Adapting to a New Country During an Expatriate Mission: The Vital Role of Events and Emotions.

The aim of this study was to identify the most relevant positive and negative events, and their consequent emotional experiences, occurring during the adaptation to a new country in an expatriate mission. We opted to train an artificial neural network to explore the relation between events and emotions since there is increasing evidence of the nonlinear patterns characterizing the adaptation to a new country as well as regarding the superior performance of nonlinear methods for understanding the experience of emotions. We surveyed 99 expatriate workers who reported a total of 221 events and 2,467 associated emotions. Three judges categorized the events, reducing them into 11 categories. The neural network architecture grouped the events into 3 hidden layers, two of them leading to positive emotions and the other one leading exclusively to negative emotions. We found that events related to self-realization and recognition and to overall well-being were the most relevant to the experience of positive emotions while those related to security were the most important predictors of negative emotions. This study addresses a major gap in the expatriates' literature by relating specific occurrences with the phenomenological emotional experience. Practical implications are further discussed.

Studying within-person changes in work, motivation in the short and medium-term: You will likely need more measurement points than You think / Análisis de los cambios intrapersona en la motivación laboral a corto y medio plazo: ¡probablemente necesites más puntos de medición de los que crees

Within-person analysis of data from longitudinal designs has become popular in the field. However, important characteristics of the design can influence that variability. In this paper, we examine how the number of measurement points obtained per participant influences in the within-person variance in work motivation. Using two sources of evidence (a systematic review and an empirical study) we show how the number of assessments substantially influences the amount of within-person variance reaching values of 52%-54% of total variance. We found that a minimum of 25-30 measurement points per participant is required to be rigorous.(AU)

En el estudio de la motivación laboral, el análisis intrapersona de datos provenientes de diseños longitudinales es hoy común en el área. Sin embargo, algunas características del diseño de investigación empleado pueden estar influyendo en la variabilidad intrapersona encontrada. En este trabajo analizamos cómo influye el número de medidas repetidas por participante en la varianza intrapersona de la motivación laboral. Mediante dos estudios (una revisión sistemática y un estudio empírico original) mostramos cómo el número de medidas repetidas influye significativamente en la varianza intrapersona encontrada, que llega a alcanzar valores máximos del 52%-54% sobre el total de la varianza. Para llegar a esos valores de varianza explicada en el caso de la motivación laboral se necesitarían un mínimo de 25-30 medidas repetidas para ser rigurosos en la medida de la varianza intrapersona.(AU)

Teoría de los acontecimientos afectivos: revisión de su impacto y desarrollos en el estudio del afecto en las organizaciones / Affective events theory: a review of its influence and developments in the study of affect in organizations / Teoria dos acontecimentos afetivos: revisão do seu impacto e desenvolvimentos no estudo do afeto nas organizações

La Psicología del Trabajo y de las Organizaciones presta una atención especial al estudio del afecto. Una de las propuestas más influyentes es la teoría de los acontecimientos afectivos (Weiss & Cropanzano, 1996). La teoría explica cómo determinados acontecimientos, influenciados por el ambiente externo, pueden provocar respuestas emocionales que determinarían el comportamiento y las actitudes en el lugar de trabajo. En este estudio se revisa la influencia que ha tenido esta teoría. Tras una búsqueda en PsycINFO® se encontraron 32 artículos que pusieron a prueba tal teoría. Mediante el análisis de esta producción científica se detectó: (a) el auge que la teoría ha tenido en los últimos años (especialmente desde 2008); (b) el fuerte apoyo a las relaciones que la teoría propone, en especial a la cadena acontecimientos-afecto-actitudes, que constituye el núcleo de la teoría; y (c) la aparición de nuevos elementos (i.e., estrategias de afrontamiento) que enriquecen la propuesta original.

Industrial and Organizational Psychology is now presenting much more interest in the study of affect at work. One of the most influential proposals in this regard is affective events theory (Weiss & Cropanzano, 1996). The theory explains how certain events, influenced by the environment, can cause affective responses that, in turn, determine behavior and attitudes in the workplace. We will review here the influence this theory has had. In searching PsycINFO®, 32 papers were found that have tested the theory. In the analysis of this scientific production we could infer: (a) the peak that the theory has had in recent years (especially, since 2008); (b) strong support of the relationships proposed by the theory, especially for the events-affect-attitudes chain, which represents precisely the core of the theory; and (c) the emergence of new elements (i.e., emotion-focused coping) that are enriching the original proposal.

Atualmente, a Psicologia do Trabalho e das Organizações dedica uma atenção considerável ao estudo do afeto. Neste sentido, uma das propostas mais influentes é a teoria dos acontecimentos afetivos (Weiss & Cropanzano, 1996). A teoria explica como determinados acontecimentos, influenciados pelo ambiente externo, podem provocar respostas emocionais que influenciam comportamentos e atitudes no local de trabalho. O objetivo deste estudo é efetuar uma revisão meticulosa acerca da influência desta teoria. Através de uma pesquisa inicial no PsycINFO® foram encontrados 32 artigos que testaram diretamente a teoria. Através da análise desta produção científica se detectou: (a) o auge que a teoria atingiu nos últimos amos (em especial desde 2008); (b) o forte suporte às relações que a teoria propõe, sobretudo à cadeia acontecimentos-afeto-atitudes, a qual constitui precisamente o núcleo da teoria; e (c) a aparição de novos elementos (i.e., estratégias de coping) que vêm enriquecendo a proposta teórica original.

Healthy Variability in Organizational Behavior: Empirical Evidence and New Steps for Future Research.

The healthy variability thesis suggests that healthy systems function in a complex manner over time. This thesis is well-established in fields like physiology. In the field of organizational behavior, however, this relation is only starting to be explored. The objective of this article is threefold: First, we aim to provide a comprehensive review of the healthy variability thesis including some of the most important findings across different fields, with a focus on evidences from organizational research in work motivation and performance. Second, we discuss an opposite pattern, unhealthy stability, i.e., the relationship between unhealthy behaviors and lower variability. Again, we provide evidence from diverse areas, from affective processes to disruptive organizational comportments like mobbing. Third, we provide a critical evaluation of current methodological trends and highlight what we believe to be the main factors that are stopping organizational research from advancing in the field. Theoretical, methodological and epistemological implications are discussed. To conclude, we draw a compilation of the lessons learned, which hopefully provide insights for prolific research avenues. Our main purpose is to raise awareness of the healthy variability thesis and to enthuse organizational researchers to consider it in order to advance existing knowledge, revisit old theories and create new ones.

The emotional contagion scale: factor structure and psychometric properties in a Portuguese sample.

This manuscript examined the psychometric properties and factor structure of the emotional contagion scale in a Portuguese sample. The original scale was first given to a sample of 1445 individuals to verify its internal consistency. Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed. Results suggested that the data from the emotional contagion scale are best fit by a one-factor model. Differences between sexes were assessed and higher susceptibility to emotional contagion was observed in women than in men. Convergent and discriminant validity analyses were also conducted. The Portuguese version of the emotional contagion scale also had good internal consistency and test-retest reliabilities; thus it is a psychometrically sound measure within a Portuguese population.