Job Feedback Research Articles

The Academic Work Environment in Australian Universities: A motivating place to work?

This paper identifies positive (motivating) and negative (demotivating) sources of academic work motivation in Australian universities. In 1998, the Academic Work Environment Survey (Winter, Taylor, & Sarros, 2000) was administered to a stratified sample (five positions, five disciplines) of 2,609 academics in four types of university (research, metropolitan, regional, university of technology). A total of 1,041 usable surveys were returned (response rate of 40 per cent). Across the sample, academics reported moderate levels of work motivation. Work motivation was found to be relatively strong at professorial levels but weak at lecturer levels. Quantitative and qualitative findings indicated the work environment in academe is motivating when roles are clear, job tasks are challenging, and supervisors exhibit a supportive leadership style. The work environment is demotivating where there is role overload, low job feedback, low participation, and poor recognition and rewards practices. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of study findings for university leadership.

Trouble at Mill: Quality of academic worklife issues within a comprehensive Australian university

This study describes the quality of academic worklife (QAWL) within a comprehensive university in Australia. Academics responded to the Academic Work Environment Survey, a diagnostic instrument designed to assess the relationships between and among academics' demographic characteristics (age, gender, position, discipline area), work environment perceptions (role, job, supervisor, structure, sector characteristics), and work attitudes (self-estrangement, organisational commitment). Findings revealed positive QAWL features such as role clarity, motivating job characteristics, and low levels of self-estrangement (alienation). Negative QAWL features included role overload, low levels of job feedback, and limited opportunities to influence university decisionmaking. Comments indicated that many academics feel disenchanted and demoralised with the tenets and practices of managerialism. The study concludes that comprehensive universities suffer from strategic dissonance. They want to deliver cost efficiencies and maintain institutional reputation (i.e. centralise), but also want to serve distinct market sectors and expand their revenue base (i.e. decentralise).

Evaluating the performance of academic medical education administrators.

Educators have devoted little attention to formal evaluation of educational administrative personnel. The authors surveyed the educational administrators working in McMaster University's Department of Medicine residency program and found they felt they were receiving little useful feedback. The authors also surveyed the colleagues, residents, and administrative staff with whom the administrators worked and found they felt they had inadequate input into the administrators' evaluation. In response to these results, a measurement instrument was developed based on existing job descriptions and feedback was obtained on administrators' performance from relevant individuals. After three yearly evaluations, administrators and evaluators acknowledged much broader input into evaluation but saw little evaluation-related improvement in performance. Of the administrators, 85% felt the process should continue as did 91% of the evaluators. An evaluation process may not alter perceived performance when it is already good but there may be other benefits to rigorous evaluation.

Predictors of job satisfaction in remote hospital nursing.

This research examined the relationship between the content of work, the work environment and job satisfaction among nurses working in a teaching hospital located in a remote area of Central Australia. Using the results of recent meta-analyses of job satisfaction, a conceptual framework was developed that predicted that work content (variety, autonomy, task identity and feedback) and work environment (ward facilities, collaboration with medical staff, cohesion amongst nurses, staffing, pooling and respected by others) would influence job satisfaction. A descriptive survey of 135 nurses employed in a 170 bed hospital was undertaken. Strongest predictors of job satisfaction were job variety, feedback and collaboration with medical staff. Other moderate correlates were cohesion amongst nurses and task identity. This study demonstrated that feedback from colleagues and supervisors should never be trivialised as a strategy to improve job satisfaction. Furthermore, the need to be considered as part of the health care team by the medical profession can be influenced by proactive workplace strategies and policies.

BookReviewSection

Book reviews in this article:Art Kleiner.The Age of Heretics: Heroes, Outlaws, and the Forerunners of Corporate Change.Barbara Benedict Bunker and Billie T. Alban.Large Group Interventions: Engaging the Whole System for Rapid Change.Richard S. Barrett (Editor).Fair Employment Strategies in Human Resources Management.Peter Warr (Editor).Psychology at Work (4th edition).Kevin D. Henson.Just a Temp.Virginia E. Schein.Working from the Margins: Voices of Mothers in Poverty. IthacaRobert A. Giacalone and Jerald Greenberg (Editors).Antisocial Behavior in Organizations.Steve Lauer and B. Jack Gebhardt.Now Hiring! Finding and Keeping Good Help for Your Entry‐Wage Jobs.Iris Martin.From Couch to Corporation: Becoming a Successful Corporate TherapistDavid Bollier.Aiming Higher: 25 Stories of How Companies Prosper by Combining Sound Management and Social Vision.Frederick Bruce Bird.The Muted Conscience: Moral Silence and the Practice of Ethics in Business.Ian I. Mitroff, Christine M. Pearson, and L. Katharine Harrington.The Essential Guide to Managing Corporate Crises: A Step‐by‐Step Handbook for Surviving Major Catastrophes.Margaret R. Davis and David A. Weckler.A Practical Guide to Organization Design.Frances Hesselbein, Marshall Goldsmith, and Richard Beckhard (Editors).The Organization of the Future.Glenn L. Hallam.The Adventures of Team Fantastic: A Practical Guide for Team Leaders and Members.Terry L. Besser.Team Toyota: Transplanting the Toyota Culture to the Camry Plant in Kentucky.Douglas Paton and John M. Violanti.Traumatic Stress in Critical Occupations: Recognition, Consequences and TreatmentElizabeth A. Lorenzen (Editor).Career Planning and Job Searching in the Information Age.Arie Halachmi and Geert Bouckaert (Editors).Organizational Performance and Measurement in the Public Sector: Toward Service, Effort and Accomplishment Reporting.Allan H. Church and David W. Bracken (Eds.).360‐Degree Feedback Systems.Manuel London.Job Feedback: Giving, Seeking, and Using Feedback for Performance Improvement.Ask ALBERT About Stress, Rage, & Violence in the Workplace (version 1.0).

Monotonicity of Optimal Performance Measures for Polling Systems

We consider scheduling a single server in a multiclass queue subject to setup times and setup costs. We examine the issue of whether or not reductions in the mean and variance of the setup time distributions can lead to degraded system performance. Provided that setups are reduced according to a stochastically smaller ordering, we show that if an optimal policy is used both for the original system and for the system with reduced setup times, then an improvement in performance is guaranteed. Even in cases for which a truly optimal policy is unknown, idling can be employed to avoid degradation of performance as setup times are cut. We extend this approach to show that system performance is monotonic with respect to service time distributions, switching costs, holding costs, and uniform reductions in the arrival rates. Extensions to sequencedependent setups and job feedback are noted.

Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment Among “Guest-Worker” Salesforces

The authors explore the nature of job satisfaction and organizational commitment among “guest-worker” expatriate sales-forces in Saudi Arabia. This relatively novel type of expatriate sales-force has become a dominant feature in countries with shortages of domestic labor. An examination of 504 guest-worker salespersonnel reveals that they are neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with their jobs with a slight inclination toward being satisfied. Likewise, they are neither committed nor uncommitted to their organizations with an inclination toward being uncommitted. Results also provide support for the influence of the overall job satisfaction on the organizational commitment. Specifically, three types of job satisfaction, i.e., security, general, and feedback appear to be the strongest determinants of guest-worker salespersonnel's level of organizational commitment.

The relationship of power‐gaining communication strategies to career success

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which communication support (both inside and outside the workplace) contribute to career success. A survey was administered to a random probability sample (N = 418) of the full‐time employed population in a major metropolitan area. Results supported a hierarchical model which accounted for 72.20% of the variance in career success. In conjunction with facilitative home support, career success can be enhanced when the employee utilizes both formal and informal relationships, receives abundant job feedback and important organizational information, and has multi‐channel access to important sources of information.

EXPATRIATE TURNOVER TENDENCIES IN SAUDI ARABIA: AN EMPIRICAL EXAMINATION

The authors explore turnover tendencies among expatriate employees in Saudi Arabia They: (1) discuss the novelty of expatriates in Saudi Arabia; (2) review the literature on employee turnover tendency and its correlates—job satisfaction and employee characteristics; (3) hypothesize a negative relationship between extrinsic job satisfaction and expatriate turnover tendencies, a negative relationship between general job satisfaction and expatriate turnover tendencies, no relationship between intrinsic job satisfaction and expatriate turnover tendencies, and no relationship between expatriate characteristics and expatriate turnover tendencies, and (4) empirically lest the hypotheses with a sample of expatriate employees. Results provide strong support for most of the hypotheses except “pay,” one of the extrinsic job satisfaction variables, and “job feedback,” one of the intrinsic job satisfaction variables.

ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT, JOB SATISFACTION AND JOB CHARACTERISTICS: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF EXPATRIATES IN SAUDI ARABIA

The authors explore the nature of commitment, job satisfaction and job characteristics, and the nature of the interrelationships among these variables concerning expatriate employees in Saudi Arabia. An examination of a sample of 504 expatriate employees reveals that these employees are, by and large, indifferent with respect to their perceptions of commitment, job satisfaction, and job characteristics. In addition, the results provide strong support for (1) the influence of job satisfaction on commitment, (2) the influence of job variety on commitment, and (3) the influence of job autonomy, identity, and feedback on job satisfaction.

On stationary tandem queueing networks with job feedback

The class of tandem queueing networks with job feedback is studied under stationarity conditions on the arrival and service times sequences. Each job, after completing service in the last queue, is fed back (rerouted) to the first one, a random number of times, before leaving the system. The average execution time per job is exactly computed, as the number of jobs becomes large, and is minimized under mild conditions. The degree of parallelism achieved in the processing is also computed. The issue of rate-stability of the system is then considered. The network is defined to be rate-stable iff the job departure rate is equal to the job arrival rate; that depends heavily on the dynamic feedback policy we employ to place rerouted jobs in specific places of the front queue buffer of the network. The condition under which the network is rate-stable is specified, and a dynamic feedback policy is constructed, which rate-stabilizes the system under the maximum possible job arrival rate; thus, it maximizes the dynamic throughput of the network. Other related results concerning the performance of tandem networks with feedback are obtained.

Teacher Commitment, Working Conditions, and Differential Incentive Policies

The push for more complex, intellectually demanding approaches to teaching suggests that teacher commitment will continue to be important for effective education. This article develops a framework for assessing how differential incentive policies affect teacher commitment. It identifies seven key workplace conditions that contribute to teacher commitment: job design characteristics, feedback, autonomy, participation, collaboration, learning opportunities, and resources. This framework is used to assess the effects of such differential incentive policies as merit pay and career ladders. The selection mechanisms in these two programs are found to reduce autonomy and collaboration, but the job enrichment aspects of career ladders are found to increase participation, collaboration, and resources. We recommend combining policies that increase participation, collaboration, and feedback rather than continuing to experiment with differential incentives.

A Qualitative Study on the Socialization of Beginning Physical Education Teacher Educators

Few studies have focused on how university faculty learn and understand expectations of their professional role. The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences of five female physical education teacher educators in their first positions as assistant professors in research oriented universities. Data were collected using primarily qualitative methods--weekly journals and in-depth interviews. Quantitative data were gathered to compare organizational factors such as salary, load allocation, equipment, and travel funds. Data yielded five main categories concerning how and what participants learned about their faculty roles. These categories included participants' perceptions of (a) organizational structure and job facilitation, (b) work tasks, (c) support systems, (d) evaluation and feedback, and (e) participants' psychological states. All participants reported experiencing role ambiguity and stress. Clear criteria for job performance, collegial support and mentoring, and regular evaluation and feedback were cited by all participants as important factors for reducing stress and facilitating their roles as faculty.

Goal and process clarity: Specification of multiple constructs of role ambiguity and a structural equation model of their antecedents and consequences.

Measures of 2 constructs of role ambiguity (process and goal clarity) were developed. Mental health workers (N = 402) from 2 organizations provided evidence that a confirmatory 2-factor model fit the data better than a 1 -factor model. A path model including antecedents (autonomy, job feedback, agent feedback, recognition) and consequences (job satisfaction, job search behavior, turnover) of process and goal clarity was proposed based on the model of role ambiguity developed by Bedeian and Armenakis (1981) and modified in light of evidence on role ambiguity reviewed by Fisher and Gitelson (1983) and Jackson and Schuler (1985). A structural equation model confirmed the fit of the hypothesized model and a slightly more restricted model. Job tenure, need for clarity, and job classification were investigated as moderators but did not moderate the structural paths of the model. In this article, I present a reconceptualiz ation of the role ambiguity construct that includes multiple constructs. The specific constructs are (a) the extent to which the individual's work goals and responsibilities are clearly communicated and (b) the degree to which the individual understands the processes required to achieve those goals. New measures of these two constructs are proposed, along with empirical evidence to support them. A nomological network of constructs, found by previous researchers to function as antecedents and consequences of role ambiguity, is proposed and tested in a structural equation model using the measures of goal and process clarity developed in this research. Finally, three variables proposed by previous researchers to be moderators of the ambiguity-satisfaction relationship are tested within the context of the structural model. Kahn, Wolfe, Quinn, Snoek, and Rosenthal (1964) summarized much of the research on role conflict and ambiguity and elaborated a theory of role dynamics that included their roleepisode model. To adequately perform his or her role, a person

Mean waiting times in a general feedback queue with priorities

A general single server time-sharing model with multiple queues and job classes, priorities and feedback is considered which includes head-of-the-line, preemptive, and round robin scheduling. In the model, there is a finite or countably infinite number K of queues and job classes. Jobs of class k arrive at queue k according to a Poisson process, and have a general service time distribution, i.e., disregarding the service discipline, this model is of type M/G/1. Jobs are served in passes, receiving a complete quantum of service on every pass, or their remaining service demand, if this is less. If a job completes its service demand during a pass, it leaves the system. Otherwise, it is fed back. Jobs are allowed m l passes in queue l, with quantum δ lm in the mth pass, m = 1, …, m l . After their m l th pass in queue l, they join the tail of queue l + 1. If K is finite, either m K or δ K, m K is infinite. Jobs in queue k′ have priority over jobs in queue l′, when k′ < l′. We consider the preemptive and nonpreemptive disciplines, and in both cases derive a system of linear equations in the mean waiting times of the job passes for all classes and queues, which we show to have a unique solution.

Influence of job characteristics and organizational commitment on job satisfaction of hospital foodservice employees

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships among job characteristics, organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and demographic variables for hospital foodservice employees. Questionnaires including 30 items on job characteristics, 15 items on organizational commitment, 6 items related to job satisfaction, and 7 demographic items were administered to 45 supervisory and 172 nonsupervisory employees of 11 randomly selected hospitals. The reliability for the total instruments, using Cronbach's alpha, was 0.87 and 0.89, respectively, for the supervisory and nonsupervisory employee questionnaires. Organizational commitment and job satisfaction were related positively, with an r2 of 0.38. For supervisors, job characteristics related positively (p = .019) to organizational commitment, with variety being the only significant individual characteristic. For nonsupervisory employees, the model was also significant (p = .0001), with variety and feedback being the only significant individual characteristics. For all employees, there was a positive relationship between job characteristics and job satisfaction, with variety and feedback being the significant individual characteristics. Age was the only demographic variable related to organizational commitment; older employees had higher commitment scores. Demographic variables were not related to job satisfaction. Supervisors had higher perceived variety, autonomy, feedback, dealing with others, and friendship opportunities scores and higher commitment and satisfaction scores than did nonsupervisory employees. The findings indicate that dietitians and foodservice managers may increase organizational commitment and job satisfaction by increasing the variety and feedback in employees' jobs.

Job Satisfaction in EMS: A Different Approach

AbstractThere has been limited organizational research applied to EMS, especially in the area of job satisfaction. In the midst of a general shortage of health care workers, effective recruitment and retention of a qualified and satisfied work force is a critical issue. The purpose of this study was to examine the factors and elements in the structure or “design” of the work of emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics that can create conditions for high levels of work motivation, satisfaction, and performance.A modified Job Diagnostic Survey was administered to a cross section of 102 paid and volunteer EMS personnel in Pennsylvania. The relationships between measured job characteristics, experienced psychological states, and job longevity on overall job satisfaction was examined.Significant positive relationships (p&lt;.05) exist between a number of the job characteristic variables (such as task significance, autonomy, and job feedback) and job satisfaction. Job longevity did not have a significant relationship to job satisfaction. Volunteer EMS personnel experienced higher levels of job satisfaction than did paid providers.The results indicate that the EMT and paramedic perform complex jobs that have high levels of the characteristics that cause internal work motivation. Methods to increase the amount of these core job characteristics to improve overall job satisfaction are discussed.

Psychometric Properties of a Measure of Sense of Competence

A series of investigations was performed exploring the psychometric properties of Wagner and Morse's (1975) Sense of Competence Questionnaire (SCQ). Data were obtained from a total of 849 individuals constituting five different United States Air Force samples. Construct validation indicated that self-and supervisory ratings of competence converged on a common evaluation. SCQ ratings were significantly correlated with measures of skill and ability, job feedback, and need for achievement. Concurrent validation demonstrated that SCQ ratings significantly predicted supervisory performance appraisals. In addition, the instrument displayed moderate predictive validity over a 14-month interval (r = .26, p &lt; .001).

A FIELD STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE ORGANIZATIONAL FEEDBACK ENVIRONMENT AND PERFORMANCE

This field study used the Job Feedback Survey (Herold &amp; Parsons, 1985) and performance data gathered from multiple sources to examine the relationship between the perceived organizational feedback environment and performance. Regression analyses indicated that, while holding the other feedback variables constant, feedback from supervisory and organizational sources was related to reported job performance while feedback from peers and self was not. Most of the unique variance in performance explained by feedback was also accounted for by feedback from organizational and supervisory sources. Negative expressions from organizational/supervisory sources (e.g., the supervisor expressing anger, the company communicating dissatisfaction with poor performance) were related to lower performance, and positive job changes initiated by these sources (e.g., increasing responsibility, assignment to special jobs) were related to higher performance. Higher performers did not receive more feedback than lower performers but did receive more total positive feedback. Supplemental issues, possible explanations, and implications of the findings are discussed.

Comparative effects of personal and situational influences on job outcomes of new professionals.

We investigated the relative and combined effects of personal and situational variables on job outcomes of new professionals. The personal variables were cognitive ability, socioeconomic status, and career goals; the situational variables were job feedback, autonomy, and job context. Data were collected at two times from 280 newly hired, entry-level accountants at Big Eight firms. Both personal and situational variables predict job outcomes, but their relative influence depends on the outcome measure. Situational variables account for the most variance in job performance, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment; personal variables account for the most variance in promotability, internal work motivation, and turnover. The findings indicate that job performance does not take care of itself by selecting bright people, but requires constant vigilance and effective systems. The results also suggest that a given result can be achieved through a variety of behavioral science