The disenchantment of professionals in a new, implemented model of primary health care in Spain: A structural equations model

Abstract A new model of primary health care has been progressively implemented in Spain. Previous research (Peiro and Gonzalez-Roma 1991) suggested that the implementation of this new model has produced a kind of disenchantment—that is, an experience of negative surprise—among health care professionals involved. In the present paper, a structural equations model about the antecedents and consequences of the experience of surprise is tested in a sample of 432 health care professionals working in 44 Primary Health Care Teams (PHCT). The results obtained showed that the number of uncovered functions in the PHCTs, the discrepancy between actual and desired time allocation, and the assessment of…

Testing Measurement Invariance Across Spanish and English Versions of the Physical Self-Description Questionnaire : An Application of Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling

Test of measurement invariance across translated versions of questionnaires is a critical prerequisite to comparing scores on the different versions. In this study, we used exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) as an alternative approach to evaluate the measurement invariance of the Spanish version of the Physical Self-Description Questionnaire (PSDQ). The two versions were administered to large samples of Australian and Spanish adolescents. First, we compared the CFA and ESEM approaches and showed that ESEM fitted the data much better and resulted in substantially more differentiated factors. We then tested measurement invariance with a 13-model ESEM taxonomy. Results justified u…

The influence of intra-team conflict on work teams' affective climate: A longitudinal study

We analysed whether relationship conflict mediates the link between task conflict and shared affect at the team level of analysis. Moreover, we tested the hypothesis that the relationship between these two types of intra-team conflict would be moderated by team members' interaction. The sample was composed of 156 bank branches. Data were gathered at two points in time. Two affect dimensions (tension and enthusiasm) were measured. The results obtained supported our hypotheses. Relationship conflict fully mediated the relationship between task conflict and team affect. Team members' interaction about team issues moderated the relationship between task conflict and relationship conflict, so th…

A team-level investigation of the relationship between leader-member-exchange (LMX) differentiation and commitment and performance

Although the differential treatment of team members by their leader is at the heart of Leader–Member Exchange (LMX) theory, empirical studies exploring the role of within-team LMX differentiation in relation to team outcomes are still relatively scarce. This study among 269 Dutch secondary school teachers from 33 different teams tested the hypotheses that the relationship between LMX differentiation and team commitment, and team performance is moderated by LMX-quality median. Moreover, we hypothesized that team members' perceived dissimilarity regarding work values and orientations would be positively related to within-team LMX differentiation. Teachers completed questionnaires on LMX-quali…

Mark G. Ehrhart, Benjamin Schneider, and William H. Macey. Organizational Climate and Culture. An Introduction to Theory, Research, and Practice. New York, NY: Routledge, 2014, 364 pages, $59.95 paperback.

Climate and Culture Strength

Engaging in upward and downward comparisons as a determinant of relative deprivation at work

A longitudinal study was conducted among 93 nurses to determine the role of comparing one's performance with that of one's colleagues in the increase versus decrease of perceived relative deprivation at work over a period of one year. Relative deprivation at T2 had increased particularly among those high in social comparison orientation (Gibbons & Buunk, 1999) who at T1 (1) more frequently engaged in upward comparisons; (2) more frequently derived positive as well as negative feelings from such comparisons; and (3) more frequently derived negative feelings from downward comparison. Moreover, engaging in downward comparison also led to an increase in perceived relative deprivation at T2.…

Power and Type I Error of the Mean and Covariance Structure Analysis Model for Detecting Differential Item Functioning in Graded Response Items.

In this simulation study, we investigate the power and Type I error rate of a procedure based on the mean and covariance structure analysis (MACS) model in detecting differential item functioning (DIF) of graded response items with five response categories. The following factors were manipulated: type of DIF (uniform and non-uniform), DIF magnitude (low, medium and large), equality/inequality of latent trait distributions, sample size (100, 200, 400, and 800) and equality or inequality of the sample sizes across groups. The simulated test was made up of 10 items, of which only 1 contained DIF. One hundred replications were generated for each simulated condition. Results indicate that the MA…

Multilevel Modeling: Research-Based Lessons for Substantive Researchers

Organizations are multilevel systems. Most organizational phenomena are multilevel in nature, and their understanding involves variables (e.g., antecedents and consequences) that reside at different levels. The investigation of these phenomena requires appropriate analytical methods: multilevel modeling. These techniques are becoming increasingly popular among organizational psychology and organizational behavior (OPOB) researchers. In this article we review the literature that has evaluated the performance of multilevel modeling techniques to test multilevel direct and indirect effects and cross-level interactions. We also provide guidelines for OPOB researchers about the appropriate use …

The double-edge sword effect of interorganizational trust on involvement in interorganizational networks: The mediator role of affective commitment

Abstract Some organizations collaborate with other partner organizations to reach common goals, establishing interorganizational networks. The governance of the network is often enacted by an interorganizational governing team composed of the directors or top managers of the partner firms. This team plans, manages, and supervises the advancement of the network’s common goals. The success of the network depends, to a large extent, on the involvement of the members of the governing team. In this study, we tested a multilevel model of the antecedents of the involvement of governing team members in the management activities of interorganizational networks. We examined whether the relationship b…

The importance of horizontal-fit of university student jobs for future job quality

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to gain a better understanding of the antecedents of the quality of graduates’ jobs when they enter the job market after university graduation. Design/methodology/approach Survey data collected from 173 Spanish bachelor and master’s degree university graduates at two time points (two months before and six months after graduation, approximately) were analyzed by means of path analysis. Findings A moderated mediation model was tested, where the relationship between the horizontal fit (HF) between the university degree subject and the student’s job and the quality of the graduate’s job after graduation is mediated by self-perceived employability and modera…

Is leaders’ mood contagious to team members? The mediator role of team mood and team potency in the relationship between leaders’ mood and team performance.

Comunicação apresentada no 17º Congresso da European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology, 20-23 de maio de 2015, Oslo, Noruega

Proactive personality and early employment outcomes: The mediating role of career planning and the moderator role of core self-evaluations

Abstract This study examines the relationship between university graduates' proactive personality and two early employment outcomes (i.e., employment status and perceived overqualification). Specifically, we propose two moderated mediation models, one for each employment outcome, with career planning as a mediator and core self-evaluations as a moderator in the proactive personality-employment outcomes link. The study sample consisted of 315 graduates, and a time-lagged design with two data-collection points was implemented. When the outcome was employment status, contrary to our expectations, the indirect effect of proactive personality via career planning was not moderated by core self-ev…

The influence of age-based faultlines on team performance: Examining mediational paths

Abstract In a sample of 60 branches of a bank, we examine the influence of age-based faultlines on team performance. Specifically, we propose a model with four mediational paths in the age-based faultline-team performance link. Using a time-lagged design with three data-collection points, we found that task conflict, team reflexivity, and negative team mood mediated the negative relationship between age-based faultline strength and team performance. The results reveal the value of examining different mediational paths to explain the negative impact of teams’ demographic faultlines on team performance, and the need to integrate both task-related and affective aspects of team work in order to…

University Graduates’ Employability, Employment Status, and Job Quality

We investigated whether a set of indicators of the employability dimensions proposed by Fugate, Kinicki, and Asforth (i.e., career identity, personal adaptability, and human and social capital) are related to university graduates’ employment status and five indicators of the quality of their jobs (pay, hierarchical level, vertical and horizontal match, and job satisfaction). We analyzed a representative sample of university graduates ( N = 7,881) from the population of graduates who obtained their degree from the University of Valencia in the period 2006–2010. The results showed that indicators of human and social capital were related to employment status, whereas indicators of human and s…

Leader–Member Exchange and Organizational Culture and Climate

Escalas de respuesta tipo Likert. ¿Es relevante la alternativa 'indiferente'?

En tests de actitudes y de personalidad es frecuente utilizar escalas de respuesta tipo Likert. En este tipo de escalas es frecuente también que se presente una catego-ría intermedia. Esta categoría representa una posición intermedia a lo largo del continuo y entre las categorías adyacentes. El presente estudio evalúa si las categorías de las escalas de respuesta de una serie de cuestionarios frecuentemente utilizados en la evaluación organizacional se presentan realmente ordenadas, tal y como asume el sistema de puntuación empleado. Asimismo, se evalúa si la categoría intermedia ("indiferente") es relevante en términos de probabilidad de respuesta. Los cuestionarios analizados presentan un…

An ultra-short measure of positive and negative affect: The Reduced Affective Well-Being Scale (RAWS).

In applied organizational research, where economy of scale is often a crucial factor in successful assessment, ultra-short measures are often needed. This study investigates the psychometric properties of the Reduced Affective Well-Being Scale (RAWS), an ultra-short measure of positive and negative affect in the workplace. This 6-item ultra-short version was compared with the original 12-item scale proposed by Segura and González-Romá (2003) in terms of internal consistency and criterion validity, using a sample of 1117 bank employees. In addition, longitudinal measurement invariance and within-subject reliability of the RAWS over time were assessed in a longitudinal sample of 458 employees…

Is Leader Developing Behavior related to Employees' Health Complaints? A Multilevel Investigation

The goals of this study were to ascertain whether a specific leadership behavior (developing subordinates) is related to employees' health complaints and determine some of the underlying mechanisms involved. The hypothesized relationships were investigated in a sample composed of 538 employees working in 170 work-units of a public regional health service. Multilevel structural equation modeling was used to estimate the hypothesized relationships at the individual and work-unit levels. Results obtained at the individual level showed, as expected, that leader developing behavior was negatively related to employees' health complaints through two mediators: organizational commitment and emotion…

Three Issues in Multilevel Research

AbstractIn this article, three important issues in organizational multilevel research are discussed and clarified, namely: (a) The interpretation of “cross-level direct effects” in theoretical and research multilevel models, (b) the specification of the emergence processes involved in higher-level constructs, and (c) the sample size recommendations for using multilevel statistical methods. By doing so, this article hopes to contribute to the improvement of organizational multilevel research.

Social class and university graduates’ overqualification: testing two mediated relationships

[EN] University graduates’ overqualification (i.e., having more education, qualification and/or skills than one’s job requires) has important negative consequences. However, much less is known about its antecedents. This represents an important gap in the literature. In order to fill this gap, the goal of this study is to test a mediational model on the antecedents of university graduates’ overqualification (OQ). We posit that social class is negatively related to OQ through two mediational links: a) via social capital, and b) via social capital and tolerance towards OQ. The results obtained in a sample of 144 university graduates provided support for the second mediational link, so that so…

Antecedents and consequences of workplace mood variability over time: A weekly study over a three‐month period

Análisis factorial confirmatorio, fiabilidad y validez del Cuestionario de Ansiedad Laboral (C.A.L.)

Análisis factorial confirmatorio, fiabilidad y validez del Cuestionario de Ansiedad Laboral (C.A.L.

Testing the middle response categories 'Not sure', 'In between' and '?' in polytomous items

The first aim of this study is to test two assumptions of integer scoring (the assumption of ordered response categories, and the assumption of ordered thresholds). We tested these assumptions using a set of items extracted from the social boldness scale of the 16PF questionnaire that were presented with three different middle response categories: «Not sure», «In between» and «?». The second aim was to compare a 3-point response scale with a dichotomous response scale in terms of the information function and correlations with external criteria. The sample was composed of 816 undergraduate students. The results obtained showed that both assumptions were met only when the middle response cate…

From Job Resources to Idea Implementation: A Moderated Sequential Mediation Model

Considering the motivational path of the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, this study investigates a multistep process by which contextual job resources might have an indirect effect on idea implementation. Among 187 shop floor employees of a manufacturing company, we found support for a model whereby job control has an indirect effect, over a 5-month time frame, on idea implementation through employee work engagement and personal initiative. In addition, we found that the indirect effect of job control on idea implementation is stronger when employees have a higher conformity orientation. Support was not found for the hypothesized indirect effect of coworker social support on idea imple…

Instructional factors and over-education of university graduates

The aim of this work is to test the role of the level of generic competences developed during University studies and the professional and practice orientation of instruction (PPOI) in the prediction of graduates’ initial vertical fit and vertical fit change over an 8-year period. The study sample comprised 334 graduates who finished their degrees two years before they were interviewed for the first time (Time 1). Four and eight years later they were interviewed again (Times 2 and 3, respectively). All of them had employment at Time 1, 2 and 3. Hypotheses were tested by means of Latent Growth Curve Analyses. Contrary to our expectations only PPOI was positive and significantly related to gra…

Personal Employability and employment outcomes in a university sample: a study before and after COVID-19

[EN] Labour market uncertainty makes difficult to get (and keep) a high-quality job even for graduate students. Moreover, this situation has been worsened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study is to test the influence that personal employability has on maintaining (or being able to find a new) high-quality job in a sample of young university graduates that faced the job market crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We focus on the four personal employability dimensions of Fugate et al.’s (2004) model: career identity, personal adaptability, human capital, and social capital. Our hypotheses state that the four dimensions of employability are positively related with employment …