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Uni- and bimanual control across the adult lifespan - age and expertise, behavior and neurophysiological correlates

Solveig Vieluf — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 16:08:24 +0100

Age-related differences in fine motor control are characterized by general slowing and higher variability. Little is known about the early stages of the deterioration of fine motor control. The main research question of my dissertation was how age and expertise influence fine motor control during the middle-aged lifespan with particular attention to possible effects of task characteristics, i.e. uni- or bimanual tasks, required various target profiles, speeds, and force levels. Three series of experiments have been conducted using uni- and bimanual tasks in different age groups (young, early middle-aged, and late middle-aged adults) and practice levels (novices and experts) collecting kinetic (force control and coordination) and neurophysiological (EEG) data. Performance deteriorated with increasing age. Age-related differences were higher in bi- than in unimanual tasks and in tasks requiring comparably high force production per time. Reduced attention allocation with increasing age was a decisive factor - deficits occurred during innervating both hands at the same time, integrating different coordination patterns of both hands, and integrating visual feedback. Additionally, middle-aged compared to younger adults initiated corrective movements more slowly. Experts outperformed novices in all tasks. This indicates positive plasticity. Fine motor control of experts was more efficient on a behavioral as well as a neurophysiological level. Age affects fine motor control already in middle-aged adults. The amount of remarkable age-related loss depends on task characteristics. Extensive and dexterous use of hands leads to maintenance or even improvement of fine motor control. Our results contribute to a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of age- and expertise-related differences in fine motor control and they provide useful starting points to future research on bimanual coordination, learning, and neurophysiological correlates over the lifespan.

Neurophysiological Correlates of Tactile Perception: Age-Related Differences in Tactile Perception and Tactile Learning

Eva-Maria Reuter — Tue, 09 Feb 2016 16:29:19 +0100

With age, one's tactile perception declines. But tactile expertise and short-term tactile learning can induce cortical plasticity and improve tactile perception. Thus, tactile learning might contribute to the maintenance of tactile perception. Open questions were how age and expertise influence tactile perception and learning in middle-aged adults and how the respective electrophysiological correlates are shaped by age, expertise, and learning. We investigated tactile discrimination and event-related potentials as markers of somatosensory and cognitive processing. Participants were of different age groups [young (18-25 years), early middle-aged (35-45 years), and late middle-aged adults (55-65 years)] and expertise levels [non-experts (service employees) and experts (precision mechanics)]. Learning was induced by repetitive tactile stimulation. Late middle-aged performed worse than young and early middle-aged adults. Somatosensory excitability increased and processing speed reduced with age. P300 topography suggested attempted compensation and reduced availability of attentional resources in late middle-aged non-experts. Experts outperformed non-experts, revealed greater somatosensory excitability, and needed less attentional resources, as compared to non-experts. This suggested that comparable electrophysiological changes induced by age and expertise have different underlying mechanisms. Experts improved more than non-experts from the intervention, indicating meta-plasticity. Lower baseline performance was associated with higher learning. Intervention-related changes in P300 indicated that younger adults processed tactile stimuli faster, while older adults became better able to cognitively evaluate the stimuli. Experts established more specific brain activation, with a strong parietal-to-frontal gradient, pointing to more automated processing. Results further the understanding of tactile perception in middle-aged adults and opened up new research questions.

Human Resource Management Systems and Workforce Age - The Macro Leverage of Micro Phenomena

Jörg Korff — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 15:05:29 +0100

This thesis focuses on the links between organizations' HR systems and the developmental dynamics of aging workforces and their consequences for behavioral and attitudinal work outcomes, which precede organizational performance. Building on tenets and central findings of lifespan developmental psychology, a research model is conceptually developed, that integrates age-contingent individual-level processes as mediators between HR systems and organizational outcomes. According propositions are derived that address essential facets of the framework for the age-related alignment of HR practices. Next, two distinct bundles, i.e. growth and maintenance-enhancing HR practices, are conceptually developed. Combining macro and micro perspectives of strategic human resource management and applied psychology, we draw on social exchange theory and emotion regulation processes to hypothesize (a) a main effect of growth-enhancing practices on affective organizational commitment, (b) main effects of both bundles of HR practices on in-role behavior, and (c) moderating effects of age and maintenance-enhancing practices on work outcomes such that increasing employees' age attenuates the HR practices' positive impact. The results of a multilevel study comprising 600 employees and their direct supervisors of 59 business units provide evidence for the hypothesized main effects on affective commitment and the interaction between age and maintenance-enhancing practices on work outcomes. Furthermore, this thesis examines the role of employees' future time perspective for the association between HR systems and work-related attitudes. Drawing on socioemotional selectivity theory and emotion regulation processes, indirect effects of bundles of HR practices on job satisfaction and organizational commitment through future time perspective were hypothesized and empirically tested. The results of a multilevel study comprising 1,540 employees of 75 business units provide evidence for (a) direct effects of HR practices on workforce's future time perspective and (b) indirect effects demonstrating the mediation of bundles of HR practices on job satisfaction and organizational commitment through future time perspective. The results, theoretical contributions, future research directions, and practical implications are discussed.

Selbstbezogene Weisheit : ein Instrument zur Messung von Persönlichkeitsreife : Entwicklung, Validierung und Alterseffekte

Charlotte Mickler — Wed, 03 Feb 2016 13:57:46 +0100

The goals of this study were to develop a conception of self-related wisdom as one form of maturity, to develop and validate an instrument for measuring it and to examine age effects in self-related wisdom. Existing conceptions of personal maturity were examined for overlapping aspects and the extracted characteristics were integrated with the Berlin Wisdom Paradigm. The resulting concept of self-related wisdom is defined by 5 criteria, 2 basic-criteria: self-knowledge and growth- and self-regulation; and 3 meta-criteria: interrelating the self, self-relativism and tolerance of ambiguity. In a structured interview 161 adults, 83 between 20-40, 78 between 60-80, were asked to think aloud about the question "how are you as a friend?".10 raters (2 per criterion) rated the protocols according to the criteria of self-related wisdom on a Likert-scale. The results showed satisfactory interraterreliability. Indicators of maturity predicted self-related wisdom significantly better than indicators of adaptivity. Life events and fluid intelligence showed an inverted u-shaped relationship with self-related wisdom, crystalline intelligence was linearly positively related to it. Self-transcendent values were positively associated with self-related wisdom, whereas self-centered values were not. Concerning mean-level differences older adults performed lower in the metacriteria, which was partly due to their lower fluid intelligence and openness for experience. In the basic criteria older adults showed a tendency to perform better than younger adults. The correlational patterns confirmed the hypotheses and the construct validity of the new measure. The age differences are interpreted as resulting from a complex interplay of developmental tasks, age-related deficits causing a change of goals, and cohort effects like different upbringing and societal developments. It is discussed whether older adults tend to be experts in leading an adaptive life, rather than in self-related wisdom.

Interaktion zwischen älteren Menschen und Jugendlichen : ein psychologisch förderlicher sozialer Kontext für beide Seiten? : eine experimentelle Laborstudie im theoretischen Rahmen der Entwicklungspsychologie der Lebensspanne

Eva-Marie Kessler — Tue, 02 Feb 2016 13:20:29 +0100

In dieser Dissertation wird argumentiert, dass intergenerationelle Beziehungen außerhalb der Familie zur positiven Entwicklung im hohen Alter und in der Adoleszenz beitragen können. Ausgehend von Eriksons Entwicklungstheorie (Erikson, 1963) wird die Annahme hergeleitet, dass die Beziehung zwischen älteren Menschen und Jugendlichen eine günstige motivationale Basis hat, weil sich die Entwicklungsaufgaben des Alters (Generativität) und der Adoleszenz (Identität) gegenseitig ergänzen. Angenommen wird, dass die Realisation dieser motivationalen Passung in einer konkreten Interaktionssituation typische Defizite des Alters (fluide Intelligenz und kognitiv-affektive Komplexität) und der Adoleszenz (soziale Orientierung) kompensiert. Diese Annahme wurde in einem experimentellen Laborsetting an einer Stichprobe von 90 jugendlichen (14-15 Jahre) und 90 älteren Frauen (70-74 Jahre) untersucht. In allen drei Bedingungen bearbeiteten ad hoc Dyaden unterschiedlicher Alterszusammensetzung zunächst bestimmte vorgegebene Aufgaben, die sich systematisch danach unterschieden, inwieweit sie die motivationale Passung förderten. Die Interaktionspartner wurden unmittelbar nach dieser Interaktion getrennt voneinander in den abhängigen Variablen untersucht. Hypothesenkonform zeigten die älteren Teilnehmerinnen in der die motivationale Passung fördernden Experimentalbedingung ein höheres Ausmaß an kognitiver Leistungsfähigkeit und kognitiv-affektiver Komplexität als die älteren Teilnehmerinnen in den beiden Kontrollgruppen, welche die motivationale Passung nicht unterstützten bzw. ihr zuwider liefen. Außerdem zeigten die jugendlichen Teilnehmerinnen unter der Experimentalbedingung häufiger prosoziales Verhalten als jugendliche Teilnehmerinnen unter den beiden Kontrollbedingungen. Die Ergebnisse deuten insgesamt auf das psychologische Potential der Beziehung zwischen älteren Menschen und Jugendlichen hin.

A self-concept measure of personality growth : self-concept maturity (SCM) : development, validation, and age effect

Jessica Dörner — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 15:50:16 +0100

It was the primary goal of this work to develop and validate an indirect and efficient instrument of personality growth that could overcome the typical difficulties of current alternative measures, that is, the problem of social desirability commonly associated with self-report, or costly and time-intensive evaluation procedures. As a theoretical background, literature on the self-concept as well as on personality growth was reviewed. Five self-concept facets were identified as theoretically meaningful indicators of personality growth, namely complexity, integration, affect balance, self-esteem, and value orientation. A modified version self-complexity questionnaire by Linville (1985, 1987) and a part of the Schwartz Value Survey (1992) were used to assess these. Because it was assumed that only a certain combination of the five self-concept facets represented an appropriate operationalization of personality growth, a profile prototype of personality growth was formulated along the lines of the five facets. The similarity of an individual's self-concept profile with this prototype in turn was assumed to reflect his/her level of personality growth or self-concept maturity (SCM). 167 adults completed the instrument as well as various other measures. 78 of the participants were older adults (aged 60-80 years) and 89 younger adults (aged 20-40 years). SCM revealed a high convergent validity with other well-established variables of personality growth and considerable discriminant validity with measures of adjustment. Self- and life reflection was a further significant predictor of SCM, while life events only significantly contributed to SCM when accompanied by a high degree of self- and life reflection. SCM was uncorrelated with chronological age and - against the hypotheses - also with intelligence. Reasons for minor deviations of findings from expectations, as well as possible improvements of the instrument and limitations of the study are discussed.

Bedeutung und Verwendung der Begriffe nachhaltige Entwicklung und Nachhaltigkeit : eine empirische Studie

Siegmar Otto — Thu, 28 Jan 2016 11:45:42 +0100

Empirical research on aging workforce management : secondary data, grounded theory, and case study findings with particular consideration of the automobile industry

Christoph Klaus Streb — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 12:34:46 +0100

The demographic change in many western industrialized societies' populations points to one of the most negative future scenarios in business management: The increasing average age mirrored in the workforce and labor pool. In an industry that relies on physical work performance as an important input factor, such as automobile mass production, this will lead to a workforce that is limited in terms of employability and is thus more expensive, since organizations have to cover absenteeism and/or the loss of value creation on production lines. Empirical evidence demonstrates that increased costs, a lack of flexibility, as well as increased global demands in terms of productivity have resulted in a potential threat to sustainable competitiveness. The successful management of an aging workforce is an evolving field of research that has to date provided little on which advanced studies could be built. This dissertation therefore aims to approach the topic of aging workforce management in the automobile industry in an exploratory manner, clarifying fundamental concepts that have been neglected by managerial sciences, but that are, in fact, elementary and crucial for the development of sound research in future. To achieve this aim, this dissertation presents the cumulated results of three articles, that 1. identify the status quo of the aging workforce management from a management science perspective in theory and practice, 2. provide answers regarding how the aging workforce challenge as a topic and the elements that constitute its management can be defined, and 3. evaluate the effectiveness of applied aging workforce measures in practice.

Personality development in older age : a quasi-experimental, longitudinal field study

Andrea Mühlig-Versen — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 14:29:28 +0100

Embedded in the general conceptual agenda of lifespan developmental psychology and its emphasis on the potential of individual development into old age, the central objective of the present study was to investigate whether participation in a volunteer training program can promote personality development in older age. The program "Erfahrungswissen für Initiativen" was developed by the German Federal Ministry of Family, Seniors, Women and Youth. The aim of the volunteer training program (VTP) was to encourage volunteers to develop a new role identity in the context of civic engagement by developing and initiating their own personal volunteering project. To investigate the impact of the VTP on personality development, participants of the VTP and an active control group of volunteers were assessed three times, before the VTP (T1), after the VTP (T2) and one year later as a follow-up assessment (T3). In addition, a second control group consisting of inactive, non-volunteers were recruited to validate the comparability of the active control group. The results showed that participation in the VTP increased personality adjustment by increasing life satisfaction and by decreasing negative affect and neuroticism from T1 to T2. Even though life satisfaction decreased again, negative affect and neuroticism remained decreased from T2 to T3. In accordance with the proposition that for personality growth to occur it takes a very special combination of personal and contextual factors, only participants of the VTP with high internal control beliefs increased in "personal growth" and "openness to experience" from T1 to T2. From T2 to T3 levels on "personal growth" remained elevated, while "openness to experience" increased even further. Taken together, the study presents an initial piece of evidence that by giving elderly the opportunity to participate in a meaningful way in society personality development is possible, even in older age.

Family biographies and retirement processes : a comparative analysis of West Germany and the United Kingdom

Anette Eva Fasang — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 11:31:45 +0100

Over the past decades population aging put retirement policies at the center of political debate and academic research. Women are at a higher risk of poverty in retirement across advanced societies and therefore a key target group for social policy. Yet, retirement research has largely concentrated on how employment histories determine labor market exit of men. In a comparison of West Germany and the United Kingdom this thesis addresses how gender inequality in old age emerges over the life course and which role institutions play in this process. Two main arguments are put forward. To advance our understanding of gender inequality in retirement it is necessary to (1) develop alternative retirement measures beyond labor force exit, and (2) include family events over the life course as predictors of retirement outcomes. Based on the conceptual foundation of differential life course sociology alternative measures of retirement are proposed and empirically explored with recent advances in sequence analysis. Divorce and child care periods are included as determinants of retirement outcomes in event history analysis. Based on household panel data, results from both methodological approaches underline the power of pension institutions in shaping retirement processes and pension consequences of family events. The thesis concludes that changing family arrangements call for a shift in the design of pension systems to compensate not only full employment histories of male breadwinners, but diversified work life histories of men and women.

Emphatie : Gewinne und Verluste im Erwachsenenalter

David Richter — Wed, 20 Jan 2016 16:36:56 +0100

Chances and barriers for the prolongation of working life : interaction between state and company policies in Poland and Western Germany

Paula Aleksandrowicz — Fri, 15 Jan 2016 14:59:39 +0100

This study examines the institutional and organisational determinants of the early exit trend in Germany and Poland and future prospects thereof. It adopts a diachronic time frame (from the 1970s till present) and analyses legislative changes in the field of pension and labour market policy (macro level), changes of individual retirement preferences (micro level) and changes of firm policies with regard to older workers (micro level). The applied methods are qualitative case studies in 31 German and Polish establishments, analysis of policy documents and scholarly literature and secondary analysis of official statistical data. The results confirm theories which combine rational choice and institutional approaches, as proposed by Mayntz/Scharpf (1995) or Windhoff-Héritier (1991). In particular, firms (and individual workers) slowly adapt to opportunities and restrictions, as well as to normative expectations, set by institutions (e.g. the raised retirement age). However, structural determinants like the situation on the sales and labour market, rationalisation processes and ownership transformations clearly influence when and which adaptation patterns will be adopted. The cross-national comparison has revealed that differences between Polish and German firms with regard to the effect their personnel policy has on the integration, resp. externalisation of older workers exceed branch similarities across both countries. That can be explained with the country-specific national and sectoral institutions which create restrictions and opportunities for firm behaviour, and with socio-economic constraints. With regard to institutional determinants of early exit, Germany is better positioned than Poland and is more likely to further raise the employment rate of older workers.

To be or not to be at risk: Reactions to blood pressure and cholesterol feedback in a South Korean sample

Martina Panzer — Fri, 15 Jan 2016 11:40:21 +0100

Reactions to cholesterol and blood pressure feedback were explored in a South Korean sample. The prevailing researcher-oriented approach towards studying reactions is contrasted with a more recipient-oriented one in which spontaneous reactions are assessed through thought listing tasks. In Study 1, a coding system was developed to explore array and base rates of reactions. Reactions related to emotions, risk feedback valence, feedback expectedness and future lifestyle were found most frequently, across different threat levels. Importantly, three of those reaction types are underrepresented in previous research. Consideration of feedback valence, expectedness, and future lifestyle point towards the adaptivity of reactions. In Study 2 thought-listing data were used to explore array, base rates, and co-occurrences of spontaneous reactions on a more specific level, applying a network perspective. Emotions, risk feedback valence, feedback expectedness, and future lifestyle form large and well-connected nodes in a network of reactions. The network highlights previously neglected relevant reactions and provides a group-level background against which individual reactions can be evaluated. When reaction patterns of varying adaptivity were explored, patterns in accordance with feedback valence were predominant after positive but also negative feedback. Study 3 explored hindsight bias following health risk feedback, using questionnaire data. Overall, hindsight bias was found, with higher levels of bias and marginally lower levels of resultant surprise after unexpected positive compared with unexpected negative feedback. Those who displayed the bias reported lower levels of resultant surprise than those whose hindsight estimates were accurate. Thus, hindsight bias can occur in Eastern samples after self-relevant outcomes, and feedback valence and surprise appear to play similar roles as in Western samples. The thesis is part of the project Risk Appraisal Consequences in Korea.

Age Climate : age stereotypes in organizations and older workers

Carl Martin Gunter Noack — Thu, 14 Jan 2016 17:07:55 +0100

Age climate describes how favorably older employees are perceived within a given organization. It integrates research on organizational (and psychological) climates and research on age stereotypes in the workplace. The main goals of this dissertation were (1) to develop the construct of age climate and present an instrument for its measurement, (2) to investigate relationships of individual (psychological) age climate perceptions with work-related outcomes at the individual level, including interindividual differences in these relationships, and (3) to assess the consensual validity of the developed scale as well as to explore relationships of the shared organizational age climate perceptions with organizational level outcomes. Study 1 demonstrates the usefulness of the Psychological Age Climate Scale (PACS). In a sample of 302 older employees (age 40+) from 8 companies, the PACS showed a high reliability and clear single factor structure. A fixed-effects approach to clustering revealed significant associations between psychological age climate (PAC) and older employees’ organizational commitment. In Study 2, analysis of a sample of 273 older workers (age 40-63) from different occupations revealed that the perception of a less favorable age climate was related to lower work ability. This relationship was stronger at higher ages. At higher ages Selection, Optimization, and Compensation strategy use buffered the detrimental effect of an unfavorable PAC on work ability. Study 3 introduces the concept of organizational age climate (OAC), defined as employees’ shared perceptions of how favorable older workers are perceived within their organization. Analysis of data from n = 204 employees age 45+ from 8 companies confirmed the consensual validity of OAC. Moreover, companies have significantly different OACs. Analysis of a sub-sample of three companies provides first evidence that companies’ OAC is related to their personnel, knowledge, and health management practices.

School-To-Work Transitions of Second Generation Migrants in West Germany and the Netherlands

Sara-Izabella Geerdes — Tue, 12 Jan 2016 14:29:06 +0100

The thesis deals with the question whether children of labour migrants in West Germany and the Netherlands who have been born in the receiving countries―2.gen. migrants―ended up in worse first jobs than natives with similar background characteristics. It describes immigration histories and national institutional arrangements that shape labour market entrances of 2.gen. migrants in the countries, who both have large groups of Turkish migrants, similar vocational training systems and labour market structures. In addition to school and firm-based apprenticeships, the Dutch vocational training system offers exclusively school-based vocational training. The question was whether firm- and school-based apprenticeships bridge labour market entrances in both countries. The thesis presents the theoretical mechanisms that shape labour market entrances of specific ethnic groups in a framework of ‘composition’ and ‘distribution’ factors. Based on SOEP and Dutch register data different event history analyses techniques were used to analyse timing and quality of entrances jointly and with regard to first full-/part-time, temporary, permanent and low/high occupational status jobs. Two ethnic groups could be distinguished (DE: Turkish vs. Italian/Spanish/Greek; NL: Turkish/Moroccan vs. Arubean/Surinamese/Netherlands Antillean). Disadvantages of Turkish 2.gen. migrants in Germany were due to their worse written language proficiency, while they persisted for Turkish and Moroccan 2.gen. migrants in the Netherlands. German apprenticeships significantly facilitated labour market entrances, while this did not apply to firm and school-based vocational training in the Netherlands. One main conclusion is that policy measures targeted at the human capital composition are not sufficient, but that additional measures supporting job search and hiring processes are necessary to improve school-to-work transitions of 2.gen. migrants in Germany and the Netherlands.

From individual to organization : knowledge sharing within firms and knowledge protection between firms

Chunli Zhao — Fri, 18 Dec 2015 11:33:52 +0100

This dissertation aims to synthesize relevant theories on knowledge sharing and knowledge protection from multiple disciplines that advance our understanding of the factors that facilitate knowledge sharing within firms and impede imitation between firms. It consists of an introduction, conclusion, and three independent studies on different topics. The first study investigated the antecedents to hierarchical knowledge sharing within organizations in China. The second one explored employees' preference for different knowledge sharing tools. The third study analyzed organizational strategies to protect key knowledge against counterfeiters. Quantitative design and qualitative method were applied in this research. Through regression modeling and between-subject design, the empirical findings of the study on a medium-sized Chinese company (N=860) revealed antecedents to employees' knowledge sharing with their supervisors. The identified independent variables that had direct effects were affect-based trust, power distance, and affect commitment. In an attempt to identify the determinants of employees' usage of different knowledge sharing tools, between-subject design helped to identify the key effects of openness to give and seek knowledge, trust, and role-breadth self-efficacy. Finally, the third study suggests a comprehensive anti-counterfeit strategy model aimed at helping companies to understand different sources of threats within the unique Chinese environment. This strategy model is aimed at examining and improving companies' existing corporate strategies against counterfeiting, and, lastly, it aims at developing and introducing new and effective approaches against counterfeiting. The model includes five different strategic perspectives, and implications for practice and suggestions for future research were drawn from the study findings.

Images of aging are related to the plasticity of adult development

Catherine E. Bowen — Thu, 10 Dec 2015 17:08:16 +0100

Images of Aging Are Related to the Plasticity of Adult Development Catherine Bowen 150 images of aging, age stereotypes, lifespan psychology, adult development, work and aging Empirical studies have demonstrated that images of aging influence acute functionality as well as long-term development. In this dissertation I (a) contribute to building a more complete theoretical framework for understanding how images of aging affect adults' acute functionality and long-term development and (b) empirically investigate images of aging in the work context and their relationship with developmental and work-related outcomes. In particular, I investigate the construct of older worker meta-stereotypes, that is, what people think other people think about older workers, in a given work context. Drawing on the lifespan framework of development, a broader aim of the dissertation is to demonstrate that images of aging are related to the plasticity of adult development. After a review of the images of aging literature, I present a theoretical framework based on the tenets of lifespan psychology to describe how images of aging affect both acute functionality and long-term development. In a theoretical analysis, I critically discuss the effects of age stereotype activation experiments and the inconsistent results in this literature. I present an integrated model of the mechanisms by which age stereotypes affect functioning and suggest a number of personal factors that may moderate the effects of age stereotype activation. Moreover, I discuss the age-trends of these moderating factors. I present the results of three empirical studies on a sample of working adults (N =337). I demonstrate the meaningfulness of the older worker meta-stereotype construct. Furthermore, I empirically demonstrate that images of aging (in the work context) are related to (a) promotion regulatory focus and (b) turnover intentions. I interpret the results from a developmental as well as an organizational perspective. I conclude with a discussion of the results of the dissertation as a whole as well as whether images of aging can be changed and make suggestions for future research.

Knowledge Transfer in Teams and Its Role for the Prevention of Knowledge Loss

Daniela Noethen — Mon, 30 Nov 2015 10:13:23 +0100

With the demographic change and the imminent waves of retirement, a threat of knowledge loss for organizations becomes more and more apparent. In my dissertational work, I focused on knowledge transfer within work teams as one important means to counteract this development. More specifically, I first investigated, in a cross-sectional survey study in two German mid-sized companies, how knowledge transfer can be encouraged or impaired, and what kind of distinctions have to be made (e.g., effects at different levels of analysis) to reach conclusive and valid results when examining knowledge transfer. In a second study, which was again a survey study, conducted at three branches of a German public administration, I took a closer look at intergenerational knowledge transfer. The aim was to investigate if there is naturally more knowledge transfer from older to younger employees. Thus, age effects at three different levels, the dyadic level (age difference between two employees), the individual level (age), and the team level (age diversity) were examined. As both, the first and the second research questions rather focus on predictors of knowledge transfer, the third research aim was to investigate what happens to knowledge transfer in situations of a threat of knowledge loss for the organization. To this end, I examined, based on data from the second study, if employees share less knowledge when they intend or expect to leave the organization. For all three research questions, data were analyzed using multilevel analyses, taking into account the nested data structure of employees in teams, and simultaneously investigating predictors at different levels. Following an introductory chapter, the three empirical parts are described in more detail, providing theoretical background, methods used, and results obtained as well as a discussion of results for each research paper. The dissertation concludes with a general discussion of the findings of the different papers.

Measuring Stress: Assessment of cortisol as psychobiological marker for chronic work stress and burnout

Maren Wolfram — Thu, 19 Nov 2015 11:36:41 +0100

Chronic stress has since long been identified as risk factor for physical and mental health. Evidence from epidemiological research has been accumulated showing that chronic stress at work is a relevant risk factor for the development of disease. In order to design appropriate stress intervention and prevention strategies, a deeper understanding of how stress affects human physiology is essential. The biological mechanisms underlying the adverse effects of stress on health are not yet well understood. Recent studies suggest that an altered regulation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis with its end-product cortisol might be a biological pathway underlying the link between stress and disease. Cortisol thus might serve as a pre-clinical marker for work stress and burnout and could be used for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. However, the direction of HPA axis dysregulation remains unclear with reported HPA hyper- or hypoactivity. One potential source for the divergence in the literature might be of methodological origin. Differences in study design, assessment techniques of cortisol and HPA axis regulation as well as assessments of confounding variables might have contributed to the inconclusive pattern of results. Also, different levels of HPA axis functioning might be differentially affected by distinct work stress conditions. The present work thus aimed to identify factors in assessment of cortisol that could help to reduce this inconsistency. Three empirical studies were conducted. The studies contribute to our understanding of how stress can be "measured" by using cortisol as pre-clinical marker. Several methodological issues are addressed concerning the assessment of different dimensions of HPA axis functioning and recommendations for future research in the area of psychoneuroendocrinological stress research are given. Furthermore, some conclusions regarding altered HPA axis activity under conditions of chronic stress exposure are drawn as well.

Burnout and Performance in Organizations An Investigation of the Interplay of Individual and Job Characteristics

Nicolas Feuerhahn — Thu, 19 Nov 2015 11:34:25 +0100

This dissertation examined under which conditions stressful working conditions relate to emotional exhaustion and how emotional exhaustion affects individual performance. Emotional exhaustion, which refers to a depletion of emotional resources, is considered to be the core component of burnout. Burnout has become an important issue for individuals at work and their organizations. Therefore, interest in this concept from researchers and practitioners has increased dramatically over the past twenty years. Despite knowing that stressful job conditions are potential antecedents of emotional exhaustion, we know much less about factors that can alter this relationship as well as about consequences of emotional exhaustion. This dissertation addressed this gap in three empirical studies, which are summarized below. The first study tested whether matching and non-matching resources buffer detrimental effects of job demands on emotional exhaustion. The second study examined whether a person characteristic (overcommitment) aggravates effects of stressful working conditions on emotional exhaustion and job performance. The third study investigated if emotional exhaustion relates to cognitive performance and job performance. Study 1 investigated whether interaction effects between job demands and resources on emotional exhaustion are more likely if these three concepts’ dimensions match (emotional, cognitive or physical). I tested the Demand-Induced Strain Compensation (DISC) model’s proposition that matching resources are more likely to buffer job demands’ detrimental effects on job strain, such as emotional exhaustion, than non-matching resources. I retrieved data from 177 school teachers; a subsample was re-examined after a time lag of about 21 months (N= 56). Unlike previous DISC studies, I tested the interaction between demands and resources with at least two demands per dimension, increasing the reliability of my findings. Focusing on the dimensions of demands and resources and their match introduces a new theoretical approach to research on teacher burnout. The present study contributes to the literature by testing the DISC model with a longitudinal design in a sample of German school teachers, including a statistical test of the triple-match hypothesis. Linear regression analyses revealed concurrent and lagged main and interaction effects of emotional and cognitive job demands and resources on emotional exhaustion. In large parts, job demands were positively and resources were negatively related to emotional exhaustion. Moreover, resources buffered detrimental effects of job demands. Results mainly supported the propositions of the DISC model which provides a valuable theoretical framework for the study of interaction effects in occupational health psychology and, in particular, for interventions to reduce job strain in teachers. Because reducing job demands is not always feasible, I propose that interventions should also target improving teachers’ resources (e.g., emotional support) in order to reduce emotional exhaustion among teachers. Such interventions would likely benefit from considering the dimension of working conditions and outcomes by focusing on matching concepts. Study 2 focused on the often neglected interaction hypothesis of the model of Effort-Reward Imbalance with its two components effort-reward imbalance (ERI) and overcommitment (OC), which proposes that OC potentiates the detrimental relationships between ERI and the outcomes, here emotional exhaustion and job performance. ERI represents an imbalance between work-related costs (in the model termed efforts) and occupational gains (in the model termed rewards). Overcommitted employees are characterized by a motivational pattern of excessive work-related commitment and a high need for approval. They have difficulties to withdraw from work and are disproportionally irritable. I applied multilevel modeling based on data from 152 employees nested in 20 teams from a German manufacturing company. As predicted, results showed that ERI was positively related to emotional exhaustion and negatively related to supervisor-rated job performance while OC was unrelated to emotional exhaustion and job performance. Thereby, Study 2 extends the scope of the ERI model by being the first study that relates ERI to supervisor-rated job performance as an organizational outcome. Importantly, testing the interaction hypothesis by taking OC into account as a moderator, results showed that OC significantly aggravated the associations between ERI and emotional exhaustion as well as between ERI and job performance. Especially for overly committed employees, balanced working conditions appear to be important to prevent emotional exhaustion and to avoid performance decrements. Therefore, it seems crucial to identify these employees and take special care of them, for example, by offering trainings to alter their work-related attitudes of approval and commitment. Study 3 investigated how emotional exhaustion, as a state of depleted resources and compromised executive control, relates to cognitive performance, job performance, and health. Theoretically, I assumed that executive control deficits impair cognitive performance. I further assumed that exhausted employees are less likely to invest their remaining resources and thus show lower job performance. Because emotional exhaustion evolves gradually, I focused on working and apparently healthy teachers reporting various levels of exhaustion. Unlike most previous studies, I applied a longitudinal design, which offers more insight into the direction of effects. The combination of longitudinal data, multiple-source data, and the assessment of various individual performance facets collected in a non-clinical sample make a novel study that contributes to the literature of burnout and cognitive performance. As hypothesized, cross-sectional linear regression analyses of 100 teachers showed that emotional exhaustion was significantly negatively related to cognitive performance, indicated by self- and peer-rated cognitive impairments as well as performance decrements in a neuropsychological learning and memory test (all p < .05). Longitudinal linear regression analyses confirmed this for self- and peer-rated cognitive impairments by trend (p < .10). In these longitudinal linear regression analyses, work-related exhaustion also significantly predicted self-rated physical health. However, emotional exhaustion did not affect self-rated job performance, which might be explained with the compensatory control model. In tests of reversed causation, none of the outcome variables at Time 1 predicted change in emotional exhaustion at Time 2. This speaks against cognitive impairments serving as a vulnerability factor for exhaustion. In sum, findings contribute to the understanding of the burnout syndrome. Results underpin the negative consequences of emotional exhaustion for cognitive performance and health that are relevant for individuals and organizations alike. To sum up, this dissertation extended research on work-related emotional exhaustion and individual performance. More specifically, interaction hypotheses were tested within a recently developed and an established theoretical job strain model—the DISC model and the ERI model, respectively. Additional variables were integrated in the models, such as conflicts with colleagues and emotional support in the DISC model or job performance in the ERI model, and thus extended their scopes. Moreover, consequences of emotional exhaustion for cognitive performance were examined. Methodologically, longitudinal and multilevel study designs as well as supervisor- and peer-ratings as well as laboratory test data add to the current state of research. Taken together, results presented in this work showed that protective resources and vulnerability factors moderate relationships between stressful working conditions and emotional exhaustion and should be taken into account when thinking about work place interventions. Finally, this work underpins the relevance of emotional exhaustion for individual functioning with the finding that emotional exhaustion can impair cognitive performance and health.