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Purpose -The subject of cyber-slacking has prompted many organizations to respond by enforcing or implementing policies that restrict internet access. The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the impact of four internet monitoring policies on cyber-slacking and work satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach -Employees working in medium-size organizations in Lebanon were surveyed. Chi-square tests, correlation, ANOVA, and regression analysis were used to test the hypothesis. Findings -Results indicated that having a free internet access had a positive relation with cyber-slacking, leading to an increase in work satisfaction. The survey also indicated relationship with demographic factors. Research limitations/implications -Although the research provides useful insight on cyber-slacking and monitoring policies, it is nevertheless restricted to Lebanese companies. Originality/value -This paper adds to the literature on cyber-slacking by empirically testing the effect of different monitoring policies.

PurposeThe goal of this research is to empirically assess whether knowledge management (KM) and learning organizations (LO) are distinct concepts and if so, to test whether KM enhances LO more or vice versa.Design/methodology/approachThe authors propose an approach by which they first empirically assess the independence of those two concepts, then KM's fundamental processes, being knowledge acquisition, sharing, and utilization, are hypothesized to have a positive relationship with the different LO dimensions. Retail business employees working in organizations in Lebanon were surveyed. KM processes were first designated as dependent variables and then as independent variables. Bartlett's test, Pearson correlation, factor analysis, and regression analysis were used to test the hypothesis.FindingsThe results indicated that the two dimensions LO and KM are distinct and that KM enhances LO more than LO enhances KM.Practical implicationsThis research extends the impact of knowledge management to include informal processes. It provides empirical evidence that managers should seek to implement formal and informal knowledge management processes into their organizational culture to enable a dynamic learning environment.Originality/valueThis research is significant in that up to this point the relationship between KM and LO has been posited and supported through anecdotal evidence and observation. This research provides empirical evidence of the relationship and forms the basis for further study in this area.

Purpose As one of the first studies in this field, the purpose of this paper is to explore the effect of personal values on job performance and job satisfaction across different jobs. Further, it aims to identify personal value types that are positively, or negatively, related to behavioural and attitudinal outcomes in different job categories. Design/methodology/approach Based on a sample of 270 participants across several job categories including finance, accounting, marketing, sales, HR (human resources), operations and information technology (IT), this research explores the relationship between personal values, job performance and job satisfaction across the listed job categories. Ordinary least square (OLS) stepwise-regression and partial least square (PLS) regression were used in analysing the results. Findings Findings showed that for some of the jobs examined, different types of personal values were associated with different worker outcomes. Originality/value This research study identifies sets of personal values that are suited to some jobs more than others in terms of job performance and job satisfaction outcomes. Moreover, this research demonstrates the importance of controlling for job categories in future research models that investigate the links between values, performance and satisfaction.

PurposeAs businesses continue to forge ahead in the twenty‐first century, knowledge management (KM) has materialized as a significant differentiator. The process of creating new knowledge, sharing, and preserving such knowledge, is crucial for achieving competitive advantage. To gain maximum benefit from new knowledge, it must be efficiently integrated into the organization within a continuous knowledge life cycle. In this respect, mentoring is becoming ever more effective as a means to facilitate knowledge creation and sharing and build intellectual capital. This study aims to examine how both formal and informal mentoring enhances KM in the Lebanese banking sector.Design/methodology/approachProfessionals in the Lebanese banking sector were surveyed to measure their perception of the impact of mentoring on their willingness to share information within the organization on both a formal and informal basis. A Pearson correlation was conducted to test the hypotheses.FindingsResults suggest that informal mentoring is highly correlated with KM; whereby the more employees practice mentoring willingly the more knowledge will be shared, preserved, and used within the organization. However, there was little support for formal mentoring.Practical implicationsThe results suggest that management should be highly supportive of informal mentoring as a means to capture and retain organizational knowledge. They should design and reward informal mentoring processes within the organization.Originality/valueThis paper adds to the existing mentoring literature by empirically testing the relationship between mentoring and KM.

Purpose – Conflict in the workplace creates a challenge for many of present day managers. The purpose of this paper is to explore the moderating effect of generations X and Y on the relationship between personality and conflict handling styles. Design/methodology/approach – The study is conducted using a sample of 199 employees working in the electronic retail sector in a non-Western culture. The five-factor model of personality traits is used to measure personality, while conflict styles are measured using Rahim’s Organizational Conflict Inventory II. Findings – Results indicate that generations X and Y moderate the relationship between specific personality traits and conflict handling styles. Research limitations/implications – This study investigated the moderating effect of generations X and Y on a sample of employees within the electronic retail service sector in Lebanon. It is recommended that future research examine such a relationship in other sectors and cultures for generalizability. Since generation Z (born in the late 1990s) will soon be entering the job market, further studies should include this cohort when investigating the relationships. Finally, for a deeper understanding of the relationship, it is advisable to use both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. Practical implications – The understanding of what influences an individual’s choice regarding his/her choice of conflict resolution styles is of great use to supervisors in general and human resource managers in particular. This will assist in developing training programs that help employees acquire the appropriate skills necessary to control their impulses in a conflict situation. Training should comprise conflict resolution and communication skills that could help bridge the gap between generations. Effectively managing generational conflict in the workplace can positively contribute to the level and frequency of future conflicts, which in turn, can lead to favorable organizational outcomes. Originality/value – Earlier research that examined the relationship between personality and conflict management styles have found varying results ranging from weak to strong relationships. The understanding of what influences an individual’s choice of which management style he/she chooses is of great use for managers in general and human resource managers in particular. This study showed that the inconsistency could be the result of some factors that moderate this relationship. The age of individuals contributes to the strength or the weakness of the various relationships between personality and conflict handling styles. Findings suggest that generations X and Y do not moderate the relationships among the personality traits and the dominating and obliging conflict styles. They do, however, have varying moderating effects on the relationships between specific personality traits and the integrating, avoiding, and compromising styles.

Purpose This paper aims to extend previous results demonstrating a statistically significant causal relationship between the implementation of 360-degree feedback in an organization and employees’ perceptions of organizational justice. It explores the sustainability of this justice, ultimately making it an integral part of the organizational culture. The paper examines whether the previous model (based on relationships among 360-degree feedback, organizational justice and sustainability of organizational justice) is invariant across different levels of management (i.e. operational and top/middle managers) and across a group of female versus male employees. Design/methodology/approach Structural equation modeling multigroup analysis and invariance tests were conducted with a cross-sectional sample of 400 employees in various positions in home appliances and electronics organizations. Findings The results further sustain/contest previous findings on the relationships among appraisal, organizational justice and sustainability among respondents of different genders and at different managerial levels. The results also provide significant practical implications. Top managers and supervisors can incorporate gender and managerial level differences identified in this study to modify their management styles and appraisal techniques to install high levels of organizational justice and achieve a competitive edge through the sustained levels of this organizational justice. Originality/value This study is the first to explore the impact of implementing a 360-degree appraisal system on employees’ perceptions of justice, while taking into consideration gender differences, i.e. whether males or females tend to perceive different types of justice within the organization and whether they differ in the way that they react to the appraisal system being implemented within the workplace. Given all the positive traits associated with a 360-feedback appraisal system, the way that this feedback is viewed and interpreted by employees can differ according to the employee’s rank within the organization, i.e. whether he/she belongs to top/middle management team or the operational/front-line management team.