This paper establishes that teamwork is a function of how team members perceive the team and their role in it. Social identity theory (Hogg & Abrams, 1993; Tajfel & Turner, 1986) and self-categorization theory (Turner, 1987) offer explanations for the cognitive, evaluative, and emotional processes which motivate individuals to join a social group and enhance their ability to contribute to the maximum of their ability, which would be desirable for many team tasks. Social identity theory posits that the motivation for thinking, feeling, and thus working as a cohesive unit is socially constructed. Highly productive teamwork requires that team members recognize the team as a unit and as an attractive work arrangement. Fundamental assumptions of contemporary management, and management research, are challenged to integrate social identity findings.

This study analyses the key contributors to radical organizational change in five New Zealand state-owned enterprises during their ownership transition between 1985 and 1995. Abrupt government reform policies, organizations' market positions, realization of rapid technological innovation, proactive managerial actions and the new owners' strategic intent are established as key conditions of radical change in state-owned enterprises. We integrate our findings with institutional theory and resource dependency theory to argue that organizational dynamics in times of uncertainty depend on deinstitutionalization of old and institutionalization of new patterns of resource dependency.

This exploratory study draws upon the perspectives of employees and managers from 50 small Australian firms to build a more complete and nuanced view of the interaction of human resources and capabilities with firm performance. Specifically, it uses a mixed methods multilevel design that elicits employee perspectives of employment systems and chief executive officer (CEO) assessments of firm performance. Results show that higher performing firms had better rated employment systems, with a cluster of human resource practices which included greater informality, employee engagement and participation. The views of employees were more discriminating and diagnostic than those of CEOs. The article discusses the implications of these findings for the study of employment systems and human resource management in small firms.

Most research examining organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) has focused on employees’ efforts that benefit the organization or the individuals’ coworkers. A third dimension that is critical for the hospitality industry is behavior above and beyond the specific job description that is directed at customers. While most OCB studies have considered what behaviors are essential to corporate citizenship, but specific behaviors might be culturally bound. To avoid cultural issues, a more effective approach is to analyze the targets of citizenship behavior, that is, the organization, coworkers, and customers. A study of 240 hotel workers in China found support for a three-leg model of OCB, combining behavior aimed at these targets: at the organization itself, at coworkers, and at customers. Citizenship behavior aimed at the organization includes such activities as promoting a hotel’s products and making favorable comments about the property outside of work. Citizenship behavior in support of coworkers includes assisting them as needed and taking time to listen to coworkers’ concerns. Customer-focused OCB includes such activities as maintaining a positive attitude at work and performing duties carefully and accurately. Although this study did not expressly measure the results of such actions, previous work has shown increases in guest satisfaction and company revenue when OCB activities are high.

Purpose -This research aims to investigate the efficacy of family involvement in shift work training targeting both physiological and social coping strategies. Design/methodology/approach -The study utilized repeated surveys of work-family conflict (WFC) and family-work conflict (FWC) in a naturally occurring field experiment. Three small process manufacturing sites introduced training for shift workers, with or without family involvement, and with or without training on managing relational aspects of shift-work. Findings -The inclusion of social coping strategies combined with family involvement significantly reduced work-family conflict. Open response categories on the survey suggest that these reductions were due to the facilitation of a joint problem solving approach by family members. In contrast, employee focused training on physiological coping alone appears to increase family conflicts. Research limitations/implications -As a field study, this paper cannot control for the particularities of family situations. It should also be noted that the participants were all male, and results may have differed for female shift workers given differing family and work expectations. Practical implications -For employers and OSH officers, this research suggests that broader spectrum training may assist shift workers in managing the requirements and impact of unsociable hours of work. For the shift worker, the research reinforces the importance of family support and family involvement in moderating shift work's potentially negative effects. Originality/value -This is the first study to assess the impact of family involvement in training and development-based interventions. This paper provides a unique perspective on shift work interventions by documenting both content and process effects for shift work support.