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Title: A CONFIGURAL APPROACH TO PATIENT SAFETY CLIMATE: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CLIMATE PROFILE CHARACTERISTICS AND PATIENT OUTCOMES.
Creator: Weaver, Sallie, Salas, Eduardo, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Patient safety climate is defined as a holistic snapshot of enacted work environment practices and procedures related to patient safety, derived from shared perceptions of social and environmental work characteristics. While patient safety climate has been touted as a critical factor underlying safe patient care, our understanding of input factors influencing shared climate perceptions and, in turn, the effects of climate as a collective, group-level construct on important outcomes remains...
Show morePatient safety climate is defined as a holistic snapshot of enacted work environment practices and procedures related to patient safety, derived from shared perceptions of social and environmental work characteristics. While patient safety climate has been touted as a critical factor underlying safe patient care, our understanding of input factors influencing shared climate perceptions and, in turn, the effects of climate as a collective, group-level construct on important outcomes remains underdeveloped, both theoretically and empirically. Therefore, the current study examines (1) the antecedents that impact individual patient safety climate perceptions and (2) the relationships between hospital unit patient safety climate and two important unit level outcomes: patient willingness to recommend a facility to others and patient safety. This study also examines climate strength-the degree to which climate perceptions are shared-as a moderator of these relationships. While climate is conceptualized as a holistic description of the working environment, existing evidence has focused on relationships between the independent dimensions of patient safety climate and patient safety. No study to date has examined the configurations (i.e. patterns or profiles) among the multiple dimensions of patient safety climate or how these configurations are related to important employee and patient outcomes. This gap is redressed in the current study by examining patient safety climate in terms of three profile characteristics: (1) climate elevation (i.e., mean positive or negative valence across all dimensions), (2) climate variability (i.e., variance among dimensions), and (3) climate shape (i.e., the pattern of peaks and valleys among climate dimensions). Evidence from studies of general organizational climate suggests that the shape of the pattern among climate dimensions, the overall mean score across dimensions, and the degree to which dimension scores vary are predictive of employee attitudes, customer satisfaction, and organizational financial performance (Dickson et al., 2006; Joyce & Slocum, 1984; Jackofsky & Slocum, 1988; Gonzalez-Roma, Peiro, & Zornoza, 1999; Litwin & Stringer, 1968; Schulte et al., 2009). The current study, then, tests a theoretical model of patient safety climate examining the configural nature of the construct. An archival dataset collected from seven hospitals located in a metropolitan area of the southeastern United States was utilized to test study hypotheses. Data was collected from 3,149 individuals nested within 84 hospital units using the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (Sorra & Nieva, 2004). Unit level patient safety and patient willingness to recommend was collected by the hospital risk management and nursing administration departments. Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM7; Raudenbush, Bryk, Cheong, Congdon, & du Toit, 2011) was utilized to test hypotheses regarding antecedents of individual level perceptions of patient safety climate to account for the fact that individuals were nested within hospital units. Traditional multiple regression analyses were utilized to test unit level hypotheses examining the relationships between unit level patient safety climate and patient outcomes. Results indicated that unit membership was significantly related to individual climate perceptions-specifically, individual-level climate profile elevation. In turn, individual climate profile elevation and profile variability were related to employee willingness to recommend their organization to family and friends in need of care. At the unit level of analysis, climate profile variability was significantly related to patient willingness to recommend the organization to others, and climate shape was found to be related to patient safety. Furthermore, these results were not dependent on climate strength. The current study meaningfully contributes to the conceptual understanding of the patient safety climate construct by examining the degree to which configural aspects of the construct are predictive of important outcomes across multiple levels of analysis. In this way, it extends beyond existing studies of climate configurations to examine relationships at multiple levels of analysis and to also examine the moderating effects of climate strength. Practically, results provide insight into how the construct of patient safety climate can be used diagnostically and prescriptively to improve patient care and the working environment for providers. In addition to contributing to the theoretical understanding of the patient safety climate construct, this study also augments the evidence-base available to administrators, front-line providers, and regulators regarding how patient safety climate can be used to guide and align quality improvement efforts for greatest impact.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: CFE0003992, ucf:48668
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003992

Title: Two Pathways To Performance: Affective- and Motivationally-Driven Development In Virtual Multiteam Systems.
Creator: Jimenez, Miliani, Dechurch, Leslie, Salas, Eduardo, Bowers, Clint, Zaccaro, Stephen, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Multiteam systems are an integral part of our daily lives. We witness these entities in natural disaster responses teams, such as the PB Oil Spill and Hurricane Katrina, governmental agencies, such as the CIA and FBI, working behind the scenes to preemptively disarm terrorist attacks, within branches of the Armed Forces, within our organizations, and in science teams aiming to find a cure for cancer (Goodwin, Essens, (&) Smith, 2012; Marks (&) Luvison, 2012). Two key features of the...
Show moreMultiteam systems are an integral part of our daily lives. We witness these entities in natural disaster responses teams, such as the PB Oil Spill and Hurricane Katrina, governmental agencies, such as the CIA and FBI, working behind the scenes to preemptively disarm terrorist attacks, within branches of the Armed Forces, within our organizations, and in science teams aiming to find a cure for cancer (Goodwin, Essens, (&) Smith, 2012; Marks (&) Luvison, 2012). Two key features of the collaborative efforts of multiteam systems are the exchange of information both within and across component team boundaries as well as the virtual tools employed to transfer information between teams (Keyton, Ford, (&) Smith, 2012; Zaccaro, Marks, (&) DeChurch, 2012).The goal of this dissertation was to shed light on enabling the effectiveness of multiteam systems. One means of targeting this concern was to provide insight on the underpinnings of MTS mechanism and how they evolve. The past 20 years of research on teams supports the central role of motivational and affective states (Kozlowski (&) Ilgen, 2006; and Mathieu, Maynard, Rapp, (&) Gibson, 2008) as critical drivers of performance. Therefore it was my interest to understand how these critical team mechanisms unravel at the multiteam system level and understanding how they influence the development of other important multiteam system processes and emergent states. Specifically, this dissertation focused on the influence motivational and affective emergent states (such as multiteam efficacy and multiteam trust) have on shaping behavioral processes (such as information sharing-unique and open) and cognitive emergent states (such as Transactive memory systems and shared mental models). Findings from this dissertation suggest that multiteam efficacy is a driver of open information sharing in multiteam systems and both types of cognitive emergent states (transactive memory systems and shared mental models). Multiteam trust was also found to be a critical driver of open information sharing and the cognitive emergent state transactive memory systems.Understanding that these mechanisms do not evolve in isolation, it was my interest to study them under a growing contextual state that is continuously infiltrating our work lives today, under virtual collaboration. This dissertation sought to uncover how the use of distinct forms of virtual tools, media rich tools and media retrievability tools, enable multiteam systems to develop needed behavioral processes and cognitive emergent states. Findings suggest that the use of media retrievability tools interacted with the task mental models in promoting the exchange of unique information both between and within component teams of a multiteam system.The implications of these findings are twofold. First, since both motivational and affective emergent states of members within multiteam systems are critical drivers of behavioral processes, cognitive emergent states, and in turn multiteam system performance; future research should explore how we can diagnose as well as target the development of multiteam system level efficacy and trust. Second, the virtual communication tools that provide multiteam systems members the ability to review discussed materials at a later point in time are critical for sharing information both within and across component teams depending on the level of shared cognition that multiteam system members possess of the task.Therefore the ability to encourage the use and provide such tools for collaborative purposes is beneficial for the successful collaboration of multiteam systems.
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: CFE0004389, ucf:52872
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004389

Title: Perceptual Judgment: The Impact of Image Complexity and Training Method on Category Learning.
Creator: Curtis, Michael, Jentsch, Florian, Salas, Eduardo, Szalma, James, Boloni, Ladislau, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The goal of this dissertation was to bridge the gap between perceptual learning theory and training application. Visual perceptual skill has been a vexing topic in training science for decades. In complex task domains, from aviation to medicine, visual perception is critical to task success. Despite this, little, if any, emphasis is dedicated to developing perceptual skills through training. Much of this may be attributed to the perceived inefficiency of perceptual training. Recent applied...
Show moreThe goal of this dissertation was to bridge the gap between perceptual learning theory and training application. Visual perceptual skill has been a vexing topic in training science for decades. In complex task domains, from aviation to medicine, visual perception is critical to task success. Despite this, little, if any, emphasis is dedicated to developing perceptual skills through training. Much of this may be attributed to the perceived inefficiency of perceptual training. Recent applied research in perceptual training with discrimination training, however, holds promise for improved perceptual training efficiency. As with all applied research, it is important to root application in solid theoretical bases. In perceptual learning, the challenge is connecting the basic science to more complex task environments. Using a common aviation task as an applied context, participants were assigned to a perceptual training condition based on variation of image complexity and training type. Following the training, participants were tested for transfer of skill. This was intended to help to ground a potentially useful method of perceptual training in a model category learning, while offering qualitative testing of model fit in increasingly complex visual environments. Two hundred and thirty-one participants completed the computer based training module. Results indicate that predictions of a model of category learning largely extend into more complex training stimuli, suggesting utility of the model in more applied contexts. Although both training method conditions showed improvement across training blocks, the discrimination training condition did not transfer to the post training transfer tasks. Lack of adequate contextual information related to the transfer task in training was attributed to this outcome. Further analysis of the exposure training condition showed that individuals training with simple stimuli performed as well as individuals training on more complex stimuli in a complex transfer task. On the other hand, individuals in the more complex training conditions were less accurate when presented with a simpler representation of the task in transfer. This suggests training benefit to isolating essential task cues from irrelevant information in perceptual judgment tasks. In all, the study provided an informative look at both the theory and application associated with perceptual category learning. Ultimately, this research can help inform future research and training development in domains where perceptual judgment is critical for success.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: CFE0004096, ucf:49139
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004096

Title: Cultural Differences in Forgiveness: Fatalism, Trust Violations, and Trust Repair Efforts in Interpersonal Collaboration.
Creator: Wildman, Jessica, Salas, Eduardo, Fritzsche, Barbara, Burke, Shawn, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Mistakes and betrayals can cause developing interpersonal trust between parties to be broken, and damaged trust can have serious negative impacts on relationships, such as withdrawal from group interaction or the enactment of revenge. Research has suggested that the use of apologies helps to repair damaged trust. However, this research is almost exclusively based in westernized populations and has not begun to explore any cross-cultural differences. Therefore, the primary goal of this...
Show moreMistakes and betrayals can cause developing interpersonal trust between parties to be broken, and damaged trust can have serious negative impacts on relationships, such as withdrawal from group interaction or the enactment of revenge. Research has suggested that the use of apologies helps to repair damaged trust. However, this research is almost exclusively based in westernized populations and has not begun to explore any cross-cultural differences. Therefore, the primary goal of this comparative cross-national laboratory study was to examine if, and how, the effectiveness of trust repair efforts differs across cultures. The effectiveness of three manipulated trust repair strategies (no response, apology, and account) was tested using students from universities in the United States (U.S.) and in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The results of the study indicate that fatalism, or the belief that events in life are meant to occur, was negatively related to initial trust and positively related to initial distrust toward one's collaborative partner. It was also found that higher levels of fatalism were associated with more severe trust damage after a trust violation. Regarding the trust repair strategies, accounts were more effective at repairing trust than no response for high fatalism participants whereas apologies were more effective than accounts at reducing distrust after a violation for low fatalism participants, providing partial support for the idea that trust repair strategies are more effective when matched to the cultural self-construal of the victim. Finally, initial distrust and trust directly after the violation were predictive of taking revenge on the other player. Implications are discussed along with the study limitations and suggestions for future research.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: CFE0004178, ucf:49080
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004178

Title: MEASURING MULTILEVEL CONSTRUCTS: THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL FEATURES OF TEAM BEHAVIORAL PROCESS UNDER COMPILATIONAL MODELS.
Creator: Murase, Toshio, Dechurch, Leslie, Salas, Eduardo, Bowers, Clint, Kapucu, Naim, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Since at least the 1950s, researchers interested in studying the dynamics of small groups have struggled with how best to measure interaction processes. Although team process measurement issues are not particularly unique in terms of content, measuring multilevel phenomena presents an interesting problem because structural aspects are integral components of emergence. The elemental content of multilevel phenomena is wholly unique and distinguishable from the elemental content of composite...
Show moreSince at least the 1950s, researchers interested in studying the dynamics of small groups have struggled with how best to measure interaction processes. Although team process measurement issues are not particularly unique in terms of content, measuring multilevel phenomena presents an interesting problem because structural aspects are integral components of emergence. The elemental content of multilevel phenomena is wholly unique and distinguishable from the elemental content of composite units, and emerges as individual behaviors compile to higher levels of analyses. Analogous to chemical structures, behavioral phenomena manifest at higher levels in different structural patterns as members connect to one another through dynamic interactions. Subsequently, multilevel phenomena are more appropriately characterized in terms of pattern in addition to the traditionally measured intensity. The vast majority of teams research conceptualizes and operationalizes multilevel phenomena based on compositional (i.e., additive) models. This approach impedes the further advancement of the science of team effectiveness by capturing content and intensity, but not structure. This dissertation argues that compilational models better capture content, intensity, and structure, and therefore represent a preferred alternative for conceptualizing and operationalizing team processes. This dissertation details measurement issues associated with compositional models in teams research, and provides concepts helpful for reconceptualizing team processes as compilational forms.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: CFE0004145, ucf:49048
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004145

Title: Investigative Interviewing: A Team-Level Approach.
Creator: Driskell, James, Salas, Eduardo, Joseph, Dana, Mouloua, Mustapha, Burke, Shawn, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: To date, the tandem interview approach has yet to be scientifically vetted as an investigative interviewing technique. Specifically, it is unclear what affect the application of two interviewers has on the investigative process. This is alarming considering that this approach is regularly applied under current law enforcement operations. Despite a dearth of research examining the tandem interview approach in investigative interviews, the extensive research on teams would lead us to believe...
Show moreTo date, the tandem interview approach has yet to be scientifically vetted as an investigative interviewing technique. Specifically, it is unclear what affect the application of two interviewers has on the investigative process. This is alarming considering that this approach is regularly applied under current law enforcement operations. Despite a dearth of research examining the tandem interview approach in investigative interviews, the extensive research on teams would lead us to believe that teams should benefit the overall investigative interview process and outperform individuals in detecting lies. Consequently, the goals of this research were to investigate these potential benefits. Findings from a laboratory study consisting of 90 simulated investigative interviews (N = 225) revealed several advantages associated with the application of the tandem interview approach. First, tandem interviewers found conducting the investigative interview to be less cognitively demanding and paid more attention to diagnostic cues to deception. Second, tandem interviewers conducted superior interviews than single interviewers. Specifically, they were able to obtain more information from interviewees, asked more open-ended questions, and asked a greater total number of questions. Despite outperforming single interviewers during the interview, tandem interviewers were unable to detect deception better than single interviewers. Still, overall detection rates were better than previous research. The general findings from this study suggest that tandem interviewers that adopt a rapport-based approach throughout the investigative interview can enhance investigative interviewing outcomes. Theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and future research are discussed.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: CFE0004992, ucf:49558
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004992

Title: Conflict in Virtually Distributed Teams.
Creator: Darling, Budd, Salas, Eduardo, Bowers, Clint, Burke, Shawn, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The purpose of this paper was two-fold. The first was to investigate the impact of conflict as a mediator in the relationship between distribution and team performance. The second was to examine how that relationship was affected by virtuality. Four-member teams of different distributions (partially distributed, fully distributed, and fully collocated) and different virtuality conditions (videoconferencing, teleconferencing, and chat) played a team-oriented game. Significant results were...
Show moreThe purpose of this paper was two-fold. The first was to investigate the impact of conflict as a mediator in the relationship between distribution and team performance. The second was to examine how that relationship was affected by virtuality. Four-member teams of different distributions (partially distributed, fully distributed, and fully collocated) and different virtuality conditions (videoconferencing, teleconferencing, and chat) played a team-oriented game. Significant results were found only in the videoconferencing condition, in which both distribution and task conflict had a negative impact on team performance, but task conflict did not mediate the relationship between distribution and team performance. Further research investigating how virtuality impacts distributed teams in needed.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: CFE0004987, ucf:49552
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004987

Title: Where's the Boss? The Influences of Emergent Team Leadership Structures on Team Outcomes in Virtual and Distributed Environments.
Creator: Porter, Marissa, Salas, Eduardo, Jentsch, Florian, Joseph, Dana, Burke, Shawn, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The influence of leadership on team success has been noted extensively in research and practice. However, as organizations move to flatter team based structures with workers communicating virtually across space and time, our conceptualization of team leadership must change to meet these new workplace demands. Given this need, the current study aims to begin untangling the effects of distribution and virtuality on team leadership structure and subsequent team outcomes that may be affected by...
Show moreThe influence of leadership on team success has been noted extensively in research and practice. However, as organizations move to flatter team based structures with workers communicating virtually across space and time, our conceptualization of team leadership must change to meet these new workplace demands. Given this need, the current study aims to begin untangling the effects of distribution and virtuality on team leadership structure and subsequent team outcomes that may be affected by differences in conceptualizing such structures. Specifically, the goals of this study were threefold. First, this study investigated how the physical distribution of members may impact perceptions of team leadership structure, depending on virtual tool type utilized for communicating. Second, this study explored how different indices of team leadership structure may have different influences on team outcomes, specifically in terms of conceptualizing the degree to which multiple members are perceived as collectively enacting particular leadership behaviors via a network density metric, and conceptualizing team leadership in regards to the specialization of members into particular behavioral roles, as captured via role distance and role variety indices. Finally, this study expanded on current research regarding team leadership structure by examining how the collective enactment of particular leadership (i.e., structuring/planning, problem solving, supporting social climate) behaviors may facilitate specific teamwork processes (i.e., transition, action, interpersonal), leading to enhanced team performance, as well as how leadership role specialization may impact overall teamwork and team performance.Findings from a laboratory study of 188 teams participating in a simulated decision making task reveal a significant interaction for the influences of physical distribution and virtuality on perceptions of leadership structure, such that less distributed teams (i.e., those with fewer isolated members) were more likely to perceive their distributed members as participating in the collective enactment of necessary leadership responsibilities when communicating via richer media (i.e., videoconferencing, teleconferencing) than less rich media (i.e., instant messaging). However, virtuality and distribution did not impact the degree to which members were perceived as specializing in a particular leadership role, or the overall variety of leadership roles being performed. In terms of team outcomes, the perceived collective enactment of leadership emanating from distributed team members significantly predicted teamwork, while the perceived collective leadership of collocated members did not have a significant impact. Specifically, greater distributed team member involvement in the collective enactment of structuring/planning leadership positively impacted team transition processes, while the collective enactment of supporting the social climate positively predicted team interpersonal processes. Although the relationship between perceived leadership role specialization, in terms of role distance and role variety, and team performance was mediated by overall teamwork processes as expected, leadership role specialization had a negative impact on overall teamwork. Finally, while team action processes did not serve to mediate the relationship between perceived problem solving network density and team performance, team transition processes mediated the relationships between the collective enactment of structuring/planning for distributed members and team performance. The collective enactment of supporting the social climate by distributed team members and its relationship to team performance was also mediated by interpersonal teamwork processes. Together, these results reveal the importance in considering context, specifically virtuality and physical distribution, when designing, developing and maintaining effective team leadership, teamwork, and team performance. Furthermore, they provide unique insight regarding how different configurations of leadership may be possible in teams. Study limitations, practical implications, and recommendations for future research and practice are further discussed.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: CFE0004911, ucf:49603
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004911

Title: Assessment Center Structure and Construct Validity: A New Hope.
Creator: Wiese, Christopher, Jentsch, Kimberly, Salas, Eduardo, Jentsch, Florian, Burke, Shawn, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Assessment Centers (ACs) are a fantastic method to measure behavioral indicators of job performance in multiple diverse scenarios. Based upon a thorough job analysis, ACs have traditionally demonstrated very strong content and criterion-related validity. However, researchers have been puzzled for over three decades with the lack of evidence concerning construct validity. ACs are designed to measure critical job dimensions throughout multiple situational exercises. However, research has...
Show moreAssessment Centers (ACs) are a fantastic method to measure behavioral indicators of job performance in multiple diverse scenarios. Based upon a thorough job analysis, ACs have traditionally demonstrated very strong content and criterion-related validity. However, researchers have been puzzled for over three decades with the lack of evidence concerning construct validity. ACs are designed to measure critical job dimensions throughout multiple situational exercises. However, research has consistently revealed that different behavioral ratings within these scenarios are more strongly related to one another (exercise effects) than the same dimension rating across scenarios (dimension effects). That is, results from ACs suggest that we are unsure of what these behavioral measures represent. Over the last three decades, researchers have sought to illuminate why same dimension ratings are inconsistent across scenarios. However, these investigations have been limited to changes influencing the source of the ratings (e.g., assessors, trained raters). No approach has been taken to change the structure of the AC. This study breaks with tradition and introduces a structurally different AC: A Day-In-The Life AC (DITLAC). A DITLAC structure is designed to mimic that of a normal day on the job. In the present study, the construct validity between a DITLAC and a traditionally structured AC is compared with the argument that the DITLAC will demonstrate stronger construct validity evidence. In several cases, this was found to be true.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: CFE0005905, ucf:50878
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005905

Title: Team Interaction Dynamics during Collaborative Problem Solving.
Creator: Wiltshire, Travis, Fiore, Stephen, Jentsch, Florian, Salas, Eduardo, Wiegand, Rudolf, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This dissertation contributes an enhanced understanding of team cognition, in general, and collaborative problem solving (CPS), specifically, through an integration of methods that measure team interaction dynamics and knowledge building as it occurs during a complex CPS task. The need for better understanding CPS has risen in prominence as many organizations have increasingly worked to address complex problems requiring the combination of diverse sets of individual expertise to achieve...
Show moreThis dissertation contributes an enhanced understanding of team cognition, in general, and collaborative problem solving (CPS), specifically, through an integration of methods that measure team interaction dynamics and knowledge building as it occurs during a complex CPS task. The need for better understanding CPS has risen in prominence as many organizations have increasingly worked to address complex problems requiring the combination of diverse sets of individual expertise to achieve solutions for novel problems. Towards this end, the present research drew from theoretical and empirical work on Macrocognition in Teams that describes the knowledge coordination arising from team communications during CPS. It built from this by incorporating the study of team interaction during complex collaborative cognition. Interaction between team members in such contexts has proven to be inherently dynamic and exhibiting nonlinear patterns not accounted for by extant research methods. To redress this gap, the present research drew from work in cognitive science designed to study social and team interaction as a nonlinear dynamical system. CPS was examined by studying knowledge building and interaction processes of 43 dyads working on NASA's Moonbase Alpha simulation, a CPS task. Both non-verbal and verbal interaction dynamics were examined. Specifically, frame-differencing, an automated video analysis technique, was used to capture the bodily movements of participants and content coding was applied to the teams' communications to characterize their CPS processes. A combination of linear (i.e., multiple regression, t-test, and time-lagged cross-correlation analysis), as well as nonlinear analytic techniques (i.e., recurrence quantification analysis; RQA) were applied. In terms of the predicted interaction dynamics, it was hypothesized that teams would exhibit synchronization in their bodily movements and complementarity in their communications and further, that teams more strongly exhibiting these forms of coordination will produce better problem solving outcomes. Results showed that teams did exhibit a pattern of bodily movements that could be characterized as synchronized, but higher synchronization was not systematically related to performance. Further, results showed that teams did exhibit communicative interaction that was complementary, but this was not predictive of better problem solving performance. Several exploratory research questions were proposed as a way of refining the application of these techniques to the investigation of CPS. Results showed that semantic code-based communications time-series and %REC and ENTROPY recurrence-based measures were most sensitive to differences in performance. Overall, this dissertation adds to the scientific body of knowledge by advancing theory and empirical knowledge on the forms of verbal and non-verbal team interaction during CPS, but future work remains to be conducted to identify the relationship between interaction dynamics and CPS performance.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: CFE0005907, ucf:50867
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005907

Title: Utilizing telemedicine in the ICU: Does it impact teamwork?.
Creator: Lazzara, Elizabeth, Salas, Eduardo, Jentsch, Florian, Sims, Valerie, Schulman, Carl, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Adverse events and medical errors plague the healthcare system. Hospital acquired infections and teamwork are some of the biggest contributor to these adverse outcomes. In an effort to mitigate these problems, administrators and clinicians alike have developed mechanisms, such as telemedicine. However, little research has been conducted investigating the role of telemedicine on teamwork -- a fundamental component of quality patient care. The purpose of this study is to gain a better...
Show moreAdverse events and medical errors plague the healthcare system. Hospital acquired infections and teamwork are some of the biggest contributor to these adverse outcomes. In an effort to mitigate these problems, administrators and clinicians alike have developed mechanisms, such as telemedicine. However, little research has been conducted investigating the role of telemedicine on teamwork -- a fundamental component of quality patient care. The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of the impact of telemedicine on teamwork behaviors and subsequent teamwork attitudes and cognitions during a common medical task, rounds within the Trauma-Intensive Care Unit. To this end, rounds were conducted with and without telemedicine. During this 60 day period, 16 clinicians completed three surveys and 34 rounds were video recorded. The results of this study suggest that the relationships between teamwork attitudes, behaviors, cognitions, and outcomes are differential impacted under conditions with and without telemedicine. More specifically, telemedicine is associated with an increase in attendance and communication density. Meanwhile, it does not significantly impact teamwork attitudes or cognitions. The primary implications of these findings indicate that telemedicine is not the solution for improving all teamwork elements but yet it is not a complete detriment either.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: CFE0005103, ucf:50721
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005103

Title: Examining the impact of a fatigue intervention on job performance: A longitudinal study across United States hospitals.
Creator: Gregory, Megan, Salas, Eduardo, Wang, Wei, Fritzsche, Barbara, Burke, Shawn, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Fatigue in healthcare providers has been linked to dangerous outcomes for patients, including medical errors, surgical complications, and accidents. Resident physicians, who traditionally work long hours on minimal sleep, are among the most fatigued. In attempt to mitigate the impact of fatigue on resident physician performance and improve patient safety, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) implemented a fatigue intervention program in 2011 for medical residency...
Show moreFatigue in healthcare providers has been linked to dangerous outcomes for patients, including medical errors, surgical complications, and accidents. Resident physicians, who traditionally work long hours on minimal sleep, are among the most fatigued. In attempt to mitigate the impact of fatigue on resident physician performance and improve patient safety, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) implemented a fatigue intervention program in 2011 for medical residency programs in the United States. This caused a significant decrease in the number of hours that first-year residents were permitted to work, compared with hours worked by first-year residents in prior years. While studies investigating the impact of the 2011 ACGME fatigue intervention on outcomes are limited thus far, some initial evidence seems to be promising. For instance, Pepper, Schweinfurth, and Herrin (2014) found that the rate of transfers to the intensive care unit after a code blue significantly decreased from pre- to post-intervention. However, it is not currently understood what variables may drive positive changes in patient outcomes, nor how long it may take for these changes to occur. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the effect that the 2011 ACGME fatigue intervention has had on job performance in healthcare providers in U.S. hospitals. The current study attempted to address this question by taking both a micro perspective, by drawing upon cognitive theories (Kahneman, 1973, 2011) and skill acquisition theory (Fitts, 1964; Fitts (&) Posner, 1967), as well as a macro perspective, by drawing upon organizational change theories (DiMaggio (&) Powell, 1983).This study combined public-use databases provided by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Specifically, 1,277 hospitals in the United States were examined over a five year period on job performance behaviors to determine if there was significant change from pre-intervention to post-intervention. Hospitals were categorized as control hospitals (n = 594) and intervention hospitals (n = 683). More specifically, intervention hospitals were analyzed according to their resident-to-patient bed ratio, using guidelines provided by Patel et al. (2014), including very low resident-to-bed ratio hospitals (n = 174), low resident-to-bed ratio hospitals (n = 287), high resident-to-bed ratio hospitals (n = 143), and very high resident-to-bed ratio hospitals (n = 79). Further, organizational size was examined as a moderator. The current study used discontinuous growth modeling (Bliese, 2008; Ployhart, 2014; J. D. Singer (&) Willett, 2003) to analyze the data, which allowed for investigation into the magnitude and rate of change from pre- to post-intervention. Results show that there was a significant improvement in employee job performance over time across both intervention and control hospitals. In particular, job performance significantly improved abruptly at the transition period (i.e., when the intervention was introduced) and continued to improve gradually throughout the post-intervention period; yet, these results held for both intervention and control hospitals. However, exploratory analyses comparing control hospitals to very high resident-to-bed ratio hospitals found that the latter group improved significantly more at the transition period in comparison to control hospitals. I therefore conclude that there may be some effect of the fatigue intervention on job performance, but this effect may be visible only in very high resident-to-bed ratio hospitals. Further, organizational size was not a significant moderator of the relationship. Future research is needed to confirm these findings.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: CFE0005952, ucf:50807
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005952

Title: The Nuts and Bolts of Leadership Training: A Meta-Analysis.
Creator: Lacerenza, Christina, Salas, Eduardo, Joseph, Dana, Burke, Shawn, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Organizations within the United States spent over $70 billion on corporate training in 2013; 35% of this budget was allocated to management and leadership, making this field the leading training area for organizations (O'Leonard, 2014). Despite this spending, only 13% of companies believe that they have done a quality job training their leaders (Schwartz, Bersin, (&) Pelster, 2014). This calls into question the utility and effectiveness of current initiatives. In response, this study meta...
Show moreOrganizations within the United States spent over $70 billion on corporate training in 2013; 35% of this budget was allocated to management and leadership, making this field the leading training area for organizations (O'Leonard, 2014). Despite this spending, only 13% of companies believe that they have done a quality job training their leaders (Schwartz, Bersin, (&) Pelster, 2014). This calls into question the utility and effectiveness of current initiatives. In response, this study meta-analytically organizes leadership training literature to identify the conditions under which these programs are most effective. Thus, the current meta-analysis provides the following contributions to the field: (1) meta-analytic data across years (1887 (-) 2014) and organization types, utilizing only employee personnel data; (2) investigation of training effectiveness across all Kirkpatrick (1959) evaluation levels (i.e., trainee reactions, learning, transfer, and results); (3) meta-analytic data computed using updated procedures identified by Morris and DeShon (2002); and (4) an examination of moderators not previously investigated. Based on data from 335 independent samples, results suggest that leadership training is effective across reactions (d = .63), learning (d = .73), transfer (d =. 82), and results (d = .72). The strength of these effect sizes is dependent upon several moderators, but the pattern of results is not consistent across all outcomes. For learning outcomes, programs incorporating information-, demonstration-, and practiced-based delivery methods were most effective while other design and delivery features did not affect results. In regards to transfer, programs that utilized information-, demonstration-, and practice-based methods, feedback, content based on a needs analysis, face-to-face settings, and a voluntary attendance policy produced the largest effect sizes. For results, longer programs that were mandatory, spanned weekly sessions, incorporated practice-based methods, and located on-site produced the largest effect sizes.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: CFE0006341, ucf:51578
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006341

Title: A Meta-Analytic Integration of What Matters in Training Transfer.
Creator: Hughes, Ashley, Salas, Eduardo, Jentsch, Florian, Bowers, Clint, Burke, Shawn, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Estimates demonstrate that 52- 92% of acquired learning is lost within a year following training (Arthur, Bennett, Stanush, (&) McNelly, 1997; Saks, 2002), wasting billions in organizational spending on training each year (Miller, 2012, 2013, 2014). As such, research on training transfer has garnered attention from theoretical and empirical research alike (e.g., Baldwin (&) Ford, 1988; Blume, Ford, Baldwin, (&) Huang, 2010; Ford (&) Weissbein, 1997; Tracey, Tannenbaum, (&) Kavanagh, 1995) to...
Show moreEstimates demonstrate that 52- 92% of acquired learning is lost within a year following training (Arthur, Bennett, Stanush, (&) McNelly, 1997; Saks, 2002), wasting billions in organizational spending on training each year (Miller, 2012, 2013, 2014). As such, research on training transfer has garnered attention from theoretical and empirical research alike (e.g., Baldwin (&) Ford, 1988; Blume, Ford, Baldwin, (&) Huang, 2010; Ford (&) Weissbein, 1997; Tracey, Tannenbaum, (&) Kavanagh, 1995) to better understand the factors which enhance the process of training transfer. Among the various factors that have been identified as important, factors of the work environment have received much attention in the recent research. In fact, empirical work has shed light to the roles of organizational support and motivation to transfer in predicting training transfer. Beyond this basic understanding, research is needed to explore the nature of transfer in different evaluation contexts and the differential effects of various levels of support. Thus, the current dissertation uses meta-analytic techniques to examine the extent to which four factors of work environment support predict training transfer as it differs in context. First, motivation to transfer, organizational support, supervisor support, peer support and opportunities to perform all correlate moderately and positively with training transfer (?=0.15-0.38); interestingly, the nature of the relationships between work environment characteristics, motivation to transfer, and training transfer does not appear to differ significantly even when transfer is evaluated a year following training (?=0.25-0.57), yet are based on low k. Second, motivation to transfer was found to fully mediate two relationships- organizational support and peer support- to training transfer. Interestingly, although not explained by motivation to transfer, supervisor support explains the most variance (i.e., 31% of R) of work environment support factors in explaining transfer. Moderator analyses attempted to explore the impact of transfer task, industry type, and timing of the predictor assessment in relation to training; however, insufficient k was reported for fair comparisons to be made across groups. Ultimately, this study aims to inform theory and impact the state of the science such that practitioners can feel confident that the time and effort spent in ensuring training transfer is well-spent.
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Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: CFE0006116, ucf:51188
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006116

Title: Identity construction and information processing in a coaching relationship: The effects of coach behavior on coachee goal-setting and commitment.
Creator: Coultas, Christopher, Salas, Eduardo, Salazar, Maritza, Burke, Shawn, Fritzsche, Barbara, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Coaching (professional, business, executive, leadership) has been shown to be effective generally speaking, but questions remain regarding the explanatory mechanisms underlying coaching. I first propose a context-general model that unpacks the sociocognitive dynamics within coaching. The model explains the emergence of different types of coaching relationships, and how the nature of these relationships differentially determine coaching outcomes. Research and theory on social identity...
Show moreCoaching (professional, business, executive, leadership) has been shown to be effective generally speaking, but questions remain regarding the explanatory mechanisms underlying coaching. I first propose a context-general model that unpacks the sociocognitive dynamics within coaching. The model explains the emergence of different types of coaching relationships, and how the nature of these relationships differentially determine coaching outcomes. Research and theory on social identity construction and information processing in dyads provides the foundation upon which I outline a model describing the process and dynamics of coaching identity emergence. Beyond this emergence, my proposed model states that the coachee's understanding of appropriate interpersonal relations and division of labor between coach and coachee (i.e., his/her situated coaching identity or coaching structure schema) should partially dictate the focus and depth of the coachee's information processing during a coaching engagement. Past research has shown information processing to be a key determinant of decision-making and goal commitment, both of which are desirable outcomes within the coaching domain.To explore these issues, I developed a coaching exercise which simulated some of the early aspects of business, leadership, or executive coaching. During this simulation, participants were guided through a process which enabled them to think and talk about their strengths and weaknesses when using different conflict management behaviors. In discussing these aspects of conflict management, participants and coaches (i.e., trained research associates) walked through a supplementary process to facilitate the development of a series of goals (an (")action plan(")) that would enable the participant to improve his or her conflict management behaviors. At the end of the coaching session, participants were asked to what extent they felt committed to the goals they had developed and whether or not they expected them to be efficacious. Throughout the coaching session, participants were also asked at designated break points to report their levels of information processing and their understanding of the coaching structure schema for that particular coaching relationship. The experimental manipulation was presented at the beginning of the session, wherein the coach would explain to the coachee what the ideal nature of coaching should be. These explanations varied in terms of ascribing responsibility and division of labor (-) either to a generic coaching process, to the skill and ability of the coach, to the creativity of the participant, or to the joint interaction between coach and participant. Among other things, I hypothesized that coaching structure schemas that emphasized the participant's role in the coaching process would encourage more information processing, and consequently higher levels of goal commitment. Hypotheses were largely confirmed, showing that information processing and coaching structure schemas are important predictors of goal commitment at the end of one coaching session. The effects of the manipulation were mixed. Claiming behaviors (-) that is, the coach ascribing responsibility for coaching effectiveness to him/herself (-) were only marginally effective in shaping participants' coaching structure schemas. Granting behaviors (-) communicating to the participant that they are responsible for coaching effectiveness (-) were much more effective in facilitating helpful information processing and driving higher levels of goal commitment. One possible explanation for the relative effectiveness of granting over claiming may be that claiming requires a degree of credibility which the coach (again, a trained research associate) had not attained with the participants. Other findings pertain to: (1) the unique variance that independent measures of coach- and coachee-relevant structure schemas contribute to models predicting information processing and goal commitment, (2) the importance of identifying the type or focus of coachee information processing, and (3) the role that psychological mindedness may play in characterizing a more (")coachable(") coachee. Implications include: (1) measuring coachees' coaching structure schemas, (2) intentionally encouraging a more appropriate schema, (3) measuring coachees' psychological mindedness prior to coaching, and (4) dynamically monitoring coachees' schema and their information processing in order to assure better coaching effectiveness. Future researchers should explore ways to enact these implications and also to further explore the theoretical components of these practical implications, such as: (1) measurement methods for better assessing coaching schemas and information processing, (2) what the ideal timings are for different kinds of coaching schemas, and (3) different ways to encourage maximally adaptive and appropriate coaching structure schemas.
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Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: CFE0005319, ucf:50523
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005319

Title: How Do Teams Become Cohesive? A Meta-Analysis of Cohesion's Antecedents.
Creator: Grossman, Rebecca, Salas, Eduardo, Burke, Shawn, Carter, Nathan, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: While a wealth of research has deemed cohesion critical for team effectiveness (e.g., Mullen (&) Copper, 1994; Beal, et al., 2003), less emphasis has been placed on understanding how to get it. Multiple studies do examine cohesion antecedents, but these studies have not yet been integrated in either theoretical or empirical manners. The purpose of this study was thus to begin addressing this gap in the literature. I conducted a series of meta-analyses to identify and explore various...
Show moreWhile a wealth of research has deemed cohesion critical for team effectiveness (e.g., Mullen (&) Copper, 1994; Beal, et al., 2003), less emphasis has been placed on understanding how to get it. Multiple studies do examine cohesion antecedents, but these studies have not yet been integrated in either theoretical or empirical manners. The purpose of this study was thus to begin addressing this gap in the literature. I conducted a series of meta-analyses to identify and explore various antecedents of cohesion, as well as moderators of antecedent-cohesion relationships. Findings revealed a variety of cohesion antecedents. Specifically, team behaviors, emergent states, team composition variables, leadership variables, team interventions, and situational variables, as well as specific variables within each of these categories, were all explored as cohesion antecedents. In most cases, significant relationships with cohesion were demonstrated, and did not differ across levels of analysis or based on cohesion type (i.e., task cohesion, social cohesion, group pride). Hypotheses pertaining to moderators of antecedent-cohesion relationships (e.g., theoretical match between antecedent and cohesion) generally were not supported. Thus, while most antecedents appeared to be important for cohesion's formation and sustainment, some interesting differences emerged, providing insight as to where attention should be focused when enhanced cohesion is desired. Results provide a foundation for the development of more comprehensive models of team cohesion, as well as insight into the mechanisms through which cohesion can be facilitated in practice. Ultimately, findings suggest that teams can become cohesive through the presence of various processes and emergent states, team interventions, and components of their situational context.
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Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: CFE0005499, ucf:50357
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005499

Title: Can mutual trust explain the diversity-performance relationship? A meta-analysis.
Creator: Feitosa Pereira, Jennifer, Salas, Eduardo, Joseph, Dana, Fritzsche, Barbara, Burke, Shawn, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Trust is gaining attention for its benefits to both teams and organizations as a whole (Fulmer (&) Gelfand, 2012). The difficulty of building it in comparison to the ease of destroying it calls for a deeper understanding of trust, as well as its relationship with critical team outcomes (Colquitt, LePine, Piccolo, Zapata, (&) Rich, 2012). Unfortunately, current research has progressed in a disjointed manner that requires the integration of findings before a more parsimonious and descriptive...
Show moreTrust is gaining attention for its benefits to both teams and organizations as a whole (Fulmer (&) Gelfand, 2012). The difficulty of building it in comparison to the ease of destroying it calls for a deeper understanding of trust, as well as its relationship with critical team outcomes (Colquitt, LePine, Piccolo, Zapata, (&) Rich, 2012). Unfortunately, current research has progressed in a disjointed manner that requires the integration of findings before a more parsimonious and descriptive understanding of trust at the team-level can be developed. Beyond this basic understanding, research is needed to explore the nature of trust in teams comprised of diverse members, as multi-national, multi-cultural, and interdisciplinary teams are increasingly characterizing the modern landscape. Thus, this article uses meta-analytic techniques to examine the extent to which mutual trust can serve as an underlying mechanism that drives the diversity-team performance relationship. First, surface-level and deep-level diversity characteristics varied in their impact on trust. Value diversity emerged as the most detrimental, along with the moderating effect of time. Second, 95 independent samples comprising 5,721 teams emphasized the importance of trust to team performance with a moderate and positive relationship. Third, mediation analyses answered recent calls (e.g., van Knippenberg (&) Schippers, 2007) to examine underlying mechanisms that can explain the diversity-outcomes relationship. This showed age, gender, value, and function diversity to be related to performance through mutual trust. Furthermore, this study explores whether contextual (e.g., team distribution) as well as measurement (e.g., referent) issues pose systematic differences in the diversity-trust and trust-performance relationships. Surprisingly, the construct of trust at the team-level proved to be generalizable across a number of unique conditions. In addition to this extensive quantitative review, implications and future research are discussed.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: CFE0005792, ucf:50070
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005792

Title: Exploring the Hows and the Whos: The Effects of Self-Regulation Prompting and Goal Orientation on the e-Learning Process.
Creator: Benishek, Lauren, Salas, Eduardo, Joseph, Dana, Jentsch, Florian, Burke, Shawn, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This study investigated the effects that self-regulation prompts and goal orientation may exhibit on self-regulatory processes and subsequent learning. Specifically, a moderated mediation model was developed to explain how self-regulation prompts interact with prove performance goal orientation to affect two mediational processes, time on task and self-regulatory activity, and ultimately impact learning within a learner-controlled e-learning environment. To assess these hypotheses, an online...
Show moreThis study investigated the effects that self-regulation prompts and goal orientation may exhibit on self-regulatory processes and subsequent learning. Specifically, a moderated mediation model was developed to explain how self-regulation prompts interact with prove performance goal orientation to affect two mediational processes, time on task and self-regulatory activity, and ultimately impact learning within a learner-controlled e-learning environment. To assess these hypotheses, an online Microsoft Excel instructional program was developed wherein 197 participants had control over when and where they completed training, the content they reviewed, the delivery medium (text-based or video-based), and the sequencing and pace at which they progressed through training. Participants in the experimental condition were periodically asked questions (i.e., self-regulation prompts) designed to encourage self-assessment of learning progress and strategies. All participants completed questionnaires before and after training. Findings did not support the hypothesized model. Implications and limitations as well as recommendations for future research will be discussed.
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Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: CFE0005463, ucf:50382
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005463

Title: Exploring new boundaries in team cognition: Integrating knowledge in distributed teams.
Creator: Zajac, Stephanie, Salas, Eduardo, Bowers, Clint, Burke, Shawn, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Distributed teams continue to emerge in response to the complex organizational environments brought about by globalization, technological advancements, and the shift toward a knowledge-based economy. These teams are comprised of members who hold the disparate knowledge necessary to take on cognitively demanding tasks. However, knowledge coordination between team members who are not co-located is a significant challenge, often resulting in process loss and decrements to the effectiveness of...
Show moreDistributed teams continue to emerge in response to the complex organizational environments brought about by globalization, technological advancements, and the shift toward a knowledge-based economy. These teams are comprised of members who hold the disparate knowledge necessary to take on cognitively demanding tasks. However, knowledge coordination between team members who are not co-located is a significant challenge, often resulting in process loss and decrements to the effectiveness of team level knowledge structures. The current effort explores the configuration dimension of distributed teams, and specifically how subgroup formation based on geographic location, may impact the effectiveness of a team's transactive memory system and subsequent team process. In addition, the role of task cohesion as a buffer to negative intergroup interaction is explored.
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Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: CFE0005449, ucf:50393
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005449

Title: Seriously Though... Is Positive Workplace Humor a Help or a Hindrance?: The Impact of Coworker-Employee Humor Interactions on Employee Well-Being and Effectiveness.
Creator: Sierra, Mary Jane, Jentsch, Kimberly, Salas, Eduardo, Dipboye, Robert, Piccolo, Ronald, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The prevalence and importance of humor in the workplace has been well-documented over the past several decades, with research consistently revealing its significant impact on employee well-being and effectiveness. During this same time period, organizations worldwide have begun embracing team-based work designs as a means for achieving success. As a result, the degree to which employees are engaging in both frequent and intensive interactions with their coworkers is rapidly increasing....
Show moreThe prevalence and importance of humor in the workplace has been well-documented over the past several decades, with research consistently revealing its significant impact on employee well-being and effectiveness. During this same time period, organizations worldwide have begun embracing team-based work designs as a means for achieving success. As a result, the degree to which employees are engaging in both frequent and intensive interactions with their coworkers is rapidly increasing. Despite these trends, little research has been dedicated to investigating the ways in which employees' well-being and effectiveness are influenced by the humor of their coworkers or the ways in which employees' own humor interacts with that of their coworkers to determine these outcomes. The current study answered the need for such research by investigating the impact of coworker-employee humor interactions on employee strain and performance using a sample of undergraduate-level students engaged in a high-fidelity work simulation. In the current study, coworker humor was experimentally manipulated by pairing each participant with a study confederate who was trained to act as either a non-humorous coworker or a humorous coworker throughout the duration of the work simulation. Results of a pilot study provided empirical evidence supporting the validity of this manipulation; showing that participants' paired with a humorous confederate coworker rated their coworker significantly higher on positive humor, but no different on negative humor, than participants' paired with a non-humorous confederate coworker. Based on theory and prior findings drawn from multiple streams of science, it was expected that positive coworker humor would have a significant impact on employees' strain and performance, but that the nature of its influence on these outcomes would be contingent upon employees' own dispositional humor. Specifically, it was hypothesized that employees paired with humorous coworkers would experience a lesser degree of perceived, affective, cognitive, and physical strain than employees paired with non-humorous coworkers if their own sense of humor was high but a greater degree of perceived, affective, cognitive, and physical strain than employees paired with non-humorous coworkers if their own sense of humor was low. In addition, it was expected that employees paired with humorous coworkers would demonstrate a higher level of interpersonal and task performance than employees paired with non-humorous coworkers if their own sense of humor was high but a lower level of interpersonal and task performance than employees paired with non-humorous coworkers if their own sense of humor was low. Finally, it was hypothesized that employees' strain would partially mediate the effects of coworker-employee humor interactions on employee performance.In support of these hypotheses, analyses revealed that several indicators of employees' perceived, affective, cognitive, and physical strain were in fact each significantly influenced by interactions between employees' own humor and that of their coworkers. Specifically, high sense of humor employees who worked with a humorous coworker experienced a lesser degree of perceived, affective, cognitive, and physical strain than did those who worked with a non-humorous coworker. This was evidenced by their lower self-reported perceived strain (an indicator of perceived strain), higher state-level positive affect and lower state-level negative affect (indicators of affective strain), higher anagram task performance and lower perceived task difficulty (indicators of cognitive strain), as well as their lower systolic blood pressure and lower state-level somatic anxiety (indicators of physical strain). In contrast, low sense of humor employees who worked with a humorous coworker experienced a greater degree of perceived, affective, cognitive, and physical strain than did those who worked with a non-humorous coworker. This was evidenced by their higher self-reported perceived strain, lower state-level positive affect and higher state-level negative affect, lower anagram task performance and higher perceived task difficulty, as well as their higher systolic blood pressure and higher state-level somatic anxiety. Consistent with expectations, results revealed that the degree to which employees experienced job strain typically varied based on the degree to which there was a match between employee sense of humor and coworker positive humor levels. Similar levels of coworker and employee humor generally resulted in relatively low levels of employee strain whereas dissimilar levels of coworker and employee humor most often resulted in relatively high levels of employee strain. Contrary to expectations, however, coworkers' positive humor and employees' sense of humor did not interact to predict employees' interpersonal or task performance. Instead, positive coworker humor had a significant positive main effect on both forms of employee performance. Although these findings are consistent with the study hypotheses in that positive coworker humor was expected to enhance high sense of humor employees' performance, they run counter to the expectation that positive coworker humor would hinder low sense of humor employees' performance. Because the interaction between coworker humor and employee humor was not a significant predictor of either type of employee performance, analyses were not conducted to test for mediated moderation.Findings from the current study offer a number of contributions to organizational science and, in addition, hold several implications for practice. Specifically, these results have relevance for and greatly expand the workplace humor, individual differences, PE fit, occupational health, and workgroup/team composition literatures. In addition, results contribute to the literature by elucidating the need for future research dedicated to exploring the direct and interactive effects of coworker characteristics, including humor, on employee well-being and effectiveness. Finally, results of this study serve to inform researchers and practitioners in matters related to several critical human resource functions, including matters in personnel selection, placement, and training, as well as in workgroup/team composition.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: CFE0005058, ucf:49954
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005058

teams (10)	+ -
culture (5)	+ -
team performance (5)	+ -
trust (5)	+ -
collaboration (4)	+ -

leadership (4)	+ -
meta-analysis (4)	+ -
teamwork (4)	+ -
cohesion (3)	+ -
healthcare (3)	+ -
performance (3)	+ -
training (3)	+ -
virtual teams (3)	+ -
Information Sharing (2)	+ -
Multiteam Systems (2)	+ -
Trust (2)	+ -
communication (2)	+ -
coordination (2)	+ -
distributed teams (2)	+ -
patient safety (2)	+ -
problem solving (2)	+ -
shared mental models (2)	+ -
stress (2)	+ -
AC (1)	+ -
Assessment (1)	+ -
Assessment Centers (1)	+ -
Behavioral Team Process (1)	+ -
Big 5 (1)	+ -
Collaboration (1)	+ -
Conflict (1)	+ -

ETD Collection (38)	+ -
Honors Collection (9)	+ -

University of Central Florida (47)	+ -
Salas, Eduardo (46)	+ -
Burke, Shawn (17)	+ -
Jentsch, Florian (10)	+ -
Fritzsche, Barbara (7)	+ -

Joseph, Dana (7)	+ -
Bowers, Clint (5)	+ -
Jentsch, Kimberly (4)	+ -
Coultas, Christopher (2)	+ -
Dechurch, Leslie (2)	+ -
Fiore, Stephen (2)	+ -
Mouloua, Mustapha (2)	+ -
Piccolo, Ronald (2)	+ -
Rico Munoz, Ramon (2)	+ -
Rosen, Michael (2)	+ -
Salazar, Maritza (2)	+ -
Sims, Valerie (2)	+ -
Wildman, Jessica (2)	+ -
Bedwell, Wendy (1)	+ -
Benishek, Lauren (1)	+ -
Bisbey, Tiffany (1)	+ -
Boloni, Ladislau (1)	+ -
Carter, Nathan (1)	+ -
Cendan, Juan (1)	+ -
Cotter, Seth (1)	+ -
Curtis, Michael (1)	+ -
Darling, Budd (1)	+ -
DiazGranados, Deborah (1)	+ -
Dietz, Aaron (1)	+ -
Dipboye, Robert (1)	+ -

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