职场小说的三个关键词

中国职场时代的到来,催生出职场小说这一新的小说类型。职场小说以传达“职场成功术”为己任,成为职场人士读取“真经”和年轻人励志的“职场胜经”;小说中“杜拉拉”们等新一代的平民“英雄”形象,则成为中国职场时代的大众偶像。尽管数量众多种类繁杂,“职场”、“职场胜经”、平民“英雄”,是职场小说的三大关键词。     

A Profit Function Approach to Wage–Risk Differentials

Abstract

A variable profit function is used in a novel way to estimate wage–risk premiums in Ohio bituminous coal mining. Unlike the dominant hedonic method, the profit function does not assume equilibrium and allows inferences about the marginal opportunity cost of accidents to mining companies. The profit function risk premium, expressed as a value of a statistical life (VSL), is $12,000 (in 1915 prices), and is below published estimates covering this period. The hedonic method is also used and yields a very similar VSL, a robustness check. It is also shown that the use of piece rate–based wages of coal loaders (the main group of miners) yields more plausible hedonic estimates than the fixed daily wage of “inside” miners typically employed.     

DITTO for Gen Z: A framework for leveraging the uniqueness of the new generation

Generation Z, or Gen Z, represents 24% of the U.S. population and is very different from earlier generations. A higher proportion of Gen Zers are earning college degrees, and they are now moving to the next phase in which they will constitute the predominant majority of the incoming workforce. Gen Z faced an unusual set of technology-driven circumstances while growing up and thus bring a distinct set of characteristics into the workplace. We offer a new research-based framework, DITTO, which encapsulates specific recommendations for organizations on diversity, individualism and teamwork, technology, and organizational supports. DITTO serves as a useful mnemonic to help managers recall specific ways to support Gen Zers and leverage the strengths of Gen Zers to benefit the organization and the workforce. Research shows that Gen Zers are more open to diversity and more individualistic and technology-driven than other generations. To the extent that companies use the DITTO framework, the more attractive they should be to Gen Z workers; but the principles of this framework also extend beyond Gen Zers to existing workforce with similar efficacy.     

Mindfulness as a strategy for sustainable competitive advantage

This conceptual article explores how mindfulness can be successfully integrated in the strategy tool kit of organizations. The likely global reconstruction in the aftermath of COVID-19 can be effective if organizations reexamine their existing philosophies and business practices. Against this backdrop, mindfulness is a time-tested practice that has the potential to transcend all functions in a company’s value chain and to create a sustainable competitive advantage. This article uses a strategy lens to examine mindfulness in organizations, which has implications for researchers and practitioners. First, I discuss the theoretical frameworks of mindfulness, the performance improvements that individuals can expect from consistent practice, and how these improvements translate to organization-level performance. Next, I summarize the methods and tools for workplace application and the steps for implementing mindfulness strategies in organizations. Finally, I describe implementation challenges and offer assessment tools for mindfulness.     

Coworking spaces: Understanding,using, and managing sociomateriality

Companies increasingly embrace the new types of work associated with coworking spaces. Coworking spaces started with the idea of a melting pot of open social interaction, collaboration, entrepreneurship, and innovation for freelancers, new ventures, or solo entrepreneurs. Companies may use coworking spaces to invigorate targets and further motivate and inspire their employees. Fundamental to achieving those targets is the coworking space’s interior design and architecture that incorporates emotional and social values that may benefit companies. Our sociomateriality perspective helps to analyze conditions in coworking spaces and guides suggestions on how companies revitalize by using coworking spaces. The purposeful design of the different social and work areas in coworking spaces can improve communication, collaboration, and innovation in companies.     

The era of #MeToo and what managers should do about it

#MeToo has become a global phenomenon since 2017, when many famous women came forward with allegations of sexual harassment (SH) against many famous men. Our purpose here is to help managers of both sexes understand their role in the wake of the #MeToo movement. We reviewed recent research on SH and #MeToo from both academic and practitioner outlets to get a pulse on what is currently being written on these topics. We also studied data we collected on current attitudes and behaviors men and women are experiencing in the wake of #MeToo, as well as examined one of the newer forms of harassment, namely online SH. We use our data and research to explore actions managers can take to prevent SH and respond to it when it occurs. In doing so, we provide new insights for business practice that both managers and scholars need to be aware of, and act upon, in the wake #MeToo.     

Managing millennials: Embracing generational differences

The topic of the Millennial Generation in the workplace drives much business conversation, as members of this generation form a growing percentage of the employee base. Both popular media and scholarly literature have painted the population of younger workers in an uncharitable light. The goals of this article are to contextualize the results of a large, empirical study in a more favorable manner and to suggest that embracing generational differences provides an opportunity as well as a challenge. This article examines traits of the different generations, in addition to the relationship between organizational commitment and workplace culture. We present findings that show millennials (also known as Generation Y, or Gen Y) as the only generational group that does not conceptually link organizational commitment with workplace culture. This group also thinks of work differently than members of the other generations, yet these differences can be understood through a managerial lens focusing on qualities such as duty, drive, and reward. We argue that by changing performance evaluation metrics to encompass a greater variety of measures, managers can provide a more detailed picture of the employee's work, and thus impact the worker's sense of duty. Additionally, by providing a more transparent workplace, employers can increase the employee's drive and clearly demonstrate the reward that workers will receive. Finally, changes that help newer employees adjust to the workplace can also allow the organization to operate more efficiently, benefiting employees of all generations.     

Why do good employees stay in bad organizations?

Family and work are two of society's most important institutions. It is understandable, then, that some similarities would exist between the two. One unfortunate aspect of such relationships is that families and organizations may be abusive to members. When this occurs in familial relationships, research has identified dynamics that keep people in the abusive situation. We consider here how those same dynamics can occur in abusive organizations to identify factors that keep employees in unhealthy work environments. We then examine intervention techniques and concepts that can be used to enable people to recognize an abusive organization, the long-term damage such organizations can inflict on employees, and ways to assist individuals in exiting an abusive organization setting. Our intention is to create awareness of the harm that can be caused by abusive organizations and provide a framework that will enable people caught in a pattern of organizational abuse to understand their choices and behaviors.     

Combining Information Technology and Decentralized Workplace Organization: SMEs versus Larger Firms

This paper examines whether information technology (IT) and decentralized and incentive-based workplace organization are complementary only for large firms or also for smaller firms. Previous empirical evidence suggesting complementarity between IT and decentralization is mainly based on large firms. Using data from a sample of 3,288 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and 595 larger firms from the manufacturing and service sector in Germany, it appears that SMEs with decentralized and incentive-based work practices tend to use IT more intensively. Moreover, for the sample of SMEs, IT and workplace organization are individually associated with higher productivity, but the combination of IT and decentralization does not yield a productivity premium. In contrast, the productivity of IT depends positively on decentralization for large firms. The findings suggest that combining IT and decentralized workplace organization seems only to be a successful strategy for larger firms.     

Building trust: How leaders can engender feelings of trust among followers

Trust has long been recognized across cultures, industries, and organizations as a key component of social exchange. Yet in many communities and organizations throughout the world, there is a growing trust deficit. In this article, we explore what leaders can do to generate trust among the individuals within their organizations to help facilitate better relationships and positive outcomes for both individuals and organizations. More specifically, we present a qualitative study in which semistructured interviews with employees at an assisted-living care facility highlight two ways that leaders can build trust within their organizations: (1) by demonstrating humility in their communication and (2) by exhibiting compassion in their behavior. We further highlight two characteristics, authenticity and proactivity, that can help leaders increase the effectiveness of these actions. By making these behaviors part of how they lead, leaders and managers can more successfully generate feelings of trust among the individuals within their organizations and help their organizations to maintain and strengthen their competitive advantage.