Organizational Commitment, Climate and Job Satisfaction: An Empirical Study

-- B Pavan Kumar and Vijai N Giri

The paper examines the relationship among organizational commitment, climate, and job satisfaction. Scaled-down versions of Organizational Commitment Questionnaire, Organizational Climate Questionnaire, and Job Satisfaction Survey Scale were used to collect data from 380 respondents at junior, middle, and senior management levels in different organizations across the country. Correlation analysis reveals the positive correlation among job satisfaction, organizational climate, and organizational commitment. Multivariate analysis further reveals that the organizational climate works as the mediating variable, enhancing the relationship of organizational commitment with job satisfaction. The paper concludes that job satisfaction, along with organizational climate, plays a vital role in retaining the employees by enhancing their commitment towards the organization.

© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved.

Classroom Climate and Academic Performance: A Correlational Study

-- S Asha

The paper examines the relationship between the perceived psychosocial climate of the classroom and academic performance of the students, using School Environment Inventory. Six dimensions of psychosocial climate (Creative Stimulation, Cognitive Encouragement, Permissiveness, Acceptance, Rejection, and Control) were measured on 38 students from two schools offering ICSE curriculum and 72 students from two schools of Karnataka State Board. Correlation analysis of academic performance with psychosocial climate dimensions reveal that the academic performance improves when Permissiveness is higher, and it weakens as Rejection increases.

© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved.

Group Task Accomplishment: A New Approach to Training and Development

-- P Manikandan and T Balaguru

Globalization, coupled with increased competition and knowledge economy, has necessitated organizations to rapidly move towards "group concept". If people have to work effectively in groups in the organizations, they need to be trained adequately in group task accomplishment skills. The paper discusses various dimensions of group orientation, and also the task and maintenance functions to be observed in group work. The role of the trainer and strategies for implementing group learning are discussed. The paper also presents a case study, which can be used in training programs to impart skills among the trainees on group task accomplishment, including the details on how to use it in the training situation.

© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved.

Stress-Personality Relationship: An Empirical Study

-- Margaret Francis

The paper examines the relationship between personality and stress. Data on eight secondary personality factors and perceived stress was collected from 50 students of a business school using 16 Personality Factors (16PF) and Perceived Stress Scale respectively. Student's t-test was done for each secondary personality factor to detect significant difference in perceived stress among low and high categories. Stress is higher in low extraversion group as compared to high extraversion group. Stress is higher in high anxiety group as compared to low anxiety group. Similar findings hold good for Leadership and Adjustment.

© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved.

Stress in Organizational Roles: An Empirical Study across Age Groups

-- Avinash Kumar Srivastav

Different types of stress encountered in organizational roles were measured on 453 randomly selected respondents in a public sector industry using ORS-Scale.The sample was divided into lower, middle and higher age groups. For each age group, means for different types of role stress were rank-ordered to identify the prominent role stressor(s). The t-test was performed on means to find out the significant differences for each type of role stress and for the total role stress under each pair of age groups. Role Erosion was the most prominent role stressor for each age group but role stress was not uniformly experienced across the age groups. Role Isolation was stronger in the lower age group as compared to the middle age group. Inter-Role Distance, Role Stagnation, Role Isolation, Self-Role Distance and Total Role Stress were stronger in the lower age group as compared to the higher age group. Role Erosion and Self-Role Distance were stronger in the middle age group as compared to the higher age group. The study proved weakening of role stress with the advancement of age and existence of significant differences in role stress experienced across the age groups.

© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved.

Experiencing the Takeover: An Insight into Employee Work Life

-- Sombala Ningthoujam

The paper gives an insight into the psychological factors influencing the workforce in companies which are in the process of takeovers and mergers. The process of takeover and mergers impacts the work culture and the work profiles change. Successful takeovers are those during which special efforts are made to address the employees' anxiety, apprehensions and fears to ensure the retention of the best people from both the organizations. The study aims at understanding the perception and experiences of employees in organizations undergoing changes during the takeover process. Data was collected from 50 executives from companies undergoing a takeover bid in the National Capital Region (NCR) through structured interview sessions and a specially designed questionnaire. The study concludes that the takeover is perceived as successful by the employees when the process mainly revolves around the change of ownership without significant post-takeover changes.

© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved.

Book Review

The Four Vs of Leadership (Vision, Values, Value added, Vitality) --

Author: Peter Shaw C B Reviewed by Rajashree Vyas

The Four Vs of Leadership, authored by Peter Shaw, showcases a new framework for becoming an effective leader, focusing on Vision, Values, Value added and Vitality to reshape one's life.

© 2007 IUP holds the copyright for the book review. All Rights Reserved.