Suchergebnisse

Employee engagement is a positive, fulfilling, work-related state of mind characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption. Using Kahn's theory of engagement, we look at an organizational context where employee engagement may be promoted—the workgroup meeting. Two time-separated Internet-based surveys were used to query a sample of working adults ( N = 319). The findings provide support that the psychological conditions for engagement mediate the relationship between manager usage/facilitation of meetings and overall employee engagement. Specifically, as managers make their workgroup meetings relevant, allow for employee voice in their meetings where possible, and manage the meeting from a time perspective, employees appear poised to fully engage themselves in their work in general. The results suggest that managers can use a common workplace activity, workgroup meetings, to engage their employees when they use/facilitate meetings in an effective manner.

While researchers have explored many facets of workplace meetings, current research has yet to consider the concept of scheduling cadences (e.g., how meetings are dispersed throughout the day). Leveraging research on task interruptions and anticipatory reactions, we conducted two studies using experimental vignette methodology (EVM) where we presented hypothetical daily work schedules, varying by meeting load and dispersion, to a sample of full-time employees (Study 1: N = 109; Study 2: N = 222) and captured their anticipated feelings about the day. We also considered daily task-characteristics (e.g., expected task duration, task complexity) and an individual difference trait (work interruption resiliency; WIR) as moderating variables. Results from both studies provide evidence that daily meeting schedules influence employees' anticipatory reactions to the day in terms of positive affect and productivity. Days with meetings high in quantity, duration, and dispersion result in decreased anticipations of positive affect and productivity. Moreover, characteristics of the daily work task/s influence these relationships. When daily task complexity is expected to be high, the negative effects of meeting duration and dispersion are heightened. Further, an individuals' level of WIR moderates the relationships between daily meeting dispersion and anticipated end-of-day outcomes, with those low in resiliency more negatively affected by dispersed meetings compared to their counterparts. Findings from this research extend literature on meetings, workplace interruptions and anticipatory responses to offer insight into how to best schedule workplace meetings to increase employees' anticipated outcomes and experiences.

Because of changing workplace demographics, teams are becoming more gender diverse. Most gender research has compared all-male with all-female teams or same-gender with balanced-gender teams. Using 96 four-person teams, this study examined the impact of 5 gender compositions (all-male, lone-female, balanced-gender; lone-male, and all-female) on decision quality, time on task, and interpersonal cohesion. Using a male-oriented task (t = 4.14, p < .05), data analyses revealed significant mean differences indecision quality across the various gender ratios, F(4, 91) = 2.72, p < .05. Furthermore, a trend analysis provided support for the expected direction of the mean differences. As the number of males in the team increased, so did team decision quality; however, lone female teams outperformed all-male teams, F(1, 91) = 9.02, p < .05. No significant differences in interpersonal cohesion or time on task were found across the various gender ratios. A "process" explanation of the findings isforwarded.

Slaughterhouse workers face the reality of industrialized meat production on a daily basis, experiencing firsthand the routinized killing of animals. This occupation provides a window through which to view one key way in which animals and organizations intersect in modern society. Given its proximity to death and undesirable required tasks, working in a slaughterhouse is classified as 'dirty work'. Current theorizing, however, does not address how the intentional killing of animals may impact workers beyond its inherent dirtiness and low prestige. In this study, we draw upon and extend dirty work theory to further understand the unique nature of work that involves the intentional killing of animals. Regression analyses of data from 10,605 Danish workers across 44 occupations suggest that slaughterhouse workers consistently experience lower physical and psychological well-being along with increased incidences of negative coping behavior. Our findings hold while statistically controlling for occupational prestige and overall dirtiness. Additionally, we compare the pattern of results with a comparable occupation that does not involve animal killing, suggesting specific outcomes associated with routinized killing of animals. Building upon extant research and considering our findings, we discuss the theoretical implications regarding dirty work and the intentional killing of animals in organizations.

Meetings are a significant investment for organizations and the groups that comprise them, but the small group literature has often neglected the direct study of meetings. This article closes the special issue on work meetings by exploring the costs associated with unnecessary or poorly facilitated meetings and proposes a three-stage model that groups and organizations may use to assure that the time invested in meetings is more likely to deliver a return on the resources invested.

Although advances in communication technology were once expected to diminish the need for synchronous work meetings, meeting activity in organizations continues to rise. Regrettably, the time and energy employees spend in work meetings is not matched by the amount of direct attention group and organizational scholars have paid to meeting phenomena. This special issue of Small Group Research helps to address this gap by presenting empirical studies of work meetings that explore the theory and practice of work meetings.

This study focuses on a common-yet-understudied group process: supervisor-led group meetings at work. Specifically, the study explores the relationships among employees' perceptions and reported behaviors with regard to such meetings. Respondents are 291 adults working in different organizations. Structural equation modeling of the data largely supports the hypothesized model. Employee perceptions of relationship quality with their supervisors (leader–member exchange) fully mediates the relationship between perceptions of supervisors' fairness (interactional justice) in group meetings and perceived organizational support. Leader–member exchange also fully mediates the relationship between interactional justice perceptions and meeting citizenship behaviors—a new construct describing extra-role behaviors that support meeting processes—and between good meeting practices by the supervisors and meeting citizenship behaviors. Leader–member exchange partially mediates the relationship between good meeting practices and perceived organizational support. These findings highlight the importance both of supervisors' behaviors within meetings that they lead and of the supervisor-led group meeting itself as a phenomenon worthy of future exploration.

Recent evidence suggests that surface acting occurs in workplace meetings. Even in light of these findings, it remains unknown why employees would choose to surface act in meetings with their colleagues and supervisors, and how this form of emotion regulation affects employees in the short term. A sample of working adults were asked to report their levels of surface acting during multiple workplace meetings. Results indicate that employees engage in surface acting during meetings, and that their surface acting is positively related to the presence of higher status attendees in these meetings. In addition, surface acting during meetings is negatively related to perceptions of both meeting psychological safety and meeting effectiveness. We also highlight the important role of one's job level as a moderating condition when examining the relationship between surface acting and perceived meeting effectiveness. Our results suggest that individuals who are higher up in an organization's hierarchy may perceive meetings as less effective when they surface act when compared with individuals who are in lower levels of the organization.

AbstractVolunteers frequently serve public and nonprofit organizations, among them libraries, parks and recreation departments, social service groups, and religious organizations. Research on volunteers and volunteerism traditionally focuses on antecedents to volunteering and outcomes for volunteers. In this study, we attempt to build on the existing literature by examining the volunteer experience from the paid employee's vantage point. Using a sample of employees who work alongside volunteers in animal care organizations (N = 270), we examine how employees described the volunteers with whom they interact. Although these assessments were generally positive, there was considerable variability. This appears to be explained, in part, by each organization's volunteer resources management practices. Results also indicate that employees who reported less satisfactory experiences with volunteers also reported being more stressed, overworked, and less committed to the organization, and having a greater intention to quit. Importantly, these results held up even after controlling for general job satisfaction. Implications of these findings for theory and practice are discussed.