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If the organization’s leading performance indicators shift towards innovation and the creation of knowledge, this will result in more non‐routine work and a higher level of interdependency among workers. We argue that a contingent performance management (PM) system has to focus on learning and group processes, on qualitative as well as quantitative goals and on both the individual as well the interpersonal level. Employees of three R&D departments of a firm producing advanced communication systems evaluated a PM system with four stages: accountability, engagement, appraisal, award. The results support our theoretical model. Furthermore, the results show that the firm’s system is perceived as somewhat imbalanced. While the first two stages are in line with our model, the latter two are not. We give suggestions for modifying the PM system to make it balanced, and we discuss the role of the manager.

Interest in employee mindfulness has increased dramatically in recent years, fueled by several important conceptual articles, numerous studies documenting the benefits of mindfulness for employee outcomes, and the adoption of mindfulness-based practices in many Fortune 500 organizations. Despite this growing interest, the vast majority of research on employee mindfulness has taken an intrapersonal focus, failing to appreciate the ways in which mindfulness may enhance work-related relational processes and outcomes. The authors explore possible associations between mindfulness and relationally oriented workplace phenomena, drawing from interdisciplinary scholarship examining mindfulness in romantic relationships, child–parent relationships, patient–healthcare provider relationships, and student–teacher relationships. A framework is proposed that links mindfulness to three distinct relationally oriented processes, which are expected to have downstream effects on work-related relational outcomes. The authors then take the proposed framework and discuss possible extensions to a variety of unique workplace relationships and discuss critical next steps in advancing the relational science of mindfulness.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework for the effectiveness of performance appraisal (PA) systems by using a competing values approach.

The review employs a three-step approach: first, the paper discusses the existing criteria to determine the effectiveness of PA systems, and presents criticisms of these criteria. Second, the paper reviews the literature on the competing values model of organizational effectiveness. Third, the paper integrates the PA system in the competing values model to develop a comprehensive framework for the effectiveness of PA systems.

A practical model is developed, taking into account the processes and procedures involved in PA systems.

The paper is designed to provide a guideline for managers to consider the effectiveness of a PA system. The paper suggests that assessing the effectiveness of a PA system on any single criterion ignores various important aspects of the system. Moreover, the effectiveness of a PA system should be based on the values and preferences of all major stakeholders of the system, i.e., appraisers, appraisees and the organization.

The most significant event for the School has been the announcement of the creation of the National Centre for Management Research and Development. The Centre is due to open in 1986 and will provide research facilities for up to 20 major projects designed to improve the competitiveness of Canadian business practices.

Based on a 15‐country study in western Europe, examines management and communication styles through a wide‐ranging interview schedule. In the context of national and business cultures, explores the dimensions of communications beliefs and practices, and draws out their interrelationships with managerial style. Conclusions indicate some unexpected cultural clusters and point to future research directions.

This study systematically explored the role of a range of emotions in the conflict process. In order to do so, we articulated and tested a typology of discreet conflict‐relevant emotion constructs. Emotions were demarcated by the two dimensions of self‐concern versus other‐concern, and motives to approach or withdraw from the other party or conflict. This typology produced four emotion constructs: hostility (self‐focused approach), self‐conscious emotions (self‐focused avoid), relational positivity (other‐focused approach) and fear (other‐focused avoid). Self‐ and other‐blame and self‐ and other‐concern were proposed as cognitive antecedents of emotions and choice of conflict resolution strategy. We measured individual behavior in the conflict using the conflict resolution strategy scale (Rahim & Magner, 1995). A critical incident survey technique was used to gather data on people's self‐report of a conflict experience. We also explored the contextual effects of conflict issue and relative status. Results brought into question the general hypothesis that emotions mediate the effects of cognitive appraisals on choice of conflict resolution strategy. However, there were consistent patterns in the direct links between cognitions, emotions and conflict resolution strategies that shed further light on the complex relationships between these variables.

The majority of research in marketing now represents loyalty as a multi‐dimensional construct; however, agreement on whether it has two or three dimensions is lacking, and measurement of these dimensions has been inconsistent. The purpose of this paper is to utilize theory from the psychology literature on interpersonal relationships to provide theoretical guidance for examining the nature of service loyalty and to uncover its dimensionality.

This paper argues for and tests, using survey data from over 300 service customers, a multi‐dimensional conceptualization of loyalty based on theory from the interpersonal psychology literature.

The findings of this research highlight that service loyalty is similar to loyalty in interpersonal relationships, providing further evidence for the notion that service provider‐consumer relationships can approximate friendships or even romantic partnerships in terms of loyalty‐like responses. It also suggests that to identify truly loyal customers firms should, at the very least, measure loyalty‐related outcomes from both dimensions.

The study was limited to consumer‐based services.

This paper identifies several manifestations of loyalty such as altruism, identification, advocacy, willingness to pay more, and strength of preference that are all‐too‐often ignored in commonly used marketing metrics. Viewing service loyalty in the same manner as pro‐relationship behaviors that develop in friendships and romantic relationships shows promise for the understanding of service loyalty.

Attempts by mainstream economics to account for cooperative behavior expand the utility‐maximizing framework without questioning the individualistic set‐up on which it is grounded. This paper aims to develop a theory of cooperation that departs from the individualistic framework. “Communal principles” must be introduced in the analysis to account for cooperation and the relational, as opposed to atomistic, nature of individuals must be acknowledged.

The empirical study, based on data from the European Working Conditions and European Social Surveys, aims at illustrating the social benefits of cooperation. A categorical components analysis was carried out to build indicators for the notions of relational and moral goods and civic participation. Regression models were subsequently estimated to study the association between relational/moral goods at work and civic participation.

The empirical results show that high levels of relational and moral goods at work are associated with high levels of civic participation. However, substantial differences are observed between countries. Nordic countries exhibit high levels of both indicators while some Eastern and Southern European countries perform much more poorly. The study illustrates interaction between certain features of working life and civic behavior.

The theoretical contribution of the paper lies in the proposal of a new account of the sources of cooperative behavior at work. It argues that cooperation within work organizations is supported by three common goods – a common goal, relational goods and moral goods. The “goodness” of these goods does not derive simply from their generating utility but from their being commonly shared.

The purpose of this study is to explore linguistic stylometric patterns encompassing lexical, syntactic, structural, sentiment and politeness features that are found in librarians’ responses to user queries.

A total of 462 online texts/transcripts comprising answers of librarians to users’ questions drawn from the Internet Public Library were examined. A Principal Component Analysis, which is a data reduction technique, was conducted on the texts and transcripts. Data analysis illustrates the three principal components that predominantly occur in librarians’ answers: stylometric richness, stylometric brevity and interpersonal support.

The results of the study have important implications in digital information services because stylometric features such as lexical richness, structural clarity and interpersonal support may interplay with the degree of complexity of user queries, the (a)synchronous communication mode, application of information service guideline and manuals and overall characteristics and quality of a given digital information service. Such interplay may bring forth a direct impact on user perceptions and satisfaction regarding interaction with librarians and the information service received through the computer-mediated communication channel.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the stylometric features encompassing lexical, syntactic, structural, sentiment and politeness using Principal Component Analysis have not been explored in digital information/reference services. Thus, there is an emergent need to explore more fully how linguistic stylometric features interplay with the types of user queries, the asynchronous online communication mode, application of information service guidelines and the quality of a particular digital information service.