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Handbook of The Biological Foundations of Organizational Behavior (University of Chicago Press, under contract). Richard Arvey (National University of Singapore) and I are editing this handbook. The book should be published in late 2012. A Dog's World. Cutting-edge organizations, such as Google, allow employees to bring their dogs to work. Dogs are ubiquitous as pets, working animals, and companions. Dogs were arguably the first animals domesticated by humans, about 12,000 years ago. Drawing from evolutionary psychology and natural history, graduate students Chris Honts, Matt Christiansen, and I are developing and testing a theoretical model on the effects of the presence of dogs on workgroup productivity, creativity, and morale. Primary Health Environment. MiHyang An (I/O graduate student), Melanie Essayans (I/O graduate student), Meng Lee (I/O graduate student), Kim O'Brien (I/O faculty member) and I are developing a survey which examines associations between work environment design and employee well-being. We believe that employee well-being and health depends on certain environmental inputs for optimal mental and physical health. This study investigates the effects of sunlight, greenery, noise, and physical activity on depression, anxiety, physical symptoms, as well as job and organizational satisfaction. Preliminary results indicate that noise is most related to our outcome variables and that exposure to sunlight and visual greenery are independently related to organizational satisfaction. This study was first developed and piloted by Caitlin Demsky (a former CMU undergraduate, now in the I/O Ph.D. program at Portland State University). Gossip in Organizations. Shane Curtis (an undergraduate student), Bernard Voss (I/O graduate student), and Rob Minjock (I/O graduate student) are currently working to develop a typology of gossip and a scale to measure gossip in organizations. Gossip is difficult to define but is typically considered informal communication about individuals or events within a social context. The content of gossip varies and can be both positive and negative. From an evolutionary point of view gossip developed as a function of the move from hunter-gather tribes to civilizations. Gossip was a tool used to convey information about others behaviors. Gossip serves our ability to predict and influence the behavior of potential allies, mates, and rivals by allowing us to develop an elaborate internal representation of them. From a practical point of view gossip can be used to convey information, influence others, and entertain. From a sociological point of view gossip can be used to increase group cohesion, promote self-advancement, and achieve socially important goals. Within an organization gossip can have a negative effect by being a stressor to employees or it can have a positive effect by being a medium for cultural values. |
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