In his landmark study of exchange and power in social life, Peter M. Blau contributes to an understanding of social structure by analyzing the social processes that govern the relations between individuals and groups. The basic question that Blau considers is: How does social life become organized into increasingly complex structures of associations among humans.This analysis, first published in 1964, represents a pioneering contribution to the sociological literature. Blau uses concepts of exchange, reciprocity, imbalance, and power to examine social life and to derive the more complex processes in social structure from the simpler ones. The principles of reciprocity and imbalance are used to derive such processes as power, changes in group structure; and the two major forces that govern the dynamics of complex social structures: the legitimization of organizing authority of increasing scope and the emergence of oppositions along different lines producing conflict and change.
"When evaluating the success of an organization, the value of employees' organizational commitment and the process of knowledge sharing among staff must be considered. As illustrated in this volume, these two concepts are key conditions for organizational success in the contemporary world. This book explores the concept of organizational commitment, what it is, and how to use and understand the value in knowledge management and sharing for both employees and organizations as a whole. A profound analysis of the global literature exposes organizational commitment and knowledge sharing as key determinants of the effectiveness of the organization management process, including human capital management. While much space in the literature on the subject is devoted to the exploration of the above-mentioned concepts, treated as categories subject to separate analysis, the diagnosis and analysis of the relationship between them should be treated as a poorly recognized process. This book fills a research gap, providing a theoretical foundation and important information on organizational commitment and knowledge sharing, highlighting the relationship between both research categories. It will be of interest to researchers, academics, practitioners, and students in the fields of human resource management, leadership, and organizational studies"--
In this era of frequent corporate restructuring and rapid technological change, successful companies must have employees who are open to innovation and to changing roles, and are able to work together productively. Research shows that employees most likely to be adaptable, cooperative, and productive are those who are satisfied with their jobs. Therefore, it is essential that leaders of American business understand how to enhance job satisfaction within their organizations. In Job Satisfaction, top academic researchers in the field share state-of-the-art information on creating job satisfaction, its resulting benefits, and the risks of having too many employees who are dissatisfied with their jobs. As they show, job satisfaction is also an extremely useful predictor for management. An employee's level of job satisfaction is the single most important piece of data a manager or organizational psychologist can have to predict an employee's rate of absenteeism, decision to resign or retire, desire for union representation, or level of psychological withdrawal. Before they can enhance job satisfaction, managers must understand its components. Research demonstrates that an employee's level of satisfaction is based not only on events in the present and past, but also on his perceptions of the future. Foreseeing future opportunities for advancement, for increased pay, for participation in decision-making, or for networking lead to a high level of job satisfaction. In fact, the authors reveal, perceiving future opportunity can actually be more motivating than actually receiving a raise, getting promoted, or being given additional responsibilities. Job Satisfaction dispels the notion that jobstress necessarily leads to dissatisfaction, and shows how an organization should focus on increasing satisfaction rather than just reducing stress. It is especially important for managers to stimulate job satisfaction by improving their employees' sense of achievement through making tasks and their objectives clear, as well as giving feedback. Academics and managers alike will find Job Satisfaction a source of new and useful information for understanding and enhancing satisfaction on the job.
The development of any organization is deeply connected with the influences of its employees. By implementing new competencies in the workforce, both the employees and the business overall can thrive. The Handbook of Research on Human Factors in Contemporary Workforce Development is a pivotal source for the latest scholarly perspectives on social aspects and employee influences on modern business environments. Including a range of topics such as gender diversity, performance appraisal, and job satisfaction, this publication is an ideal reference for academics, professionals, students, and practitioners seeking content on optimizing development in contemporary organizations.
