We propose a model of job passion that links two types of passion, harmonious and obsessive passion, to employees' work performance, via the mediating mechanism of cognitive engagement (comprising attention and absorption). Results from a survey conducted with 509 employees from an insurance firm indicate that employees with harmonious passion performed better at work, and that this relationship was mediated primarily by cognitive absorption, that is, the intensity of focus and immersion experienced by the employees when working. However, even though obsessive passion was negatively related to cognitive attention (i.e. the amount of cognitive resources spent thinking about work), it did not have a significant relationship to work performance overall. We identify and discuss research and practical implications for job passion and performance management.
There is increasing recognition that group members learn not only within the group (i.e., local learning), but also externally (i.e., distal learning), and these two group learning processes may facilitate group performance in different ways. Yet, despite this recognition, there is much that is not understood about whether they complement or inhibit each other in affecting group performance, and whether group social and task conditions that foster one type of learning do so at the expense of the other. The findings from this field study of teams from four firms show that (1) local learning and distal learning are positively related to group efficiency and group innovativeness, respectively; (2) distal learning negatively interacts with local learning to impede group efficiency; and (3) high levels of group cohesion promote distal learning but diminish local learning. Overall, these findings suggest that there are not only performance trade-offs to engaging in either only local or distal learning, but also performance disadvantages to engaging in both types of group learning because distal learning impedes local learning from achieving a high level of group efficiency. In addition, there is preliminary evidence to suggest that tensions can arise from simultaneously managing both types of group learning because a high level of group cohesion increases distal learning but decreases local learning.
SummaryDrawing from the structural perspective of social capital theory, this research investigates how internal and external advice network structures influence knowledge overlap and variety and, how these knowledge dimensions in turn influence group effectiveness. Findings from two studies on knowledge-intensive groups indicate that different advice network structures are associated with knowledge overlap and knowledge variety, and only knowledge variety was significantly associated with group effectiveness. In addition, despite implicit understanding that advice networks aid performance through enhancing knowledge outcomes, only knowledge variety was found to mediate the relationship between external network and group effectiveness. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
Drawing from Karasek's job demands-control model, this study investigated how perceived amount and clarity of interdependency in managers' jobs affect role stress, and the extent to which job control moderates these relationships. Results show that amount of interdependency was positively associated with role conflict, and clarity of interdependency was negatively associated with role ambiguity. There was also support for the job demands-control model as greater job control reduced role ambiguity when clarity of interdependency was low. Although higher job control produced lower role ambiguity when both clarity and amount of interdependency were low, higher job control did not produce lower role ambiguity when clarity of interdependency was low and amount of interdependency was high, suggesting that the buffering value of job control on reducing role stress is contingent on the task interdependencies that managers confront.
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