Organizational Psychology Review

Computational modeling has long been advocated as an important tool in the scientist’s tool shed. They are common in physical and biological sciences, but are very rare in organizational psychology. This paper describes the role computational models might play in informing theory and science in organizational psychology. After describing the major advantages of computational models, architectures, examples, and resources are described. This is followed by a comprehensive review of where computational models have been applied and where they might be profitably applied in each of the major domains of organizational psychology.

Work–family conflict may give rise to different emotional reactions, depending on the causal attributions people make for the experience of work–family conflict. These emotional reactions, in turn, may result in specific behavioral reactions, that may either be adaptive or maladaptive in nature. In this essay, we advance this thesis using attribution theory and theory of emotions that specifies different behavioral outcomes associated with different attribution-induced negative emotions. We develop a model of causal attributions for work–family conflict that includes differentiated emotional reactions (e.g., guilt and shame) and both adaptive (e.g., job crafting, self-development) and maladaptive (e.g., withdrawal, aggression, turnover) behavioral outcomes of work–family conflict. We conclude the article with directions for future research, guided by the proposed model.

Research on emotions in organizations has traditionally taken an intrapersonal approach, examining how an organization member’s emotions influence his or her own cognitions, attitudes, and behavior. We argue that a full understanding of the role of emotions in organizations requires a complementary focus on their interpersonal effects—that is, how one worker’s emotions influence the feelings, cognitions, attitudes, and behavior of others. We advance Emotions as Social Information (EASI) theory, which posits that emotional expressions exert interpersonal effects by triggering affective reactions and/or inferential processes in targets, depending on the target’s information processing and the perceived appropriateness of the emotional expression. We review evidence from four domains of organizational behavior: customer service, group decision making, negotiation, and leadership. We call for new research that examines emotions in greater detail (discrete emotions, intensity, authenticity), studies different settings (organizational change, personnel selection), and considers temporal dynamics (frequency, long-term outcomes).

The workforce in most industrialized countries is aging. However, the role of age in job design has largely been ignored. In the present paper, we apply lifespan development perspectives to the interaction between job characteristics and age. Specifically, we examine the possible joint effects of age and job characteristics on job satisfaction, engagement, and performance, developing a series of propositions to guide future research. We also discuss possible boundary conditions, mediating mechanisms, and future research challenges.

Time should be an important aspect of organizational theory, but it has been neglected for decades. In this essay, I describe four different ways in which time can be conceptualized in organizational research. I give examples from recent theoretical work that include a temporal perspective. I also specify some directions about how future theory development and refinement should incorporate time.