An Investigation of Potential Sources of Bias in Self-Report Job Analysis Data.

The present research was an exploratory laboratory and field investigation of possible sources of bias in self-report job analysis data. Because of the similarity between task perceptions and job analysis data, the research into task perceptions was used as a starting point for the present study. In the laboratory study, 129 undergraduate psychology students were asked in Session 1 to complete measures of field independence, mental ability, intrinsic work orientation, and self-esteem. In Session 2, subjects were assigned to either a clerical or manufacturing task in which student confederates expressed either positive or negative cues about the task. Subjects then completed a job analysis instrument and a measure of job satisfaction. Results indicated some main effects for these variables on job analysis data, although effects were often task specific. In a partial replication in a field setting, 56 bank tellers were asked to complete measures of job satisfaction, intrinsic work orientation, demographic variables, and a job analysis instrument. Results indicated some main effects for some demographic variables on job analysis data. The results of these two studies were discussed in terms of their implications for future job analysis research as well as for job analysis in organizational settings

Evaluation of a Pilot of the Oregon Department of Transportation’s Ecodrive Program

Economical, ecological, and safe driving – eco-driving – is aimed at reducing fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions (Martin, Chan, & Shaheen, 2012). The adoption of energy-efficient driving styles and practices has been recognized as a means of reducing energy consumption, and estimates of energy savings attributed to eco-driving have been reported to range from 5% to as high as 20%, depending on the driving context (Barkenbus, 2010; Stillwater & Kurani, 2013; van der Voort, Dougherty & van Maareseveen, 2001). Eco-driving is being promoted in partnership among the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) (Planning, Safety and Motor Carrier Division), the Department of Environmental Quality, the Oregon Department of Energy, and the Clean Cities Program (“EcoDriving Agency Partners”) to address fuel consumption in fleet drivers of light vehicles. The EcoDrive program was created to increase fuel efficiency in organizational fleets. The intent of the EcoDrive Program is to design and introduce eco-driving educational materials specifically targeted at drivers of light vehicles. The materials highlight the “Top EcoDrive Tips” and reinforce the relevant actions and benefits of eco-driving. The purpose of this report is to provide information about the implementation of the EcoDrive Program at three sites (publicsector organizations) within the state of Oregon and provide a preliminary evaluation of the program. In particular, this report will highlight how the EcoDrive Program impacted fleet drivers in terms of attitudes, knowledge, and behavior and how the drivers responded to the eco-driving materials. Further, we discuss recommendations for future implementations of the materials, highlighting possible organizational environments that are important for the success of the EcoDrive Program

Perceptions of Discrimination and Need for Affirmative Action Among Asian Americans: Is It Need or Self-Interest?

Bien que les personnes d’origine asiatique forment le groupe minoritaire ethnique ayant la plus forte croissance aux Etats-Unis, leurs points de vue ont fait l’objet de peu d’attention dans la littérature sur les actions positives (AA). Nous avons examiné les perceptions d’asiatiques en utilisant un échantillon de 216 étudiants du nord-ouest des Etats-Unis. Nous avons trouvé que les asiatiques perçoivent des degrés différents de discrimination en fonction du degré auquel ils parlent avec un accent perceptible, de leur statut de nationalité, et de leur génération d’installation aux Etats-Unis. Des personnes ne possédant pas la nationalité américaine et nées hors les Etats-Unis ont fait état d’une plus importante discrimination dans l’emploi et avaient des attitudes plus favorables à l’égard des AA pour les asiatiques. Les participants ont pensé que les asiatiques avaient un accès plus important à certains postes et qu’ils avaient de meilleures performances aux tests de recrutement que des personnes d’origine hispanique. Néanmoins, ils ont pensé que les asiatiques et les hispaniques devaient tous les deux bénéficier des AA et que les AA ayant comme cible chacun de ces groupes avaient un niveau de justice semblable. Nous commentons les résultats en termes des explications rivales venant des approches de justice dites égoïste ou fondée dans les besoins.Although Asians are one of the fastest-growing ethnic minority groups in the U.S., their views have received little scrutiny in the of affirmative action (AA) literature. We examined Asians’ perceptions of AA using a sample of 216 college students in the northwestern U.S. We found that Asians perceived different levels of discrimination as a function of their accent level, citizenship status, and generational status. Non-U.S. citizens and Asians not born in the U.S. reported more workplace discrimination and had more positive attitudes toward AA for Asians. Interestingly, Asians believed that Asians have greater access to certain jobs and believed they performed better on employment tests than Hispanics. Nevertheless, they believed that both Asians and Hispanics deserve to benefit from AA, and they perceived that AA targeting each of these groups was equally fair. These results are discussed in terms of the competing explanations of self-interest versus need-based fairness

The effect of age on daily positive emotions and work behaviors

This study draws on socioemotional selectivity and person–job fit theories to investigate the emotional bases for age-related differences in daily task crafting and in-role performance. We tested a mediation model in which age is related to positive emotions that in turn predict task crafting and in-role performance. A total of 256 people working in multiple organizations participated in a 5-day diary study. Multilevel modeling showed that, at the person level of analysis, age is significantly and positively related to positive emotions and task crafting and, via crafting, to in-role performance. No significant mediation of high- and low-arousal positive emotions was found between age and task crafting. However, at the day level of analysis, high-arousal positive emotions are positively related to task crafting, and this in turn is positively related to in-role performance. These findings make important theoretical contributions to understanding within-person processes associated with employee age in addition to more traditional between-person factors. They also have implications for managing an age-diverse workforce by means of job crafting.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Applicant perspectives during selection

We provide a comprehensive but critical review of research on applicant reactions to selection procedures published since 2000 (n = 145), when the last major review article on applicant reactions appeared in the Journal of Management. We start by addressing the main criticisms levied against the field to determine whether applicant reactions matter to individuals and employers (“So what?”). This is followed by a consideration of “What’s new?” by conducting a comprehensive and detailed review of applicant reaction research centered upon four areas of growth: expansion of the theoretical lens, incorporation of new technology in the selection arena, internationalization of applicant reactions research, and emerging boundary conditions. Our final section focuses on “Where to next?” and offers an updated and integrated conceptual model of applicant reactions, four key challenges, and eight specific future research questions. Our conclusion is that the field demonstrates stronger research designs, with studies incorporating greater control, broader constructs, and multiple time points. There is also solid evidence that applicant reactions have significant and meaningful effects on attitudes, intentions, and behaviors. At the same time, we identify some remaining gaps in the literature and a number of critical questions that remain to be explored, particularly in light of technological and societal changes

Work design and aging

The workforce is expected to age in the coming decades in most industrialized countries (Eurostat 2013; Toossi 2012); this is a result of decreased birthrates, later retirements due to financial need, and raising of the retirement age in many countries because of longer lifespans (Vaupel 2010). As a result of these changes, people are working later in life, often well into their 60s and even 70s. In this entry, the extant literature on job design for workers over the work lifespan is described. Specifically, two types of job design research are differentiated: research on physical aspects of the workplace to accommodate people as they age (a more ergonomic approach) versus job redesign that addresses psychological changes (e.g., cognitive ability, personality) that take place over the work lifespan. The focus in this entry is primarily on psychological job design, integrating lifespan development theories, age-related models of work motivation, and models of job design to describe how characteristics of the workplace can interact with worker age to affect job attitudes and behaviors. The few empirical studies that have examined psychological job design and age are cited. This entry concludes with a discussion of the several additional moderators that may further affect the interplay of age and job characteristics and concludes with a discussion of the practical challenges involved in implementing job redesign for workers of different ages in actual work settings

A Review and Synthesis of the Work Ability Literature

There is a growing literature investigating aging and work due to increasing numbers of older working adults. One emerging research line has focused on work ability (WA), or workers’ functional capacity to meet work demands, including the antecedents of WA and how WA affects work attitudes, performance, and retirement. Our article provides the first comprehensive multidisciplinary (e.g., medicine, psychology, management) review of the WA literature to date. In our review, we discuss the evolution and limitations of WA measurement and conceptualization that could limit future advancements in WA research, integrate WA with organizational and lifespan development theories, synthesize the extant WA literature using the job demands and resources model as an organizing framework, describe interventions focused on promoting and maintaining WA, and provide recommendations for future WA research. This review aims to offer greater understanding of how WA should be situated within the workplace literature and the processes by which workers determine their ability to continue working over their lifespan, ultimately leading to the development of workplace interventions and policies to address these profound changes in workforce demographics