Aligning employee service recovery performance with brand values:the role of brand-specific leadership

This study investigates the effects of brand-specific leadership on employees' brand-aligned service recovery performance (SRP). In order to do so, we empirically test a conceptual model of relationships between brand-specific transformational leadership (TFL) and transactional leadership (TRL), trust in leader and in corporate brand, brand identification, and SRP from employees' perspectives. It is the first study to incorporate trust in corporate brand into the framework. Results from a study of 246 customer-contact employees show that brand-specific TFL has a positive impact on all variables studied, while brand-specific TRL is ineffective in fostering brand-building behaviours. More specifically, brand-specific TFL's effects on employee SRP are mediated by trust in the leader, trust in the corporate brand, and brand identification. Implications and future research directions are discussed. © 2013 Copyright Taylor & Francis.

Visual function and subjective quality of life compared in subjects with acquired macular disease

PURPOSE: To determine the objective measures of visual function that are most relevant to subjective quality of vision and perceived reading ability in patients with acquired macular disease. METHODS: Twenty-eight patients with macular disease underwent a comprehensive assessment of visual function. The patients also completed a vision-related quality-of-life questionnaire that included a section of general questions about perceived visual performance and a section with specific questions on reading. RESULTS: Results of all tests of vision correlated highly with reported vision-related quality-of-life impairment. Low-contrast tests explained most of the variance in self-reported problems with reading. Text-reading speed correlated highly with overall concern about vision. CONCLUSIONS: Reading performance is strongly associated with vision-related quality of life. High-contrast distance acuity is not the only relevant measure of visual function in relation to the perceived visual performance of a patient with macular disease. The results suggest the importance of print contrast, even over print size, in reading performance in patients with acquired macular disease.

The role of self-regulation as a meta-competency in developing leaders: a longitudinal field experimental study

The question of how to develop leaders so that they are more effective in a variety of situations, roles and levels has inspired a voluminous amount of research. While leader development programs such as executive coaching and 360-degree feedback have been widely practiced to meet this demand within organisations, the research in this area has only scratched the surface. Drawing from the past literature and leadership practices, the current research conceptualised self-regulation, as a metacompetency that would assist leaders to further develop the specific competencies needed to perform effectively in their leadership role, leading to an increased rating of leader effectiveness and to enhanced group performance. To test this conceptualisation, a longitudinal field experimental study was conducted across ten months with a pre- and two post-test intervention designs with a matched control group. This longitudinal field experimental compared the difference in leader and team performance after receiving self-regulation intervention that was delivered by an executive coach. Leaders in experimental group also received feedback reports from 360-degree feedback at each stage. Participants were 40 leaders, 155 followers and 8 supervisors. Leaders’ performance was measured using a multi-source perceptual measure of leader performance and objective measures of team financial and assessment performance. Analyses using repeated measure of ANCOVA on pre-test and two post-tests responses showed a significant difference between leader and team performance between experimental and control group. Furthermore, leader competencies mediated the relationship between self-regulation and performance. The implications of these findings for the theory and practice of leadership development training programs and the impact on organisational performance are discussed.

The correlation between tests of visual function and perceived visual ability in central field loss patients

Purpose: To investigate the correlation between tests of visual function and perceived visual ability recorded with a 'quality-of-life' questionnaire for patients with central field loss. Method: 12 females and 7 males (mean age = 53.1 years; Range = 23 - 80 years) with subfoveal neovascular membranes underwent a comprehensive assessment of visual function. Tests included unaided distance vision, high and low contrast distance logMAR visual acuity (VA), Pelli-Robson contrast senstivity (at 1m), near logMAR word VA and text reading speed. All tests were done both monocularly and binocularly. The patients also completed a 28 point questionnaire separated into a 'core' section consisting of general questions about perceived visual function and a 'module' section with specific questions on reading function. Results: Step-wise multiple regression analysis was used to determine which visual function tests were correlated with the patients's perceived visual function and to rank them in order of importance. The visual function test that explains most of the variance in both 'core' score (66%0 and the 'module' score (68%) of the questionnaire is low contrast VA in the better eye (P<0.001 in both cases). Further, the module score also accounts for a significant proportion of the variance (P<0.01) of the distance logMAR VA in both the better and worse eye, and the near logMAR in both the better eye and binocularly. Conclusions: The best predictor of both perceived reading ability and of general perceived visual ability in this study is low contrast logMAR VA. The results highlight that distance VA is not the only relevant measure of visual fucntion in relation to a patients's perceived visual performance and should not be considered a determinant of surgical or management success.

Leadership propensity and sales performance among sales personnel and managers in a speciality retail store setting

We propose that specialty store managers, as well as outside sales personnel attached to the store, have selling responsibilities. In addition, we propose that sales personnel, as well as store managers, should have a propensity for leadership, which reflects an individual's enduring disposition to exhibit leadership within the context of his or her organizational roles. In two studies, we develop a new individual difference measure of propensity to lead and investigate its nomological validity within a specialty retail store environment. As predicted, leadership propensity was predictive of self-rated sales performance and a proclivity to identify prospects through cold calls to close sales, to reveal customer orientation, and to exhibit organizational citizenship behavior. We found that propensity to lead did not differ between salespeople and retail store managers, but we found that the respondent's role moderated the relationship between propensity to lead and supervisor performance ratings. Study limitations and managerial implications of this heretofore unidentified trait of salespeople are discussed.

An investigation of reading ability and visual function with eccentric visual field

This study investigated the detrimental effect of central field loss (CFL) on reading ability and general visual function. The aim was to improve the understanding of reading with eccentric retina in order that reading performances of individuals with CFL may be maximised. To improve visual ability of individuals with CFL, it is important to be able to accurately measure the outcome of any intervention. Various methods for determining visual function were therefore compared with perceived visual performance (as measured with a quality of life questionnaire) before and after surgical removal of choroidal new vessels (CNV) in macular disease patients. The results highlight the importance of low contrast measures (low contrast visual acuity and contrast sensitivity) when investigating perceived reading performance. Reading speed was found to be important for reflecting changes in general visual quality of life. Potential causes for reduced peripheral reading ability were investigated using both normally sighted and CFL subjects. For normally sighted subjects reading eccentrically with rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) text, the inferior visual field was a better position (in terms of reading speed) for the presentation of the text. The size of the visual span was found to reduce with increasing eccentricity of fixation, providing a potential reason for reduced peripheral reading performances. The investigation of the ability to use context when reading with peripheral retina resulted in conflicting results. Studies in this thesis found both a reduction and no reduction in the ability of the peripheral retina to utilise context compared to the fovea. Individuals with long-term CFL showed no improvement in peripheral reading ability over that found for normally sighted subjects reading at the same eccentricity.

Embodying who we are:leader group prototypicality and leadership effectiveness

Leadership is a process enacted in the context of a shared group membership, and leadership effectiveness is contingent on followers' perceptions of the leader as a group member. Addressing this role of group membership, the social identity theory of leadership puts leader group prototypicality, the extent to which the leader is perceived to embody group identity, center-stage in leadership effectiveness. I review empirical research in leader group prototypicality, concluding there is a robust empirical basis for the key propositions of the social identity theory of leadership. I also identify newer developments that extend and enrich the social identity analysis of leadership, including attention to the roles of uncertainty, leader fairness, leader–follower relationship, leader self-perceived prototypicality, and leadership of creativity and innovation.

Provision of pharmaceutical care by community pharmacists:a comparison across Europe

Objective To investigate the provision of pharmaceutical care by community pharmacists across Europe and to examine the various factors that could affect its implementation. Methods A questionnaire-based survey of community pharmacies was conducted within 13 European countries. The questionnaire consisted of two sections. The first section focussed on demographic data and services provided in the pharmacy. The second section was a slightly adapted version of the Behavioral Pharmaceutical Care Scale (BPCS) which consists of three main dimensions (direct patient care activities, referral and consultation activities and instrumental activities). Results Response rates ranged from 10–71% between countries. The mean total score achieved by community pharmacists, expressed as a percentage of the total score achievable, ranged from 31.6 (Denmark) to 52.2% (Ireland). Even though different aspects of pharmaceutical care were implemented to different extents across Europe, it was noted that the lowest scores were consistently achieved in the direct patient care dimension (particularly those related to documentation, patient assessment and implementation of therapeutic objectives and monitoring plans) followed by performance evaluation and evaluation of patient satisfaction. Pharmacists who dispensed higher daily numbers of prescriptions in Ireland, Germany and Switzerland had significantly higher total BPCS scores. In addition, pharmacists in England and Ireland who were supported in their place of work by other pharmacists scored significantly higher on referral and consultation and had a higher overall provision of pharmaceutical care. Conclusion The present findings suggest that the provision of pharmaceutical care in community pharmacy is still limited within Europe. Pharmacists were routinely engaged in general activities such as patient record screening but were infrequently involved in patient centred professional activities such as the implementation of therapeutic objectives and monitoring plans, or in self-evaluation of performance.

Women’s adaptation to STEM domains promotes resilience and a lesser reliance on heuristic thinking

Experiences that compel people to challenge social stereotypes can promote enhanced cognitive flexibility on a range of judgmental domains. Women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields are chronically exposed to such experiences and may therefore also demonstrate these benefits. Two studies examined the differential effects of counterstereotypical experiences on women from STEM and non-STEM fields. Results showed that imagining or recollecting these experiences led women from STEM fields to exhibit a lesser reliance on heuristic thinking compared to women from non-STEM fields, and this difference was mediated by self-perceived resilience to the negative impact of gender stereotyping. Implications for psychologists’ and educators’ understanding of the relationship between counterstereotypical experiences and heuristic thinking are discussed.

The relationship between self-awareness of attentional status, behavioral performance and oscillatory brain rhythms

High-level cognitive factors, including self-awareness, are believed to play an important role in human visual perception. The principal aim of this study was to determine whether oscillatory brain rhythms play a role in the neural processes involved in self-monitoring attentional status. To do so we measured cortical activity using magnetoencephalography (MEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while participants were asked to self-monitor their internal status, only initiating the presentation of a stimulus when they perceived their attentional focus to be maximal. We employed a hierarchical Bayesian method that uses fMRI results as soft-constrained spatial information to solve the MEG inverse problem, allowing us to estimate cortical currents in the order of millimeters and milliseconds. Our results show that, during self-monitoring of internal status, there was a sustained decrease in power within the 7-13 Hz (alpha) range in the rostral cingulate motor area (rCMA) on the human medial wall, beginning approximately 430 msec after the trial start (p < 0.05, FDR corrected). We also show that gamma-band power (41-47 Hz) within this area was positively correlated with task performance from 40-640 msec after the trial start (r = 0.71, p < 0.05). We conclude: (1) the rCMA is involved in processes governing self-monitoring of internal status; and (2) the qualitative differences between alpha and gamma activity are reflective of their different roles in self-monitoring internal states. We suggest that alpha suppression may reflect a strengthening of top-down interareal connections, while a positive correlation between gamma activity and task performance indicates that gamma may play an important role in guiding visuomotor behavior. © 2013 Yamagishi et al.

Test of a mediation model of perceived organisational support

This study examined the mediating influence of trust in organization (TIO) and organization-based self-esteem (OBSE) on the relationship between perceived organization support (POS) and its work outcomes. Data were obtained from employee–supervisor dyads from multiple organizations located in a major city in southern China. Structural equation modeling results revealed that: (a) POS related to TIO and OBSE and (b) TIO and OBSE fully mediated the relationship between POS and the work outcomes of organizational commitment and in-role performance, but partially mediated the POS–organizational citizenship behavior relationship.

'They cooperate with us, so they are like me': perceived intergroup relationship moderates projection from self to outgroups

Whereas projection of self-attributes to ingroups is ubiquitous, projection of self-attributes to outgroups (outgroup projection) is an elusive phenomenon. Two experiments examined the moderating effect of perceived intergroup relationship on outgroup projection and explored underlying mechanisms. Perceived cooperation versus competition between ingroup and outgroup was manipulated using fictitious (Experiment 1) or natural groups (Experiment 2). In both experiments, participants judged the outgroup as more similar to the self in the cooperation condition than in the competition condition. This effect was independent of recategorization, perceived intergroup similarity, and ingroup-to-outgroup projection. These studies demonstrate the very existence of outgroup projection and extend previous work on moderators of projection from self to groups.

Self-attentional processes in anxiety:an experimental study

Self-attention research has demonstrated a relationship between dispositional self-focus, anxiety proneness and fear arousal. In addition, the effect of self-focus manipulations on approach-avoidance tasks involving a feared stimulus are strikingly similar to the effects obtained from manipulation of other cognitive factors such as perceived self-efficacy. A number of experiments were designed to explore the relationship between self-focused attention and ffilxiety. Data from the experiments demonstrate that self-attention influences a variety of cognitive variables which have been considered as central factors in anxiety. Concomitants of self-focus are increased awareness of physiological arousal and overestimation of such arousal, the identification of self-discrepancies, cognitive failures and performance deficits and the activation of physical threat concepts in memory. These factors are conceptualised as central in the negative evaluation of physiological arousal and coping resources in anxiety. Clinically anxious individuals typically have high scores in dispositional self-consciousness and body-consciousness. In patients suffering from generalised anxiety or panic disorders maladaptive self-focusing tendencies can be related to specific life stressors which render aspects of the self salient. An analysis of the ideational component of anxiety revealed three subcomponents; negative social ideation (worry about other people's reaction to the self), negative somatic ideation (worry about physical symptoms and health) and obsessional ideation (the experience of uncontrollable and repetitive thoughts) which were differentially associated with measures of dispositional self-focus. The frequency and content of an.xious w-orry is associated with specific self-focusing tendencies. It is proposed that the 'attentional style' of the individual is an important determinant of the nature and intensity of their affective response in a threatening situation. A self-attentional model of anxiety is proposed and the complex interaction between self-focus and other cognitive factors in anxiety such as appraisal of arousal and coping resources and perceived levels of self-efficacy is discussed. The model presents new directions for research and therapeutic intervention in anxiety.

Leader-member exchange and contextual performance:the mediating influence of organization-based self-esteem

This study examined the mediating influence of organization-based self-esteem (OBSE) on the relationship between leader-member exchange (LMX) and contextual performance. Respondents were Indian employees and their immediate supervisors. Results of structural equation modeling (SEM) that compared the fit of a fully mediated model to a partially mediated model revealed support for the hypothesized fully mediated model. Specifically, the SEM results showed the relationship between LMX and the contextual performance facets of interpersonal facilitation and job dedication to be indirect, through OBSE. Support for the hypothesized mediating influence of OBSE highlights the multiple motivational underpinnings of contextual performance

Nothing succeeds like moderation:a social self-regulation perspective on cultural dissimilarity and individual performance.

Addressing inconsistencies in relational demography research, we examine the relationship between cultural dissimilarity and individual performance through the lens of social self-regulation theory, which extends the social identity perspective in relational demography with the analysis of social self-regulation. We propose that social self-regulation in culturally diverse teams manifests itself as performance monitoring (i.e., individuals' actions to meet team performance standards and peer expectations). Contingent on the status associated with individuals' cultural background, performance monitoring is proposed to have a curvilinear relationship with individual performance and to mediate between cultural dissimilarity and performance. Multilevel moderated mediation analyses of time-lagged data from 316 members of 69 teams confirmed these hypotheses. Cultural dissimilarity had a negative relationship with performance monitoring for high cultural-status members, and a positive relationship for low cultural-status members. Performance monitoring had a curvilinear relationship with individual performance that became decreasingly positive. Cultural dissimilarity thus was increasingly negatively associated with performance for high culturalstatus members, and decreasingly positively for low cultural-status members. These findings suggest that cultural dissimilarity to the team is not unconditionally negative for the individual but, in moderation, may in fact have positive motivational effects.