Toward reviving an occupation with occupations

The notion of occupation has long played a vital role in understanding the psychology of individual behavior, choice, perceptions, and attitudes in work contexts. Yet, the centrality of occupation to research found within the broader organizational psychology and behavior literature has been largely supplanted in favor of a more organization-centric lens. The primary goal of this review is to build a case for renewing direct efforts to more meaningfully integrate occupation into organizational psychology and behavior scholarship. In doing so, this chapter outlines what it means, and why it matters, to once again take occupations more seriously in our theory and research. Five essential ways occupations influence important organizational psychology and behavior phenomena are discussed along with exemplifying evidence from previous research. The review concludes with illustrations of occupationally focused questions that could be investigated across a number of specific organizational psychology and behavior topics

Members matter in team training: Multilevel and longitudinal relationships between goal orientation, self-regulation, and team outcomes

Longitudinal data from 338 individuals across 64 teams in a simulation-based team-training context were used to examine the effects of dispositional goal orientation on self-regulated learning (self-efficacy and metacognition). Team goal orientation compositions, as reflected by average goal orientations of team members, were examined for moderating effects on these individual-level relationships. Finally, individual-level self-regulation was investigated for its influence on multiple team-level outcomes across time. Results showed generally positive effects of learning goal orientation and negative effects of avoid performance and prove performance goal orientations on rates of self-regulation during team training. However, several of these individual-level relationships were moderated by team goal orientation composition. The importance of self-regulation in teams was displayed by results showing the average level of self-regulation among a team\u27s members over time was positively associated with team efficacy, team cooperation quality, and team decision making

Individual learning in team training: Self-regulation and team context effects

Although many analysts recognize that team-level learning is reliant on the acquisition of learning content by individuals, very little research has examined individual-level learning during team training. In a sample of 70 teams (N = 380) that participated in a simulation-based team training setting designed to teach strategic decision-making, we examined how self-regulation during team training influenced the extent to which team members subsequently demonstrated individual mastery of the team training content. We also investigated the extent to which team characteristics moderated the relationships between self-regulation and learning outcomes. Multilevel mediation results indicated that self-efficacy fully mediated the effects of metacognition, or self-monitoring of learning, on individual declarative and procedural knowledge of team training content. The results also revealed that these individual-level relationships were moderated by the team context. In particular, a team’s overall performance and quality of cooperation amplified the positive effects of individual self-regulation. Implications for team training research and practice are discussed

Expanding job crafting theory beyond the worker and the job.

Purpose – The overall goal of the manuscript is to deepen our understanding of job crafting and its consequences. An occupational framework is proposed as an alternative to the exclusive focus of current theory on the individual- and job-level of analysis. This model extends job crafting theory by applying a multilevel framework, examining bottom-up and top-down influences of occupations, and explicates the interplay among occupation- and job-level autonomy and job crafting.Design/methodology/approach – We conducted a two-study research program using multilevel modeling and moderated mediation analysis. Data were derived from two large-scale archival databases. Study 1 spanned 701 occupations and 50,729 individuals. Study 2 involved 270 occupations and 3,270 individuals.Findings – Study 1 reveals that nearly one-third of the variability in job crafting is attributable to occupational context. Study 2 shows that occupational contexts moderate individual-level processes whereby occupational-level crafting moderated the mediated effects between job-level autonomy, job-level crafting, and individual-level outcomes.Practical implications – Results inform interventions that can be used to facilitate job crafting. Increasing autonomy generally increases job crafting, yet this effect does not always hold. This result demonstrates the importance of attending to the occupations in which people work. Also, job crafting is related to positive outcomes for individuals (e.g., satisfaction), but is also linked to some negative consequences (e.g., burnout). Originality/value – The research empirically demonstrates the need to expand job crafting theory beyond the individual and job levels, as well as offers a deeper and expanded understanding of job crafting and its relationship with people’s occupations

On the road to Abilene: Time to manage agreement about MBA curricular relevance

Substantial evidence demonstrates that sound management practice is critical to creating effective organizations. Despite this fact, recent research suggests that courses designed to inculcate human capital competencies are wholly underrepresented in MBA curricula. Scholars have attributed culpability in various directions, collectively suggesting a broad devaluing of management education from one or more stakeholders including recruiters, business school policy makers, faculty members, and students. We bring forth evidence that reveals considerable agreement across stakeholder groups regarding the importance of emphasizing human capital competencies in MBA curricula. That is, contrary to conventional notions, business school stakeholders largely agree with practicing managers that human capital competencies are among the most important to be trained within MBA programs. This evidence suggests an Abilene paradox (Harvey, 1974) wherein the status quo of curricular misalignment is maintained due to a mismanagement of agreement. As such, we argue management faculty must deploy an evidence-based campaign that productively surfaces this agreement and moves MBA programs toward enacting appropriate curricular change congruent with managerial realities

It’s the nature of work: Examining behavior-based sources of work- family conflict across occupations.

The consequences of work–family conflict for both individuals and organizations have been well documented, and the various sources of such conflict have received substantial attention. However, the vast majority of extant research has focused on only time- and strain-based sources, largely neglecting behavior-based sources. Integrating two nationally representative databases, the authors examine 3 behavior-based antecedents of work–family conflict linked specifically to occupational work role requirements (interdependence, responsibility for others, and interpersonal conflict). Results from multilevel analysis indicate that significant variance in work–family conflict is attributable to the occupation in which someone works. Interdependence and responsibility for others predict work–family conflict, even after controlling for several time- and strain-based sources

Disrupt or Be Disrupted: A Blueprint for Change in Management Education

An evidence-based approach to improving the practice of graduate management education Compiled by the Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC®) and with contributions by administrators and professors from the top global MBA programs, this book provides business school decision-makers with an evidence-based approach to improving the practice of graduate management education. The book is designed to help navigate the pressures and create revolutionary platforms that leverage a school\u27s unique competitive advantage in a design distinctly tailored for today\u27s business realities

Effects of descriptor specificity and observability on incumbent work analysis ratings.

Judgments regarding the requirements of jobs and the requirements of individuals performing those jobs comprise the critical groundwork on which human resource practices are built. Yet, such judgments are potentially limited in a variety of ways. Using a large sample of incumbents (N = 47,137) spanning over 300 different occupations, we present research empirically examining how the specificity and observability of focal descriptors affect subsequent ratings. We use variance component (VC) estimation and meta-analysis to investigate sources of variance and interrater reliability of importance ratings across 5 descriptors (tasks, responsibilities, knowledge, skills, and traits). Results indicate that when ratings are rendered on descriptors of low specificity and low observability (e.g., traits), variance due to rater idiosyncrasies increases and reliability decreases. Implications for work analysis practice and future research are discussed