Linking Distributive and Procedural Justice to Employee Engagement Through Social Exchange: A Field Study in India

Research linking justice perceptions to employee outcomes has referred to social exchange as its central theoretical premise. We tested a conceptual model linking distributive and procedural justice to employee engagement through social exchange mediators, namely, perceived organizational support and psychological contract, among 238 managers and executives from manufacturing and service sector firms in India. Findings suggest that perceived organizational support mediated the relationship between distributive justice and employee engagement, and both perceived organizational support and psychological contract mediated the relationship between procedural justice and employee engagement. Theoretical and practical implications with respect to organizational functions are discussed

Phylogenomics and the rise of the angiosperms

Angiosperms are the cornerstone of most terrestrial ecosystems and human livelihoods1,2. A robust understanding of angiosperm evolution is required to explain their rise to ecological dominance. So far, the angiosperm tree of life has been determined primarily by means of analyses of the plastid genome3,4. Many studies have drawn on this foundational work, such as classification and first insights into angiosperm diversification since their Mesozoic origins5,6,7. However, the limited and biased sampling of both taxa and genomes undermines confidence in the tree and its implications. Here, we build the tree of life for almost 8,000 (about 60%) angiosperm genera using a standardized set of 353 nuclear genes8. This 15-fold increase in genus-level sampling relative to comparable nuclear studies9 provides a critical test of earlier results and brings notable change to key groups, especially in rosids, while substantiating many previously predicted relationships. Scaling this tree to time using 200 fossils, we discovered that early angiosperm evolution was characterized by high gene tree conflict and explosive diversification, giving rise to more than 80% of extant angiosperm orders. Steady diversification ensued through the remaining Mesozoic Era until rates resurged in the Cenozoic Era, concurrent with decreasing global temperatures and tightly linked with gene tree conflict. Taken together, our extensive sampling combined with advanced phylogenomic methods shows the deep history and full complexity in the evolution of a megadiverse clade

Organizational commitment: toward a different understanding of the ways people feel attached to their organizations

This paper aims to contribute to the understanding of the three-dimensional model of organizational commitment proposed by Meyer and Allen (e.g., 1991). It focuses on whether continuance commitment should be considered one-dimensional or bidimensional (low alternatives; high sacrifices). Whether affective commitment should be divided into two components (affective commitment; future in common) or if it should remain as a one-dimensional construct is also discussed. The paper also considers a “new” factor identified by Rego (2003), which he named “psychological absence,” but which we denominated here as accommodating commitment. Besides the confirmatory factor analysis, the paper shows how four dimensions of organizational justice (distributive, procedural, interpersonal, and informational) explain organizational commitment. The sample comprises 366 individuals from 22 organizations operating in Portugal. The predictive value of the justice perceptions for both instrumental commitment components is quite weak, despite ranging from 25 percent to 36 percent for the other components. Procedural and interpersonal justice are the main predictors. The accommodating dimension improves the fit indices of the factorial model, but its meaning is not clear. It is also not clear whether one should consider it as a new component of commitment or whether its items should be removed from the measuring instruments. The findings suggest that some gains can be achieved in the partition of the affective and instrumental commitment, but further research is necessary to clarify the issue.Este articulo pretende contribuir a una mejor comprensión del modelo de tres dimensiones del compromiso organizacional propuesto por Meyer y Allen (e.g., 1991). Explora si el compromiso calculado/instrumental debe ser considerado unidimensional o bidimensional (escasez de alternativas; alto sacrificio personal), y discute si el compromiso afectivo debe ser dividido en dos componentes (compromiso afectivo; futuro en común) o si debe permanecer como unidimensional. El trabajo también introduce un “nuevo” factor denominado por Rego (2003) como “ausencia psicológica,” pero que aquí es denominado “compromiso de acomodación.” Además del análisis factorial confirmatorio, el articulo muestra como cuatro dimensiones de justicia organizacional (distributiva, procedimental, interpersonal, e informacional) explica el compromiso organizacional. La muestra se compone de 366 individuos que trabajan en 22 organizaciones en Portugal. El valor predictivo de las percepciones de justicia para las dos dimensiones de compromiso calculado es bastante flojo, pero varia entre 25 porciento y 36 porciento para las otras dimensiones. La justicia procedimental y la justicia interpersonal son los principales predictores. La dimensión de acomodación mejora el ajuste del modelo factorial, pero su significado no es claro. Tampoco se concluye claramente si se debe considerar como uno nuevo componente del compromiso o si sus items deben ser eliminados del instrumento de medida. Los resultados sugieren que algunos beneficios pueden ser alcanzados con la partición del compromiso afectivo y del compromiso calculado, pero más investigación es necesaria para clarificar la cuestión.(undefined

Competencies through the eyes of the psychologist: A closer look at assessing competencies

Competencies have become a leading construct in human resource practices. However, empirical research on competencies has lagged behind resulting in a gap between practice and science. In this study, the focus was on the nature of competencies by examining the relationships of three competency dimensions with cognitive ability, personality and performance during assessment center exercises. Data of 932 applicants participating in a 1-day selection procedure were used. Results showed that to assess the competency dimension Thinking psychologists focus on cognitive ability. To assess the competency dimension Feeling psychologists rely on performance during interview simulation exercises and on measures of personality. In assessing the dimension Power psychologists focus mainly on personality, although they also rely on cognitive ability and performance during interview simulation exercises. © 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd

Trust and justice in the formation of joint consultative committees

The paper identifies six phases in the creation of new joint staff-management consultative arrangements such as works councils or staff forums. Trust and justice theories are used to analyse the processes involved in initiating, designing, setting up and maintaining such a forum. The resulting framework considers both institutional and interpersonal aspects, and is intended to present researchers with a structure and an agenda for investigating the nature and consequences of the processes involved. The framework also provides initial guidelines to practitioners involved with establishing new consultative arrangements

Perspectives on Organizational Justice: Concept clarification, social context integration, time and links with morality

Organizational justice is concerned with people's fairness perceptions in organizations and has been a popular field of study in the social sciences for at least 25 years. This paper reviews the core concepts, models and questions of organizational justice research. Four research areas that are particularly critical for the future of the field will be highlighted: concept clarification, social context integration, time and links with morality. These areas have received increased attention lately, but there are still relatively few empirical studies and theoretical frameworks that grapple with these issues. Concept clarification is vital for improved consistency of the field and for internal validity of studies. Situating organizational justice in social contexts and in time will be crucial to improve external validity and the usability of organizational justice findings in organizations. Understanding the links between morality and justice at an individual level, and at the organizational and societal levels is necessary if justice researchers want to live up to the promise of their field for society. For each of these four areas, recent developments will be reviewed and avenues for future research discussed