Personnel Psychology 2020 Awards
Can job seekers achieve more through networking? The role of networking intensity, self‐efficacy, and proximal benefits
Connie R. Wanberg, Edwin A. J. van Hooft, Songqi Liu, Borbala Csillag
The authors develop and evaluate an online networking intervention, Building Relationships and Improving Opportunities (BRIO), built in conjunction with the networking literature and social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1986, 1999). A field experiment using 491 unemployed job seekers shows that the intervention increases networking intensity, networking self‐efficacy, and proximal networking benefits. Further, the intervention generates higher quality reemployment through its positive effects on networking self‐efficacy. Individuals who completed the intervention and were also lower in extraversion showed the most positive improvements in networking self‐efficacy and reemployment quality. The study advances the literature by uncovering the mechanisms through which a networking intervention may result in improved reemployment success, and demonstrating the moderating role of individual differences in affecting intervention outcomes. The study helps practice by providing a publicly available, research‐based training to improve job search networking.
Emotions naturally and laboriously expressed: Antecedents, consequences, and the role of valence
Brent A. Scott, Anna C. Lennard, Rebecca L. Mitchell, Russell E. Johnson
The emotion regulation literature has focused primarily on comparing the methods of surface acting and deep acting, yet scholars have also noted the importance of naturally felt emotions as a means for achieving a desired emotional display. The literature has also mainly examined positive displays, yet there are many situations that call for the display of negative emotions. To advance theory and research, we draw from theory on central principles of approach/avoidance motivation to understand why an individual would choose a given emotional display method, as well as the extent to which a given method is beneficial versus harmful to individuals. In doing so, we identify the valence of the emotion being displayed as a critical factor influencing the benefits and detriments of emotional display methods. Results of a 3‐week experience‐sampling study of 218 employees revealed that mood was associated with the natural display of positive emotion, promotion focus was associated with deep acting, and prevention focus was associated with surface acting. In positive display contexts, displaying emotion naturally was most beneficial (in terms of effects on emotional exhaustion, job satisfaction, and work withdrawal), whereas surface acting was most detrimental. In negative contexts, this relationship pattern was reversed.
A multiplex view of leadership structure in management teams
Yifan Song, Yanran Fang, Mo Wang, Junqi Shi
In the hope of complementing the structural perspective in upper echelon research and advancing a fine‐grained understanding of dyadic leadership influence in management teams, the current study combines two types of intrateam structures-leadership network and friendship network-to create a multidimensional conceptualization of leadership structure in management teams. Specifically, we propose that management teams with a denser singular leadership network (i.e., a network consisting of many leadership ties that are not coupled with friendship ties) should have lower management team cohesion, which subsequently renders worse business unit performance. To contrast, management teams with a denser multiplex network (i.e., a network consisting of many leadership ties that are coupled with friendship ties) should have higher management team cohesion, which subsequently renders better business unit performance. Guided by structural contingency perspective, we further propose that management team task interdependence will strengthen team cohesion's positive impact on business unit performance. To test the hypothesized model, we collected team‐level social network data and multiple‐wave survey data from 697 managers nested in 148 hotels (i.e., 148 management teams) owned by a large hospitality company. We also obtained objective performance data for each hotel (i.e., occupancy percentage rate and revenue per available room per day) as the criterion measure. The data supported our hypotheses. The theoretical and practical implications of our findings are discussed.
Strong body, clear mind: Physical activity diminishes the effects of supervisor interpersonal injustice
Trevor Watkins, Elizabeth E. Umphress
We integrate exercise physiology tenets with self‐regulation theory to explain how physical activity diminishes the effects of supervisor interpersonal injustice. We posit that individuals can help prevent self‐regulation depletion from interpersonal injustice when they engage in physical activity. In Study 1, we manipulated physical activity and interpersonal injustice in a laboratory setting, and in Study 2, utilizing a two‐week experience sampling method we examined how employees reacted differently to daily interpersonal injustice as a function of their general level of physical activity engagement. Our results demonstrate that both acute and chronic levels of physical activity attenuate the effects of supervisor interpersonal injustice episodes on self‐regulation depletion, which subsequently reduces social undermining directed toward the supervisor. Our findings highlight the theoretical and practical significance of physical activity for interpersonal injustice and for organizations in general.
Is it all in the eye of the beholder? The importance of situation construal for situational judgment test performance (OPEN ACCESS)
Jan‐Philipp Freudenstein, Philipp Schäpers, Lena Roemer, Patrick Mussel, Stefan Krumm
Recent research challenges the importance of situation descriptions for situational judgment test (SJT) performance. This study contributes to resolving the ongoing debate on whether SJTs are situational measures, by incorporating findings on person × situation interactions into SJT research. Specifically, across three studies (NTotal = 1,239), we first tested whether situation construal (i.e., the individual perception of situations in SJTs) predicts responses to SJT items. Second, we assessed whether the relevance of situation construal for SJT performance depends on test elements (i.e., situation descriptions and response options) and item features (i.e., description‐dependent vs. description‐independent SJT items). Lastly, we determined whether situation construal has incremental validity for job‐related criteria over and above SJT performance. The results showed that, for most SJT items, situation construal significantly contributed to SJT performance, even if only response options were available. This was also true for SJT items that are significantly more difficult to solve when situation descriptions are omitted (i.e., description‐dependent SJT items). Finally, situation construal explained variance in relevant criteria over and above SJT performance. Despite recent efforts to reconceptualize SJTs, our results suggest that they can still be viewed as situational measures. However, situation descriptions may be less crucial for these underlying situational processes. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Maternal optimism: Forging positive paths through work and motherhood.
Ladge, Jamie and Greenberg, Danna New York: Oxford University Press, 2019.
Eleni Lobene
Organizational culture in action: A cultural analysis workbook (3rd edition, pp. 270).
Driskill, Gerald W. C. New York: Routledge, 2019.
Nicholas Jackson
Performance management for dummies.
Aguinis, Herman. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2019.
Terri A. Scandura
The psychology of humor at work.
Christopher Robert (Ed.) New York, NY: Routledge, 2019.
Alexander Pundt
List of Ad‐Hoc Reviewers for Personnel Psychology