Empowerment has long been believed to positively influence workplace outcomes such as performance and satisfaction, but empirical and anecdotal evidence suggest this influence is frequently weak. The present study explores the theoretical links among aspects of structural and psychological empowerment, challenge and hindrance stress appraisals, and employee performance and well-being within workplace settings. Hypotheses were tested with data obtained from individual employees and their supervisors from a diverse range of industries and organizations. Results demonstrate that accountability positively affects appraisals of challenge and hindrance stress; felt hindrance stress adversely affects employee well-being; proactive personality moderates the relationship between authority-sharing and challenge stress; and locus of control moderates the relationship between empowerment practices and challenge stress appraisal. These findings broaden the focus of prior research by addressing why the so-called magic spell of empowerment may sometimes fail to improve performance and well-being.

Due to economic and social globalization processes, the boundaries of national systems of corporate governance have become more permeable for the transfer of ideas and practices from other institutional contexts. I derive hypotheses from a multitheoretical framework to explain strategic firm responsiveness to national level pressures for corporate governance reform. This framework integrates institutional, resource dependence, social network, upper echelon, and organizational learning perspectives and portrays corporate governance reform as institutional change. I test hypotheses derived from this framework in the context of the issuance of the German corporate governance code. The code provision of interest recommends that German firms listed on the Frankfurt stock exchange publish a comprehensive director remuneration report for their management and supervisory boards, a practice that is arguably at odds with the traditional regulative, normative, and cognitive-cultural institutional pillars of the German corporate governance system. A unique longitudinal dataset of 189 stock exchange listed firms is used to explain strategic firm responsiveness to the issuance of this institutionally contested provision. In this context, this dissertation is the first study that (partly) operationalizes Oliver's (1991) continuum of strategic responses to institutional processes. The findings reveal that in contrast to arguments advanced by financial economists and legal scholars, economic market forces do not significantly drive firms' responsiveness to corporate governance reform pressures. Instead, firm ownership type and power, labor representatives, management characteristics, and different intra- and interorganizational learning processes are significant predictors of strategic firm responsiveness to national level corporate governance reform pressures. The findings generally provide support for the developed theoretical framework and help corporate governance research to expand beyond the traditional legal and financial economics perspective.

The considerable research examining pay satisfaction over the past thirty years has focused on antecedents and the conceptualization of the construct. Notably little attention has been given to pay satisfaction consequences. This dissertation incorporates organizational justice literature to develop a model of pay satisfaction consequences and then shows the effect of pay satisfaction on job performance, turnover intentions, organizational commitment, and other variables. Two typologies are created to explain the relationship between pay satisfaction dimensions and consequences. One typology classifies the dimensions of pay satisfaction according to their form and what type of exchange is created with the organization. The other categorizes consequences by referent and how pay satisfaction influences it. By combining these typologies, the general model of pay satisfaction consequences is formed. Based on this model, propositions are presented which address what class of pay satisfaction dimensions will influence what class of consequences and in what manner. Heneman and Schwab's (1985) pay satisfaction conceptualization is used to test the general model.

Much LMX research is predicated upon the assumption that the quality of the supervisor-subordinate relationship is predictive of important organizational and individual outcomes. I propose, however, that leader-member agreement in perception about the nature of the relationship as well as the type of relationship itself is important. I have identified and examined some of the theoretically relevant determinants of leader and member perceptual agreement regarding the nature of their LMX relationship. I hypothesized that relational demography, values, perceived similarity, communication, feedback, and role clarity are related to LMX perceptual agreement. Data was collected through surveys personally administered to employees at four companies in the Southeast. All employees completed the same survey which included measures of LMX, values, perceived similarity, communication, feedback, and role clarity. Supervisors then completed an additional survey that included measures of the supervisors' perceptions of their LMX relationships, their perceived similarity with subordinates, and feedback solicitation with specific subordinates. Supervisor and subordinate responses were matched. Additionally, because of the controversy regarding the use of difference scores as a means to investigate agreement variables, perceptual agreement was not defined as a difference score. My dependent variable, LMX agreement, was examined using multivariate multiple regression analysis by looking at each of its components (LMX and SLMX) and their relationship to each other and to the independent variable(s). The results provide evidence that communication is a key aspect of perceptual agreement. There is support for several of the communication and feedback hypotheses. This dissertation makes several contributions to the leader-member exchange, perceptual agreement, and communication literatures. Direction for future research, study limitations, and implications of the findings for research and practice are discussed.

In the last twenty years, researchers have examined why individuals may proactively seek performance feedback in the workplace. Since Ashford and Cummings' (1983) seminal article, situational and individual difference variables have predominantly been examined to predict how often employees will seek feedback. One situational variable that has been researched but not sufficiently examined is the feedback context. A public or a private feedback context considers whether the presence of an audience inhibits or facilitates feedback seeking behaviors. This dissertation explores the role of the feedback context by developing a conceptual model to determine how frequently employees may seek feedback in a public or private context. Variables used in previous feedback seeking research are incorporated in this conceptual model. These individual difference and situational variables include perceived value of public or private feedback, goal orientation, public self-consciousness, self-esteem, external feedback propensity, and tolerance for ambiguity. Also explored are the relationships between public or private feedback seeking and individual outcomes such as career success, organizational citizenship behaviors, and individual performance. One hundred forty-eight employees participated in a field study to determine whether individuals vary in their feedback seeking behaviors. Results of this study show some significant differences in individuals seeking public or private feedback. The results also support some significant relationships between public or private feedback seeking and individual outcomes such as extrinsic career success. Surprisingly, the relationships between public and private feedback seeking and organizational citizenship behaviors and individual performance were not as predicted.

The purpose of this study is to better understand the development of successors in the family business and their approach to the leadership of the firm. Foundational concepts in the family business literature and leadership literature are reviewed. I propose an integration of leadership theory into family business studies. I examine the reasons successors join the family business, the successors development from follower to leader, differences between founders and successors, and the leadership qualities of successors. A case study approach is followed, using a mixture of qualitative interviews and a survey questionnaire, the Organizational Leadership Assessment. Six family businesses are described in detail, including an air conditioning wholesale company, a pest control company, an automobile dealership, a printing business, a funeral home, and an air conditioning service company. Reasons for successors to enter the family business include expectation, convenience, opportunity, and closeness to family members. Successors move through the stages of student of the organization, low level manager, top manager, and finally owner. I identify five areas of differences between founders and successors, including business environment concerns, company changes, ownership complexity, and two internal differences regarding entrepreneurial activity and business risk approach. Important leadership qualities for successors include the need for "hands-on" technical knowledge, the importance of long-term orientation, the need for a spirit of cooperation among family leaders, and the relevance of servant leadership. I provide eight propositions for encouraging the next generation to join the business, five propositions to encourage the development of successors, two propositions to understand the differences between successors and founders, and two propositions to understand the leadership qualities of successors.

A recent literature review shows that the effects of trust on workplace outcomes are less consistent than might be expected (Dirks & Ferrin, 2001). For some work-related outcomes, studies have revealed significant effects of trust whereas others have not. By definition, trust describes a psychological state comprising positive expectations about the behavior and intentions of another. The position of this dissertation is that, to have a full understanding of the effects of trust, researchers need to consider on what basis this positive expectation is formed (i.e., trusts bases) as well as in whom this positive expectation is placed (i.e., trusts foci). Based on this position, and with trust bases and foci being explicitly recognized, the effects of trust were examined vis-à-vis the following variables: organizational commitment (affective and continuance), supervisor-subordinate conflict (task- and relationship-related), citizenship behavior directed toward coworkers (task- and person-focused), communication flow (upward and lateral), job satisfaction, task performance, and openness to organizational change. Data via survey were collected from 564 medical center employees (353 subordinates and 210 supervisors). Six combinations of trust bases and foci were found to be distinguishable, and each made a unique contribution to the predicted variance in subordinate job satisfaction. Increases in both cognitive and affective trust in ones supervisor were found to reduce task supervisory conflict and, with greater magnitude, reduce relationship supervisory conflict. Affective trust in management was found to be an important predictor of affective organizational commitment. Trust in ones supervisor, especially affective trust in ones supervisor, significantly predicted task performance. Interactions among subordinates, as indicated by open communication and helping behavior toward one another, were found to be influenced by trust in ones supervisor. In particular, both cognitive and affective trust in ones supervisor contributed to the prediction of task- and person-focused interpersonal citizenship behavior toward coworkers. Compared to cognitive trust, affective trust in ones supervisor was more predictive of both upward and lateral communication. Implications for research and practice, limitations, and future research directions are discussed.

This dissertation investigates two relationships between governance and portfolio restructuring. First, post-restructuring governance is addressed. Prior research suggests that firms restructure because of less than desirable performance, which results from managerial inefficiencies. Such inefficiencies are predominantly believed to be the result of inadequate governance. Research has never proven that governance is weak in the pre-restructuring period, yet this philosophy has become institutionalized. Thus, if governance is weak or a complete failure in the pre-restructuring period, then what changes do firms make in the post-restructuring period? Drawing on institutional and resource dependence theories, this dissertation addresses this issue by suggesting that modifications to governance structures in the post-restructuring period are greatest for those firms with poor performance in the pre-restructuring period. Specifically, these firms will adjust their governance structures to reflect socially valid indicators of sound governance. By changing governance structures that adhere to the prescriptions of rationalizing myths in the institutional environment, an organization might enhance its legitimacy and demonstrate that it is behaving on collectively valued purposes in a proper manner. The results revealed that the relationship between restructuring and governance is best characterized as direct, irrespective of firm performance. Restructuring was positively related to the proportion of outsiders on the board, and CEO, top management team, and board of director equity ownership in the post-restructuring period. The results also revealed an interaction effect between restructuring and CEO equity ownership, as well as a curvilinear relationship between restructuring and CEO duality. Second, this dissertation focuses on the impact of governance on the restructuring-performance relationship. Due to institutionalized beliefs about what constitutes sound governance, it is argued that firms will be positively rewarded if their firms possess socially valid indicators of governance because there is evidence that market valuations can be impacted by non-financial factors, such as governance structures. The results revealed that CEO duality negatively influences shareholder returns. Additionally, shareholders of restructuring firms were positively rewarded by holding ownership positions in firms with independent boards and boards with large ties to the environment. Discussions for both studies are offered, in addition to contributions, limitations, and areas for future research.

This dissertation examines the impacts of interfirm variables on both invention and commercialization activities, following Greves (2003) suggestion that innovation research will be enriched if more studies integrate invention and commercialization activities to understand the entire innovation development process. Utilizing two established theoretical perspectivesorganizational learning and institutional theorysix sets of hypotheses are developed containing the following interfirm variables: 1) direct and indirect ties, 2) strength of direct ties, 3) structural holes, 4) prominence of direct partners, 5) exploration and exploitation partners, and 6) horizontal and vertical networks. The dissertation also predicts that these interfirm variables would contribute to either invention or commercialization activities. Examining 262 publicly traded biopharmaceutical firms from 1986 to 2003, the study demonstrates that the interfirm variables significantly influence the invention and commercialization outcomes. While some interfirm variables positively influence the number of patents of a focal firm, they could have a negative impact upon the number of marketed drug applications and revenue. A managerial implication from the findings is that a focal firm may want to clarify its objectives before engaging in any interfirm collaboration by examining the multiple dimensions of its interfirm network and to identify its posture toward alliances. Due to the complexity and length of invention and commercialization activities, future research is warranted to investigate further the impacts of these interfirm predictors on important, but relatively ignored, product innovation outcomes (i.e., the number of new projects and licensing, marketing, and sales fees).

This dissertation explores theoretical links among interpersonal, perceptual, and situational variables and sensitivity about being the target of threatening upward comparisons (STTUC) within a workplace setting. It also investigates affective and behavioral responses outperformers may enact to decrease effects thought to be associated with STTUC. Because of the novelty of investigating STTUC in a field sample, the actual nature of the relationships among STTUC and the focal study variables were examined in multiple ways. Specifically, workplace outperformers interpersonal sensitivity, empathic concern, and competitive psychological climate, along with actual threat experienced by the outperformed, were all expected to increase the likelihood that outperformers would experience STTUC, and STTUC was, in turn, expected to result in the use of appeasement and avoidance behaviors, propensity for socially motivated underachievement, and decreased preference for public recognition. Additionally, direct linkages between the antecedents and consequences were expected, as well as post-hoc hypotheses predicting these direct relationships would actually be moderated by STTUC. Results suggested empathic concern, competitive psychological climate, and threat experienced by the outperformed were antecedents to STTUC and had direct relationships with many of the studys consequences. STTUC was not found to be directly related to the studys consequences, but it did serve as a moderating variable for the relationships between the antecedents interpersonal sensitivity, empathic concern, and threat and several of the consequences. These results provide researchers and practitioners with insights into which factors influence outperformers STTUC, as well as highlight the important role STTUC plays in determining outperformers reactions to being upward comparison targets.