Pay compression occurs when employees with more seniority receive pay rates nearly equal to newer employees. Based upon equity theory, Amy B. Henley (University of Texas), George S. Benson (University of Texas), and Gary C. McMahan (University of Texas) hypothesize that pay compression will influence employee perceptions of pay equity.
Research and Insights Archive
Research and Insights from the Center for Effective Organizations
Available Content
New Directions for the Human Resources Organization: An Organization Design Approach
First published in 1996, this report by S. Mohrman, E. Lawler, and G. McMahan presents findings of a 1995 study that examined the human resources function in 130 large companies to see whether changes in the business environment and strategy of the corporation were leading to changes in practice and organization of the human resources function.
Strategy, Core Competencies and HR Involvement as Determinants of HR Effectiveness and Refinery Performance
Patrick M. Wright, Gary C. McMahan, Blaine McCormick, and W. Scott Sherman examined the impact strategy, core competence, and involvement of HR executives in strategic decision making on the refinery managers’ evaluation of the effectiveness of HR and refinery performance among 86 U.S. petro-chemical refineries.
Assessing the Factors Influencing Differences Between Supervisor and Subordinate Performance Ratings: A Multiple Sample Study
K. Kacmar, D. Carlson, P. Wright, and G. McMahan discuss 360 degree feedback techniques including, among others, performance ratings by self and supervisor.
Automate or Informate? An Investigation of the Effects of Information Technology on Motivation and Performance
Research by Gary C. McMahan, Richard W. Woodman, and Patrick M. Wright supports the hypotheses that task discretion moderates the relationship between both information technology and task motivation and the relationship between information technology and task performance.
On the Integration of Strategy and Human Resources: An Investigation of the Match between Human Resources and Strategy among NCAA Basketball Teams
Patrick M. Wright, Dennis Smart, and Gary C. McMahan examine the relationships among strategy, human resources, and performance among NCAA basketball teams.
The Practice of Organization & Human Resource Development in America’s Fastest Growing Firms
The following paper by Allan H. Church, and Gary C. McMahan reports the results of a recent survey project that investigated the contemporary practice of Organization Development among America’s Fastest Growing Firms (as identified by Fortune, October 5th, 1992).
Team Cognitive Ability as a Predictor of Team Performance
This study by Patrick M. Wright, Gary C. McMahan, and Dennis Smart examined the relationship between team cognitive ability (average Scholastic Aptitude Test score) and team performance (a subjective coach’s evaluation and an objective measure using Sagarin’s Power Rankings) among NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball teams during the 1991-92 season.
The Impact of Individual Differences on the Socialization of Workers to a Technological Intervention
This study by K. Michele Kacmar, Patrick M. Wright, and Gary C. McMahan examined the role of ability, motivation, and their interactions in the effectiveness of the use of training as a socialization tool.
The Effects of Information Technology: An Investigation of the Motivational Impact of Information Technology
The results of this research by Gary C. McMahan, Richard Woodman, and Patrick M. Wright support the notion that there are at least two distinct types of information technology that affect the motivational level of a task. Results also support the hypothesis that task discretion moderates the relationship between information technology and task motivation.
An International Comparison of Organization Development Practices: The United States and Hong Kong
This study by Chung-Ming Lau, Gary C. McMahan, and Richard W. Woodman explored culture-bound issues in OD. The results of surveys among major firms in the United States and Hong Kong indicated few major differences in their OD practices, though the usage of specific OD interventions varied.
Effects of Union Status on Employee Involvement: Diffusion and Effectiveness
G. McMahan and E. Lawler III examined the research literature on union status and employee involvement with respect to two issues: (1) the relationship between the presence of a union and the adoption of employee involvement; (2) the relationship between the presence of a union and the effectiveness of employee involvement.