Research in the organizational sciences has tended to portray prosocial behavior as an unqualified positive outcome that should be encouraged in organizations. However, only recently, have ...researchers begun to acknowledge prosocial behaviors that help maintain an organization's positive image in ways that violate ethical norms (e.g., misrepresenting or exaggerating the truth, concealing damaging information about the firm). Recent scandals, including Volkswagen's emissions scandal and Penn State's child sex abuse scandal, point to the need for research on the individual factors and situational conditions that shape the emergence of these unethical proorganizational behaviors (UPB). Drawing on trait activation theory, we argue that the "dark" trait of Machiavellianism should make individuals more willing to engage in UPB. Further, we argue that this willingness will be augmented when Machiavellians hold bottom-line-mentality climate perceptions (BLMCPs), or the perception that ethical standards matter less than organizational performance. Using data from 170 U.S. employees, results suggested that Machiavellians are more willing to engage in UPB, but that BLMCPs may not affect their motivation to engage in UPB. We discuss the study's theoretical and practical implications, as well as avenues for research.
Meaningful work has increasingly been identified as a source of personal fulfillment, a protective factor against daily stress and adversity, and a key mediator linking job characteristics to ...important organizational outcomes. However, to date, positive organizational scholarship has neglected the role of individual differences in understanding how organizational work becomes more fulfilling. More broadly, there is limited consensus with respect to which traits, actions, or job features sustain meaning, and whether specific pathways may account for these associations. To address such limitations, we applied a regularized partial correlation network and directed acyclic graph to estimate the functional relations among multidimensional measures of these phenomena in a national dataset of workers (n = 570). Results highlight numerous situational and personality effects on work meaning and possible causal pathways linking various traits to experienced meaningfulness at work. Cumulatively, our findings suggest that interventions to encourage long-term changes in work meaning (e.g., job redesign, career coaching, job crafting) may require individuals to undergo changes in how their personality is structured (e.g., adjustment to the work environment and integrations with other aspects of the personality system). However, future experimental and longitudinal research is needed to test our propositions.
► Study examined broad personality traits based on the Five Factor Model. ► Examined excessive use of technology in an under-examined population – employees. ► Personality, specifically ...conscientiousness, predicted problem internet use. ► Results suggest conscientiousness may also predict other excessive use tendencies. ► Findings may be useful in informing selection procedures or avoiding ADA litigation.
Prior research has stressed the negative effects employee technology addiction, or excessive use, may have in the workplace. This study explored personality, through use of the Five Factor Model (FFM), and problem and pathological technology (Internet and text-messaging) use. Personality was found to predict certain aspects of technology use. Specifically, conscientiousness was negatively related to problem Internet use. However, the FFM did not add to the prediction of pathological Internet use or problem and pathological text-messaging use. These findings suggest that some dimensions of the FFM may be useful in explaining why certain employees may be predisposed to developing problem use tendencies. Implications of the current findings as well as limitations and future directions are discussed.
Unfortunately, while there is value in studying protected classes and their relation to turnover, we have observed that legal teams might resist people analytics teams’ efforts to examine protected ...classes in projects such as the development of attrition models, and so we hope to speak to those practitioners who are facing such an obstacle. ...with our commentary, we call attention to what has in our observation been a problem in practice: gaining permission to analyze protected class information on employees in building attrition models. A simple example involves an attrition model encouraging managers to allow African Americans to exit at a disproportionate rate relative to other classes for reasons that are correlated in one’s population in a unique manner with race but also unrelated to performance in the job (e.g., commute length). Commute length, which could be a predictor of attrition for the organization in question, may be computed using postal codes. ...including commute length, a variable that at face value should not cause adverse impact, may produce a statistically biased outcome along protected class lines (Guenole et al., 2017). ...an attrition model that does not contain the protected class factors should be built, estimates of the probability of exit estimated, and decision rules crafted regarding whether a policy will be triggered (e.g., flagged individuals require job redesign).
The open science movement introduced many research practices intended to enhance the rigor and trustworthiness of our science. While these practices are enticing, the breadth of tactics can be ...overwhelming and imply an all-or-nothing approach to open science that can discourage getting started. We cast the adoption of open science practices metaphorically: selecting which practice to use in a specific study is like visiting a buffet filled with an assortment of cuisines. The buffet will be best experienced over multiple visits where different cuisines are sampled (rather than selecting an overwhelming amount). We suggest that reflecting on widely shared core values of science—such as objectivity, honesty, openness, accountability, fairness, and stewardship—can help a scholar find their entry point in the buffet. We then share this buffet of open science practices, highlight exemplar cases in the literature where an open science practice has been enacted, and also bring attention to guidance for getting started. We close by challenging our readers to find one small win in open science to make our research more transparent, open, cumulative, and robust.
...Guzzo et al. raise meaningful concerns about incentivizing open science practices, which they frame as harming applied research. ...they acknowledge open science discussions on the need for ...replication. Multisite collaboration initiatives are a solution to key methodological challenges facing any scientific discipline: pooling limited resources to achieve sufficiently high statistical power for testing hypotheses, assessing the generalizability and replicability of effects, promoting the uptake of open science practices via collaboration, and promoting inclusion and diversity within the research community (Moshontz et al., 2018; Uhlmann et al., 2019). Contributors could be given open access into every stage of the research process, from generating ideas and solutions to problems, to having those ideas vetted openly via peer review, or having designs critiqued by parties we serve to making research products (e.g., published manuscripts) (for more practices, see Uhlmann et al., 2019).
The Uniform Guidelines sparked a search for selection procedures with comparable utility but less adverse impact compared to cognitive ability tests, leading I-O psychologists to personality tests ...(see Hogan, 2007). ...the assessments we are discussing are designed for use with the general population (rather than in a clinical population). In other words, at worst, we may be assessing impairments but not necessarily disabilities (see Wu & LeBreton, 2011); therefore, using ideal point personality assessments in pre-employment contexts before conditional job offers is unlikely to violate the Americans with Disabilities Act (Dilchert et al., 2014; Wu & LeBreton, 2011). ...there may be a lot of evidence, but it is not in the public domain.
Since Christie and Geis's (1970) seminal work suggested that Machiavellians win more and are persuaded less, researchers have debated the merits and faults of Machiavellianism. Recent findings ...suggest competition over resources lead Machiavellians to secure their superior's approval, promoting their career advancement. However, the strategies Machiavellians use in such contexts have yet to be identified. Social undermining research suggests that undermining one's coworkers might make it difficult for targets of undermining to maintain effective working relationships while promoting a perpetrator's relative status (Duffy, Shaw, Scott, & Tepper, 2006). Thus, drawing on trait activation theory, we argue that resource constraints motivate Machiavellians to undermine their coworkers, which might help them achieve higher relative status. Additionally, with increased effort devoted toward undermining one's peers, Machiavellians should be distracted from performing core duties resulting in increased production deviance. Data collected from 170 employees supported our arguments. Our study addresses a gap in the literature by suggesting that Machiavellians successfully navigate competitive work environments by undermining their coworkers. We conclude with theoretical and practical implications for both understanding and mitigating the extended detrimental influence of workplace Machiavellianism.
•Supervisors favor Machiavellians in competitive work environments.•Competition over resources motivates Machiavellians to undermine their coworkers.•Such competition also distracts Machiavellians from their core duties.•Findings call into question merits of Machiavellianism.
Insufficient effort responding (IER) is a common concern of survey researchers especially those who collect data through crowdsourcing. Methods of controlling for IER may be overt (identifiable by ...respondents) or covert. This study examines the relative impact of controlling for covert IER when overt-IER methods are in the survey design. Using data from an experiment on performance feedback reactions where overt IER controls were in place, we examine the scale reliabilities and convergent and discriminant validity, both of which change negligibly by controlling for covert IER. Findings suggest controlling for covert IER lacks incremental value beyond controlling for overt IER.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of musical performance anxiety (MPA) in marching artists. The marching arts include high school and college marching bands, drum and bugle ...corps, and indoor color guard and percussion ensembles. Drawing on a sample of 780 world
class drum and bugle corps performers, we examined the prevalence of somatic and cognitive symptoms of MPA. We also examined differences in endorsement of symptoms by performing section (i.e., brass players, percussionists, and dancers/color guard) and gender. Results revealed a relatively
low prevalence of MPA symptoms as compared with prior studies of adolescent and young adult performers. In addition, color guard performers reported significantly greater magnitudes of somatic MPA symptoms than brass players, and female performers reported greater magnitudes of cognitive MPA
symptoms than their male counterparts. Practical recommendations are discussed.
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