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1 – 10 of 17
Article
Publication date: 1 January 2005

Meni Koslowsky and Shmuel Stashevsky

Over the past decade, the social power taxonomy has been applied in many organizational contexts. This study aims to examine the issue of organizational values as antecedents of…

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Abstract

Purpose

Over the past decade, the social power taxonomy has been applied in many organizational contexts. This study aims to examine the issue of organizational values as antecedents of social power.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 187 Israeli MBA students participated in a study of power and values, as measured by organizational practices and behaviors.

Findings

Findings indicated that soft power bases were preferred over harsh, as expected. In addition, support for the hypothesis of an interaction affect was obtained as charismatic leaders in a complex work environment used punishment very rarely. The findings were discussed in terms of the use in organizations of power strategies as a function of values.

Originality/value

Although the main independent variables, organizational type (routine vs complex) and leadership style (transformational vs transactional), had each been studied independently, this was the first study of their interaction.

Details

International Journal of Manpower, vol. 26 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7720

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 April 2018

Smadar Lev, Moshe Tatar and Meni Koslowsky

Extensive theoretical and empirical work has yielded abundant knowledge regarding teacher self-efficacy (TSE). Recent research has found significant correlations between TSE and…

Abstract

Purpose

Extensive theoretical and empirical work has yielded abundant knowledge regarding teacher self-efficacy (TSE). Recent research has found significant correlations between TSE and students’ ratings, as an indicator for teaching effectiveness. The purpose of this paper is to test the relationship between TSE and students’ ratings of their school teacher (SRST) in the context of school level and teacher role.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 111 teachers and their 2,490 students attending junior- and senior-high schools. Teachers reported on their personal efficacy beliefs at the beginning of the school year, whereas students rated their teachers at the end of the year.

Findings

Teacher role and school level moderated the relationship between STE and SRST: the relationship between TSE and SRST is higher among homeroom classes than subject matter classes, and among junior high classes as compared to senior high classes.

Research limitations/implications

The research is based on small number of classes, which precluded more sophisticated analyses. Future research should consider additional personal and/or contextual variables to better understand the association between teacher and students perceptions.

Originality/value

This study is a first exploration of the ways teachers perceive their ability to enhance student performance vis-à-vis their students’ views of their teaching functioning.

Details

International Journal of Educational Management, vol. 32 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-354X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 July 2011

Meni Koslowsky, Hadar Baharav and Joseph Schwarzwald

The paper aims to examine whether power distance and management style predict social power choice and whether management style also acts as a mediator in a model linking all three…

3411

Abstract

Purpose

The paper aims to examine whether power distance and management style predict social power choice and whether management style also acts as a mediator in a model linking all three variables.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was conducted within the Israeli Police Force using regular patrol and special patrol units. A total of 40 captains or officers and 151 policemen/women completed scales assessing power distance, captain's managerial style, and influence tactics chosen by them in conflict situations. The data were analyzed from two different perspectives: captains and policemen.

Findings

Harsh tactics were found to differ significantly by power distance whereas the parallel comparison for soft tactics was not significant. The mediation hypothesis tested separately on both samples was supported only for the subordinate group. Management style added significant variance for explaining the dependent variable and also mediated the relationship between power distance and harsh tactic choice.

Research limitations/implications

Using alternative methods for the research design such as observational data or manipulating the independent variables with different scenarios would provide support for the robustness of the findings.

Practical implications

As power distance is increasing, the need to gain compliance in a task oriented situation increases the usage of harsh influence tactics. Conversely, for a similar power distance but in an interpersonal oriented situation, the supervisor may well decide to apply more soft tactics which are more likely to foster a free exchange of ideas and encourage compliance on the part of the patrolman.

Originality/value

Theoretically, the findings of a mediator effect aids in understanding power strategy choice. Specifically, managerial style is not independent of power distance but rather helps maintain the existing organizational culture. Methodologically, the use of two data sets, supervisors and subordinates, reduces bias attributed to common method variance.

Details

International Journal of Conflict Management, vol. 22 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1044-4068

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 April 2015

Achinoam Tal, Joseph Schwarzwald and Meni Koslowsky

This study aims to examine supervisors’ power preference (harsh/soft) for gaining compliance from subordinates in conflict situations using the updated Power Interaction Model …

1168

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine supervisors’ power preference (harsh/soft) for gaining compliance from subordinates in conflict situations using the updated Power Interaction Model (Koslowsky and Schwarzwald, 2009. The model assumes that the relationship between antecedents and power preference is mediated by cost/benefit considerations.

Design/methodology/approach

Four considerations were examined as mediators: acquiescence, relations, worker growth and conformity. A sample of 120 bank managers was given one of several conflict scenarios differing on severity (low/high) and subordinate worker’s performance ability (low/average/high). In addition, mangers’ leadership style and organizational commitment were assessed.

Findings

For the two manipulated variables, conflict (high significance, low significance) and worker performance (high, average, low), an interaction effect was tested with follow-up univariate analysis yielding significance only for harsh tactics. Structural equations modeling, used for comparing the fit generated for different mediators, indicated that acquiescence was the most salient mediator and provided adequate fit for the model predicting power tactics preference.

Research limitations/implications

Although it is difficult to exclude cultural effects when applying the Interpersonal Power Interaction Model (IPIM) in a specific country, it should be noted that, as far as factor structure is concerned, a similar pattern was obtained for Israeli and American participants in previous research (Raven et al., 1998). Additionally, in the present study, the outcome measure was not observed but rather elicited through scenarios. The participant responses were derived from self-report questionnaires and are prone to percept–percept bias and common method variance.

Originality/value

For the first time, in a study where antecedent variables were manipulated, findings supported the revised IPIM. Power choice was demonstrated as a result of a sequential process with mediators serving as links between various organizational, situational and personal antecedents and outcomes.

Details

International Journal of Conflict Management, vol. 26 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1044-4068

Keywords

Content available
Article
Publication date: 1 February 2000

Abraham Sagie and Meni Koslowsky

429

Abstract

Details

Team Performance Management: An International Journal, vol. 6 no. 1/2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1352-7592

Article
Publication date: 1 May 1996

Meni Koslowsky, Asher Aizer and Moshe Krausz

The past few years have seen an increase in studies on the effects of commuting stress on various measures of strain. In particular, commuting impedance, a combination of time and…

1913

Abstract

The past few years have seen an increase in studies on the effects of commuting stress on various measures of strain. In particular, commuting impedance, a combination of time and distance between home and work, has been suggested as the independent variable that best describes the commuting experience. As demographic characteristics have been hypothesized as affecting strain, data were collected on personal variables and mode of transportation. Presents results from subjects in the present study consisting of 200 employees of a service organization near Tel Aviv, Israel. Whereas results verified the impact of commuting impedance on strain measures related to the commuting experience, the association between personal variables and strain was found to be inconsistent. Although the subjects were drawn from one organization only, they manifested many of the commuting patterns observed in other western nations. Proposes several suggestions for investigating the relationship among commuting stress and strain variables in future studies.

Details

International Journal of Manpower, vol. 17 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7720

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 June 2013

Joseph Schwarzwald, Meni Koslowsky and Jessica Bernstein

Research has indicated that gender stereotypes, especially as they relate to women, are changing due to their growing numbers in the labor force. This research on power usage for…

Abstract

Purpose

Research has indicated that gender stereotypes, especially as they relate to women, are changing due to their growing numbers in the labor force. This research on power usage for gaining compliance in conflict situations examines whether a similar tendency exists for social power tactics, another aspect of the gender stereotype.

Design/methodology/approach

In two studies, one focusing on manager‐subordinates interactions (n=141) and the other on husband‐wife relationships (n=149), participants were presented with scenarios describing conflict situations relevant for each setting occurring in three time periods ‐ past, present, and future – and then estimated the frequency of power category (harsh/intermediate/soft) usage by men and women in each of these periods.

Findings

Findings indicated that gender stereotypical attributions eroded over time with a greater ascription of feminine tactics to males in the present and future. It was also found that harsh tactics usage was attributed to a greater extent in the work rather than the home setting.

Research limitations/implications:

In general, stereotype research assesses perceptions rather than reality. The perceptions measured here regarding past and future, though intrinsically informative, may reflect selective perception or social desirability.

Originality/value

This work indicated that the increasing involvement of women in the work force seems to have affected perceptions of the manner in which individuals exercise power in conflict situations. In particular, gender differences in power usage are viewed as diminishing over time; a tendency more discernible in the work world than at home.

Details

International Journal of Conflict Management, vol. 24 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1044-4068

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 2006

Shmuel Stashevsky and Meni Koslowsky

To examine leadership style (transactional versus transformational), knowledge level, and team cohesiveness as antecedents of team performance.

16501

Abstract

Purpose

To examine leadership style (transactional versus transformational), knowledge level, and team cohesiveness as antecedents of team performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was conducted among students studying for an MBA. The 252 participant students were involved in a computerized business simulation course which required forming teams of about six members. Each team represented the management of one firm that competed with the other groups.

Findings

Transformational leadership was associated with a higher level of team cohesiveness, as compared to transactional leadership. Both knowledge level and team cohesiveness predict team performance, particularly among men.

Research limitations/implications

The student sample may not necessarily represent responses from workers in an actual organization. From a measurement perspective, the reliability of the one item scale of leadership could not be ascertained.

Practical implications

For improving team performance, a manager should enhance team knowledge and encourage greater team cohesiveness.

Originality/value

Using a simulated research design, leadership style, an antecedent associated with individual performance, was also found to be related to team performance.

Details

International Journal of Manpower, vol. 27 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7720

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 July 2009

Smadar Lev and Meni Koslowsky

This purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between teacher collective efficacy and three components of teacher self‐efficacy – instructional, social, and…

2037

Abstract

Purpose

This purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between teacher collective efficacy and three components of teacher self‐efficacy – instructional, social, and management. In addition, teacher role and school level are suggested as moderators.

Design/methodology/approach

The study design examined the relationship between teacher collective efficacy and self‐efficacy over time. Data were collected from 97 junior and senior high school teachers.

Findings

The study finds that collective efficacy was positively associated with self‐efficacy, with teacher role moderating the association of two components of self‐efficacy: social and management. Also, managerial staff members showed higher levels of self‐efficacy.

Research limitations/implications

It is possible that high school teachers and junior high are not easily distinguished. Also, the ns may not have been large enough to detect significant group differences. Furthermore, given that all scales were self‐report measures, common method variance may have affected the findings.

Originality/value

The present study demonstrates the significant association between collective efficacy and self‐efficacy. Moreover, role in the organization moderates the association between collective and self‐efficacy.

Details

Journal of Educational Administration, vol. 47 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0957-8234

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 November 2001

Dov Elizur and Meni Koslowsky

The main objective of the present study was to examine the relationship between work values, gender, and organizational commitment. Research on the relationship between work…

11851

Abstract

The main objective of the present study was to examine the relationship between work values, gender, and organizational commitment. Research on the relationship between work values, in general, and commitment, in particular, has not identified clear trends. As recent work has shown that gender may be a moderator in predicting outcomes from work values, a model combining these variables was examined. The 24‐item Work Values Questionnaire, constructed by Elizur in previous research and an abbreviated version of the Porter et al., nine‐item organizational commitment questionnaire were used in the study. Data were collected from 204 students, all of whom work outside school. A moderated regression analysis showed that work values, especially cognitive ones, are positively related with commitment and the interaction of values with gender was also found to be a significant predictor of commitment. Some implications of the results were discussed.

Details

International Journal of Manpower, vol. 22 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7720

Keywords

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