Jon L. Pierce

University of Minnesota Duluth | UMD · Department of Management Studies

While there are many empirical studies of psychological ownership, there are few that examine the origins of it. Why do people develop feelings of ownership over various entities in their lives? In this investigation we empirically explore the role played by basic psychological needs as motives for the development of job-based psychological ownersh...

Many universities around the world depend on financial donations to maintain and enhance their operations. We propose that donating money to an organization is a specific form of organizational citizenship behavior. We theorize that perceived values congruence between alumni and their colleges/universities and normative organizational commitment ea...

Psychological ownership critically entails the need for home (a place in which to dwell or a place of belongingness). However, the question of how an individual’s need for belongingness within an organization affects their psychological ownership of organization-linked objects remains unexplored. We first conducted a behavioral study to determine w...

One of the more important responsibilities for HRD professionals is to help employees fit into the organization. This fitting in, or adjustment, to the organization includes the skills to perform one's job, understanding the relationships of one's role to the broader organization, and feeling accepted by one's peers. Onboarding, or more broadly, or...

Purpose Social comparison and job-based psychological ownership (JPO) are compared and contrasted as explanations for relationships between organization relational psychological contract fulfillment (ORPCF) and organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs). Design/methodology/approach Survey data were collected from 241 employees and 82 of their man...

As work teams have increasingly become the cornerstone of the post bureaucratic organization, there have been calls for a greater understanding of collective thought and action. Such understanding is deemed important for the design and management of teamwork. Theory suggests that feelings of ownership manifest themselves at the collective level, an...

Expatriate managers are often advised to adapt their leadership styles and organizational cultures to the culture of the country in which they operate. This advice appears to be reasonable, but it has rarely been empirically tested. In this study, we examine the degree to which congruence of organization and individual cultural values affect employ...

This chapter is about the history of the construct psychological ownership and its migration into consumer psychology. The emergence of the construct in the organizational sciences is largely one of “serendipity” followed by our ability to “stand upon the shoulders of giants” whose prior reflections on the concept of ownership, and especially its m...

Recently, there emerged a theory of collective psychological ownership – an intersubjective sense of possession for different objects within the work and organizational context (e.g., work space). This shared mind-set has been cast as having the potential to explain a variety of collective, work-related attitudes, and actions. Preventing scientific...

It is now known that organization-based self-esteem (OBSE) correlates consistently with employee attributes that are important to the success of organizations, such as in-role and extra-role job performance, job satisfaction, organization commitment, and turnover intentions (see Bowling, Eschelman, Wang, Kirkendall, & Alarcon, 2010; Pierce & Gardne...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships between different managerial roles and organization-based self-esteem (OBSE), and employee job satisfaction, organization commitment, and turnover and absence intentions. Design/methodology/approach – Survey data were collected from 1,386 employees in a high technology industry. E...

Global self-esteem is believed to be a major determinant of both subjective and eudaimonic (psychological) well-being (Diener, E. (1984). Subjective well-being. Psychological Bulletin, 95, 542-575. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.95.3.542; Ryff, C. D. (1989). Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well-being. Journal...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between job- and organization-based psychological ownership. In addition, the authors explored the emergence and outcomes of psychological ownership in Chinese context. Design/methodology/approach – Time-lagged survey data from 158 Chinese participants were used to test several...

This study addresses organization-based self-esteem (OBSE) development by examining the role of perceptions of employer psychological contract fulfillment, and the self-regulatory processes by which OBSE evolves and produces its effects. Self-regulatory theory helps reveal why psychological contract fulfillment relates to OBSE, how OBSE mediates it...

Psychological ownership is increasingly recognized as a core feeling in the experience of work. Within jobs and the work context, there is a wide range of opportunities to experience psychological ownership. Yet empirical work on how feelings of ownership develop is lacking, and thus ways to develop psychological ownership in the workplace are not...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the questions “How does employees' focus of attention at work theoretically relate to organization‐based self‐esteem?”, and “Does job focus and off‐job focus moderate relationships between organization‐based self‐esteem, and employee attitudes and perceptions of job complexity?”. Design/methodology/a...

Purpose This paper seeks to explore the relationships between organization‐based self‐esteem and narcissism, and their correlates. It aims to distinguish the two constructs, as well as to examine the degree to which organization‐based self‐esteem is contaminated by “false self‐esteem” (namely, narcissism). Design/methodology/approach Participants...

This paper reports the development, refinement, and initial validation of an instrument to measure attitudes toward change. It is shown that attitudes toward change in general and toward multiple specific changes are all distinct. Adequate reliability of the scales is demonstrated and needs for further development and validation are noted. 3 An exa...

This paper introduces a multifaceted construct labelled ‘employee focus of attention’. Conceptual and operational definitions for the construct are provided. Evidence from four different studies is presented to establish content, construct and face validity for the operationalization. Data support the general hypothesis that the degree to which emp...

The purpose of this study was to validate a Japanese version of the organization-based self-esteem (OBSE) scale, a positive self-concept that has been proven to play an important role in predicting employees' work attitudes and behaviors primarily in a Western organizational setting. Two independent field studies, Study One and Study Two, involving...

Psychological ownership as a phenomenon and construct attracts an increasing number of scholars in a variety of fields. This volume presents a comprehensive and up-to-date review of the psychological ownership literature with particular attention paid to the theory, research evidence, and comments on managerial applications.

This study addresses organization-based self-esteem (OBSE) development by examining the role of perceptions of employer psychological contract fulfi ll-ment, and the self-regulatory processes by which OBSE evolves and produces its effects. Self-regulatory theory helps reveal why psychological contract fulfi ll-ment relates to OBSE, how OBSE mediate...

The authors empirically examined two operationalizations of the core self-evaluation construct: (a) the Judge, Erez, Bono, and Thoresen 12-item scale and (b) a composite measure of self-esteem, self-efficacy, locus of control, and neuroticism.The study found that the composite scale relates more strongly than the shorter scale to performance, perce...

The construct collective psychological ownership is introduced. Reflecting the psychology of “us” and “ours,” collective psychological ownership emerges through interactive dynamics whereby individuals come to a single and shared mind-set as it relates to a sense of ownership for a particular object. After providing a conceptual definition for the...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the theoretical relationships between core self‐evaluations, perceived job characteristics, and organization‐based self‐esteem. Design/methodology/approach A total 236 employees of a large US‐based mining company were surveyed using well‐established measures of core self‐evaluations, perceived job ch...

In this paper, we offer a theoretical modification to the Hackman and Oldham (1975) Job Characteristics Model by integrating research on the psychological aspects of job design with emerging theory on psychological ownership. We develop the connection between job design and (a) the motives facilitating psychological ownership, (b) the routes throug...

In the first (N= 140) of two quasi-experimental field studies, trial group employees were changed from a 5/40 to a 4/40 work schedule for four months then returned to a 5/40 schedule. In a second study (N= 102), trial group employees were changed from 5/40 to flextime. Reactions were evaluated using a model for understanding the impact of work sche...

This study explored a potential mediating role of psychological ownership (of the job and the organization) in the relationship between levels of work environment structure and employee responses, in a diverse sample of 239 New Zealand workers and their managers. It was reasoned that low levels of work environment structure permit employees to exer...

Management scholars and practitioners often believe that individuals and organizations benefit by trusting their work contacts. (Husted, 1998; Sonnenberg, 1994) Trust is generally viewed as “good” and imperative to a modern functioning economy (Blau, 1964; Hosmer, 1995; Zucker, 1986) Consequently, scholars and practitioners have given scant attenti...

Current theorists on the psychology of possession highlight control as an important route in the development of feelings of ownership. In the present article, the authors hypothesized that the extent to which individuals experience control over their job and work environment is positively associated with feelings of ownership for their job and the...

On numerous occasions it has been suggested that an individual’s self-esteem, formed around work and organizational experiences, plays a significant role in determining employee motivation, work-related attitudes and behaviors. We review more than a decade of research on an organization-based conceptualization of self-esteem. It is observed that so...

The theoretical and empirical linkages between employee ownership and performance are reviewed. In response to the inconsistent and inconclusive findings of a simple ownership-performance relationship, the authors revisit the conceptualization of ownership and ask how does ownership produce its performance effects. The study offers a “psychology of...

Most compensation managers implicitly assume (or perhaps hope) that high pay levels will maintain and enhance future performance. To date, this assumption has been largely untested. Given the importance of pay level and the large expense that pay represents to most organizations, understanding how and why pay level influences the behaviour of emplo...

An increasing number of scholars and practitioners have emphasized the importance of ‘feelings of ownership’ for the organization (even when employees are not legal owners). In this exploratory study, we examine the relationships of psychological ownership with work attitudes and work behaviors. We start by developing hypotheses based on the psycho...

People develop feelings of ownership for a variety of objects, material and immaterial in nature. We refer to this state as psychological ownership. Building on and extending previous scholarship, the authors offer a conceptual examination of this construct. After defining psychological ownership, they address "why" it exists and "how" it comes int...

People develop feelings of ownership for a variety of objects, material and immaterial in nature. We refer to this state as psychological ownership. Building on and extending previous scholarship, the authors offer a conceptual examination of this construct. After defining psychological ownership, they address "why" it exists and "how" it comes int...

Building upon the observation that individuals feel ownership toward a variety of targets, we suggest that under certain conditions, organizational members can develop feelings of ownership toward the organization and various organizational factors. We define psychological ownership, identify its "roots" and the primary "routes" through which it de...

A longitudinal evaluation was conducted on the effects of introducing a performance management system (PMS), which featured merit-based bonus pay, on subsequent employee attitudes and self-reported work effort in a small, government organization. Additionally, employees' targets of blame for receiving lower-than-expected ratings were explored. A si...

Common methods variance often is a problem with psychological measures that require respondent self-reports of attitudes, beliefs, perceptions, and the like. The present study examined this problem by comparing multiple-item, Likert-type measures of psychological constructs to single-item, non-Likert-type measures of the same constructs. Using conf...

The self-concept has emerged as an important component of organizational paradigms. This article reviews the conceptual meanings of self-esteem and self-efficacy, clarifies the relation-ship between the two perceptions of the self, and discusses how an understanding of them can lead to better organization management. An empirical examination explor...

The self-concept has emerged as an important component of organizational paradigms. This article reviews the conceptual meanings of self-esteem and self-efficacy, clarifies the relationship between the two perceptions of the self, and discusses how an understanding of them can lead to better organization management. An empirical examination explore...

Examines business books from the point of view of managerial readers, listing the desirable elements of “bestsellers” and suggesting ways of making their reading worthwhile, including a hierarchy of learning. Goes on to critique bestsellers, discussing a range of aspects from their credentials to their practicability. Concludes that managers must b...

Behavioral plasticity theory is offered as an explanation for the moderating effects of self-esteem on role perception-employee response relationships. According to this theory, because individuals with low self-esteem are more reactive than their counterparts with high selfesteem, they are more susceptible to adverse role conditions, such as role...

A model is developed that explicates one process through which employee ownership operates, leading to a set of social-psychological and behavioral effects. Where the formal ownership system is operationalized such that it leads to psychological ownership, a bonding or integration of the employee-owner with the organization occurs. It is through th...

Explores conditions under which employee ownership could produce positive social-psychological and behavioral effects. The concept of employee ownership is examined as well as how and when employee ownership formally influences work groups and work-related attitudes, motivation, and behaviors. Several recommendations are presented for the design an...

Numerous business books have become popular (in terms of sales in the US) in the 1980s. Assuming that there is value in them for organisational managers, one issue to be addressed is how management development programmes can best incorporate these materials. The pros and cons of reading popular business books are summarised, a series of alternative...

The article introduces the construct "organization-based self-esteem" and its measurement. We developed a partial nomological network resulting in a set of hypotheses that guided efforts lo validate the construct and its measurement. Homogeneity of scale items, test-retest and internal consistency reliability, and convergent, discriminant, incremen...

This paper reports the development, refinement, and initial validation of an instrument to measure attitudes toward change. It is shown that attitudes toward change in general and toward multiple specific changes are all distinct. Adequate reliability of the scales is demonstrated and needs for further development and validation are noted.

Three different studies examine moderating effects of focus of attention at work on leader-follower relationships, using the typology developed by Howell, Dorfman, and Kerr (1986). Survey data were collected from over 1300 subjects. Results indicate that: (1) high focus on the supervisor while at work enhances leader behaviour-subordinate satisfact...

This article examines the role of employee focus of attention- and the target of this focus-on employee reactions to organizational change efforts. The authors conducted an empirical study of 476 clerical workers in three regional offices of a large insurance company. Subjects were assigned either to an experimental group-which underwent job change...

This study tracked the development of organizational commitment from a pre-employment period through the first three months of employment. All major linkages in the Mowday, Porter and Steers (1982) model of the determinants of organizational commitment were tested and supported. Commitment had a strong association with behavioral intentions to turn...

This investigation provides an examination of the validity of the Job Diagnostic Survey (JDS) and the Job Characteristics Inventory (JCI). The verbal content of the two measure is examined, as are the contrasts between the verbal content of these scales and the verbal content of three popular measures of job satisfaction. The Minnesota Contextual C...

This study is a constructive replication of investigations into the technology-job design relationship. It is hypothesized that the utilization of a preprogrammed/system controlled technology reduces environmental variance resulting in routine (simple) versus non-routine (complex) job designs. Empirically it was noted that employees perceive and de...

This study investigated the effects of four sources of environmental structuring on employee responses. These sources are job, technology, work unit, and leader behavior. Main, joint, and interactive effects were examined. Job structure had the strongest effect. It was demonstrated that technology, job, and work unit structure were found to be subs...

Examined the relationship between 6 dimensions of flexible work schedules and employee attitude and behavior variables in 188 employees working under 8 work schedules. Ss were administered a survey questionnaire that included the short form of the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire. Results reveal a positive association between work flexibility a...

Recent research has produced seemingly contradictory findings for the moderating effect of job context satisfaction on job-contentl worker-response relationships. Four sets of possible explanations are explored: chance occurrence, sample distribution artifacts, common method variance, and a series of alternative conceptual explanations. Psychologic...

An expost facto designed investigation compared employee affective and behavioral responses to four work schedules—a fixed-hour schedule and three variations of flexible working hours. Hypothesized systematic differences in employee responses reflecting increasing degrees of flexibility were not supported. However, employees generally responded mor...

An elaboration of Davis, England and Lofquist's (1968) work adjustment model is employed to explain how flexible working hours can influence employee satisfaiction, performance, absenteeism, tenure, organizational commitment, and job involvement. Through need full illment, stress reduction, and the harmonization of work with human circadian rhythms...

Reviews studies of the relationship of job design and redesign (including skill required, variety afforded, autonomy allowed, identity of the task required, significance of the task required, feedback given, and friendship opportunities offered) to employee satisfaction and performance. (JM)