Dr. Clare Francis, Dr. David Hollingworth, and Dr. Sean Valentine paper accepted into the Journal of Management & Organization

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Clare Francis, Dr. David Hollingworth, and Dr. Sean Valentine from the Department of Management for their recent paper accepted for publication in the Journal of Management & Organization, which is a Level 3 journal on the CoBPA Journal Quality List.

Title: “Supervisor Behavior and Character: A Simulation Study of Employee Helpfulness”

Authors: Clare Francis (University of North Dakota), David Hollingworth (University of North Dakota), and Sean Valentine
(University of North Dakota)

                                                                      Journal of Management & Organization – JQL Level 3

Abstract:

Supervisor character and behavior are key components of an organization’s ethical fabric that should play a role in employee helping behavior. However, research has not fully distinguished how these factors are interrelated. The current study explores these relationships by developing a deeper understanding of ethical language in organizations via thick ethical concepts found in simulation software, supported by affect control theory. Software formulae in these simulations were developed via empirical research conducted over several decades. Simulations provided predictions of employee helpfulness in response to encounters with supervisors of varying ethical characters, enacting a variety of behaviors. The likely impact of supervisor character on employee helpfulness is more substantial than the impact of supervisor behavior.  New insights emerged related to underlying complexities of ethical language, such as the role of cultural meanings of language terms. These outcomes, as well as the associated implications, research limitations, and suggestions for future research, are discussed.