Small E, Everett C. The role of leadership perceptions in performance appraisal participation

Purpose

This study aims to explore followers’ perceptions of leaders as predictors of performance appraisal (PA) participation and subsequent outcomes. Prior research has acknowledged the role of Leader–Member Exchange (LMX) quality in predicting PA participation. This study sought to add to this literature by investigating the effects of LMX dimensions (loyalty, affect, contribution and respect) and the effect of perceived leader prototypicality on PA participation and subsequent outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

The hypothesized model proposed that the LMX dimensions and leader prototypicality would predict PA participation, and the effect of PA participation on job and reward satisfaction would be mediated through PA satisfaction. Structure equation modeling using maximum likelihood estimation was used to test these hypotheses in a sample of 216 employees at a public utility company.

Findings

Although results indicated partial support for the proposed mediated model, they also indicated more complex relationships. Leader prototypicality was related to PA participation, none of the four LMX dimensions had the predicted positive effect on PA participation, though they were differentially and directly related to PA satisfaction and job satisfaction.

Research limitations/implications

Employees’ perceptions of leader prototypicality is important in engaging employee participation in the PA process, and more important to participation than was the quality of the LMX relationship. The extent to which employees participate in and subsequently experience higher levels of satisfaction with the PA process may be a reflection of how employees perceive their leader. And participation in and satisfaction with the PA process lead to increased reward and job satisfaction. Future research should incorporate supervisor perspectives of these relationships and use longitudinal design to better infer causality.

Practical implications

Employee perceptions of leader prototypicality are important for encouraging their participation in the PA process, which has implications for reward and job satisfaction. Therefore, supervisors would benefit from understanding the traits (such as sensitivity, confidence and intelligence) that affect their subordinates’ leadership perceptions, and should be trained on successfully demonstrate those traits. Further, exchange relationships built on loyalty and respect affected PA satisfaction directly, which also positively affected job and reward satisfaction. Thus, supervisors should be trained to build trust- and respect-based relationships with employees.

Originality/value

The results of this study make significant contributions to the understanding of the antecedents of employee participation in and satisfaction with the PA process. The data suggest that the effect of perceived leader prototypicality on job and reward satisfaction is mediated through PA participation. Because implicit leadership theory has not previously been studied in the PA context, this new finding makes an important contribution to the PA literature. Further, by taking a multidimensional approach to LMX, these results indicated that the dimensions of loyalty and respect were related to PA satisfaction directly, but not through PA participation.

The effect of enabling organizational control on employees’ affective commitment: evidence from French firms

Purpose

This paper aims to find out the impact of enabling organizational control on employee affective organizational commitment. Moreover, based on self-determination theory, this paper also explains the process through which this relationship works.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper has adopted an explanatory study using a cross-sectional design. Data was collected from the alumni of a business school in France using a survey strategy. Structural equation modeling has been used to validate the measure and to test the hypotheses.

Findings

The results of this study reveal that there is a positive relationship between enabling organizational controls and employee affective organizational commitment. Moreover, this study also shows that this relationship is mediated by the satisfaction of the need for autonomy.

Practical implications

This study serves as a guide for the management to achieve organizational goals as well as employees’ organizational commitment.

Originality/value

This study enriches the literature in the field of organizational theory by showing the positive effect of enabling organizational control on employees’ affective commitment.

Gaining insights into organizational communication dynamics through the analysis of implicit and explicit communication

This report in the journal Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. Zeitschrift für Angewandte Organisationspsychologie aims at presenting how the analysis of implicit and explicit communication in organizational interaction can advance our insights into and implications for these interactions for research and science. Communication is a central process in modern organizations. Especially recurring forms of interaction in organizations (e.g., meetings or appraisal interviews) are of great importance for personal and organizational success. In these interactions, the communication between the interacting organizational members has a decisive impact on the interactions’ course and outcomes (e.g., satisfaction with the interaction, performance during the interaction). Therefore, the aim of this paper is to present two aspects of communication that are empirically shown to contribute to successful outcomes of organizational interactions. Based on a practical problem, we illustrate the analysis and implications of (1) implicit communication (that is, the use and coordination of unconsciously used function words such as pronouns, articles, or prepositions) and (2) explicit communication (that is, the overarching meaning of a statement). To further illustrate the practical relevance of both communication behaviors, we present empirical insights and their implications for practice. Taking a glance at the future, possible combinations of these communication behaviors, the resulting avenues for future research, and the importance of a strengthened cooperation between research and practice to gain more naturalistic insights into organizational communication dynamics are discussed.

Introducing rLSM: An integrated metric assessing temporal reciprocity in language style matching

The way that individuals use function words in a conversation-reflecting how they say things, rather than what they say-is called their individual language style. The dyadic coordination of language styles, called language style matching (LSM), is central to the development of social relationships in conversations. Despite a growing body of research on LSM, conceptual and methodological approaches are inconsistent between scholars. After giving a conceptual overview of LSM, we derive the properties desirable for analyses of LSM in interaction (e.g., reciprocity, consistency, and frequency sensitivity). Building on these properties, the existing three methodological approaches to LSM are reviewed. Since none of the existing metrics fulfills all the desired properties, we introduce a new metric to assess LSM in dyadic interaction, capturing reciprocal adaption throughout the dynamic process of a conversation. Hence, the new metric is called reciprocal LSM (rLSM). To empirically establish the conceptual underpinnings of rLSM, the metric is compared to the LSM metric most commonly used in psychological research. Both metrics are applied to a set of N = 77 transcribed real-life dyadic conversations, analyzed with the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count software. The results indicate that rLSM is a better estimate of LSM than is the old metric and that there is high conceptual similarity between the two metrics. Implications for existing research and directions for future research are discussed. To facilitate the standardization and comparability of research, guidelines are provided for authors on the use of the new and existing metrics.