Browsing by Author "Penney, Lisa M."
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Item A Case for Competencies: Assessing the Value of Trait-Based Performance Appraisal for Non-Faculty University Employees(Educational Policy Analysis Archives, 5/11/2016) Messa, Emily A; Horn, Catherine L.; Longacre, Teri Elkins; Olenchak, F. Richard; Penney, Lisa M.A case study analyzed how supervisors at one university selected competencies, or trait-based skills, for non-faculty employees. This case study provides a valuable contribution by focusing on employees at one institution type–a large, public research university. While it has been documented that non-faculty employees provide important contributions to higher education, there is more to be discovered about this population of university employee, noted as more than 2 million U.S. employees in 2011. The research question guiding this study was: Within a university setting, how are employee competencies valued by job title within colleges and divisions? Multiple correspondence analysis evaluated supervisor competency selection for 1,836 non-supervisory and 565 supervisory employees using data from this university’s 2012 performance appraisal. For non-supervisory employees, the first dimension accounted for 65.11% of adjusted inertia, or explained variance. The second dimension accounted for 23.89% of adjusted inertia. For supervisory employees, the first dimension accounted for 86.57% of adjusted inertia. The second dimension accounted for 8.26% of adjusted inertia. The key study finding was that, despite the availability of other higher-education specific competency alternatives and best practices for competency use in the appraisal, this institution’s implementation of competencies was found to be mechanical. This study proposed best practices for this and similarly situated institutions as to how competencies can be used to develop employees and improve their performance.Item Are You My Role Model? How Role Model Similarity Affects Motivation(2014-12) Brothers, Sara Ann; Penney, Lisa M.; Witt, L. Alan; Kieffer, Suzanne C.; Smith, MarkThe purpose of this study was to examine how to best utilize role models for motivation. In an expansion of Lockwood, Jordan, and Kunda's (2002) study, I tested the effects of regulatory goal focus (RGF) congruence on motivation, and of participant and role model demographic similarity. Based on Self-Categorization theory, I expected similarity to be more motivating. By manipulating regulatory goal focus (promotion or prevention), role model type (positive or negative), and demographic similarity between participants and role models, I could test exactly how each of these variables affect motivation. Demographically similar and RGF congruent role models (promotion goal focus paired with positive role models and prevention goal focus paired with negative role models) did not yield higher motivation scores. Instead, those who were either promotion primed or assigned a positive role model were most motivated. I also expected those high in Openness to be less affected by dissimilarity but found only Openness to be positively related to motivation scores. While these results were counter to Lockwood et al.’s (2002) results and expectations set by Self-Categorization theory, it is possible that the diverse, urban, Southern university student population was already used to sex and gender differences in role models to the point that identification with role models was made based on a subordinate-level of categorization, such status as a student. This study should be replicated at a less diverse university to test this conclusion and investigate the lack of evidence we found for Lockwood et al.’s (2002) RGF congruence hypothesis.Item ARE YOUR WORK ATTITUDES AFFECTED BY THOSE OF YOUR COWORKERS? EXAMINING THE CROSSOVER OF ENGAGEMENT IN THE WORKPLACE(2012-05) Ratnasingam, Prema; Spitzmueller, Christiane; Steinberg, Lynne; Penney, Lisa M.In this study, I examined the role of potential moderators and mediators of the crossover or ‘contagion’ of engagement between employees. I hypothesized that coworker support and positive coworker communication would mediate the transfer of engagement between coworkers and focal individuals. In addition, I hypothesized that individual differences (susceptibility to emotional contagion, self-construal, and agreeableness) and coworker characteristics (emotional expressiveness and organizational hierarchical status) would moderate the transfer of engagement between coworkers and focal individuals. Using a web-based survey methodology, I collected self-reported data from 1142 employees belonging to a total of 153 work teams in a multinational, engineering and construction firm. Using hierarchical linear modeling, I tested the above hypotheses while controlling for shared job resources. Evidence for engagement crossover was demonstrated by the significant relationship between individuals’ and their coworkers’ engagement scores. In addition, positive coworker communication about work-related matters was found to partially mediate the crossover of engagement between individuals and their coworkers. Third, individuals, who construed themselves as interdependent with others, had engagement scores that were more convergent with those of their coworkers. Finally, the non-significant relationship between focal individuals’ and their supervisors’ engagement scores indicated the absence of engagement crossover between employees who had different organizational (hierarchical) statuses. Theoretical and practical implications of the study’s findings are discussed.Item CONTRIBUTIONS OF DEEP-LEVEL SIMILARITY AND INFORMAL INTERACTION FREQUENCY WITH SUPERVISOR ON WORK ENGAGEMENT(2014-05) Zhang, Jing; Spitzmueller, Christiane; Penney, Lisa M.; Steinberg, LynneBased on social psychological research involving interpersonal relationships, I hypothesize that deep-level similarity exerts its influence on engagement through its effect on perceived supervisor support. Also the strength of the relationship between deep-level similarity and perceived supervisor support is contingent on the informal interaction frequency with the supervisor. Data from 2,382 employees (Study 1) were used to test the relationships between deep-level similarity and work engagement as well as the moderating role of informal interaction frequency. To alleviate concerns about inferences of causality, longitudinal data from 91 employees (Study 2) were used to replicate the findings. Results showed consistent support for the positive effects of deep-level similarity on engagement and the positive influence of interaction frequency on perceived supervisor support. The mediation hypothesis that deep-level similarity related to engagement through perceived supervisor support was also supported. Informal interaction frequency’s effects on deep-level similarity and perceived supervisor support relationship were mixed.Item Counterproductive Work Behavior as Coping: An Examination of Beneficial Outcomes and Repercussions in the Workplace(2013-12) Rhodes, Dena 1988-; Penney, Lisa M.; Witt, L. Alan; Tackett, Jennifer L.Researchers have previously suggested that counterproductive work behavior (CWB) can be a form of coping with job stressors (Krischer, Penney, & Hunter, 2010; LePine, Podsakoff, & LePine, 2005; Podsakoff, LePine, & LePine, 2007; Spector & Fox, 2002). This study incorporated CWB with Folkman’s (1997) coping model to explain why CWB may function as a form of coping and possibly yield beneficial and consequential outcomes for employees. This study found indirect evidence that individuals may solve problems more frequently through CWB, as CWB was positively linked with problem-focused coping (PFC) strategies. Furthermore, findings indicated that employees who experienced high hindrance or challenge stressors tended to use CWB as a PFC strategy. When employees experienced low levels of these stressors, individuals who frequently engaged in CWB tended to experience reduced emotional well-being, PFC, self-efficacy, self-esteem, and goal achievement compared to those who infrequently used CWB. However, individuals who engaged in CWB often received a variety of repercussions for their actions. A final component of the study examined the role of individual differences. In particular, I examined whether politically skill employees were more likely to benefit from CWB while escaping repercussions from the organization. Hypotheses regarding political skill were not supported.Item DEAL OR NO DEAL: REDUCING PRODUCTION DEVIANCE(2015-08) Romay, Sophie; Witt, L. Alan; Penney, Lisa M.; Werner, SteveProduction deviance, a form of counterproductive work behavior (CWB), refers to such behaviors as leaving early, procrastinating, and wasting resources. It costs organizations billions of dollars annually (Bennett & Robinson, 2000). I apply conservation of resources and social exchange theories to test a conditional, indirect process model – a psychological process in which low leader person-focused interpersonal citizenship behavior (ICB) yields production deviance through emotional exhaustion. Furthermore, I suggest that this process is moderated by individual differences in levels of idiosyncratic deals negotiated with the supervisor. Specifically, I argue that high levels of idiosyncratic deals can mitigate the effects of low leader ICB on emotional exhaustion and production deviance. In contrast, workers reporting low leader ICB and low levels of idiosyncratic deals are likely to manifest high levels of production deviance.Item Employee-Coworker Work-Life Value Congruence: The Effects on Work-Life Conflict, Turnover Intentions, and Burnout(2015-08) Sublett, Lisa; Penney, Lisa M.; Witt, L. Alan; Campion, James E.; Hunter, Emily M.As organizations become increasingly flattened (i.e., weaker hierarchies and more team-based job designs), employees’ relationships with coworkers are more essential. It is imperative, then, to study employees’ perceptions of coworkers in management research to fully understand the effect of coworkers on employee well-being, performance, and stress. For example, coworkers can provide emotional support and instrumental support for employees struggling with work-life balance. The present study investigates how employees might benefit when they work with coworkers who have congruent work-life values. Specifically, I use both conservation of resources theory (Hobfoll, 1989) and person-environment fit theory (Kristof-Brown, 1996) to explain why having congruent values with ones coworkers is associated with increased perceptions of work-life support from their workgroup (FSWP) and lower work-life conflict, turnover intentions, and emotional exhaustion. Results from 418 working adults demonstrated employee-coworker value congruence was related to emotional exhaustion and turnover intensions through the serial mediation of FSWP and work-life conflict. Furthermore, family-supportive supervisor behaviors moderated the relationship between employee-coworker value congruence and FSWP. Theoretical and practical implications and future directions are also discussed.Item Exploring a Broader View of Technology Acceptance(2010-05) Steel, Douglas; Chin, Wynne W.; Johnson, Norman A.; Penney, Lisa M.; Schwarz, Andrew H.The primary aim of this dissertation is to establish the generalizability of the scale items used to measure 5 psychological acceptance constructs proposed by Schwarz and Chin (2007). While an initial test of validity and reliability was established by Schwarz (2003) using covariance-based structural equation modeling, a stronger test was performed to establish the generalizability of the items through a series of multigroup invariance tests. Having used 3 new independent data sets, we present the results of the combinatorial analyses of 3 pairwise comparisons of the data sets as well as a test comparing all 3 data sets simultaneously. Both confirmatory factor models and structural models were applied to examine whether item measures are identically reliable and whether the relationships among these 5 constructs also remain the same. Structurally, two models incorporating these 5 constructs were applied to predict an overall general acceptance construct and the construct of infusion. While the nomological relationships among these acceptance constructs varied as expected, the correlations and item loadings remain invariant. Therefore, the results answer the questions: (1) Can the acceptance constructs proposed by Schwarz and Chin be captured by reliable and accurate measures? (2) Are these constructs distinct from one another? and (3) Do they act similarly in different contexts? Finally, to provide a platform for more research on workplace outcomes, this research explores the notion of technology infusion, an important form of usage. Given that the 5 psychological acceptance constructs have predictive value toward infusion, we establish a means for further study of the concept.Item Exploring How Job Demands and Emotional Labor Influence Self-Regulation and Unethical Behavior(2017-12) Martir, Allison B.; Witt, L. Alan; Penney, Lisa M.; Werner, SteveUnethical Behavior is a salient workplace issue due to its prevalence and detrimental outcomes. Social cognitive theory (SCT) and conservation of resources theory (COR) are applied to present a conceptualization of unethical behavior in the workplace as a resource defense and allocation strategy, stemmed by self-regulatory processes. Applying the limitations of finite self-regulatory resources as presented in the self-control literature, I suggest that demands relating to information processing and emotional labor can deplete self-regulatory resources and are associated with the use of unethical behavior as a means of resource conservation. As research suggests that self-regulatory failure is more likely when an individual has increased demands on their self-regulatory resources, I also suggest that increased emotional regulation due to low emotional stability will moderate the relationships between both job demands and unethical behavior. Results fail to support the theoretical model. Methodological limitations are discussed as well as applications to future research.Item How Do Treatment Completers Fare Versus Dropouts?: A Follow-Up Study(2012-08) Klenck, Suzanne; Norton, Peter J.; Penney, Lisa M.; Cirino, Paul T.; Kraus, Cynthia A.Premature termination from psychotherapy has been reported as the most pressing health care delivery problem of community mental health outpatient clinics since the 1970’s (Albers & Scrivner, 1977). Historically, dropout has been viewed as a negative outcome for all involved, and the research has concentrated on determining what client factor(s) may influence premature termination. However, a study conducted in part by this author (see Krishnamurthy et al., unpublished manuscript) provided preliminary evidence that clients prematurely terminated from treatment after an initial lessening of their symptoms. These preliminary findings oppose the previously held idea that premature termination is predominantly due to a lack of perceived improvement or some dissatisfaction in the therapy process. The current study attempted further exploration of those that prematurely dropped out of treatment to show whether they maintained their gains as compared to those that completed the prescribed treatment protocol. Although underpowered, it was found that individuals who drop out of treatment, contrary to Eysenck’s (1952) theory, are not all treatment failures. In the present study, it was found that similar to completers, those who dropped out of treatment comprised groups that both did (44%) and did not (34%) obtain high rates of improvement. In fact, the subset of dropouts who achieved the stringent criteria of clinically significant change (CSC) in eight or fewer sessions made as much gain as those who completed the study. These individuals were also found to maintain these gains over time, equal to those who received the full dose of treatment. The approach of managed healthcare regarding psychological services, where there are often strict preset limits for the number and cost of services that are covered (DeLeon, Vandenbos, & Bulatao, 1991), may need to be better informed and become more flexible following this model of change. A one-size-fits-all approach to length of treatment may not be appropriate, as some individuals “get it” faster than others do.Item HUNGRY HUNGRY COWORKER: THE IDENTIFICATION OF LUNCH THEFT AS A FORM OF PERSON-DIRECTED COUNTERPRODUCTIVE WORK BEHAVIOR(2016-05) Bok, Cody J.; Penney, Lisa M.; Witt, L. Alan; Hunter, Emily M.Theft is a widely studied phenomenon in the workplace. However, much of this research focuses on organizational theft (i.e., stealing from the company), and no studies to date have investigated coworker lunch theft, although preliminary research indicates it may be a chronic problem for employees. The goal of my study is to examine lunch theft in the workplace and establish it as a person-directed counterproductive work behavior. The present study investigates what motivates a lunch thief to steal fellow coworkers’ food and/or drink that they brought to work using the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1991) to explain the occurrence of lunch theft behavior. This research will help identify lunch theft as a new form of counterproductive work behavior and lead to future research identifying the impact this behavior has on victims and organizations as a whole.Item Lending a Helping Hand? Examining Cultural Differences in Social Support(2015-05) Nguyen, Mai-Ly; Neighbors, Clayton; Acitelli, Linda K.; Penney, Lisa M.; Reitzel, Lorraine R.The aim of the current research was to explore the ways in which culture might influence both the recipient’s and provider’s mental affective states and their feelings towards others following social support transactions. Study 1 examined whether European American and Asian American recipients differed in terms of the likelihood in which they would request support in a given manner (implicit or explicit support seeking) and whether they would be more likely to accept and feel more supported by a specific type of social support (emotional or instrumental support) from a provider. An interaction between culture and type of support in predicting perceptions of support emerged. Results revealed that participants felt more supported after receiving instrumental support versus emotional support and that this was particularly true for European Americans. Study 2 examined whether there were differences between Asian Americans and European Americans in terms of whether they would be more likely to accept or decline a direct request for support. Further, Study 2 sought to determine whether European Americans and Asian Americans differed on internal affective states and feelings towards the recipient following a direct request for support. Overall, findings for Study 2 indicated there were no cultural differences from the provider’s perspective. However, post-hoc analyses uncovered that Asian American men may take on more traditional gender roles relative to European American men, which in turn, influences their provision of support. That is, Asian American men reported feeling more of a responsibility but less negativity towards the help seeker than European American men. Recommendations are provided in order to improve both study designs so as to better elucidate the potential cultural nuances in social support transactions.Item Let My People Go Home Sick: Developing a Health-Specific Form of Transformational Leadership to Examine Employee Presenteeism and Coworker Support(2019-05) Bok, Cody J.; Campion, James E.; Penney, Lisa M.; Witt, L. Alan; Damian, Rodica I.Employee presenteeism, the act of showing up to work when one is ill, is a major problem in companies. However, research on its prevention is sparse and conflicting. Using transformational leadership theory (Bass, 1985), I developed and tested an occupational health specific form of transformational leadership that aimed to reduce follower presenteeism. Occupational health specific transformational leadership (OHSTL) was designed to influence the values of health and well-being for employees, labeled health consciousness in this study. However, results suggest that OHSTL is positively associated with presenteeism, as well as favorable attitudes towards and intentions to engage in presenteeism. Additionally, there was only one mediation effect found, where OHSTL was positively associated with favorable attitudes toward presenteeism through health consciousness. However, alternative analyses using time one data only, suggest that OHSTL may negatively influence attitudes towards presenteeism through health consciousness, presenting a contradictory finding. Despite these findings, coworker support moderated the relationship between OHSTL and presenteeism, such that high levels of both OHSTL and coworker support were associated with reduced attitudes and intentions towards presenteeism. Without the support of coworkers, OHSTL is associated with increased levels of presenteeism. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.Item Linking Safety Knowledge to Safety Performance: A Moderated Mediation Model of Safety Priority, Supervisor Feedback, and Supervisors’ Safety Attitudes(2015-05) Kao, Kuo-yang; Spitzmueller, Christiane; Penney, Lisa M.; Steinberg, Lynne; Peters, Ronald J.The thousands of deaths and disabilities due to workplace accidents and injuries in the United States each year make occupational safety a significant issue. Occupational safety research has contributed to identifying antecedent factors of safety outcomes by integrating previous and contemporary findings. Despite such integrated safety models, little is known about why and how safety knowledge leads to safety performance and how personal and situational factors interact to promote occupational safety. The present study examines the relationship between workers’ safety knowledge and safety performance, as well as mediating (safety priority) and moderating (supervisor feedback and supervisors’ safety attitudes) variables of these relationships. Data were collected from workers (N=197) and supervisors (N=62) in an oil construction company at two time points. Results indicate general support for this moderated mediation model, demonstrating that workers’ safety priority partially mediated the relationship between safety knowledge and safety performance. Moreover, when workers received more supervisor feedback, the positive effects of safety knowledge on safety performance and safety priority were stronger. When supervisors had positive attitudes toward safety, both the relationship between safety priority and safety performance and the indirect relationship between safety knowledge and safety performance were stronger. Theoretical and practical implications for occupational safety are discussed.Item Managing Role Boundaries with Low Value Congruence: An Examination of Work-to-Family Conflict, Conscientiousness, and Unethical Work Behavior Intentions(2016-12) Rhodes, Dena; Witt, L. Alan; Penney, Lisa M.; Campion, James E.; Foss, Donald J.This study investigated the impact of segmentation/integration value congruence on work interference with family (WIF) and how WIF may influence employees’ intentions to engage in unethical work behavior (UWB). The scarcity hypothesis and the conflict perspective were used to explain why low segmentation/integration value congruence may diminish employees’ resources, hinder employees from fulfilling family responsibilities, and potentially contribute to WIF. Organizational support theory, social exchange theory and the norm of reciprocity offered insight regarding why WIF may increase the likelihood that employees will engage in UWB. Finally, this study explored how conscientiousness may impact various relationships between segmentation/integration value congruence, WIF, and UWB intentions. Findings did not offer enough evidence supporting WIF as a mediator between segmentation/integration value congruence and UWB intentions. However, partial support was found for the hypothesized model, as conscientiousness significantly interacted with both segmentation/integration value congruence and WIF (respectively) to predict UWB intentions.Item Measuring Up: A Case Study Approach to Assessing the Value of University Staff Performance Measurement(2015-05) Messa, Emily A.; Horn, Catherine L.; Elkins Longacre, Teri; Olenchak, F. Richard; Penney, Lisa M.In 2011, non-instructional employees comprised approximately 60% of the workforce at four-year, post-secondary institutions in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Education (2011). While the performance of instructional staff at post-secondary institutions has been the subject of much empirical study, little is known about performance measures used with non-instructional staff. This quantitative case study of one public higher education institution’s performance management process fills a critical void by describing the staff workplace culture of that institution through its performance management practices. This study evaluated the management tool of the staff performance appraisal, which is typically a corporate process that has been adapted for higher education. These management tools and corporate terminology, such as customer service, have increasingly been incorporated into the higher education culture, and little is understood about their effects on this environment (Birnbaum, 2000; Szekeres, 2006). This study utilized employee performance appraisal and demographic data for non-instructional university staff from 2,401 university employees at a large, urban research institution located in the Southwestern United States. This staff performance appraisal was divided into four components: (a) job goals; (b) job responsibilities; (c) customer focus; and (c) competencies (Human Resources, n.d.a). There were three research questions of interest in this study, including: (1) Within a university setting, how are employee competencies valued by job title within colleges and divisions? (2) How are competencies of individual university staff valued in comparison with job responsibilities, manager responsibilities, job goals and customer service? (3) How is university staff customer service valued in higher education, and are there individual and college/division differences in customer service? Multiple correspondence analysis was used to answer research question 1. Findings included that, among non-manager employees (N=1,836), the first dimension accounted for 65.11% of adjusted inertia, or explained variance, while the second dimension accounted for 23.89% of adjusted inertia. For manager employees (N=565), the first dimension accounted for 86.57% of adjusted inertia, or explained variance, and the second dimension accounted for 8.26% of adjusted inertia. Visual data in symmetric plots illustrated similarities and differences across departments for competencies valued at this institution, and identified competencies that were outliers, or could be considered for elimination. Principal components analysis was used to answer research question 2. For non-manager employees, one factor had eigenvalues greater than 1.00, cumulatively accounting for 75.74% of the total variance, and all loadings were greater than .800. For managerial employees, one factor had eigenvalues greater than 1.00, cumulatively accounting for 74.17% of the total variance, and all loadings were greater than .731. To answer research question 3, a multiple linear regression was conducted to understand variables that predicted an employee’s customer focus score. The prediction model was statistically significant for non-supervisory employees (N=1,836), F(16, 1826) =24.27, p<.001, accounting for approximately 17% of the total variance of an employee’s score on the customer focus section of ePerformance (R2 = 0.18, adjusted R2=0.17). An employee’s score on the customer focus section of ePerformance was primarily predicted by whether the employee worked in a college or department that performed the primary functions of instruction, research, academic support, institutional support, student services or auxiliaries. It was also predicted by years of service to the institution and, to a lesser extent, ethnicity. Several themes emerged from the quantitative case study including: (a) that there were too many competencies in use by this institution to rate performance; (b) the four sections used to rate employees appeared redundant; and (c) there were potential rater biases and unclear definitions of customer service. In addition to thematic findings, policy alternatives to improve performance management at this institution were included, and these were guided by institutional policy goals, current institutional practices, study findings and the research literature.Item Participation in Post-Secondary Honors Programs: Predictors and Effects(2014-12) Furtwengler, Scott R.; Olenchak, F. Richard; Horn, Catherine L.; Penney, Lisa M.; Gaa, John P.The present studies focused on 1) the academic outcomes of high-achieving students at a four-year, comprehensive research institution, and 2) the influence of achievement goal orientation on high-achieving community college students’ decision to participate in a post-secondary honors program. While correlational studies have been conducted to compare differences in academic achievement between high-achieving students who participate in honors and those who do not, there is a gap in the scholarship regarding quantitative studies to estimate the magnitude of effect for participation in honors education on academic achievement. Further, research findings support non-cognitive factors such as academic self-concept (ASC) and self-efficacy that influence the decision to participate in honors, yet little research has been conducted regarding the influence of achievement goal orientation on students’ decisions to enroll in an honors learning environment. The goals of the studies were to determine 1) the extent to which participating in a post-secondary honors program affects academic achievement and 2) the extent to which achievement goal orientation influences students’ participation in a community college honors program. The first, an observational study, utilized archival data collected from three cohorts of high-achieving students at a four-year, comprehensive research institution. Big-Fish-Little-Pond-Effect predicts that students who opt out of participating in honors will outperform students enrolled in the honors program on academic achievement as measured by GPA. Quantitative and demographic data were collected and propensity score matching on observable variables was used to match students in the intervention group (honors) to the comparison group (non-honors) to control for confounders and to estimate better the magnitude of effect for the intervention of honors on academic outcomes. One-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to assess differences on cumulative grade point average (GPA) between the two groups using the propensity score as the covariate. It was anticipated that high-achieving students who participate in a post-secondary honors program would earn a lower cumulative GPA than their non-honors counterparts as an effect of their participation in the program. The second study, a survey, measured the four constructs of achievement goal orientation within the 2 x 2 model (mastery-approach, mastery-avoidance, performance-approach, performance-avoidance) across high-achieving students at a community college. Logistic regression was used to determine the constructs’ accuracy in predicting students’ likelihood of participating in honors. The data were collected from 400 students in an online version of the Achievement Goal Questionnaire-Revised. It was anticipated that the likelihood of participating in post-secondary honors would be greater for students who adopted a mastery-approach goal orientation.Item Running to Work: Marathon Training, Replenishment, and Worker Well-Being(2012-05) Waite, Eleanor; Witt, L. Alan; Mehta, Paras D.; Penney, Lisa M.; Hebl, Michelle R.Examining the impact of off-job activities on employee well-being offers a new perspective on the determinants of employee health and satisfaction. Applying conservation of resources theory (COR) and self-determination theory (SDT), I suggested that certain elements of leisure activities promote resources, thereby increasing feelings of replenishment. In turn, replenishment (i.e., a gain in resources) increases well-being. Using a sample of individuals training for a marathon / half marathon, I examined how certain elements of an employee’s marathon training regime can lead to replenishment and increases in employee health outcomes. Specifically, I addressed how a training regime that includes group support, clear goals, self-affirmation, and psychological detachment is more likely to result in replenishment. I examined the extent to which an organization supports an employee’s marathon endeavor moderates the relationship between training characteristics and replenishment. Additionally, I tested replenishment as a mediator of the training characteristic-well-being relationship. The hierarchical moderated multiple regression results highlighted the importance of self-affirmation in off-job activities. Further, results suggested that off-job activities have the strongest implication for increasing employee engagement. The results showed inconsistencies with previous research and theory regarding the role of psychological detachment and replenishment in the relationship between off-job activities and well-being. Overall, this research answered several important questions regarding the process through which leisure activities increase a sense of recovery in employees and positively influence health at work.Item SOMEBODY’S WATCHING YOU: AN INVESTIGATION OF OBSERVER REACTIONS TO DEVIANT WORK BEHAVIORS(2013-12) Brothers, Sara Ann; Penney, Lisa M.; Steinberg, Lynne; Campion, James E.The purpose of this study was to expand understanding of how deviant behaviors impact organizations by examining the observer. Based on two deontological response models and social learning theory, I expected the target (an individual or the organization) of DWB, severity of DWB, and the observer’s identification with the victim to predict observers’ behavioral responses. A policy capturing study of 196 working adults yielded largely supportive data. Participants were more likely to report, confront, and aid the target when the target was a person, the behavior was severe, or the observer identified with the target. Participants were more likely to ignore or imitate when the target was an organization, the behavior was of low severity, or the observer did not identify with the target. Implications and limitations are also discussed.Item Supervisor's Role in Managing Employee Stress and Safety Compliance(2014-05) Wilson, Ian; Penney, Lisa M.; Witt, L. Alan; Campion, James E.; Wilson, Raenada A.The current study proposes a moderated mediation model to explain how stressors may affect safety compliance both directly and indirectly through emotional exhaustion while examining the moderating role of supervisor support. Specifically, the model suggests that constraints (a form of hindrance stressor) are negatively related to safety compliance, and that emotional exhaustion mediates this relationship. The model also proposes that supervisor support moderates the mediated relationship such that individuals receiving high supervisor support experience less emotional exhaustion and consequently are more likely to comply with safety procedures compared to those who receive low levels of supervisor support. The model was tested using a sample of employees doing construction type work in a public sector organization. Results supported Hypotheses 1 and 2, indicating that constraints were negatively related to safety compliance, and that emotional exhaustion partially mediates the relationship between constraints and safety compliance. Results did not support hypotheses 3, 4a, and 4b, failing to show a significant relationship between supervisor support and safety compliance, and failing to show that supervisor support moderated the indirect or direct effects between constraints and safety compliance.