Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder at work: Does it impact job performance?

Avaible online: http://dx.doi.org/10.5465/amp.2013.0107International audienceThe article focuses on Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), which affects a substantial proportion of the adult population and it often remains undiagnosed. Because of its symptoms, which include inability to focus and maintain attention, problems in time management and procrastination, ADHD is suspected as a cause of poor performance in the workplace. A recent contemplation suggests a mechanism for that: employees with ADHD may perform less well because they are unable to focus their attention at tasks that have a long-term consequence for job accomplishment, but they instead pay attention at tasks that require immediate attention, such as responding to a low priority e-mail, but are of less long-term importance for the job. In essence, this means that employees with ADHD may still demonstrate strong effort, but they are unable to translate that effort into actual work performance because they focus on low value-adding tasks. A series of studies have provided substantial support for that reasoning. The studies not only confirmed that ADHD is associated with reduced job performance, but they also demonstrated that ADHD does not allow employee effort to translate into performance on the job. What the findings also implied is that those with ADHD are probably unaware that their effort does not translate into performance, so they keep working inefficiently, albeit hard. The findings make important implications for practice and how to deal with ADHD in the workplace, given that ADHD may be affecting one in ten workers

Careers Patterns in Greek Academia: Social Capital and Intelligent Careers, but for Whom?

International audiencePurpose: To develop a comprehensive account for careers within the Greek academic system. Historical, cultural and geographical features of the country have created a unique context that has shaped the way academic careers evolve. Design/methodology/approach: The primary methods of data collection were retrospective participant observation and discussions in interview form with individuals who have had various types of experience with the Greek Higher Education system. Findings: The major factor that shapes careers in Greek academia is social capital or Know-whom that operates within a broader cultural environment where institutional collectivism is extremely low, the in-group - out-group distinction is a major element, and political party affiliation plays a key role in everyday affairs. As a result academic careers in Greece are almost exclusively determined by membership, a priory or earned, to an "in-group" that is linked via blood, family friendship, business and political party ties. This "in-group" uses its social capital to control academic careers across all stages for the benefit of its members. Research limitations/implications: There are method limitations, but relevant concerns were largely alleviated by precautionary measures and the way data were utilized. Ethnography may be the most appropriate method to disentangle the way networks and social capital impact careers. Practical implications: Achieving substantive change, such as increasing meritocracy, within a sector may be impossible without considering the broader cultural context that encapsulates it. Originality/value: The study is amongst the very first to unveil the "dark side" of social capital, and show how social capital may benefit the interests of in-groups at the expense of the collective.Objectif : développer un compte-rendu complet des carrières au sein du système scolaire grec. Les caractéristiques historiques, culturelles et géographiques du pays ont créé un contexte unique qui a façonné la manière dont les carrières universitaires évoluent. Conception / méthodologie / approche : les principales méthodes de collecte de données sont l'observation participante rétrospective, ainsi que des discussions sous forme d'interview avec des personnes qui ont eu différents types d'expérience au sein du système d'enseignement supérieur grec. Conclusions : le principal facteur qui façonne la carrière dans le milieu universitaire grec est le capital social ou le "connaître-qui", à l'oeuvre dans un environnement culturel plus large où le collectivisme institutionnel est extrêmement faible, la distinction "en-groupe" - "hors-groupe" est un élément important, et l'appartenance à un parti politique joue un rôle-clé dans la vie quotidienne. En conséquence, les carrières universitaires en Grèce sont presque exclusivement déterminées par l'affiliation, a priori ou acquise, à un "en groupe", lié par le sang, les relations familiales et amicales, les affaires et l'appartenance à un parti politique. Cet "en groupe" utilise son capital social pour contrôler les carrières universitaires, à toutes les étapes et au bénéfice de ses membres. Limites de la recherche / implications : des limites méthodologiques existent, mais elles ont été largement atténués par des mesures de précaution et par l'usage effectif des données. L'ethnographie est peut-être la méthode la plus appropriée pour démêler la façon dont les réseaux et le capital social influent sur les carrières. Implications pratiques : parvenir à un changement substantiel dans un secteur particulier, par une méritocratie accrue, semble impossible sans tenir compte du contexte culturel plus large de ce secteur. Originalité / valeur : cette étude est parmi les premières à dévoiler le "côté sombre" du capital social, et montre comment le capital social peut servir les intérêts des "en-groupes", au détriment du collectif

What accounts for job satisfaction differences across countries?

The authors focuses on research by Florian Pichler and Claire Wallace into whether individual and workforce factors are responsible for differences in job satisfaction across European Union countries or whether institutional factors were also at work. The main factors affecting job satisfaction were occupational class and type of employment contract so that people in professional and managerial jobs were more satisfied than employees performing manual work. Institutional factors, such as average wages, helped explain the impact of individual and workforce composition differences across countries

Cultural diversity at the top: Does it increase innovation and firm performance?

International audienceThe article focuses on cultural diversity and whether it has economic value. Though it is undisputed that cultural diversity within a country increases entrepreneurial behaviour the question that remains is whether this heightened entrepreneurial activity results in greater economic achievements. The article reports on a study that was carried out within the London area that presented an ideal setting given that London is a "super-diverse" city with intense economic activity. The results showed that ethnic diversity in the team of owners and partners of firms was indeed associated with greater innovativeness. This was in line with the view that diversity brings a variety of perspectives, skills and ways of thinking that in turn are translated into greater novelty in products or services and ways of performing tasks. On the other hand, however, ethnic diversity at the top did not translate into success at bringing innovations to the market, neither to revenue growth. Neither did the idea that diversity would be especially beneficial for innovation in knowledge-intensive industries find support. Finally, the data suggested that immigrants become entrepreneurs by choice rather than due to lack of better alternatives. The findings of the study raise the serious question of why the greater innovativeness that diversity brings does not generally translate into market and economic success, which opens new avenues for future research.L'article est consacré à la diversité culturelle, et de quelle façon elle revêt une valeur économique. Bien qu'il n'est pas contesté que la diversité culturelle au sein d'un pays favorise le comportement entrepreneurial, la question qui demeure est de savoir si cet accroissement de l'activité entrepreneuriale entraîne de meilleurs résultats économiques. L'article décrit une étude menée dans la région de Londres, ce qui représente un cadre idéal étant donné "l'hyper-diversité" de Londres, et son intense activité économique. Les résultats confirment que la diversité ethnique des propriétaires et des partenaires des entreprises favorise une meilleure capacité d'innovation. Cela renforce l'idée que la diversité apporte une variété de points de vue, des compétences et des façons de penser qui sont à leur tour présentes dans l'innovation des produits, des services et dans la façon d'exécuter différentes tâches. En revanche, cette diversité ethnique ne se traduit pas par la capacité à imposer ces innovations sur les marchés, ni par la croissance du chiffre d'affaires. L'idée que la diversité ethnique serait particulièrement bénéfique pour l'innovation dans les industries du savoir et de la connaissance est également battue en brèche. Enfin, les données suggèrent que les immigrants deviennent entrepreneurs par choix, plutôt que par manque de meilleures alternatives. Les résultats de l'étude soulèvent la question essentielle de savoir pourquoi l'innovation dûe à la diversité ne se traduit généralement pas par une forte présence sur les marchés et le succès économique. Cette question ouvre de nouvelles voies pour la recherche future

Getting back into work: What helps and what hinders?

International audienceThe article focuses on factors that affect individuals' effort to regain their employment. Despite the importance of getting people back to work, we do not yet know as much about factors that hinder such efforts. The research that is described in this article looked at two such factors: whether unemployed people consider themselves fit enough for work (regardless of their actual health), and procrastination tendencies, which are especially likely with tasks that are aversive (e.g., difficult, tedious) but nonetheless critical for achieving a valued outcome, such as finding employment. In addition, the study looked at the ability of employment counselors to evaluate unemployed individuals' probabilities of re-entering paid work. Measurements were taken at three different points in time with 236 job seekers. The findings showed that counsellors' assessments of job seekers' job search intensity and procrastination were able to predict reasonably well whether these job seekers would find work later. On the other hand, job seekers own evaluations of their job search intensity and procrastination behavior could not reliably forecast whether they would manage to find employment. In addition, counsellors were able to predict fairly well from the outset which job seekers would find work later. The findings also showed that job seekers' attitudes (what they believed about the search itself, the pressure they felt from significant others to find work, and their confidence in their ability to effectively search a job) could predict the intensity of their involvement in job search. These results were very much supportive of the capacity of counsellors to add substantial value in the reemployment process. In addition, they revealed the importance of taking into account factors that deter the reemployment process, such as self-perceptions of one's health condition and procrastination.L'article se concentre sur les facteurs qui influent sur l'effort des individus à retrouver un emploi. Malgré l'importance de remettre les gens au travail, l'état des connaissances reste faible sur les facteurs qui entravent ces efforts. La recherche décrite dans cet article considère deux de ces facteurs : d'une part les chômeurs se considèrent-ils suffisamment en forme pour travailler (quel que soit leur état de santé réel), et d'autre part, quelles sont leurs tendances à la procrastination, surtout pour des tâches rebutantes (difficiles, pénibles) mais néanmoins essentielles pour parvenir à trouver un emploi. En outre, l'étude porte sur la capacité des conseillers en emploi à évaluer les probabilités, pour les chômeurs, de réintégrer un emploi rémunéré. Les mesures ont été prises à trois moments différents, en suivant 236 demandeurs d'emploi. Les résultats révèlent le point suivant : les évaluations faites par les conseillers en emploi, sur l'intensité de recherche d'emploi et la procrastination, sont efficaces pour prévoir raisonnablement si oui ou non ces demandeurs d'emploi retrouveront un travail à terme. En revanche, l'auto-évaluation des demandeurs d'emploi quant à l'intensité de leur recherche d'emploi et leur tendance à la procrastination, ne révèle pas de façon fiable leur capacité à trouver un emploi. En outre, les conseillers peuvent prédire assez rapidement dès le début si les demandeurs d'emploi retrouveront un travail plus tard. Les résultats ont également montré que les attitudes des demandeurs d'emploi (l'idée qu'ils se font de la recherche d'emploi, la pression qu'ils ressentent de personnes importantes pour eux quant à leur capacité à trouver du travail, et leur confiance en eux dans leur capacité à rechercher efficacement un emploi), ces attitudes déterminent l'intensité de leur implication dans la recherche d'emploi. Ces résultats sont très utiles pour les conseillers et leur permet d'améliorer le processus de retour à l'emploi. En outre, cette étude révèle la nécessité de prendre en compte des facteurs qui dissuadent le processus de retour à l'emploi, comme par exemple la perception que l'on a de sa santé, ainsi que la procrastination

Does treating the permanent workforce well matter to temporary employees?

The article focuses on a study by Bard Kuvaas and Anders Dysvik testing their hypothesis that the development opportunities for permanent employees affect how temporary employees view their positions, their job behavior, and their social exchange relationship with the organization. The authors note that Kuvaas and Dysvik employ a social information processing perspective in which the social climate of an organization is a factor. The authors report that this hypothesis was validated in Kuvaas and Dysvik's survey of 375 temporary employees

Do labor markets impact whether sick employees call in sick?

Available online: http://dx.doi.org/10.5465/amp.2013.0106International audienceThe article reviews recent literature on the relationship between sickness absence and the conditions of the economy (i.e., recession or expansion). Two notions, notably the "employer selection" and the "worker disciplinary effect", can be useful in speculating on the relationship. The general idea is that recessions are linked with higher unemployment, which is in turn linked with heightened employment insecurity among the workforce. Such feelings of insecurity would then make employees reluctant to declare sickness absence for fear of losing their jobs. Indeed, this is what available empirical evidence generally suggests. However, it appears that there are a number of ramifications that make the relationship more complex. For example, it appears that the anxiety and stress caused by recessions per se harms physical and psychological health, hence, making it more likely for people to fall genuinely ill in the first place. This then leads to the grim "paradox" that at times of recession workers are more likely to be genuinely sick but simultaneously less likely to declare illness. This in essence means that at periods of recession many more people attend work when they are not in proper physical or psychological condition, which results in lower performance and heightened probability of accidents

Mentoring receipt and personality: Evidence for non-linear relationships

The research investigates the relationship of the Big-Five of personality with mentoring receipt with the use of two independent studies. The findings of the studies show substantial consistency. Equations of quadratic form describe half of the tested relationships better than linear equations. The association of openness to experience and agreeableness with mentoring receipt is of inverted U-shape. The benefits of being open and agreeable for mentoring receipt cease to exist at high values of these traits. On the other hand, emotional stability and conscientiousness demonstrate exclusively positive linear relationships with mentoring receipt. The form of the relationship of extraversion differs between the two studies, but the overall trend is positive. The substantial quadratic component in the association of personality with receipt of mentoring means that research hitherto may be grossly underestimating the effects of personality on developmental relationships because earlier studies assume strictly linear associations. Parts of the results also imply that the associations of certain personality traits with mentoring receipt may depend upon the occupational context

The relationship of emotional intelligence with task and contextual performance: More than it meets the linear eye

The relationship of emotional intelligence (EI) with job performance was investigated in 188 individuals working as expatriates. Job performance was considered in terms of task and contextual performance - helping (OCB-H) and voice (OCB-V) organizational citizenship behaviours - and was assessed by line managers. In line with expectations, most identified relationships were of quadratic U-shaped form. Specifically, all three relationships of the global EI construct, and eight out of the 11 identified relationships of its four facets, were of U-shape. That included the relationships of all four EI facets with task performance, and the relationships of two dimensions, self-emotional appraisal (SEA) and regulation of emotion (ROE) with OCB-H and with OCB-V. The findings illustrate the link of global EI and its facets with contextual performance apart from task performance that has been the primary focus of research thus far. The findings also suggest that although those with the highest scores on EI receive the strongest job performance ratings those who are most disadvantaged in terms of job performance are not the lowest EI scorers but rather those who find themselves near the middle of the EI scores continuum