiquitous, their stressful impact can be felt at all levels of an organization. Stress related health costs are increasing dramatically and there is evidence of decreased productivity in stressed individuals (Chilton et al., 2005; Cooper et al., 2001; Jex, 1998). So, organizations have incentives to better understand stressful situations at workplace. Based on the literature from management information systems, psychology, organizational behavior, and occupational stress, a model of technostress is developed to address the question of \u27how and why information and communication technologies enable stress in individuals\u27. Person-Environment fit model (Edwards, 1996) is used as a theoretical lens to explain technostress. The research model proposes that certain technology characteristics exacerbate stressors identified in occupational stress literature leading to the manifestation of stress, referred to as strain. Specifically, technology characteristics - usability (usefulness, complexity, and reliability), intrusive (presenteeism, anonymity), and dynamic (pace of change) are proposed to be related to stressors (work overload, role ambiguity, invasion of privacy, work-home conflict, and job insecurity). Survey design methodology is used to test the proposed research model. Field data for 692 working professionals was obtained from a market research firm (Zoomerang®). In general, the results from structural equation modeling supported the hypotheses from the model. The results suggest that technostress is prevalent (and a significant predictor of overall job strain). Specifically, work overload and role ambiguity are found to be the two most dominant stressors, whereas intrusive technology characteristics are found to be the dominant predictors of stressors. The results from this study have implications for both research and practice. It opens up new avenues for research by showing that ICTs are a source of stress - thereby addressing calls to understand the stressful impacts of ICTs (Nelson, 1990; Weber, 2004). To our knowledge, it is the first empirical study to address the phenomenon of technostress that is theoretically grounded in stress research. The implications of present research to other research streams such as resistance to technologies, value of technology investments are also highlighted. Based on research findings, this research proposes certain recommendations that can influence managerial action. Foremost among these, it brings attention to presence of technostress in organizations and also provides a framework which can be used to assess the extent to which technostress is prevalent

Work-Life Balance 2.0? An Examination of Social Media Management Practice and Agency Employee Coping Strategies in a 24/7 Social World

This study examines the work experiences of public relations agency professionals who specialize in social media and digital strategy for clients and those who manage employees tasked with monitoring, updating and responding to social media content. Building upon existing literature focused on work-life balance dynamics for strategic communicators, the research draws from a series of in-depth interviews and correspondence conducted with 26 agency professionals, representing a brand range of the industry. Participants were asked to describe how social media has impacted the nature and volume of their job responsibilities over the past five years, and to discuss how social media management duties have influenced career satisfaction within the industry. Interviewees were also asked about strategies their agencies are using to help employees respond to client needs and the 24/7 nature of social media. Common themes among responses were identified, as well as noteworthy anecdotal evidence. While interviewees expressed mixed emotions related to social media and its impact on their careers, personal lives and the broader industry, participants agreed the rise of social media has dramatically altered agency practice and client expectations, especially related to the speed of the workflow. Participants discussed issues of employee burnout and reported specific challenges related to keeping pace with quickly evolving technology, and the perceived need to maintain a personal brand conveying cutting-edge expertise. Others highlighted opportunities and unique challenges social media has created for more junior agency employees. Interviewees also described family dynamics and the distinct work-life challenges faced by parents, especially mothers, in juggling care-giving roles with agency responsibilities. Findings include identification of best practices and potential strategies for addressing contemporary work-life balance challenges

Moral Distress in Critical Care Nursing: The State of the Science

Background: Moral distress is a complex phenomenon frequently experienced by critical care nurses. Ethical conflicts in this practice area are related to technological advancement, high intensity work environments, and end-of-life decisions. Objectives: An exploration of contemporary moral distress literature was undertaken to determine measurement, contributing factors, impact, and interventions. Review Methods: This state of the science review focused on moral distress research in critical care nursing from 2009 to 2015, and included 12 qualitative, 24 quantitative, and 6 mixed methods studies. Results: Synthesis of the scientific literature revealed inconsistencies in measurement, conflicting findings of moral distress and nurse demographics, problems with the professional practice environment, difficulties with communication during end-of-life decisions, compromised nursing care as a consequence of moral distress, and few effective interventions. Conclusion: Providing compassionate care is a professional nursing value and an inability to meet this goal due to moral distress may have devastating effects on care quality. Further study of patient and family outcomes related to nurse moral distress is recommended

Examining Collegiality and Social Justice in Academia and the Private Sector: an Exploratory SYMLOG Analysis

This research compares the perceptions of the private sector, high-technology employees to the perceptions of university faculty members regarding organizational culture, social justice and collegiality concepts. The SYMLOG assessment technique was used to record the perceptions of respondents to four different concepts of organizational culture, two different aspects of social justice and two measures of collegiality. Comparative findings of gender differences across the eight concepts raise key organizational culture, legal, measurement, governance, and social policy issues for academia and high tech organizations. The development of a conceptual framework to guide future research and a blueprint to discuss desired organizational change are highlighted

Barriers to Work Place Advancement: the Experience of the White Female Work Force

Glass Ceiling ReportGlassCeilingBackground17WhiteFemaleWorkForce.pdf: 8903 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020

IT Staff Turnover Intentions, Job Modification, and the Effects of Work Recognition at Large Public Higher Education Institutions

Information Technology (IT) leaders in public higher education are under increased pressures to leverage innovations in technology to address their institution’s strategic imperatives. CIOs modify jobs by increasing responsibilities or changing the tasks that IT workers perform. IT staff who experience job modification are susceptible to lower job satisfaction and increased turnover intentions. IT leaders in other industries have successfully used work recognition to improve job satisfaction but there is limited research pertaining to these conditions among higher education institutions. This study sought to determine the perceptions and effects of work recognition and job modification on the turnover intentions of IT workers employed at 71 large, publicly controlled, higher education institutions. The researcher conducted a quantitative study using structured equation modeling to measure the potential moderating effects of recognition on job satisfaction, affective commitment, and perceived organizational support as predictors of turnover intention. The researcher found that work recognition was effective at moderating the effects of responsibility increase and task replacement on job satisfaction for IT workers with respect to their preferences of work recognition types. IT workers perceptions of the relative strength and duration of various work recognitions was also determined. The findings contribute to the study of turnover antecedents by providing new information on the relationship between extrinsic and intrinsic motivations and turnover intentions of IT workers at the institutions studied. The conclusions have implications for practice among CIOs in large public institutions regarding the importance and characteristics of work recognition as a tool for retaining IT staff