Gedrag & Organisatie - Volume 20, Issue 3, 2007

What comes first: organizational climate or organizational performance?

K. van de Voorde & M. van Verldhoven, Gedrag & Organisatie, volume 20, September 2007, nr. 3, pp. 217-237

This paper presents a two-wave cross-lagged study (average interval of two years) on time precedence in the relationship between organizational climate and organizational performance in 171 branches of a financial services organization. On the basis of organizational climate theory it was hypothesized that organizational climate influences organizational performance, but also that organizational performance influences organizational climate. It was also hypothesized that both processes are present simultaneously. Results of a series of competing models in AMOS show that organizational climate at time point 1 influences organizational performance at time point 2.

Further investigation of the DISC-model: results of an internet study among various occupational groups.

R. de Bruin, F. van Boxmeer, C. Verwijs & P. Le Blanc, Gedrag & Organisatie, volume 20, September 2007, nr. 3, pp. 238-259

In this crosssectional internet study, the compensation principle of the Demand-Induced Strain Compensation (DISC)-model was subjected to an empirical verification among 390 employees from various economical sectors. The DISC-model assumes a positive causal relationship between work-related stressors and strains on three qualitatively different domains (cognitive, emotional and physical). According to the compensation principle, these causal relationships are moderated by the availability and use of (matching) work-related resources from the same domain. The results of hierarchical multiple regression analyses did not support the compensation principle. Moreover, a large number of cross-domain correlations were found, especially with regard to emotional resources. The results of this study show that more research on the principles of the DISC-model should is needed. Implications of the use of the internet for research on work stress are discussed.

Stereotypes of ethnic minorities, attachment to their own group, assimilation and integration

A. Vrugt, A. Salin & S. Room, Gedrag & Organisatie, volume 20, September 2007, nr. 3, pp. 260-271

The present research investigated which stereotypical characteristics Dutch ethnic minority group members, based on their cultural background, attributed to their own social group and to the ethnic Dutch majority. Further it was studied to what extent the assignment of these stereotypical characteristics was related to the attachment to their own group, and whether the attachment to their own group was related to their view on integration and assimilation. The results showed that minority group participants found positive stereotypical features that are derived from collectivistic values, more characteristic of their own group than of the Dutch majority. By contrast, negative stereotypical features, being deviant from collectivistic values, were considered as more characteristic of the majority group. Furthermore, it was found that the minority group participants felt more attached to their own group than did the majority group participants. This attachment was related to the negative stereotypical features that minority group participants regarded as characteristic of the majority. Moreover, this attachment mediated the relationship between negative stereotypical features attributed to the majority and a negative view on assimilation. The implications of these results are discussed.

Structure and importance of work values: a comparison between three data analysis techniques

J.W.M. van Breukelen, B. Zandbergen & F.M.T.A. Busing, Gedrag & Organisatie, volume 20, September 2007, nr. 3, pp. 272-302

Work values refer to the importance people attribute to the various aspects of a job, such as work content, salary, and colleagues. Generally, in studies on work values two questions are being answered: a) How important are the various aspects of a job for a certain sample of respondents as a whole or for certain subgroups, and b) What is the structure underlying the total set of work values under study? In this study three data analytic techniques are being investigated in analysing the answers of 417 respondents (299 men and 118 women).

The three data analytic methods were principal component analysis (PCA), multidimensional scaling (MDS), and multidimensional unfolding (MDU). Of these three, PCA and MDS give information about the structure of the work values, whereas MDU shows the importance of the various work values in a visual plot. We describe and discuss the pro's and cons of these techniques using the data set mentioned above as an illustration. Our conclusion is that MDU is a welcome addition to both PCA and MDS in studies on work values. Firstly, MDU makes visible the importance of work values for the group respondents as a whole and for subgroups, if needed. At the same time, MDU gives indications about the structure of the work values under study.

Boundaryless careers: The interplay of individuals and organizations

A.E.M. van Vianen, Gedrag & Organisatie, volume 20, September 2007, nr. 3, pp. 303-318

This paper discusses the question to what extent employees will be able to manage their careers in a way that matches organizations' need for a flexible workforce. It is argued that the external mobility of employees will remain limited. Yet, much more can be done regarding employees' internal mobility and development. Employees should focus on broadening the content of their jobs through performing challenging tasks. Most employees report a positive attitude towards job flexibility yet not initiate challenging experiences in their current jobs. In a similar vein, organizations prefer a flexible workforce but tend to allocate the challenging tasks to a restricted number of employees. Because optimal self-regulation is feasible for only few of us, employees need the stimulus of their organization in order to remain employable.