Human Relations

Interpersonal theory, as formulated by Freedman and developed by Leary, was constructed around the two dimensions of love vs. hate and dominate vs. submit. The two alternative dimensions of close vs. distant and upper vs. lower are introduced because they are generic and value free. To resolve confusion concerning what the theory is about, it is proposed that it be concerned with inborn dispositions which have their origins in interactions which occur between all animalforms. In humans, such dispositions are elaborated into competencies. Rather than considering negative forms of relating as the extreme of normalforms, it is suggested that they result from the imperfect acquisition of competencies. Interpersonal systems have been distorted by successive attempts to fit them into a circular ordering of bipolar opposites. This calls into question the appropriateness of the circumplex analysis as a means of confirming interpersonal theory.

Most models of the strategy formulation process suggest organization performance is related, to at least some degree, to the ability of top management to accurately assess the external environment and to reach a degree of consensus in this assessment. The research reported here tested these assertions within two distinct industry segments, U.S. producers of corrugated shipping containers and U.S. passenger airlines, andfound very limited support for these relationships. The results suggest that in complex, unstable environments, accuracy and consensus in assessing environmental uncertainty may actually detract from organization performance. Directions for future research are recommended.

An attempt was made to replicate previous successful efforts to construct three subscales measuring different facets of work autonomy. Compared to previous attempts, where cross-occupational samples were taken, the present study drew from a relatively homogeneous sample of dental hygienists (n = 89). Factor analysis failed to replicate the three distinct subscales. Rather, one single nine-item measure of autonomy was formed which, for construct and divergent validity purposes, was predictably associated with variables with which theoretically it should be associated, and was predictably not associated with variables with which theoretically it should not be associated. Implications for the further development of a multidimensional measurement of work autonomy are discussed.

This paper examines (1) the relationship between changes in job demands and changes in psychological strain across time, and (2) the moderating effect of the Type A behavior pattern (TABP) and locus of control, or internality-externality (I-E) on this relationship. TABP and I-E were hypothesized to moderate job demands because they appear as factors likely to affect the longer-term coping patterns of individuals, or coping styles. Among the job demand variables, increases in qualititative "low-load" were most strongly predictive of increases in psychological strain. Significant moderating effects were observedfor both TABP and I-E. With the TABP, a uniform pattern offindings emerged in that all the significant partial correlations were negative in direction, indicating that where job demands increased, Type As experienced less psychological strain than Type Bs. With I-E, however, the direction of the partial correlations varied dependent on the type of job demand.

This paper reports the results of a study examining the relationships between market and customer dependencies and the structure of the marketing departments (boundary-spanning units) in 44 electronics/telecommunications companies in Canada. Data were collected by means of personal interviews with senior management and marketing officials in each company. The results show that product market dependency has positive effects on specialization and the level of integration of the marketing function, while customer dependency has a positive impact on centralization of decision making in the departments. When these relationships were compared in high and low performing firms in the sample, they were mostly evident only in more succesful ones. In addition, product market dependency had a positive impact on departmentalformalization in more successful units. Implications of the findings for research on dependence-structure relationships are discussed.

Current changes in the nature of the workforce, organizational structures, and institutions of society underlie the considerable, and growing, worldwide orientation toward a workplace responsibilities and rights paradigm. Analysis of the moral, legal, bureaucratic, and social construction of reality literature provides a broad definition of rights and responsibilities based on (a) the basic injunction to do no harm, (b) the obligatory character of rights, and (c) the reciprocal nature of workplace interrelationships. Further, the article analyzes in detail the development of rights-responsibilities concerns in modern workplaces. It identifies some major characteristics of employee! employer responsibilities and rights, and also provides a scheme for studying, understanding, and organizing knowledge in the emerging field underscored by the notions of responsibilities and rights. The underlying paradigm suggested by the article can be understood in terms of two dimensions: Focus are (e.g., organizational entry, job incumbency, continued emmployment, and postemployment issues) and approaches, perspectives, or strategies (e.g., philosophical, legal, collective activity, human resource rights, and management education strategies).