Special Issues of the European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology – serie

The aim of this issue is to bring together the latest research and practice using qualitative methods in European work and organizational psychology. Work psychology research and practice has traditionally been dominated by the use of quantitative methods. However, the last few years have seen an explosion of interest in qualitative methods and recognition of their potential in casting new light on traditional and emerging issues in the work psychology domain. Despite this, the wide range of qualitative methods used in organizations and work psychology research has not been well documented. By producing this special issue, we hope to stimulate greater interest in alternative and innovative approaches to analysing and understanding work and organizational life.The papers within the issue focus on the applied use of qualitative methods by work and occupational psychology researchers and practitioners. A range of methods and types of organizations are covered. Additionally, an Editorial and and three commentaries upon the collection are included. These draw out the links between the papers generally and highlight the ways forward for researchers and practitioners keen to use qualitative methods in their own work.

Mobbing bullying or harassment, a severe form of social stressor at work, has become a topic of widespread public interest in several European countries. Mobbing includes minor social conflicts such as socially isolating a person, rumours, or giving somebody a bad name, but also major conflicts like giving somebody no work, or work below or above his or her qualification, threats to kick somebody out of the firm, or threats of physical violence. Although mobbing is a very old phenomenon, it has not been described and systematically investigated until the early 1980s when Heinz Leymann started the first research projects in Sweden. This special issue brings together scientists and practitioners from various European countries who have done research and possess practical experience in this area. The book begins with an article that introduces the theoretical concept of mobbing. Several articles follow which report empirical findings on mobbing in Austria, Finland, Germany, Norway and Sweden. These articles deal with questions such as: How oftenn does mobbing occur? Can anybody be affected? Who are the mobbers? Are there organizational causes of mobbing? The articles emphasize the severe health consequences which can be observed in nearly every mobbing victim. One article reports two case studies and describes the medical treatment of mobbing victims. Finally, prevention and intervention measures are summarized which were already successfully used in practice.

Employees' expertise and competence are among the important success factors of today's work organizations. This special issue focuses on expertise and excellent performance within work settings, addressing questions such as: How do excellent performers proceed when accomplishing work tasks? Which strategies do they use? Which aspects of knowledge and behaviour are crucial for excellent work performance? How can you identify, select, and train excellent performers? Expertise at Work combines empirical studies and practitioners' approaches to these challenging issues. In addition, open peer commentaries are provided by academics and practitioners from a number of European countries.

The quality of relationships between leaders and followers continues to be a relevant topic for researchers and practitioners. The importance of that relationship cannot be overestimated because it is a lens through which followers view their entire work experience. Also, the relationship between followers is considered vital for team functioning. To date, there are many unanswered questions regarding various aspects of work relationships. This Special Issue contributes to the examination of the broader context of leader-member dyads. Contributions focus on consensus in follower perceptions of their leader and the level of agreement between leaders and followers on their shared relationship

This special issue focuses on temporal dynamics in teams. Drawing on the distinction between differential and temporal (or variable vs. process) research, recent theories and research practices in the field of team research are discussed to better understand the gap between research objectives and methods in team research. The diverse conceptual, methodological, and empirical articles that make up the special issue illustrate ways of narrowing this gap and thus provide some future directions for the study of time and change in teams.

Research on work and health has mostly focused on the stress caused by the work situation and by job characteristics. However, recovering from the daily strain is also important to maintain a healthy balance between work and private life. Recovery is assumed to take place in people’s private (after work) time. Therefore relevant issues with respect to recovery are: the length of the working day, job characteristics, activities people engage in after work, the extent to which people disengage from work, and how work and after-work activities influence this process. These topics are dealt with in this special issue.

Conflict theory and research has traditionally focused on conflict management strategies, in relation to individual and work team effectiveness and productivity. Far less attention has been devoted to 'soft' outcomes including job satisfaction, organizational commitment, turnover intentions, and individual health and wellbeing. This state of affairs is unfortunate because it isolates conflict theory and research from broader issues in organizational sciences and practice. The individual contributions to this volume each in their own way deal with one of these issues in more depth, shedding light on how conflict theory and research can be connected to organizational psychology in general.

The quality of relationships between leaders and followers continues to be a relevant topic for researchers and practitioners. The importance of that relationship cannot be overestimated because it is a lens through which followers view their entire work experience. Also, the relationship between followers is considered vital for team functioning. To date, there are many unanswered questions regarding various aspects of work relationships. This Special Issue contributes to the examination of the broader context of leader-member dyads. Contributions focus on consensus in follower perceptions of their leader and the level of agreement between leaders and followers on their shared relationship

This special issue focuses on temporal dynamics in teams. Drawing on the distinction between differential and temporal (or variable vs. process) research, recent theories and research practices in the field of team research are discussed to better understand the gap between research objectives and methods in team research. The diverse conceptual, methodological, and empirical articles that make up the special issue illustrate ways of narrowing this gap and thus provide some future directions for the study of time and change in teams.

The study of entrepreneurship is important because small and medium-sized enterprises are the major agents of economic growth and employment (99% of European companies are small or medium-sized and provide 66% of the working places). From a psychological point of view, the study is interesting because small-scale entrepreneurs have to work on a complex set of tasks, such as development of the organization, leadership, and organizational issues.The common theme of this special issue is to look at personality predictors of success and entrepreneurial behaviour. All the articles in this issue take as a starting point a sophisticated personality concept that was traditionally done. Thus, it is our hope that this new approach to personality will be seen as much more fruitful within entrepreneurship research than it has been in the one used until now.

First published in 2000. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Information and communication technology ICT in organizations has many faces, such as office automation, production automation, telecommunication and electronic networks connecting organizations. The "C" in "ICT" refers to the fact that, besides information processing technologies, a rapid growth can be found in computer-assisted communication technologies and computer-supported co-operative work. Organizations change as a result of socio-economic and technological developments. New organizational forms and work arrangements are emerging, and ICT is adapted and designed to solve problems caused by these changes. The impact of the introduction of ICT becomes apparent in changes in work patterns, qualifications and decision-making procedures. In this special issue, the implementation processes and some of the consequences are discussed, mostly on the basis of empirical studies.; Contributions include: a discussion of recent developments of ICT and organizational change in the banking sector; an analysis of the introduction of technological innovation in the ambulance service in several big cities; and an illustration of the different options in introduction strategies, including methods used to facilitate user participation in systems development. In some cases, so-called business re-engineering processes form the framework for the analysis.

Flexibility is currently a fashionable concept used in different ways and for different purposes, and it is a term which is much in use in both political and organisational circles. But what does it mean? How is it put into effect? This special edition of the European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology addresses these questions in the macro context of the labour market as a whole, but especially at the workplace. It looks at the different types of flexible work arrangement and their incidence across Europe. It considers the motivation of management in introducing these ideas and how the regulatory, and cultural, environment within their country affects employer decisions. Employers also have to respond to the constant flux of economic conditions and the competitive state of the market. Another significant factor in their behaviour is technology, which together with these business pressures, is driving organisations to adopt ever more flexible ways of working. We have one chapter that examines this changing world of work. But what of employees? They have their own interest in flexibility - to match lifestyle preferences and to meet domestic responsibilities. However, though some employers try to accommodate these aspirations, often flexibility is enforced rather than embraced. One of the journal articles suggests a means by which flexibility can be negotiated to meet mutual needs. The journal addresses such issues as whether flexibility is a peculiarly Anglo-American project, made possible through deregulation of the labour market, or whether it exists in different forms but to a comparable extent in other parts of Europe. What are the conflicts between governmental regulation of the labour market in such countries as Germany and France and organisations' (especially multinational organizations) desires for greater flexibility? What are the implications of flexible contracts for Human Resource Management? What are its likely effects on employee morale and organisational commitment? What new HR knowledge, skills, and processes are required? What are the cultural differences across Europe that will profoundly affect the nature of the answers to these questions?

First published in 1999. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Emotion at work has recently grabbed the attention of both researchers and practitioners working in the field of organizational psychology. As the limitations of the concepts of stress and satisfaction become more apparent and jobs in the service and human service sectors make increasing demands on employees' emotional displays, new questions are being asked about feelings in the workplace. What is the nature of emotion at work? How is it relevant to work? What kinds of emotional displays do employers have to deal with? How do these emotional demands impact on workers? This special issue addresses these and other key issues in the field.

The eighties and nineties have witnessed a renewed interest in the phenomenon of leadership. This special issue provides an overview of research on the concepts of transformational leadership, while focusing on conceptual, methodological and measurement problems. The effectiveness of various leadership styles is assessed, placing the concept against the background of changing organizations and changing environments.