Gedrag & Organisatie - Volume 22, Issue 3, 2009

Does intrinsic work orientation have an influence on job satisfaction and work engagement?

J. Van Ruysseveldt, H. De Witte & P. Smulders, Gedrag & Organisatie, volume 22, September 2009, nr. 3, pp. 177-199

What role does an intrinsic work orientation, conceptualized as personal resource, play in the relationship between job demands and resources on the one hand and job satisfaction and work engagement on the other? This has been studied in a large, representative sample of the Dutch working population (N = 4009). Based on assumptions of the Job Demands-Resources model both main and moderating effects of an intrinsic work orientation were expected. A main effect of an intrinsic work orientation was found for work engagement, but not for satisfaction. Furthermore an intrinsic work orientation boosted the positive effect of autonomy, learning opportunities and task complexity on engagement and job satisfaction, and buffered the relationship between workload and engagement. Explanations for these findings were elaborated. Finally work characteristics were the strongest predictors of engagement and job satisfaction.

Does fraud pay off? The effects of fraud on an online, unproctored intelligence test

A.N.M. Oud, W. Bloemers & E. Reitz, Gedrag & Organisatie, volume 22, September 2009, nr. 3, pp. 200-213

Nowadays, more and more assessment instruments are taken online, at home, by candidates (unproctored assessment). Unproctored assessment has many advantages, such as lower costs and more user-friendliness. One of the crucial questions with online- or web-based assessment concerns fraud. Is it easier for candidates to commit fraud on an online assessment? And if so, what is the effect of fraud on an online test? These questions are important for the future use of web-based instruments and personnel selection in general.

We examined if online testing leads to higher risks of fraud, and if so, to what extent. Respondents (N = 431) were allocated to two different groups: an 'honest' group (n = 253) which received no particular instructions prior to the test and a 'fraud' group (n = 178) of which the respondents were instructed to commit fraud as effective as possible. All respondents completed an online intelligence test, derived from the Q1000 intelligence test of Meurs HRM advisors. Results show an effect size of .40 for the overall score on the test. Effect sizes for the subtests varied from .09 for Syllogisms to .39 for Vocabulary. The authors conclude that fraud pays off. The more fraud strategies respondents use, the higher they score on the online intelligence test.

Emotional labour and psychological well-being in teachers

S. Stringer, E. Ouweneel, P. Le Blanc, A. Cheriakova & J. Smulders, Gedrag & Organisatie, volume 22, September 2009, nr. 3, pp. 214-231

Emotional labour could have negative as well as positive effects on the employees' psychological well-being. In this cross-sectional study among 149 high school teachers, the relationship between emotional labour – in this study conceptualized as emotional demands – and emotional exhaustion and work engagement respectively was studied. First of all, it was examined whether emotional dissonance mediates the relationship between emotional demands and both emotional exhaustion and work engagement. Next, the possible moderating effect of two emotion regulation strategies, surface acting and deep acting, on the relationship between emotional dissonance and the two outcome variables was studied. The results showed that emotional dissonance partially mediated the relationship between emotional demands and emotional exhaustion. Furthermore, it was found that deep acting had a buffer effect on the negative relationship between emotional dissonance and work engagement. Finally, the implications of the results are discussed and suggestions for further research are mentioned.

 The six most important personality dimensions and the HEXACO Personality Inventory

R.E. de Vries, M.C. Ashton & K. Lee, Gedrag & Organisatie, volume 22, September 2009, nr. 3, pp. 232-274

Recent lexical research on the structure of personality has revealed six independent and cross-cultural corresponding dimensions of personality in the same datasets that have led to the emergence of the Big Five model of personality. These six dimensions, Honesty-Humility, Emotionality, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness to Experience, constitute the HEXACO model of personality. In two studies, the psychometric properties of the Dutch HEXACO Personality Inventory (HEXACO-PI) and the Dutch HEXACO Personality Inventory-Revised (HEXACO-PI-R) and the relations of its factor- and facet-scales with background variables, the NEO-PI-R, the Dutch Personality Questionnaire (DPQ), and the Sensation Seeking Scale (SSS) are investigated. The results show that the HEXACO-PI(-R) has sound psychometric properties and is meaningfully related to the abovementioned questionnaires. Implications for personality research and assessment are discussed.

Physiological stress measures at work: relevance, limitations, and findings

L. van Doornen & J. Houtveen, Gedrag & Organisatie, volume 22, September 2009, nr. 3, pp. 275-293

Physiological stress measures should only to a limited extent be considered as 'objective' indices of subjectively experienced work stress. Their contribution should mainly be sought in the quantification of the load on the body exerted by stress, the latter being the mediator of the health effects of work stress. For the most widely used physiological parameters in the field of work stress – blood pressure, heart rate, cardiac autonomic indices, adrenalin and cortisol – their physiology is described, their measurement techniques outlined, and an overall picture furnished with respect to differences observed between high- and low-work stress populations. Finally some suggestions are given with respect to future directions this field may take: focus on individual differences in physiological stress-sensitivity; quantification of recovery, and quantification of the effects of individual or workplace interventions.

The effect of newcomers on team innovation

F. Rink & N. Ellemers, Gedrag & Organisatie, volume 22, September 2009, nr. 3, pp. 288-300

This paper discusses the question under what conditions newcomers may contribute to the innovation potential of teams in a positive way. The literature shows that newcomers in a team tend to assimilate to the existing work norms and do not share their ideas and valuable insights with the team. This phenomenon does not help team innovation.

In a series of experimental studies we studied whether the future perspective of newcomers (i.e., a temporary versus permanent position in the team) and the collective regulation orientation of the team (a promotion versus prevention regulatory focus) affect newcomers' influence on team innovation. The results show that teams are prepared to listen to newcomers' ideas if these newcomers have a temporary status. In this case, the existing team members consider the potential differences between the team and the newcomers a matter of secondary significance. In addition, team climate was found to be an important factor in team innovation. When teams consider complex and unpredictable situations a challenge, they are more willing to accept changes and newcomers' unique contributions.