ABSTRACT Despite renewed interest in organizational cynicism, we still know little about how it affects relationships with others in the organization. Using a shared reality framework, we apply the common-fate model to explore how supervisor and subordinate’s organizational cynicism operates in tandem to influence the quality of leader-member exchange (LMX) at the dyad level and affects job performance ratings. Across 199 supervisor-subordinate dyads, we find that dyad-level organizational cynicism has negative effects on dyad-level LMX, impacting supervisory perceptions of subordinate performance. Expanding our understanding of organizational cynicism beyond the individual and incorporating methodology from the interpersonal relationships literature into the study of LMX, our results suggest that to understand the impact of cynicism in the workplace, we need to move beyond the study of subordinates alone.

ABSTRACT Workers’ instrumental treatment is commonly seen as a strategic way to reach organizational goals. Drawing on relevant recent literature, this paper sought to show experimentally that instrumental treatment is instead associated with negative outcomes for the individual and the organization. We sought to demonstrate that treating people as instruments would lead them to self-objectify – to self-perceive as objects rather than human beings – which would result in them being less engaged in a given task, thus undermining their performance. Study 1 was designed to provide a first test of our hypotheses by manipulating the instrumental (vs. non-instrumental) treatment enacted by an experimenter toward naïve participants (N = 85) during the performance of a cognitive task. Study 2 consisted in a simulated online work activity in which participants (N = 147) were asked to play the role of a proofreader for a fictitious newspaper, while being treated in an instrumental (vs. non-instrumental) way by the editorial staff. The results provided convergent evidence about the hypothesized process: being instrumentally (vs. non-instrumentally) treated leads people to self-objectify (i.e., to self-perceive as more instrument-like than human) and, in turn, their engagement with the task and performance are undermined. Implications for organizational and social psychology research are discussed.

ABSTRACT While Appreciative Intelligence® – the capacity to reframe and see the potential in any situation and act on it with success – has generated a robust body of literature, scholarly advancement of this construct has been hampered by the lack of a validated instrument. Over two studies, we develop the Appreciative Intelligence® Scale (AIS), a 26-item survey organized into six factors. Study 1 explores the factor structure of the AIS using EFA. Study 2 uses hierarchical confirmatory factor analysis (HCFA) and hierarchical regression analyses to provide evidence for its convergent, discriminant, and criterion-related validity. The results support the priori six-factor structure of the AIS, indicating it is a valid measure of Appreciative Intelligence® useful in predicting proactive behavior at the individual, team, and organizational levels.

ABSTRACT Promotion- and prevention-focused regulation influence a variety of workplace behaviors, including innovation and safety performance. Although regulatory foci are theorized to vary both between- and within-individuals, little within-person research has been conducted. One reason for this gap is the lack of a well-validated state regulatory focus scale. Thus, across four studies (total N = 1,300), we develop and validate the State Regulatory Focus Scale (SRFS). We find that the scale scores are reliable, exhibit measurement invariance, and demonstrate convergent, divergent, and predictive validity. In addition, the SRFS detects changes in state regulatory foci in response to a regulatory focus induction. Overall, within-person regulatory foci relationships matched meta-analytic estimates, although were weaker compared to the between-person level relationships. We conclude with recommendations for future research.

ABSTRACTBuilding on theories of conscious goals and feedback, we investigated the moderating effect of negative feedback on the relation between subconscious goals and performance. In two lab experiments, we manipulated subconscious performance goals and negative feedback about personal performance as well as social comparison information. In Study 1 (n = 80), subconscious goals positively influenced performance in an attention and concentration task when participants had received no feedback and negatively when participants had been confronted with negative performance feedback. In Study 2 (n = 90), additional comparison feedback indicating a higher performance of others led to higher performance of participants with versus without subconscious performance goals. The moderating effect of feedback was visible in self-efficacy, and we found partial support for its mediating role.

ABSTRACTThis study tests the hypothesis that situational judgment tests (SJTs) with interpersonal content reflect implicit beliefs about the utility of prosocial action for job effectiveness and that agreeable people are more likely to believe that prosocial action is effective. Two hundred ninety-four undergraduates completed four different SJTs with interpersonal content and a measure of Agreeableness. Results show that the effectiveness of response options in these SJTs is positively correlated with the level of prosociality they express and that because of their prosocial elements, scores on different SJTs are correlated with one another and with Agreeableness. These results shed light on the construct-related validity of SJTs with interpersonal content and point to the possibility that they can assess prosociality in job settings different from those described in their items.

ABSTRACTBased on the trickle-down model, the present study simultaneously examined how transformational leadership and abusive supervision influence employees’ proactive customer service performance and service sabotage through employees’ emotional labor strategies toward customers. Moreover, this study examines whether perceived supervisor power can activate or inhibit the aforementioned trickle-down processes. The present study collected data from 186 service employees–supervisor pairs at different times. The results of structural equation modeling indicate that transformational leadership positively predicted employees’ proactive customer service performance via deep acting, whereas abusive supervision was positively associated with employees’ service sabotage through surface acting. Furthermore, being perceived as a powerful supervisor is an important factor to maximize the benefits of transformational leadership. The theoretical and practical implications are further discussed.

ABSTRACTThis study examined trait emotional intelligence (EI) in relation to the ability to fake on personality tests. Undergraduate students (N = 129) were first instructed to fill out a personality inventory honestly, and subsequently in such a way as to maximize their chances of obtaining two distinctive job positions (lawyer and file clerk). Participants were able to change their scores in line with the hypothesized job profiles. Regression analyses showed that EI statistically predicted faking ability to an equal degree in both job scenarios. Finally, EI showed incremental validity over general mental ability and the Big Five personality traits in predicting the ability to fake. Possible implications of the results for the predictive validity of personality tests are discussed.

ABSTRACTWe adopt a multilevel approach to investigate ethical ideology, moral leadership, and ethical climate in predicting service-oriented organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and service sabotage. Data were collected from 36 food and beverage units in hotels in Taiwan. The sample comprised 504 employees and 36 supervisors. Results show that idealism is positively related with service-oriented OCB, but negatively related with service sabotage; relativism is the opposite. Moral leadership and ethical climate are both positively related with service-oriented OCB and negatively related with service sabotage. In addition, moral leadership moderates the relationship between relativism and service-oriented OCB. Ethical climate moderates the relationship between idealism and service-oriented OCB and service sabotage. The implications of this study for research and practice are discussed.

ABSTRACTThe covariance index is a response validity scale created with the purpose of detecting intentional distortion in self-report measures. Based on evidence that strong response sets increase the covariance between responses, a method was developed to identify increased covariance at the individual level. Two studies were conducted to evaluate the validity of this new measure across laboratory and field settings. Results showed that individuals who scored higher on the covariance index in situations where strong response sets were present were those who had distorted responses the most and whose scores on personality measures had worse validity. In addition, the new validity scales improved identification of distorted responses beyond traditional social desirability scales.