Gedrag & Organisatie - Volume 25, Issue 2, 2012

‘Als het getij verloopt, verzet men de bakens’. Sustainable employability policy as being part of Strategic Human Resource Management

Ageing and dejuvenization of the working population urge us to pay directed attention to sustainable employability policy as being part of Strategic HRM. In this shortened version of my inaugural lecture, a positive psychological approach is used to deal with the possibilities both employees and working organizations have to stimulate employees to develop healthy, prosperous, challenging, and productive careers until retirement age or even after that. The strength of seniority will explicitly be focused on. Moreover, this manuscript will deal with possible threats and shortcomings that ageing workers may encounter. Given the enormous diversity in perceptions people may have towards life and career success a non-normative framework has been used. In consideration of the more pluriform working population, this contribution is structured around four career-related questions: how long do I have to go on for; how long will I be able to; how long will I be allowed to; and how long do I want to go on for?

From justice to exhaustion and engagement. The role of affective commitment to the organization

In two studies the relationship between perceived organizational justice and emotional exhaustion and engagement was studied. Especially, the role of affective commitment to the organization in this relationship was examined. According to the group engagement model of Tyler and Blader (2003), procedural justice will result in positive behavior and attitudes because it increases commitment to the organization, thus implying that affective commitment mediates the relationship of justice with exhaustion and engagement. Conversely, Glazer and Kruse (2008) argue that a strong commitment to the organization can mitigate the effect of stressors, like injustice perceptions, on exhaustion and engagement, implying a moderating effect of commitment. These models were tested in two samples with employees working in a police organization. Both studies supported the mediating role of commitment; no evidence was found for a moderating role of commitment. The implication of these outcomes and the limitations of the study are discussed.

The diversity-validity dilemma in complex selection decisions

The diversity-validity dilemma arises when valid selection predictors cause adverse impact. In this paper we discuss the diversity-validity dilemma within the complex selection context, which encompasses an applicant pool and several open positions. Some applicants apply for one of the available positions, while others apply for more than one or even all positions. Complex selection decisions select some applicants and assign them to a specific position. We present two methods to estimate the expected selection quality and adverse impact ratio (AIR) of such decisions, in case they are based on a weighted combination of several predictor scores. Additionally, these two methods are implemented in a multi-objective optimization algorithm to develop complex selection decisions that result in a Pareto-optimal trade-off between selection quality and AIR. Pareto-optimal trade-offs are trade-offs between the two outcomes that cannot be bettered simultaneously by any other (complex selection) decision.

The versatility of intrateam conflict. Construction and test of a Dutch instrument for measuring team conflict types and conflict dimensions

Conflicts occur frequently within teams. These conflicts may deal with different issues such as disagreements about the task (task conflict), disagreements about personal issues (relationship conflict), and about the distribution of responsibilities (process conflict). In this study, we present the Dutch translation and test of an instrument that aims to measure the distinct dimensions of the above mentioned conflict types. The results showed that for each type of conflict, four dimensions can be distinguished: importance of the issue, negative emotions, open conflict norms, and conflict resolution efficacy. Reliabilities and validity of the instrument were examined and largely supported by the data. Implications for future research and organizational practice are discussed.

Research note: The factorial validity and measurement invariance of the Dutch version (UBOS-A) of the Maslach Burnout Inventory

This paper examines the factorial validity and measurement invariance of the Dutch version (UBOS-A) of the Maslach Burnout Inventory – General Survey (MBI-GS). Confirmatory factor analyses of data from security guards (n = 544) and employees of a technology company (n = 799) reveal that the fit of the oblique three factor model with the factors Exhaustion, Cynicism and Reduced Personal Accomplishment was excellent, but these factors don’t have adequate loadings on a higher order burnout factor. With respect to gender complete measurement invariance is observed. With respect to the difference between both industrial sectors partial measurement invariance is observed. The authors conclude that for security guards the questionnaire items might have a different connotation than for technology employees.