Upward influence tactics and their effects on job performance ratings and flexible working arrangements: The mediating roles of mutual recognition respect and mutual appraisal respect

Differences between managers' and safety professionals' perceptions of upwards influence attempts within safety practice

INTRODUCTION

The ability to influence upwards and gain management commitment has been identified as an essential capability for safety professionals, yet little is known about managers' perceptions of their subordinates use and effectiveness of influence tactics. This study utilizes intra-organizational influence theory to explore how safety professionals influence managers who are making important safety decisions.

METHOD

Survey data were collected from managers (n = 145) on influence tactics used by safety professionals, perceived outcomes, and factors that promote and impede influence. Survey data from a previous study of safety professionals (n = 385) were used to compare the differences in perceptions between the two groups.

RESULTS

Managers perceive that the use of influence tactics provides explanation for safety professionals' effectiveness, with rational persuasion being positively associated with influencing effectiveness, and personal appeals and legitimating being negatively associated with effectiveness. Certain factors (i.e., knowledge, understanding organizational context, interpersonal skills, and experience) were more frequently perceived by managers to enable influence, while others were more frequently reported as barriers (i.e., organizational culture, safety beliefs, and leadership styles of managers). Managers and safety professionals agreed on many of these findings, although safety professionals reported a broader range of tactics as being effective than did managers.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides important contributions to understanding the upward influence behavior of safety professionals, and to our knowledge is the first study to report this behavior from the perspective of managers.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

These findings may prompt safety professionals to reflect on current tactic usage and associated efficacy from managers' perspectives. Safety professionals should also consider the culture of the organization, safety beliefs, and the leadership style of managers prior to influencing, as these factors may negatively impact influencing outcomes. Developing knowledge and skills in both technical and non-technical domains may enhance the strategic influence of safety professionals.

Leaders’ Emotion Regulation and the Influence of Respect and Entitlement on Employee Silence

Although numerous researchers have examined leaders’ behavior in promoting employee voice, so far, there have been limited empirical studies in interpersonal emotion regulation (IER) and employee silence literature. This study aims to investigate how leaders’ IER can break the barrier of employee silence through examining the mediating roles of perceived mutual recognition respect and psychological entitlement. To enhance sustainable organization practices, this may be the first study that identifies leaders’ IER strategies as an effective communication tool for diminishing employee silence. By collecting data from 315 management employees in Pakistan, the hypothesized relationships were tested using path analysis and bootstrapping technique with AMOS. Our findings support the mediating role of mutual recognition respect and psychological entitlement in leaders’ IER and employee silence relationship. More specifically, while mutual recognition respect mediates the relationship between leaders’ problem-focused strategies and employee silence, psychological entitlement mediates the association of both problem-focused and emotion-focused strategies with employee silence. In line with the research findings, we have highlighted some notable theoretical contributions and managerial implications. Further, we present limitations and future research directions.

Flexible working arrangement and job performance: the mediating role of supervisor support

Purpose

This study's main objective is to investigate the influence of flexible working arrangements (FWAs) on employee job performance. In addition, this research studies the mediating role of supervisor's support on the relationship between FWAs and job performance.

Design/methodology/approach

To test the hypothesised model, cross-sectional data were collected from 214 employees working in 46 service firms in India. The data were analysed by structural equation modelling.

Findings

The supervisor's support mediated the relationship between FWAs and job performance. The study’s results show that role of supervisors shapes the collective social exchange relationship between the organisation and employees. These findings highlight the importance of shared experiences, values and norms, which reciprocate with change-supportive behaviours and abilities. Moreover, supervisors’ support transmits signals through which employees feel more valued and eventually affect their job performance.

Research limitations/implications

The research is confined to India's service industries settings only.

Practical implications

Service firm management recommended implementing FWAs with appropriate organisation level planning, which directly benefits employees' well-being, improves work–life balance, reduces the rate of employee turnover and leads to increased employee productivity.

Originality/value

The study's result is that supervisor's support has a significant influence on employee uptake of FWAs, and understanding how the service firm's context shapes supervisors’ support is critical to improving FWAs implementation.

The impact of subordinate ingratiation on supervisor punishment omission: A social judgment theory perspective

BACKGROUND: Upward ingratiation is a universal workplace phenomenon because leaders have more power and resources, which are closely related to the interests of subordinates. This phenomenon is especially common in Chinese culture due to the large power distance between superior and subordinate. Subordinate ingratiation appears to influence supervisors’ affective responses and punishment decisions. OBJECTIVE: The study’s purpose was to analyze the relationship between subordinate ingratiation and supervisor punishment omission in China, as well as the mediating role of interpersonal affect and the moderating role of authentic leadership. METHODS: Data were collected from 389 supervisor-subordinate dyads in China. The reliability and validity of measurement scales were demonstrated. Multiple regression analyses and bootstrapping tests were used to examine the research model. RESULTS: Subordinate ingratiation is positively related to supervisor punishment omission. Interpersonal affect fully mediates the relationship between subordinate ingratiation and supervisor punishment omission. Authentic leadership negatively moderates the relationships between both subordinate ingratiation and interpersonal affect and subordinate ingratiation and supervisor punishment omission. The moderating effect of authentic leadership between subordinate ingratiation and supervisor punishment omission is partially mediated by interpersonal affect. CONCLUSIONS: The findings contribute to the theory about the effect of ingratiation, with implications for practice and future research.

Upward Ingratiation Outside the Workplace and Supervisor's Human Resource Decisions: Moderating Effect of Zhongyong Thinking

Ingratiation is a common strategy for subordinates to deal with their supervisors in eastern and western societies. Based on the theory of impression management, this study focuses on the impact of upward ingratiation outside the workplace on supervisor's human resource (HR) decisions in the Chinese context and the mechanism behind this impact. The data were collected from 252 supervisor-subordinate dyads in four manufacturing firms. The results demonstrate the following: first, supervisors hold a more favorable view of upward ingratiation outside the workplace; second, upward ingratiation outside the workplace has a positive effect on the supervisor's chance of promotion and bonus allocation decisions, and leader-member exchange (LMX) plays a mediation role in this influence; third, Zhongyong thinking (ZYT) moderates the relationship between LMX and supervisor's chance of promotion and bonus allocation decisions; and finally, ZYT moderates the indirect effect of ingratiation behavior outside the workplace on supervisor's chance of promotion and bonus allocation decisions through LMX, and the mediated relationship is weakened when a supervisor has a higher level of ZYT. This is one of the first empirical studies, which examines the validity of subordinate's upward ingratiation outside the workplace from the perspective of supervisor's ZYT. This study plays an important role in highlighting the effect of ZYT on the ingratiation behavior.

Perceived Accuracy of Electronic Performance Appraisal Systems: The Case of a Non-for-Profit Organization from an Emerging Economy

Performance appraisal reports provide vital information for making strategic decisions. Uniting HR practices and IT is an attempt to maximize value creation. Organizations are transforming their performance management systems from traditional to web-technology based systems to enhance accuracy and objectivity. The present study is an effort to assess employees’ perception of the accuracy of e-performance appraisal systems. To that effect, 500 close-ended questionnaires were administered to randomly selected employees working for a non-for-profit organization where e-performance appraisal is practiced. A total of 352 questionnaires were included for analysis and structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. The results indicate that rater competence and the possibility to challenge performance appraisals judged as unfair or inaccurate highly influence the employees’ perception of accuracy of e-performance appraisals. Furthermore, a clear communication of standards and the reaction to the last rating moderately affect the employees’ perception of the accuracy of e-PA.