Perceived Self-Efficacy and Dispositional Optimism in Leaders\u27 Behavioral Escalation of Commitment

Escalation of commitment is an individual\u27s persistent behavior at sustaining commitment to an original decision or course of action. Although researchers have found that personality impacts escalation of commitment behavior, this study addressed a gap in escalation of commitment behavior regarding personality in higher education, which has consistently been ignored. Building on the self-justification theory, this study was an investigation of (a) whether perceived self-efficacy and dispositional optimism individually predicted escalation of commitment behavior; and (b) whether perceived self-efficacy and dispositional optimism jointly predicted escalation of commitment behavior after controlling for age, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and tenure. Hierarchical regression was performed using a sample of 76 participants from a community college in Minnesota. Results suggested that only perceived self-efficacy will predict leaders\u27 escalation of commitment behavior and not dispositional optimism. The result of this study has implications for positive social change by aiding effective leadership decision making, enabling better screening and recruiting process, and allowing organizations to develop specific training and intervention programs that will help educational leaders utilize their positive attributes appropriately

The Theory of Relational Cohesion: Review of a Research Program

In this paper we analyze and review the theory of relational cohesion and attendant program of research. Since the early 1990s, the theory has evolved to answer a number of basic questions regarding cohesion and commitment in social exchange relations. Drawing from the sociology of emotion and modem theories of social identity, the theory asserts that joint activity in the form of frequent exchange unleashes positive emotions and perceptions of relational cohesion. In turn, relational cohesion is predicted to be the primary cause of commitment behavior in a range of situations. Here we outline the theory of relational cohesion, tracing its development through the present day, and summarize the corpus of empirical evidence for the theory’s claims. We conclude by looking ahead to future projects and discussing some of the more general issues informed by our work

The Effects of Psychological Contracts and Organizational Support on Organizational Commitment Behavior on Millennial Generation Employees

Employers and business owners who employ Generation Y as their workforce face many challenges along with tech-savvy characteristics, demands and lifestyles that are different from the previous generation. In this context, a strong psychological contract becomes an important antecedent in a company that employs Generation Y. This study seeks to analyze the effect of psychological contracts and organizational support on organizational commitment behavior (OCB) among millennial generation employees, using organizational commitment as a mediating variable. This study used a quantitative approach using simple random sampling technique with a total sample of 176 samples. The analysis technique was carried out using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with AMOS software. The findings indicate that organizational support and the psychological contract have a big impact on organizational commitment and OCB. The results show that organizational commitment has a considerable impact on organizational commitment behavior. Examining the organizational commitment's mediating function, the findings indicate that it plays a full mediating function in enhancing the impacts of psychological contracts and organizational support on OCB. Practically, these findings have implications for the importance of employee engagement through organizational commitment which predicts it is more likely to increase employee perceptions of the psychological contract and encourage positive behaviors that promote OCB. Keywords: millennial generations, organizational commitment, organizational commitment behavior (ocb), organizational support, psychological contract

Pilot Testing a Qualitative Methodology to Evaluate the Perceived Benefits and Stressors of Sole-Dog Ownership in Full-time College Students

The number of individuals acquiring pets is continually increasing, with 71.5% of Americans owning a pet in 2012. Companion animals are a huge source of benefits but owning them can also come with several stressors. However, little research has been conducted on the negative aspects of dog ownership. This pilot test evaluates the perceived stressors and benefits of sole dog ownership in full-time college students. The pilot aimed to hold three focus groups from which qualitative thematic data were collected and quantitative were collected from a demographic survey of participants. Participants were asked a series of questions about sole dog ownership such as their dog’s behavior, monthly expenses, daily time commitment, etc. Participants referenced four common themes under perceived benefits (developed responsibility, physical health, emotional support, and sense of pride) and three common themes under perceived stressors (traveling, commitment, behavior). This pilot can be adapted and expanded on to conduct qualitative research in the future on the benefits and stressors of dog ownership. In addition, data from this pilot test could be combined with future data to inform potential pet owners of all the areas associated with ownership, to enhance the decision-making process

Emotion and Group Cohesion in Productive Exchange

This study refines and experimentally tests a theory of relational cohesion that explains how and when actors become committed to one another in the context of multiactor exchange. The theory asserts that frequent social exchange results in (1) positive emotions that solidify and strengthen the person-to-group bond and (2) uncertainty reduction that renders the focal group more salient in relation to others. These two mechanisms produce a sense of psychological group formation and ultimately increase observable acts of commitment. In a “productive exchange” setting, three actors negotiate a joint venture that requires the assent of all members. The exchanges featured two forms of commitment behavior: the giving of small token gifts and the decision to invest in a three-way prisoner’s dilemma. The results suggest that positive emotion and uncertainty reduction are theoretically distinct and affect commitment behavior through different mechanisms. The article concludes by discussing the general implications for commitment and social order

Emotion and Group Cohesion in Productive Exchange

This study refines and experimentally tests a theory of relational cohesion that explains how and when actors become committed to one another in the context of multiactor exchange. The theory asserts that frequent social exchange results in (1) positive emotions that solidify and strengthen the person-to-group bond and (2) uncertainty reduction that renders the focal group more salient in relation to others. These two mechanisms produce a sense of psychological group formation and ultimately increase observable acts of commitment. In a “productive exchange” setting, three actors negotiate a joint venture that requires the assent of all members. The exchanges featured two forms of commitment behavior: the giving of small token gifts and the decision to invest in a three-way prisoner’s dilemma. The results suggest that positive emotion and uncertainty reduction are theoretically distinct and affect commitment behavior through different mechanisms. The article concludes by discussing the general implications for commitment and social order

Structural Power and Emotional Processes in Negotiation: A Social Exchange Approach

This chapter focuses in the abstract on when and how repeated negotiations between the same actors foster positive feelings or emotions and, in turn, an affective commitment to their relationship. However, we have in mind applications to pivotal dyads within organizations and also to the emergence of friction” or stickiness” in market relations. Implicit in the idea that negotiations in pivotal dyads shape institutional patterns is the notion that repeated negotiations between the same two actors are likely to become more than instrumental ways for the particular actors to get work done. We suggest a simple process by which dyadic negotiations give rise to incipient affective commitments that make the relationship an expressive object of attachment in its own right. When such transformations occur, future negotiations are not just efforts to solve yet another concrete issue or problem that the particular actors face; they come to symbolize or express the existence of a positive, productive relationship. Commitments that have an emotional/affective component tend to make the exchange relation an objective reality with intrinsic value to actors. In Berger and Luckmann\u27s (1967) terms, the relation becomes a third force.