| Absence Culture: The Effects of Union Membership Within Work Groups and Industrial Relations Climate |
| | Iverson, Roderick D. | U. of Melbourne, Australia | r.iverson@ecomfac,unimelb.edu.au | +613 9344 7028 |
| | Buttigieg, Donna M. | Templeton College, U. of Oxford | Donna.Buttigieg@templeton.oxford.ac.uk | 44 0 1865 422 598 |
| | Maguire, Catherine | U. of Melbourne, Australia | c.maguire@ecomfac.unimelb.edu.au | 613 9344 9771 |
| | Drawing from Nicholson and Johns (1985) typology of absence culture
(i.e., salience of culture and level of trust), this research examined the
influence of union membership within work groups and perceived industrial
relations (IR) climate on absence culture. The settings were two Australian
hospitals attempting to improve both quality of patient care and reduce
operating costs (e.g., absenteeism). Joint involvement of management
and the nursing union was critical in achieving these objectives. Data
were collected from a aggregated sample of 43 nursing work groups
(hospital wards) (n=460 employees). The LISREL results using the
relational demography formula of O'Reilly, Caldwell, and Barnett (1989)
found support for hypothesis 1 (controlling for other relational, simple
and explanatory variables). It was observed that the greater the
dissimilarity in union membership, the higher the absence culture.
In terms of hypothesis 2, the more positive the IR climate, the lower the
absence culture. These two variables were also found to interact
(supporting hypothesis 3): greater similarity in union membership
lowered absence culture when the IR climate was perceived to be positive. Although, exploratory, we observed greater similarity in union membership status to lower absence culture when union instrumentality was high, and to increase absence culture when union
instrumentality was low. The theoretical and practical implications of
these findings for understanding the social context in which absence
culture is engendered are discussed.
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| | Keywords: Absence culture; Union membership; Industrial relations climate |
| Trust in Mangement as a Mediator of Empowerment in Health Services Employees |
| | Proenca, E. Jose | Widener U. | jose.proenca@widener.edu | 610-449-4330 |
| | As they place greater demands upon their employees, health services organizations are replacing
traditional control-oriented structures with empowerment programs, often with little or no success.
The low rate of success achieved by these programs has prompted calls for research into the process
by which empowerment practices lead to empowerment in employees. This study examined employee
trust in management as a mediating variable in the process of empowering health services employees.
It found that trust in management mediates the effects of three commonly used empowerment
practices - the sharing of information, the provision of access to resources, and the creation of role
clarity. Implications for health services managers are discussed. |
| | Keywords: Empowerment; Trust in Management; Health Services Employees |
| Selected Determinants of Performance within a Set of Health Care Teams |
| | McCleary, Karl J. | Loma | kmccleary@sph.llu.edu | 205-934-5665 |
| | Hernandez, S. Robert | U. of Alabama, Birmingham | hernande@uab.edu | (205)-934-5665 |
| | Current models of work group effectiveness present integrative approaches to designing, supporting, and managing groups. The validity of these proposed relationships is examined in a health care context of organ procurement teams. These work groups were examined because they are an innovative new organizational form central to transplantation. Organ procurement is critical because projections indicate that current shortages will worsen and the current design and management of organ procurement teams may affect the supply of organs. This study adapts Campion’s Model of Work Group Effectiveness (Campion, Medsker, & Higgs, 1993) to organ procurement teams and examines the affect of selected factors on procurement of cadaveric organs and the quality of work life. Data were collected from a national sample of organ procurement teams (n = 44). Objective indicators of organ procurement productivity were obtained from archival sources. Self-report questionnaires were designed and administered. Hierarchical regression was used to test hypothesized relationships. Results suggest that productivity is predicted by managerial support, lower levels of flexibility, isolation behaviors, and external factors (i.e., donor referrals; organizational affiliation). Job design successfully predicted team satisfaction and quality of work life. These findings suggest approaches available to organ procurement administrators for influencing work group performance. While previous health services research on organ procurement has focused on clinical, educational, and policy initiatives, this study suggests that an interdisciplinary approach that includes the organizational sciences has value for organ procurement and transplantation. |
| | Keywords: Work Group Performance |