Interpersonal Relationship Building Research Articles

Relationship Management in Sales – Presentation of a Model with Which Sales Employees Can Build Interpersonal Relationships with Customers

Abstract: Sales companies are asking themselves how they can generate success in the future despite constant change and new influences. An important factor is the development of relationships between sales staff and customers, which must be demanded and promoted by companies so that it can be applied in sales practice. This includes training and education, but also the implementation of tools such as guides or models. This work examines the necessity and methods of interpersonal relationship building. It was found that relationship building is crucial for sales success. The identified factors for successful interpersonal relationship building can be summarized as follows: i) trust, liking and appreciation; ii) private contacts and bonding; and iii) liability and credibility. However, it has been shown that there is a discrepancy between the importance of relationship building and its actual implementation in professional practice. This paper presents a model based on the research findings and offers salespeople and companies concrete recommendations for action. Barthelt’s four-phase cycle model can improve sales activities and strengthen the interpersonal relationship between salespersons and customers. It provides practical guidance for the day-to-day work of salespeople and assists managers in promoting and implementing relationship building in daily practice specifically. This work closes the research gap between theory and sales practice in interpersonal relationship building. It underlines its importance in a constantly changing and increasingly digitalized world. JEL classification: M 20, O 30, Z 30

Leaders' political skills and subordinates' service‐oriented organizational citizenship behavior

AbstractTeam‐oriented tasks are inherent in the hospitality industry, requiring leaders to cultivate quality relationships with subordinates and facilitate team‐member interaction to achieve organizational goals. However, there is a lack of understanding of how leaders' political skills shape vertical and horizontal exchange relationships, leading to subordinates' performance. This study investigates the impacts of leader political skill (LPS) on leader–member exchange (LMX), team–member exchange (TMX), and service‐oriented organizational citizenship behavior (SOOCB) in an airline service setting where leaders' relationship‐building skills and influence and members' interpersonal relationship building are essential. To this end, 289 valid questionnaires were collected from flight attendants in South Korea. Results showed that perceived LPS positively affected LMX and TMX. Additionally, LMX and TMX fully mediated the relationship between LPS and SOOCB.

Evaluation of a charge nurse leadership development program.

Evaluation of a charge nurse leadership development program.

Discussion-based interprofessional education: A positive step toward promoting shared understanding between surgical residents and nurses

ABSTRACT Interprofessional education during medical training may improve communication by promoting collaboration and the development of shared mental models between professions. We implemented a novel discussion-based intervention for surgical residents and nurses to promote mutual understanding of workflows and communication practices. General surgery residents and inpatient nurses from our institution were recruited to participate. Surveys and paging data were collected prior to and following the intervention. Surveys contained original questions and validated subscales. Interventions involved facilitated discussions about workflows, perceptions of urgency, and technology preferences. Discussions were recorded and transcribed for qualitative content analysis. Pre and post-intervention survey responses were compared with descriptive sample statistics. Group characteristics were compared using Fisher’s exact tests. Eleven intervention groups were conducted (2–6 participants per group) (n = 38). Discussions achieved three aims: Information-Sharing (learning about each other’s workflows and preferences), 2) Interpersonal Relationship-Building (establishing rapport and fostering empathy) and 3) Interventional Brainstorming (discussing strategies to mitigate communication challenges). Post-intervention surveys revealed improved nurse-reported grasp of resident schedules and tailoring of communication methods based on workflow understanding; however, communication best practices remain limited by organizational and technological constraints. Systems-level changes must be prioritized to allow intentions toward collegial communication to thrive.

Preventing, Mitigating, and Treating Women's Perinatal Mental Health Problems during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review of Reviews with a Qualitative Narrative Synthesis.

Meeting the mental health needs of perinatal women during the COVID-19 pandemic is a serious concern. This scoping review looks at how to prevent, mitigate or treat the mental health problems faced by women during a pandemic, and lays out suggestions for further research. Interventions for women with pre-existing mental health problems or health problems that develop during the perinatal period are included. The literature in English published in 2020-2021 is explored. Hand searches were conducted in PubMed and PsychINFO using the terms COVID-19, perinatal mental health and review. A total of 13 systematic and scoping reviews and meta-analyses were included. This scoping review shows that every woman should be assessed for mental health issues at every stage of her pregnancy and postpartum, with particular attention to women with a history of mental health problems. In the COVID-19 era, efforts should be focused on reducing the magnitude of stress and a perceived sense of lack of control experienced by perinatal women. Helpful instructions for women with perinatal mental health problems include mindfulness, distress tolerance skills, relaxation exercises, and interpersonal relationship building skills. Further longitudinal multicenter cohort studies could help improve the current knowledge. Promoting perinatal resilience and fostering positive coping skills, mitigating perinatal mental health problems, screening all prenatal and postpartum women for affective disorders, and using telehealth services appear to be indispensable resources. In future, governments and research agencies will need to pay greater attention to the trade-offs of reducing the spread of the virus through lockdowns, physical distancing, and quarantine measures and developing policies to mitigate the mental health impact on perinatal women.

Examining Safety Behavior Subtypes Across Distinct Social Contexts in Social Anxiety Disorder and Major Depression

People with social anxiety disorder (SAD) use different types of safety behaviors that have been classified as avoidance vs. impression management. The current study investigated differences in safety behavior subtype use in 132 individuals with principal diagnoses of social anxiety disorder (SAD, n = 69), major depressive disorder (MDD, n = 30), and nonpatient controls (n = 33) across two social contexts: an interpersonal relationship-building task (social affiliation) and a speech task (social performance). We examined whether diagnostic groups differed in safety behavior subtype use and whether group differences varied by social context. We also explored relationships between avoidance and impression management safety behaviors, respectively, and positive and negative valence affective and behavioral outcomes within the social affiliation and social performance contexts. Safety behavior use varied by diagnosis (SAD > MDD > nonpatient controls). The effect of diagnosis on impression management safety behavior use depended on social context: use was comparable for the principal SAD and MDD groups in the social performance context, whereas the SAD group used more impression management safety behaviors than the MDD group in the social affiliation context. Greater use of avoidance safety behaviors related to higher negative affect and anxious behaviors, and lower positive affect and approach behaviors across contexts. Impression management safety behaviors were most strongly associated with higher positive affect and approach behaviors within the social performance context. These findings underscore the potential value of assessing safety behavior subtypes across different contexts and within major depression, in addition to SAD.

Application of Dance Movement Therapy to Life-Death Education of College Students Under Educational Psychology.

The present work aims to efficiently carry out life-death education (LDE) for college students, improve their psychological problems, and reduce suicide accidents by combining LDE with Dance Movement Therapy (DMT). DMT is a psychosomatic cross therapy that treats mental or physical diseases through dance or improvisation. Firstly, this paper introduces LDE and DMT and designs the activities of DMT intervention. Secondly, the relationship between DMT and LDE is analyzed. Finally, a questionnaire survey is conducted on the research objects. The research objects are divided into the experimental group receiving DMT intervention, the control group participating in sports dance courses, and the benchmark group. The research data show no significant difference in interpersonal skills and emotional psychology among the three groups. The DMT intervention group has substantial changes in other factors except for the conflict control ability before and after the intervention. In addition, the questionnaire survey results after the intervention demonstrate that the DMT intervention group gets a significantly higher score in the interpersonal relationship, interpersonal relationship building ability, moderate rejection ability, self-disclosure ability, and emotional support ability. Therefore, DMT intervention positively impacts college students’ interpersonal relationships. After the sports dance course, there are differences in the total score of interpersonal ties and scores of interpersonal relationships building ability, self-disclosure ability, and emotional support ability in the control group, but with no significant difference in moderate rejection ability and conflict control ability. Therefore, compared with traditional psychotherapy methods, the DMT method reported here is conducive to releasing pressure and alleviating physical and mental anxiety. The research content provides new ideas for psychological education in colleges and universities and contributes to improving college students’ suicidal tendencies and helping college students grow up healthily.

Functions of small talk in healthcare interpreting: an exploratory study in medical encounters facilitated by healthcare interpreters

ABSTRACT This exploratory study analyses the functions of small talk in interpreter-mediated healthcare encounters. Drawing on a dataset of hospital visits with participation of five trained interpreters, analysis of particular excerpts reveals that small talk helps both patients and providers to fulfil functions similar to those reported in monolingual visits, thus (a) supporting interpersonal relationship building (e.g. establishing trust) and (b) goal achievement (e.g. minimising pain). Successful attainment of small talk functions relies heavily on healthcare interpreters, who are observed to co-construct and participate in small talk pursuing their own set of objectives, such as reassuring patients and facilitating the providers’ clinical work.

The Challenge of Assessing Character: Measuring APA Goal 3 Student Learning Outcomes

Goal 3 of the APA Goals for Undergraduate Major in Psychology specifies three dimensions of character development deemed central to the major. The purpose of this article is to review the current state of practice that addresses how we measure student learning in ethical reasoning, interpersonal relationship-building, and diversity-related skills, including globally. Deemed the most difficult goal to measure by the organizers of the Summit on National Assessment in Psychology, Goal 3 still generated a variety of strategies to assist in teaching and assessing aspects of the major dedicated to character development; however, this category remains one of significant untapped potential. We conclude by evaluating what gaps in assessing these goals exist and still need to be addressed.

The Quest for Legitimacy: Strategies for Tension Management in Organizational Social Media Use

Despite the great utility of social media for improving organizational legitimacy, empirical evidence has revealed that organizations generally do a poor job adopting or using social media. Such seeming irrationality may be explored from a tension perspective, which posits that the dynamic interplay between the social construction of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and organizational tensions drives resistance to the adoption and use of ICTs. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 51 leaders of Chinese social ventures and two field experts, this research seeks to understand the dialectical tensions in social ventures’ social media use and how they manage such tensions. The findings highlight that social venture leaders perceive four key tensions: (1) entry vs. maintenance, (2) visibility vs. invisibility, (3) conforming vs. strategic legitimacy, and (4) emancipation vs. control. Moreover, I found two broad strategies Chinese social ventures employed to manage these tensions: (1) strategic hiddenness, and (2) networked, associative mechanism, which involves interorganizational and interpersonal relationship building with key actors. This research makes four theoretical contributions to research on organizational use of social media, organizational legitimacy, organizational tensions, and (social) entrepreneurship. Practical implications for social entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders are also drawn from the findings.

Interpersonal relationship building in social commerce communities: considering both swift guanxi and relationship commitment

The booming of social media facilitates the popularity of social commerce. In social commerce communities, relationship building is rather crucial. In this study, we consider both swift guanxi and relationship commitment to explore the interpersonal relationship building process in social commerce. Collecting 972 valid responses of social commerce community members, we identify four bond-based antecedents of swift guanxi, namely familiarity, interpersonal similarity, interactivity and personal information, which are all positively associated with swift guanxi. We also demonstrate that swift guanxi exerts a significant positive effect on relationship commitment, unveiling the process of relationship building between members in s-commerce communities. Furthermore, we also verify that swift guanxi has a significant positive impact only on social word-of-mouth (sWOM) adoption behavior, but not on sWOM behavior; while relationship commitment has reverse impacts, which are very interesting findings. Founders of social commerce communities may use these findings to promote the building of social commerce communities.

“We have stories to share!”: Narratives of Identity and Perspectives of Japanese Descent Teachers in the USA

As the number of immigrant children entering school systems increases across the globe, preparing teachers to support these children and their families is of critical importance. How to support and bring strength to English language learners (ELLs) and immigrant children is a new subject among the scholarship of teacher education, due to the increasing numbers of immigrant children. There are unique complexities that educators need to consider, including: (a) their own cross/bicultural, bilingual identity development, (b) their interpersonal relationship building, and (c) their hybrid experiences in a culturally and linguistically unfamiliar environment with other children and teachers in a new country.In this study, we focus mainly on three teachers who are Japanese descent and their support of Japanese immigrant students. Findings from this study suggest that the three teachers used their funds of knowledge (González, Moll, & Amanti, 2005) as immigrants and immigrant teachers to support their Japanese immigrant students in the following three categories: building interpersonal connections, cross-cultural mediation, and nurturing identity development in the context of hybridity and wholeness.

Community-University Engagement: Case Study of a Partnership on Coast Salish Territory in British Columbia

In the context of expanding community engagement efforts by universities and growing awareness of the past and current impacts of settler-colonialism in Canada, this study explores one Indigenous-settler, community-university partnership. Building on a framework of community-university engagement and decolonization, this case study explores a partnership between Fraser Valley Aboriginal Children and Family Services Society (Xyolhemeylh) and the Division of Health Care Communication at the University of British Columbia (UBC-DHCC). This partnership, called the “Community as Teacher” program, began in 2006 and engages groups of UBC health professional students in three-day cultural summer camps. This qualitative case study draws on analysis of program documents and interviews with Xyolhemeylh and UBC-DHCC participants. The findings of the study are framed within “Four Rs”—relevance, risk-taking, respect, and relationship-building—which extend existing frameworks of Indigenous community-university engagement (Butin, 2010; Kirkness & Barnhardt, 1991). Committed to a foundation of mutual relevance to their missions, both community and university partners undertook risk-taking, based on their respective contexts, in establishing and investing in the relationship. Respect, expressed as working “in a good way,” likewise formed the basis for interpersonal relationship-building. By outlining the findings in relation to these four themes, this study provides a potential framework for practitioners and researchers in Indigenous-university partnerships

The Effect of Screen-to-Screen Versus Face-to-Face Consultation on Doctor-Patient Communication: An Experimental Study with Simulated Patients.

BackgroundDespite the emergence of Web-based patient-provider contact, it is still unclear how the quality of Web-based doctor-patient interactions differs from face-to-face interactions.ObjectiveThis study aimed to examine (1) the impact of a consultation medium on doctors’ and patients’ communicative behavior in terms of information exchange, interpersonal relationship building, and shared decision making and (2) the mediating role of doctors’ and patients’ communicative behavior on satisfaction with both types of consultation medium.MethodsDoctor-patient consultations on pelvic organ prolapse were simulated, both in a face-to-face and in a screen-to-screen (video) setting. Twelve medical interns and 6 simulated patients prepared 4 different written scenarios and were randomized to perform a total of 48 consultations. Effects of the consultations were measured by questionnaires that participants filled out directly after the consultation.ResultsWith respect to patient-related outcomes, satisfaction, perceived information exchange, interpersonal relationship building, and perceived shared decision making showed no significant differences between face-to-face and screen-to-screen consultations. Patients’ attitude toward Web-based communication (b=−.249, P=.02 and patients’ perceived time and attention (b=.271, P=.03) significantly predicted patients’ perceived interpersonal relationship building. Patients’ perceived shared decision making was positively related to their satisfaction with the consultation (b=.254, P=.005). Overall, patients experienced significantly greater shared decision making with a female doctor (mean 4.21, SD 0.49) than with a male doctor (mean 3.66 [SD 0.73]; b=.401, P=.009). Doctor-related outcomes showed no significant differences in satisfaction, perceived information exchange, interpersonal relationship building, and perceived shared decision making between the conditions. There was a positive relationship between perceived information exchange and doctors’ satisfaction with the consultation (b=.533, P<.001). Furthermore, doctors’ perceived interpersonal relationship building was positively related to doctors’ satisfaction with the consultation (b=.331, P=.003).ConclusionsIn this study, the quality of doctor-patient communication, as indicated by information exchange, interpersonal relationship building, and shared decision making, did not differ significantly between Web-based and face-to-face consultations. Doctors and simulated patients were equally satisfied with both types of consultation medium, and no differences were found in the manner in which participants perceived communicative behavior during these consultations. The findings suggest that worries about a negative impact of Web-based video consultation on the quality of patient-provider consultations seem unwarranted as they offer the same interaction quality and satisfaction level as regular face-to-face consultations.

The Influence the Middle-Schoolers’ Career Path Anxiety has on their Psychological Well-Being: Focusing on the ModeratingEwffect of Ego-Resilience

Background/Objectives: This research explores the influence middle-school students’ anxiety about their career path has on their psychological well-being, and proves the moderating effect of ego-resilience. Methods/Statistical Analysis: As supporting data, Y Office of Education’s 2014 Middle School Student Mental Health Survey on 2,951 third-year middle school students living in region Y was used. Multiple regression analysis including interactive term was performed to explore the moderating effect of ego-resilience in the relationship between students’ career path anxiety and their psychological wellbeing. Findings: Major findings from the research showed lower probability of psychological well-being as middle school students experience higher anxiety about their career path. Also, ego-resilience was found to have moderating effect on the relationship between students’ career path anxiety and their psychological well-being. Based on these research outcomes, integrating intervention and practical strategies are suggested to control career path related anxieties adolescents experience and ultimately to promote their psychological well-being. Ego-resilience alleviates problematic behaviors that result from stress, and improves the ability to active problem-solving. Educational and various supports are required to strengthen ego-resilience. Interpersonal relationship building skills can be improved through different hands-on activities and group activities, as individuals interact with persons from different environments. Improvements/Applications: The school curriculum should include hands-on activities such as psychological experiments which are geared toward intensifying ego-resilience to mitigate the anxiety adolescents have about their career path.

Principal time management skills

Purpose – Time demands faced by school principals make principals’ work increasingly difficult. Research outside education suggests that effective time management skills may help principals meet job demands, reduce job stress, and improve their performance. The purpose of this paper is to investigate these hypotheses. Design/methodology/approach – The authors administered a time management inventory to nearly 300 principals in Miami-Dade County Public Schools, the fourth-largest school district in the USA. The authors analyzed scores on the inventory descriptively and used them to predict time-use data collected via in-person observations, a survey-based measure of job stress, and measures of perceived job effectiveness obtained from assistant principals and teachers in the school. Findings – Principals with better time management skills allocate more time in classrooms and to managing instruction in their schools but spend less time on interpersonal relationship-building. Perhaps as a result of this tradeoff, the authors find that associations between principal time management skills and subjective assessments of principal performance are mixed. The authors find strong evidence, however, that time management skills are associated with lower principal job stress. Practical implications – Findings suggest that building principals’ time management capacities may be a worthwhile strategy for increasing time on high-priority tasks and reducing stress. Originality/value – This study is the first to empirically examine time management among school principals and link time management to key principal outcomes using large-scale data.

Commentary on “Conceptualizing Genetic Counseling as Psychotherapy in the era of Genomic Medicine”

Before commenting directly on the article by Austin, Semaka, and Hadjipavlou (2014), I need to state my bias on this issue very clearly: As a counselor educator, counseling psychologist, and professional clinical counselor who has taught counseling techniques to genetic counseling students for more than 30 years, I have always strongly endorsed Kessler’s (1997) perspective that genetic counseling incorporates two core functions. The first function is the effective communication of information related to the genetic aspects of a wide variety of medical conditions. This information needs to be accurate, current, and expressed in a way that is understandable to patients who may have no medical or scientific background. The information-giving (teaching) part of genetic counseling is a complex and difficult task in that it not only requires a depth of knowledge but also a high level of interpersonal skill (e.g., reading a patient’s nonverbal confusion after an attempted explanation or recognizing that sometimes a carefully placed question may reveal what the patient is not understanding). The second core function of the genetic counselor task is to serve as a counselor (or psychotherapist), aiding the patient’s exploration of his/her emotional reactions and psychosocial concerns related to the genetic information presented. This second component of a genetic counselor’s work is emphasized in the Accreditation Council for Genetic Counseling (Accreditation Council for Genetic Counseling 2013 ,p p. 3–4) Practice-Based Competencies under Domain II: Interpersonal, Psychosocial and Counseling Skills. This section of the document includes core competencies clearly reflective of psychotherapy skills:

Retention Strategies and Factors Associated with Missed Visits Among Low Income Women at Increased Risk of HIV Acquisition in the US (HPTN 064)

Women at high-risk for HIV acquisition often face challenges that hinder their retention in HIV prevention trials. These same challenges may contribute to missed clinical care visits among HIV-infected women. This article, informed by the Gelberg-Andersen Behavioral Model for Vulnerable Populations, identifies factors associated with missed study visits and describes the multifaceted retention strategies used by study sites. HPTN 064 was a multisite, longitudinal HIV seroincidence study in 10 US communities. Eligible women were aged 18-44 years, resided in a census tract/zipcode with high poverty and HIV prevalence, and self-reported ≥1 personal or sex partner behavior related to HIV acquisition. Multivariate analyses of predisposing (e.g., substance use) and enabling (e.g., unmet health care needs) characteristics, and study attributes (i.e., recruitment venue, time of enrollment) identified factors associated with missed study visits. Retention strategies included: community engagement; interpersonal relationship building; reduction of external barriers; staff capacity building; and external tracing. Visit completion was 93% and 94% at 6 and 12 months. Unstable housing and later date of enrollment were associated with increased likelihood of missed study visits. Black race, recruitment from an outdoor venue, and financial responsibility for children were associated with greater likelihood of attendance. Multifaceted retention strategies may reduce missed study visits. Knowledge of factors associated with missed visits may help to focus efforts.

An Exploration of the Value of Online Social Networks for Salespeople

Social Customer Relationship Management, using interactive technologies to have conversations with the customer, is rapidly emerging as a source of competitive advantage. Online social networking, such as using LinkedIn or Facebook, is being touted as essential to building customer relationships. Salespeople whose primary function is to build relationships are embracing online social networking to reach their sales goals. This paper reviews academic and practitioner literature to consider what aspects of interpersonal relationship building may be enhanced by the use of online social networks. Sales process support, trust building, weak tie leverage, customer value creation, buying center identification, and contact management are proposed as areas where online social networks could contribute value to sales endeavors.