<p dir="ltr">Feedback seeking is an essential process for employees to improve performance and clarify expectations (Renn & Fedor, 2001; Ashford & Tsui, 199). Certain factors such as ego and image defense limit feedback seeking in the workplace due to avoidance of negative outcomes (Ashford & Cummings, 1983), however we know less about whether feedback seeking does lead to actual negative outcomes for the employee (Ashford, De Stobbeleir, & Nujella, 2016). The current study examines the existence of actual costs to the seeker for seeking more frequently and adds to the literature by examining whether supervisor individual differences are related to perceptions of seeking behavior, namely implicit person theory and feedback orientation. With a sample of 275 adult supervisors recruited from Mturk, the current study measured participants on these individual differences and assessed perceptions of a fictional employee who either sought feedback with high or low frequency. The employee was rated on a selection of performance potential outcomes related to promotability, expectations of future performance, willingness to mentor, and candidacy for career development opportunities. Findings suggest there is a cost associated with seeking feedback at a higher frequency which manifests as a decrease in perceptions of confidence in the employee. Additionally, this perception of lower confidence from seeking feedback could contribute to more significant downstream outcomes such as expectations of lower quality performance and lower likelihood of being promoted. By understanding more about individuals’ perceptions of feedback seeking behavior, we may train supervisors how to be more receptive of different feedback seeking behavior. This could assist in fostering a performance improvement environment that ultimately improves organizational performance.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Existing conceptualizations and measures of mentoring support have been criticized for conflating mentor behaviors with outcomes, lacking comprehensiveness, and lacking theoretical integration with relationship science. This research presents the development and validation of the Mentor Support Behaviors Inventory (MSBI), a new measure of mentor support grounded in attachment theory. Study 1 used a qualitative analysis of interviews and open-ended responses and identified eight behavioral themes reflecting three higher-order mentor support dimensions: Safe Haven (Counseling, Protecting), Secure Base (Training, Coaching, Promoting), and Close Esteem (Responding, Personalizing, Affirming). These dimensions aligned with the Safe Haven and Secure Base support tenets of attachment theory and integrates the literatures on responsiveness. In Study 2, an initial pool of 128 items was developed based on the qualitative findings. 122 working adults sorted them into mentoring behaviors versus relationship quality, mentoring effectiveness, and mentoring climate constructs. The results provided moderate to strong evidence of content validity, with the MSBI items performing better than existing mentoring measures. The MSBI offers a comprehensive, theory-driven assessment of specific observable mentor behaviors across diverse supportive contexts, addressing calls to elucidate the behavioral mechanisms underlying effective mentoring relationships. Implications for mentoring theory and practice are discussed.</p>

An understanding of how objective situational features are construed by individuals is essential to uncovering the dynamic process through which the “situation” (e.g., specific work events) interacts with personality in shaping behavior in the workplace. The current study aims to illuminate 1) how personality influences the way employees typically perceive work contexts (i.e., being at work), in general; 2) the role of personality in shaping employee’s unique construal of specific work situations; and 3) the effect of personality-driven situation perception on extra-role behaviors. I used the recently developed CAPTION framework of psychological situational characteristics that define 7 dimensions of situation perception to examine how personality traits influence the perception of being at work, in general. Then, to address Research Question 2, I mapped frequently occurring types of work situations (coded for objective descriptors; e.g., “who,” “when,” “what,” “where”) onto the CAPTION dimensions to investigate whether and how personality traits explain systematic differences in the psychological situational characteristics ascribed to specific types of commonly occurring situations. Finally, to address Research Question 3, I examined how personality-driven situation perception predicted individual differences in work behaviors, specifically personality-relevant behaviors, organizational citizenship behavior, and counterproductive behavior. I then discuss implications for theoretical perspectives that discuss the person-situation effect, as well as insights for how organizations may improve work outcomes through organizational context.

<p>Previous research has identified creativity goals and process goals as two contextual interventions for enhancing creativity in the workplace. Whereas creativity goals direct attention and effort toward outcomes that are both novel and useful, process goals direct attention and effort toward the creative process – behaviors and cognitions intended to enhance creative outcomes. The current research draws from past research and theory on goals and intrinsic motivation to explain how creativity goals and process goals influence creative performance, and perhaps more importantly, <i>why</i>. Specifically, I suggest that creativity goals have a direct, positive relationship with creative performance; however, process goals have an indirect, positive relationship with creative performance through creative process engagement. Additionally, specificity has the ability to focus attention on relevant processes and outcomes within the creativity criterion space. While specific creativity goals are predicted to direct attention toward desirable solutions without thwarting needs for autonomy, specific (i.e., structured) process goals may thwart autonomy perceptions, resulting in lower levels of intrinsic motivation, and ultimately creative performance. The hypotheses proposed were examined in a sample of 560 undergraduate students utilizing a 3 (creativity goals: specific, general, and no goal) x 3 (process goals: structured, semi-structured, and no goals) between-subjects experimental design. Results revealed creativity goals, particularly specific creativity goals, have a direct positive influence on creative performance. Process goals have an indirect positive relationship on creative performance through creative process engagement. Moreover, process goals have a negative impact on perceptions of autonomy, which in turn negatively impacts creative performance by reducing intrinsic motivation. The specific creativity goal had the strongest effects and appears to be an effective way to enhance both creative process engagement and creative performance. Taken together, these findings suggest that goals are a tenable means of enhancing creative performance; however, care should be taken to reduce adverse consequences for autonomy perceptions. </p>

Using the Internet during work time for personal interest is defined as personal web use (PWU), yet only limited knowledge is available on why people engage in varying degrees in this activity. To address this shortcoming, this research project tested a heavily moderated theoretical model of thirteen psychological and workplace attributes expected to influence differences in individuals’ PWU: moral norms, boredom, workgroup norms, workload, use of the ‘ledger neutralisation strategy’, certainty about PWU rules, attitude towards work, reactance, supervisor treatment, attitude towards PWU control, status, tenure and social loafing risk. Five facets of PWU were measured as separate criterion variables: past frequency, habitual PWU, duration, and two PWU activity types. Data for the model testing was gathered through an extensive on-line questionnaire. The responses of 267 participants with varying demographics and work situations were used to test the theoretical model, using moderated regression analyses. Significant interactions were explored further through the Modgraph procedure. The model testing results showed that PWU was more common in respondents who morally approved of PWU and who were bored at their work. How often people engaged in PWU (either out of habit or in general), for how long and in what types of activities, was influenced by specific combinations of the remaining attributes. Only four of the hypothesised twelve interactions played statistically significant roles, only habitual PWU was influenced by workload; and only information-seeking activities were influenced by workgroup norms. Attributes with ‘revenge’ connotations were noticeably absent as significant influences. The findings are discussed in some detail. To further explore the context of PWU, thematic analysis was undertaken of answers to two open-response questions provided by a sub-sample of 119 participants. Results supported the role of workplace boredom in PWU situations, specified the moral issues of PWU approval, and suggested that PWU is best understood and examined in the wider context of organisational culture. The thesis concludes with synthesis and discussion of statistical and qualitative analyses results, identifying the contributions the research has made to the field of study. Suggested practical applications of the findings, limitations of the research project and suggestions for future studies conclude the documentation.

This research examined the effects of motivation on the well-being of humanitarian health workers. Using Self-Determination Theory, I argued introjected and identified motivations were applicable to this occupational domain, and have differential effects on well-being. Introjected motivation would be positively related to hedonic well-being and burnout, while identified motivation would be positively related to eudaimonic well-being and vitality. Orientations to happiness and passion were proposed as mediating these relationships. An online quantitative questionnaire was used in the first phase of data collection. Respondents were N = 82 humanitarian health workers. A semi-structured interview methodology was used in the second phase. Participants were N = 5 humanitarian health workers. Path analyses revealed neither introjected nor identified motivation was significantly related to vitality or hedonic vs. eudaimonic well-being. Both motivations had significant direct effects on burnout, albeit in the opposite direction to hypotheses. Passion moderated the relationship between motivation and burnout. Additional path analyses showed obsessive passion mediated the path between introjected motivation and emotional exhaustion. Harmonious passion mediated the path between identified motivation and diminished personal accomplishment. Both obsessive and harmonious passion mediated the paths between each motivation and depersonalisation, although identified motivation had the strongest relationship with this aspect of burnout. Interview data supported the majority of quantitative findings. The results suggest the motivations underlying engagement in humanitarian work, are related to the development of burnout. The mediational effect of passion determines which aspect of burnout will be most prevalent. The findings have applicability to the design and implementation of recruitment strategies, and programs aimed at the treatment and prevention of burnout in workers, both pre- and post-deployment to humanitarian situations.

The aim of this thesis was to develop and test a theoretical model of fiendships in the workplace. Friendships within organisations may have a profound effect on an employee's experience of work, potentially either hindering or facilitating organisational functioning, yet friendships have seldom been studied in an organisational context. The association between friendships at work and organisational outcomes such as job satisfaction, organisational commitment and turnover intentions were investigated in three studies, assessing support for a theoretical model. In the first study, employees of a large Auckland hospital Waitemata District Health Board, Auckland (NZ) (n = 124) were surveyed using a written questionnaire. Results indicated that cohesiveness and opportunities for friendship were related to increased job satisfaction, leading to increased organisational commitment and decreased turnover intentions. The actual prevalence of friendships was primarily related to decreased turnover intentions. Overall there was good support for the proposed model. The need for further research to ascertain the generalisability of the findings was highlighted. A second study was conducted using an Internet based questionnaire, accessed both from within New Zealand and worldwide. A diverse sample of employees responded (n = 412). The analysis (structural equation modelling) indicated further support for most aspects of the model, suggesting that the findings are generalisable and the model is robust. The model of workplace relationships was cross-validated in a third study, confirming linkages between friendships at work and organisational outcomes. The model was then tested for intergroup invariance. The model was invariant across groups reporting differing needs for affiliation, autonomy and achievement, but non-invariant across groups occupying relatively less or more interdependent jobs. Results suggest that the interdependence of individuals' jobs affects the salience of work friendships more than respondents' subjective need. Overall, the research suggests that the presence of workplace friendships has a significant effect on several workplace variables, with the effect of friendships being more salient for individuals in interdependent work roles. The implications of the research findings are potentially far reaching. Not only do workplace friendships improve employees' experiences of work, but they also have the potential to affect the financial "bottom line" through factors such as enhanced organisational commitment, job satisfaction and reduced intentions to leave.

The experience of work life is saturated with feelings or emotions (Ashforth & Humphrey, 1995). For humans, as with any social animals, our survival and day to day functioning rely heavily on the communication and perception of emotions (Ashkanasy, Härtel, & Zerbe, 2000b). When attention is paid to increasing awareness and understanding of emotion in our work lives, and how those emotions affect others, there is potential to improve interpersonal interactions and develop more positive, supportive work relationships. The work environment is largely dependent on the quality of these relationships and connections between organisational members (Carmeli, 2009). Despite the centrality of work relationships within organisations, researchers are yet to fully understand the dynamics and the processes that nurture and sustain positive interpersonal relationships at work (Ragins & Dutton, 2007). Collegial relationships are particularly important in organisations such as schools, where the way that staff interact with one another not only affects their job performance and the quality of their work life, but also the lives and learning abilities of their students. The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding how collegial interactions, relationships, and the school environment may change when staff are trained in emotional skills. This research was a smaller, parallel study contributing to a larger three year project – Te Aniwaniwa: Warming up the Classroom Emotional Environment. A mixed method approach utilised quantitative information from questionnaires to assess the school environment and morale, and qualitative information from weekly diaries of emotional interactions and semi-structured interviews. All of the teaching and support staff from a local primary school attended workshops to enhance their emotional skills based on the Harvey-Evans (2003) model of the classroom emotional environment. Although statistical analyses were not sensitive enough to detect changes in quantitative data from questionnaires due to a small sample size (N=18), qualitative information collected from weekly diaries and interviews suggested that staff were noticing changes to their day to day interactions with one another and improvements to their professional relationships. Interview themes highlighted some of the day to day behaviours and expectations that may be important in laying solid foundations on which positive relationships can be built. By delivering training to individuals within School A to enhance their emotional skills, this programme encouraging the development of an atmosphere where emotions could be expressed, understood and managed more effectively. The implications of these results are not necessarily restricted to management and staff relationships in schools but may also be extended to other occupational settings where individuals are required to support one another and share ideas and resources.

<p>There is a plethora of team composition and personality research, but limited research incorporating the influences of team context or teammate behaviors for a multilevel examination. Using secondary data from a pre-existing study consisting of 86 teams and 430 total participants, we investigated the multilevel relationships of personality and team role adoption. We predicted hypotheses at three levels. At the individual-level, we predicted personality traits would predict role adoption. At the team-level, we predicted team personality composition (measured as mean) would predict role composition (measured as density). We also predicted cross-level interactions, such that team personality composition would moderate relationships between individual personality and role adoption. We utilized Density scores to calculate team role composition, which captures mean ties per group member where a tie is being perceived as adopting a leadership role. At the individual-level, we found support that extraversion levels predicted adoption of all roles. At the team-level, mean conscientiousness predicted density of all team roles. We found no support for any cross-level moderations that team personality composition influenced individual-level personality to role predictions.</p>

<p>In the face of an increasingly pressing refugee crisis, host organizations have become a key context for refugee integration (Bimrose & McNair, 2011). Successful integration is critical to refugees’ well-being. However, our theoretical understanding of this process is still limited. This is partly because research centering on refugees is scarce, and the literature lacks a unifying framework to explain how varied integration practices could address refugee needs. To address this gap, the current study applies self-determination theory (SDT) to systematically understand how organizational practices may support refugees’ autonomy, competence, and relatedness needs. To do so, I examine refugee (vs. non-refugee) perceptions of organizational support helpfulness and explore its underlying processes (e.g., needs deprivation, work centrality). Findings suggest that refugees tend to view autonomy and relatedness practices as especially helpful, and these relationships are mediated through higher work centrality. I conclude with a discussion of the theoretical and practical implications of the findings for refugee workplace integration.</p>