Justifying new employees’ trials by fire: workplace hazing

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 381-399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin J. Thomas ◽  
Patricia Meglich
Keyword(s):  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Blind Spot ◽  
System Justification ◽  
Content Type ◽  
New Employees ◽  
System Justification Theory ◽  
The Social ◽  
Dependent Variables ◽  
New Employee ◽  
Current Sample

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to test the explanatory effects of the system justification theory on reactions to new employee hazing.Design/methodology/approachThree studies (N= 107, 121 and 128), all using experimental assignment, vignettes of workplace hazing and two-level repeated measures ANCOVA designs, with dispositional variables included as covariates and justification of workplace hazing processes as dependent variables, were conducted.FindingsOnlookers are more likely to justify long-standing (cf. recently adopted) hazing systems and hazing systems used by highly cohesive (cf. loosely cohesive) teams, supporting the application of the system justification theory to workplace hazing reactions.Research limitations/implicationsThe use of vignette research and onlookers (cf. hazed employees) may limit inferences drawn about employee reactions in workplaces that use hazing.Practical implicationsDespite its negative associations, hazing at work persists, with 25 percent of current sample reported being hazed at work. The system justification theory, which the authors applied to hazing, offers an explanation for stakeholders’ willingness to sustain and perpetuate hazing, and onlookers’ seeming blind-spot regarding outrage over workplace hazing. This theory holds promise for combatting passive responses to workplace hazing.Originality/valueThis is the first paper to empirically test explanations for workplace hazing’s perpetuation, by applying the system justification theory to the social system of workplace hazing. Moreover, it is the first paper to offer empirical evidence of hazing’s prevalence across at least 25 percent of sampled industries and organizational rank.

A new, established approach to managing misbehavior: system justification theory

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin J. Thomas ◽  
Spencer Harris
Keyword(s):  
Status Quo ◽  
System Justification ◽  
Workplace Behavior ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cultural Elements ◽  
System Justification Theory ◽  
The Status ◽  
Management Approaches ◽  
Organizational Scholarship ◽  
Deviant Workplace Behavior

PurposeThe status quo for managing deviant workplace behavior is underperforming. The current research offers a new approach for scholars and managers in approaching these misbehaviors. Namely, we outline how system justification theory, which holds that people are motivated to rationalize and justify the systems—including workplaces—to which they belong even when those systems disadvantage them or others, offers value in explaining and addressing the prevalence of such misbehaviors and contemporary failures in managing them.Design/methodology/approachThis conceptual research explores the situated role of onlookers to patterns of workplace misbehavior, like harassment. We explore existing scholarship on why and how onlookers respond to such actions, including cultural elements, and draw parallels between those accounts and the foundational concepts of system justification theory to demonstrate an unrealized theoretical overlap valuable for its immediate applications in research.FindingsThe current paper establishes clear links between system justification theory and efforts to manage misbehavior, establishing system justifications as freezing forces in the culture of a workplace that must be unfrozen to successfully implement strategies for managing misbehavior. Further, we describe how organizational onlookers to misbehavior are subject to system justifications, which limit prescribed means of stopping these patterns of wrongdoing.Originality/valueVery limited organizational scholarship has utilized system justification theory, despite calls for such applications. Given the existing shortcomings in scholarship and management approaches to workplace misbehavior, the current research breaks from the status quo and offers an established theory as a new way to approach these misbehaviors.

scholarly journals Is a System Motive Really Necessary to Explain the System Justification Effect? A Response to Jost (2019) and Jost, Badaan, Goudarzi, Hoffarth, and Mogami (2019)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chuma Kevin Owuamalam ◽  
Mark Rubin
Keyword(s):  
Social Identity ◽  
Social Reality ◽  
Conclusive Evidence ◽  
System Justification ◽  
Ingroup Bias ◽  
Special System ◽  
System Justification Theory ◽  
The Social ◽  
Identity Model ◽  
Identity Motives

The debate between the proponents of SIMSA and SJT does not pivot on whether system justification occurs – we all agree that system justification does occur. The issue is why it occurs? System justification theory (SJT; Jost & Banaji, 1994) assumes that system justification is motivated by a special system justification motive. In contrast, the social identity model of system attitudes (SIMSA; Owuamalam, Rubin, & Spears, 2018) argues that there is insufficient conclusive evidence for this special system motive, and that system justification can be explained in terms of social identity motives, including the motivation to accurately reflect social reality and the search for a positive social identity. Here, we respond to criticisms of SIMSA, including criticisms of its social reality, ingroup bias and hope for future ingroup status explanations of system justification. We conclude that SJT theorists should decide whether system justification is oppositional to, or compatible with social identity motives, and that this dilemma could be resolved by relinquishing the theoretically problematic notion of a system justification motivation.

New employee onboarding – psychological contracts and ethical perspectives

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cam Caldwell ◽  
Ray Peters
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Contract ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Important Task ◽  
Content Type ◽  
New Employees ◽  
Ethical Implications ◽  
Step Model ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
New Employee ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the ethical implications of treating new employees with high consideration and respect for their needs and to explain how this expectation honors the psychological contract between employers and their incoming employees. By providing a specific model for improving the onboarding process, this paper also provides helpful information for practitioners in addressing this important task. Design/methodology/approach The process for onboarding and assimilating new employees in the modern organization is often ineffective – despite the fact that this important task is acknowledged to be vital to the success of those employees and important to their organizations. This conceptual paper addresses the problems of new employee orientation from an ethical and psychological contract perspective and suggests a ten-step model to improve the onboarding process. Findings The paper confirms that onboarding is not done well by organizations, that employees expect that they will be treated with appropriate concern for their interests as part of their assumptions in coming into a new organization, that onboarding new employees is fraught with ethical implications, and that the process can be greatly improved by following the ten-step model provided. Research limitations/implications The paper provides opportunities for practitioners to apply their proposed model and enables scholars to test the impact of incorporating the steps of the ten-step onboarding model. Practical implications Ineffective onboarding has significant ramifications not only for the efficiency of organizations but also for the effectiveness of incoming employees. Understanding the implicit ethical issues in the onboarding process enables organizations to improve the employer-employee relationship and honor their responsibilities to incoming employees. Social implications In a world where trust in leaders and organizations has declined, understanding the implications of the psychological contract expectations of incoming employees and honoring an organization’s obligations to those employees is likely to increase employee trust and commitment while benefiting the organizations that apply the proposed model. Originality/value The topic of onboarding employees has not been fully understood by busy organizations and this paper addresses the ethical and psychological implications of effective onboarding and its contributing value for both the organization and the new employees affected by the onboarding process. The ten-step model provides a useful checklist for human resources staff and for the organizational leaders who oversee them.

Determinants of social and economic reportings

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omar Al Farooque ◽  
Helena Ahulu
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Multiple Regression ◽  
Economic Indicators ◽  
Global Reporting Initiative ◽  
Hierarchical Multiple Regression ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Dependent Variables ◽  
Complementary Nature ◽  
Sustainability Reports

Purpose This paper aims to provide new insights on the determinants of social and economic sustainability reportings of multinational enterprises (MNEs) in three Anglo-Saxon countries, mainly Australia, the UK and South Africa, from the perspective of corporate governance, stakeholder and corporate legitimacy. Design/methodology/approach This paper examines stand-alone sustainability reports of 67 large MNEs from three countries available in the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) website for the period of 2008-2009. It undertakes two distinct methodological approaches: first, principal component analysis (PCA) of GRI guidelines (G3) on social and economic indicators to identify the most appropriate dependent variables, and second, hierarchical multiple regression for the hypotheses testing and finding determinants of respective dependent variables on social and economic reportings. Findings The results from the PCA of GRI guidelines (G3) provide an alternative way of categorizing the social and economic indicators when compared to the categories given by the GRI. Again, the results from hierarchical multiple regression indicate the industry sector as the dominant determinant of social and economic reportings. In particular, the positive, significant association of board independence, assurance and employee performance variables with economic reporting confirms the significant roles of corporate governance, stakeholders and corporate legitimacy in determining economic reporting. The findings also suggest the complementary nature of relevant theories in corporate voluntary disclosures relating to economic performance. However, social reporting shows no such relations, which rather relies more on firm-specific/financial variables of MNEs including firm size and age. Research limitations/implications The sample of this study is limited to two-year periods and large MNEs available in the GRI website with stand-alone sustainability reports only. Practical implications The PCA focuses on most relevant and specific categories of social and economic reportings as opposed to GRI generic categories. The PCA findings also suggest the GRI to contemplate reducing the social and economic indicators for future guidelines. The hierarchical multiple regression results highlight specific areas of emphasis that MNEs should focus on when reporting social and economic information. Originality/value This study adds value to the existing literature on GRI-based social and economic reportings as well as the complementary nature of corporate governance, stakeholders and corporate legitimacy perspectives.

scholarly journals Speculations on the Evolutionary Origins of System Justification

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 147470491876534 ◽  
Author(s):  
John T. Jost ◽  
Robert M. Sapolsky ◽  
H. Hannah Nam
Keyword(s):  
Social Economic ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
System Justification ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Social Stability ◽  
Political Systems ◽  
System Justification Theory ◽  
Evolutionary Origins ◽  
The Social

For centuries, philosophers and social theorists have wondered why people submit voluntarily to tyrannical leaders and oppressive regimes. In this article, we speculate on the evolutionary origins of system justification, that is, the ways in which people are motivated (often nonconsciously) to defend and justify existing social, economic, and political systems. After briefly recounting the logic of system justification theory and some of the most pertinent empirical evidence, we consider parallels between the social behaviors of humans and other animals concerning the acceptance versus rejection of hierarchy and dominance. Next, we summarize research in human neuroscience suggesting that specific brain regions, such as the amygdala and the anterior cingulate cortex, may be linked to individual differences in ideological preferences concerning (in)equality and social stability as well as the successful navigation of complex, hierarchical social systems. Finally, we consider some of the implications of a system justification perspective for the study of evolutionary psychology, political behavior, and social change.

scholarly journals “The New State That We Are Building”: Authoritarianism and System-Justification in an Illiberal Democracy

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan-Erik Lönnqvist ◽  
Zsolt Péter Szabó ◽  
László Kelemen
Keyword(s):  
Status Quo ◽  
System Justification ◽  
High Status ◽  
Strong Version ◽  
Political Systems ◽  
Authoritarian Personality ◽  
System Justification Theory ◽  
The Social ◽  
Beliefs And Attitudes ◽  
Representative Samples

The authoritarian personality is characterized by unquestionining obedience and respect to authority. System justification theory (SJT) argues that people are motivated to defend, bolster, and justify aspects of existing social, economic, and political systems. Commitment to the status quo is also a key characteristic of the authoritarian personality. It can be argued that the social context matters for how an underlying latent authoritarian character is expressed. This means that authoritarian regimes could be expected to lead to increased authoritarianism and stronger system-justification. We investigated this hypothesis in two representative samples of Hungarians, collected before (2010) and after (2018) 8 years of Fidesz’ rule (N = 1,000 in both samples). Moreover, the strong version of SJT argues that members of disadvantaged groups are likely to experience the most cognitive dissonance and that the need to reduce this dissonance makes them the most supportive of the status quo. This argument dovetails nicely with claims made by the political opposition to Fidesz, according to which Fidesz is especially popular among low-status members of society. We found that measures assessing authoritarian tendencies did not change between 2010 and 2018. However, more specific beliefs and attitudes did change, and these effects were especially pronounced among Fidesz supporters. Their belief in a just world and a just system has grown stronger, while their attitudes toward migrants had hardened. Low status was associated with lower levels of system-justifying ideologies. However, low status Fidesz voters justified the system more than high status opposition voters in 2018, lending some support for the strong version of SJT. Our results suggest that beliefs and attitudes of Hungarians have changed between 2010 and 2018, and that political leadership played a crucial role in this.

scholarly journals Revisiting the status-legitimacy hypothesis: Concepts, boundary conditions, and psychological mechanisms

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shen-Long Yang ◽  
Bu-Xiao Xu ◽  
Feng Yu ◽  
Yong-Yu Guo
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Conditions ◽  
System Justification ◽  
High Status ◽  
Conceptual Approach ◽  
Moderator Variables ◽  
System Justification Theory ◽  
Psychological Mechanisms ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractThe status-legitimacy hypothesis proposes that low-status groups are more inclined to justify the status quo as fair and legitimate than high-status groups. Although there are some research evidences for this hypothesis, many studies have found the opposite result, that disadvantaged groups are more dissatisfied with the social system. To resolve this disagreement, this article integrates relevant ideas and empirical research in three aspects. First, the conceptual approach emphasises that the controversy is a result of different operational definitions of social status and system justification in previous studies. The second approach, focusing on moderator variables, proposes that the disputes over past studies are probably due to moderator variables, which can influence the relationship between status and system justification. The third approach, based on psychological mechanisms, proposes that system justification theory cannot completely explain the psychological underpinnings of status differences in system justification, and in order to clarify this, it is necessary to explore other psychological processes. Future studies should continue to examine the mediation mechanisms and boundary conditions of the status-legitimacy hypothesis and may try to establish a nonlinear hypothesis. Moreover, researchers should also pay attention to the application of experimental methods and big-data methods.

Adaptation of New Employees as the Criterion of Social Efficiency of Company’s Corporate Culture

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 31-34
Author(s):  
N. V. Uzyumova
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Culture ◽  
Social Adaptation ◽  
Social Aspect ◽  
Social Efficiency ◽  
Unsuccessful Attempt ◽  
New Employees ◽  
The Social ◽  
New Employee ◽  
The Right ◽  
Selection Of

The article is devoted to corporate culture as a method of indirect management, which is especially in demand in companies working in the feld of intellectual services. Developed corporate culture helps to avoid cumbersome bureaucratic structures, as the employees of such an organisation can make the right decisions based on the values, norms and rules adopted in their company. The author considers the culture of the organisation through the prism of its effectiveness, paying the primary attention to the social aspect. As for maintenance and reproduction of the established corporate culture, the selection of staff and ensuring the subsequent production adaptation are crucial; the author specifes the concept of social effciency, as regards adaptation of new employees of the commercial organisations and considers the main stages of their social adaptation. The author also describes the conditions of successful adaptation of new employees, identifes the main features of socially effective corporate culture and the system of adaptation of new employees. The author concluded that each successfully adapted new employee strengthens the corporate culture of a commercial organisation and contributes to its social effciency, while each unsuccessful attempt to adapt reduces this indicator.

Outsourcing destination choices: the role of economic and cultural attributes

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grigorios Livanis ◽  
Christopher J. Robertson ◽  
Khalid M. Al-Shuaibi ◽  
Khalid Hussain
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Analysis Of Variance ◽  
Social Distance ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
Offshore Outsourcing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Potential Customers ◽  
Cultural Attribute

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how country-of-origin (COO) perceptions of managers affect their provider selection for offshoring and offshore-outsourcing of services. In particular, it examines how economic and cultural attributes of the supplier’s host nation shape these choices and identifies whether these attributes have a substitutive, complementary, or competing relationship. Design/methodology/approach – A quantitative study was performed using data collected from 235 managers in Saudi Arabia, which has relatively homogeneous managerial population with a clear significant cultural attribute and so presents an ideal setting to study the theory developed in this paper. Data were analyzed using a repeated-measures analysis of variance and a repeated-measures and doubly multivariate analysis of variance. Findings – Building on signaling theory, it is shown that buyers from developing countries prefer suppliers from developed rather than culturally distant developing economies as stronger institutions in developed nations increase the credibility of firms. It is also shown that they prefer suppliers from developing countries that share a common cultural attribute such as religion over other developing countries, supporting social identification behavior and a substitutive relationship between cultural and economic attributes. Finally, they are indifferent between suppliers located in a developed and in a culturally similar developing country, even when the cost of obtaining the service is the same in both countries. In such cases, economic and cultural COO attributes have a competing relationship in provider selection. Research limitations/implications – It would be interesting to examine if the results of the current study extend to cultural attributes/cues other than religion that may shrink the social distance between buyers and suppliers. Practical implications – Service multinationals from developing countries may struggle to establish credibility in the eyes of potential customers, who consistently evaluate them lower than firms in developed markets or firms from developing countries that share a common social trait with the potential customers. They can compensate for this by adopting policies that enhance pre-contract trust, invest in homogeneity capital that decreases the social distance between the two firms, or by focussing their sales efforts on countries with which they share a social/cultural attribute. Originality/value – This paper contributes to the marketing and international business literatures by providing insights on how firms from developing countries can effectively compete in the global marketplace given COO effects. Overall, the results provide novel evidence of the importance of co-membership in transnational communities (for instance, religious groups across countries) in supplier selection and its relationship to economic attributes.

Onboarding self-initiated expatriates

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (8) ◽  
pp. 510-518 ◽  
Author(s):  
Svala Guðmundsdóttir ◽  
Linda M. Lundbergsdóttir
Keyword(s):  
Human Resource ◽  
Practical Aspect ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
New Employees ◽  
Work Related ◽  
New Employee ◽  
Expatriate Managers ◽  
Job Postings

Purpose The purpose of this paper was to explore how Icelandic employees experienced the onboarding process when they started working for the Nordic co-operation. Design/methodology/approach A case study methodology was performed, where semi-structured interviews with Icelandic expatriates working for the Nordic co-operation were conducted, along with an open-ended questionnaire to the human resource manager. Relevant internet sites were analyzed along with job postings. Findings The results indicate that the Nordic co-operation could do better in relation to onboarding their new employees, particularly, in relation to the practical aspect of relocation. The expatriates reported to be satisfied with the work related onboarding and found a value in having a mentor or assigned individual who would take responsibility of introducing the new employee to work-related aspects. Research limitations/implications The number of interviews may be considered small when compared to other expatriate studies. Further, the results can only be considered as a first step in a longer process of mapping the ideal onboarding process for international assignees. Practical implications Based on the results, it was recommended that the Nordic co-operation should re-examine their onboarding, particularly, in relation to sharing practical information, and incorporating the spouse into the program, as suggested by a number of studies. Social implications By understanding the challenges self-initiated expatriates (SIE) face when taking up a new job in a new country, human resource departments will be in a better position to assist the assignee and family for a smoother transition. Originality/value In recent years, research on global carriers has been dominated by expatriate managers who are sent abroad on behalf of their company. However, far less is known about SIE and their onboarding process from the perspective of employee.

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