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This study aims to examine the effects of occupational characteristics on the length of time required to socialize newcomers. The authors examine task mastery, role clarity and social acceptance as indicators of socialization.

To test the hypotheses, the authors used occupational data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and survey data of subject matter experts in 35 occupations.

Findings show that occupational differences account for a significant variance in the time needed to socialize newcomers. Across occupations, it takes longer to achieve task mastery than role clarity or social acceptance. Occupational complexity increases the time it takes for newcomers to attain task mastery, role clarity and social acceptance. Additionally, unstructured work and decision-making freedom increase the time it takes for newcomers to attain role clarity.

This study provides both theoretical and empirical guidance on the duration of the organizational socialization period. The study also provides empirical support for prior propositions that different types of newcomer learning occur at different rates.

Infrastructure projects are pivotal for regional economic development, but also face low project effectiveness. Leadership is always regarded as a key enabler for project team effectiveness, including vertical leadership and team-level leadership. The purpose of this paper is to examine how vertical leadership facilitates shared leadership in infrastructure project teams.

This paper develops the conceptual model based on the literature review. Then the questionnaire survey was conducted. The empirical data obtained from 117 infrastructure project teams in China were analyzed by partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) for validating the proposed model. Finally, the results were comparatively discussed to explain the dual-pathway between vertical leadership and shared leadership. And the practical implications were presented for the project managers in infrastructure project teams.

Drawing on social learning theory and social cognitive theory, the results show that both participative leadership and task-oriented leadership can facilitate shared leadership. Further, team atmosphere fully mediates the link between participative leadership and shared leadership. Team efficacy fully mediates the relation between task-oriented leadership and shared leadership. Also, role clarity has a negative moderating effect on the former path.

The study extends the knowledge of leadership theory in the construction field. Based on the proposed conceptual model and PLS-SEM results, this study unveils the black box between vertical leadership and shared leadership and contributes to the theory of leadership on how the impact of different vertical leadership on team process promotes shared leadership.

Literature evidences that altruism and conscientiousness are very important discretionary behaviours within the broader framework of Organizational Citizenship Behaviour (OCB) among teaching community. The present study is intended to examine the effect of role clarity, perceived cohesion and felt responsibility on altruism and conscientiousness among college teachers in Kerala.

A questionnaire-based survey was conducted among 354 college teachers, and the causal effect was examined using Partial Least Square-based structural equation modelling.

Validity and reliability of the model were established through measurement model evaluation. Explanatory power of the model was established. Cohesion and felt responsibility significantly predicted altruism, but the effect of role clarity on altruism was not significant. Effect of cohesion, felt responsibility and role clarity on conscientiousness was significant.

The study contributed to the existing theory on antecedents of OCB. The model has high levels of predictive accuracy – role clarity, cohesiveness and felt responsibility – capable of explaining the discretionary behaviour among college teachers.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between the interactive use of budgets, role clarity and individual creativity.

Survey data was collected from mid-level managers in publicly listed Indonesian companies. The data was analysed using partial least squares.

The findings indicate that while there is no direct association between an interactive use of budgets and individual creativity, an interactive use of budgets can affect individual creativity via role clarity.

This study is one of only a few studies that provide empirical evidence on the relationships between individual creativity, role clarity and the interactive use of budgets. While previous studies have been undertaken in Western countries such as the USA and the UK, this study focuses on an emerging economy – Indonesia in which firms have been trying to improve individual creativity.

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate the process by which nonfinancial performance measures affect employee perceptions of how fair are their organizations' performance evaluation procedures. With increased interest in performance measurement systems that rely heavily on nonfinancial measures (e.g., balanced scorecard), it is important to understand the ramifications of these measures.

Methodology – Data are drawn from mail survey questionnaire responses of 121 Australian managers and analyzed by structural equation modeling.

Findings – The results provide support for the proposition that employees perceive the use of nonfinancial measures as fair. However, these effects are found to be indirect through (1) the enhancement of employee role clarity, and (2) the enhancement of the trust the employees have in their supervisors.

Research limitations and practical implications – This study does not directly address the issue of whether nonfinancial measures will ultimately lead to improved overall organizational performance. However, the results do suggest that the use of nonfinancial measures for employee performance evaluation is beneficial. Hence, there may scope for increasing their role in the workplace. This may ultimately lead to improved organizational performance.

Value of paper – The current interest in multidimensional performance systems clearly necessitates systematic empirical investigation to ascertain their effectiveness and benefits. This study contributes in this regard by focusing on nonfinancial measures, a key component of multidimensional performance measurement systems. It also adds to our understanding of the process by such systems influence employee reactions and ultimately overall organizational performance.

The purpose of this paper is to scrutinize platforms for members to exchange information by information-based online communities (IBOCs, like LinkedIn or Facebook). Because member participation is vital for IBOCs, this research aims to identify and validate factors that drive member participation.

With reference to social exchange theory the authors developed a model of antecedents of participation in IBOCs that was tested with survey data using PLS. Because some of the results contradicted the theory, the authors examined those results in a mainly qualitative study with online community providers. These experts offered explanations that inform the discussion and managerial implications.

Role clarity, provider’s responsiveness, and enjoyment all influence member participation. Contrary to theory, the cooperation of other members affects member participation negatively while a member’s ability shows no effect.

This research has several implications for IBOC providers. Because ability does not affect participation directly, providers do not need to worry about lacking ability and can effectively target all potential members. The importance of provider responsiveness signals that IBOC providers should proactively monitor members’ compliance with social norms to lower the social risk for members. The impact of community-specific knowledge and enjoyment on participation puts emphasis on careful community design and the thoughtful implementation of new features that might enhance enjoyment, but reduce role clarity.

Whereas most of the participation literature focusses on a dyadic relationship, the research investigates the triadic relationship in which the provider is only an enabler of exchange. Furthermore, the authors bring together two streams of the literature: the participation literature, which tends to focus on offline participation; and the online community literature, which has not yet investigated participation. This is also the first paper to investigate nonlinear effects on participation.

As customer satisfaction is gaining the highest priority among the interest of corporate America′s constituent groups and the economy becomes service‐oriented, more jobs than ever before require customer contacts. Investigates the relationship between employee satisfaction, job tension, role clarity, role conflict and empathetic concern among customer service personnel. Finds that the traditional variables, i.e. role conflict, role clarity, and job tension, do influence job satisfaction as hypothesized. Additionally, identifies empathy, a previously overlooked dimension of employee‐job interactions, as a significant determinant of job tension. Discusses the managerial implications resulting from these relationships.

The purpose of the present study is to examine the role of the feedback environment in expatriate adjustment and subsequent performance. Based on newcomer adaptation and sensemaking theories, the authors proposed that the supervisor and coworker feedback environments would serve as informational resources, reducing the ambiguity associated with the expatriate's new setting.

This study was conducted with a broad sample of assigned expatriates (N = 95) originating from 33 different countries and currently working in 35 different host countries. Mediation analysis using a bootstrapping methodology was conducted to test the hypotheses.

The authors found that the supervisor feedback environment and coworker feedback environment were both related to expatriate adjustment through role clarity. The authors also found that the supervisor feedback environment was indirectly related to expatriate job performance and intent to leave the international assignment through both role clarity and adjustment.

This study examines the extent to which the supervisor and coworker feedback environments enable expatriates on an international assignment. Expatriates face challenges that may be ameliorated by constructive feedback practices. The authors discuss how organizations can improve expatriate sensemaking and adjustment through improved feedback practices.

The purpose of this paper is to empirically explore the underlying mechanisms through which empowerment affects organizational outcomes via a multi-dimensional model. Specifically, the paper suggests that empowerment climate (EC) is positively related to psychological empowerment (PE) and the effect of PE on the outcome variable of job satisfaction is mediated by justice perceptions and role clarity.

In total, 765 employees at the executive level across 26 distinct groups in a large manufacturing firm participated in the survey. Multi-level analyses based on both hierarchical linear modeling and multi-level structural equation modeling techniques were utilized to test the hypotheses.

This research demonstrated that EC significantly affected PE and that perceptions of justice and role clarity mediated the relationship between PE and job satisfaction. Additional analyses demonstrated that EC did not significantly affect organizational outcomes above and beyond PE, justice, and role clarity.

The current study suggests that managers concerned with increasing employee perceptions of justice may be able to do so by increasing perceptions of employee empowerment. As only individual employee perceptions of empowerment related directly to organizational outcomes, this demonstrates the importance for managers to understand perceptions of employees.

Exploring these mechanisms will strengthen the knowledge regarding how empowerment works to enhance organizational effectiveness. This will enable practitioners to better determine how and when empowerment will be most effective.

To propose new commitment construct‐policy commitment, and to examine the influence of attitude, role clarity, and role conflict on policy commitment, as well as the influence of policy commitment on citizenship behavior.

Using a self‐report questionnaire and a sample of 148 workers in a rural manufacturing plant, we use structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques to examine the effects of attitude, role clarity, and role conflict on policy commitment, as well as the effect of policy commitment on the conscientiousness and civic virtue dimensions of citizenship behavior.

SEM revealed that attitudes and role clarity positively influenced policy commitment, and that policy commitment positively influenced conscientiousness and civic virtue.

Our sample is relatively small (N=148) and largely homogeneous, which may limit its generalizability. A number of additional research opportunities are suggested in the study, including those designed to further explore the nature of the policy commitment construct and those designed to examine its relationship with other known commitment antecedents and outcomes. Implications for practitioners and researchers are suggested.

Commitment in organizations has long been conceptualized as acceptance of organizational goals and dedicated effort on behalf of the organization itself. However, we believe this conceptualization of commitment may be considerably less salient in today's highly mobile work environment. This study introduces the construct of policy commitment, a conceptualization of commitment as belief in and proactive endorsement of specific courses of action (i.e. policies) that embody the values resident within organizations.