Home
.
Publications

SMD’s Thought Leadership provides you with data-driven research articles that uncover key Human Capital drivers of important business outcomes. These articles were written through our partnership with leading organizations and universities. To most effectively help our clients achieve their goals, our consultants actively publish and present their business research that focuses on critical organizational issues, including:



Publications


EMPLOYEE RETENTION
Using Analytics to Discover the Causes of Employee Turnover
Strong statistical analysis revealed the key causes of turnover in a large organization of over 6,000 employees. Using data analysis of employee opinion data to discover why turnover happens presents an advantage over traditional exit interviews or using benchmark data from surveys.
Panel discussion to be chaired at the 2009 Conference of the Society for Industrial/Organizational Psychology
How a Climate of Supervisor Support and the Unemployment Rate Impact Part-time Retention
In a study of over 40,000 part-time employees, it was discovered that supervisor support has a direct impact on retention rates. Specific areas of support had a stronger impact than other areas. The unemployment rate in the local economy was also a strong predictor of part-time retention. These finding drove a new HR strategy in the organization to significantly improve part-time retention.
Published in the Journal of Management Development

LEADERSHIP
Effective Management Causes Employees To Promote Their Organization To Customers
Data from over 10,000 employees of a Fortune 100 organization revealed that having and effective manager was a direct cause of employees promoting the organization’s products and service to potential customers.
Presented at the 2007 Conference of the Society for Industrial/Organizational Psychology
How Strong Management Behaviors Create a Safety Climate that Reduces Accidents
In partnership with Oklahoma State University and Eastern Kentucky University, this study, published in the prestigious Journal of Applied Psychology, and based on data from 9,429 transportation workers in 253 work groups clearly shows that strong management—employee relations is a key driver of an effective safety climate. This safety climate directly reduces the number of occupational accidents.
Published in the Journal of Applied Psychology
Participative Management Predicts Managers’ Success and Derailment
In association with the Center for Creative Leadership and the University of Georgia, this study based on data from 19,249 practicing managers in the United States revealed that managers who were rated by their direct reports as displaying the behaviors and characteristics of participative management were rated by their boss as more successful and less likely to display the characteristics and behaviors associated with derailment.
Presented at the 2008 Conference of the Society for Industrial/Organizational Psychology
Personality Characteristics Predict Managerial Derailment
In a study of over 6,000 managers using a 360-degree assessment tool, it was discovered that key aspects of an individual’s personality are highly predictive of manager derailment. Regardless of personality type, managers can decrease their chances of managerial derailment through constant evaluation of their job fit and increasing self-awareness.
Published in the Journal of Business and Psychology
Leadership Development for Organizational Crises
Developing leaders who can effectively manage organizational crises requires tactics not often included in traditional leadership development programs. To best prepare for crises, leaders must learn vicariously through others who have experienced or narrowly avoided crises in the past, practice coping with crises in simulated environments, and develop communication skills and processes that encourage team members to report potential threats and participate in problem-solving efforts.
Published in Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspective on Science and Practice


PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
Measuring Openness to Differences Can Predict Gender and Race Bias in Performance Ratings
Data from a controlled study showed a clear connection between a rater’s level of being open to differences and their performance ratings of people different than themselves in terms of race and gender.
Published in the Human Resource Development Quarterly

Global Performance Judgments are shown to be Valid Ratings of Actual Performance
Data from over 1,500 U.S. Air Force enlisted personnel indicated that performance ratings substantially reflect actual worker behavior in the work sample, and not potentially biasing factors (e.g., race, gender, amount of recent experience). This supports the wisdom that global, overall performance judgments are, in fact, valid and unbiased measures of performance.
Published in Human Performance
 
TEAMS
Development and validation of a teamwork assessment measure and effective team scenarios that enhance performance
An entire measurement system for assessing individual-level and shared team-level expectations for teamwork was developed in this study. The research revealed a relationship between individual- and team-level attitudes and several team-related outcome variables. Effective team scenarios that will enhance strong teamwork attitudes were also discovered.
Published in Organizational Research Method

EMPLOYEE SELECTION
Development of a valid selection measure of receptiveness to dissimilar others
In light of changing demographics one of the biggest future challenges for selection and promotion will be identifying individuals who are able to effectively work with dissimilar others and are receptive to differences in others. A reliable and valid measure of individuals' receptiveness to dissimilar others was developed in a large-scale study.
Published in the International Journal of Selection and Assessment

CAREER DEVELOPMENT
Generational differences in attitudes, beliefs, and preferences about development and learning at work
Significant differences across four generations of employees were discovered in their preferences for development and learning on the job. This has implications for all leaders as customized learning opportunities and offering training utilizing different media will be important in engaging all generations in the workplace.
To be published in the upcoming book: Research in Careers: Vol. 1. Maintaining Focus, Energy, and Options over the Life Span

Managerial support for dual-career relocation dilemmas
In partnership with the University of Georgia and the University of Tennessee: This large-scale study revealed findings indicating that managers offered more extensive assistance to the spouse of a female employee than to the spouse of a male employee. The most common responses were to offer multiple forms of assistance, followed by delegating the issue to human resources.
Published in the Journal of Vocational Behavior
Gender and family structure effects on relocation commitment and spousal support
In partnership with the University of South Florida and the University of Georgia, this study revealed that gender and family structure types directed impacted family commitment to a relocation. The 4 key themes that drove responses were: family concerns, goals and motivation of the job applicant, experience of the job applicant, and individual differences.
Published in Sex Roles
How factors that are not job-related impact relocation opportunities
In partnership with the University of South Florida and the University of Georgia, this large-scale field study found that married women and employees in dual-earner marriages were provided fewer relocation offers than married men and those in single-earner marriages.
Published in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes

EMPLOYMENT LITIGATION
How a climate of strong procedural justice will reduce employment litigation charges
This linkage study at a Fortune 50 organization revealed that employee perceptions of the level of ‘procedural justice’ and the fairness of workplace investigations are the key elements in reducing litigation. The results of this study had a strong impact on the organization’s HR and Legal strategy that significantly reduced their annual litigation costs.
Published in the Journal of Managerial Issues