George S. Benson (University of Texas) and Edward E. Lawler III (CEO) Employee involvement is an approach to work‐system design that emphasizes high levels of employee decision‐making authority.
Research and Insights Archive
Research and Insights from the Center for Effective Organizations
Available Content
Adoption of Employee Involvement Practices: Organizational Change Issues and Insights
Employee involvement (EI) as part of a set of high performance work system (HPWS) has successfully transformed a large number of organizations and become standard practice many new organizations today. George S. Benson (University of Texas at Arlington), Michael Kimmel (University of Texas at Arlington), and Edward E. Lawler III (CEO) review the recent research on EI and HPWS and suggest ways in which change research and theory can inform our understanding of why EI practices have fallen short of their potential.
Performance Management and Reward Systems
Edward E. Lawler III (CEO), George S. Benson (University of Texas), and Michael McDermott (McDermott Sitzman & Associates, PC) Results from our survey provide clear guidance with respect to linking performance appraisals results to changes in pay. They strongly support the view that performance appraisals systems are more effective when there is a connection between the results of a performance appraisal and the compensation of individuals.
What Makes Performance Appraisals Effective?
Edward E. Lawler III (CEO), George S. Benson (University of Texas), and Michael McDermott (McDermott Sitzman & Associates, PC) Performance appraisals are often criticized and poorly done. However, they are not going away and should not go away. They are needed in order to effectively manage an organization’s talent. Our research suggests that performance management systems can be effective if they are designed and executed correctly.
Optimizing Incentive Plan Design: A Case Study
Alec R. Levenson (CEO), Cindy Zoghi (BLS), Michael Gibbs (University of Chicago), and George S. Benson (University of Texas) study effects of a firm’s attempt to optimize an existing incentive scheme to increase sales growth for direct store delivery workers.
Raising Skill Demand: Generating Good Jobs
Edward E. Lawler III (CEO) and George S. Benson (University of Texas) discuss how there have been profound changes in the global economy and corporate landscape over the last 40 years but advocates of “high road” management approaches that emphasize highly skilled and involved employees continue for several reasons.
Rethinking Retention Strategies: Work-Life Versus Deferred Compensation in a Total Rewards Strategy
This paper by Alec R. Levenson (CEO), Michael J. Fenlon (PwC), and George Benson (University of Texas) explains a rethinking of the meaning of total rewards that led to changes that produced lasting reductions in turnover and direct bottom-line benefits.
Corporate Board Attributes, Team Effectiveness and Financial Performance
G. Tyge Payne (Texas Tech University), George S. Benson (University of Texas), and David L. Finegold (Rutgers University) discuss how researchers have recently begun to integrate the literature on corporate boards with that of team effectiveness in an effort to understand how boards function and impact company performance.
Is Expatriation Good for My Career? The Impact of Expatriate Assignments on Perceived and Actual Career Outcomes
This study by George S. Benson (University of Texas) and Marshall Pattie (Towson University) examines the impact of expatriate assignments on career growth and the external marketability of U.S. employees of a large professional services firm.
Informal Developmental Experiences and Career Success: A Study of Qualitative Differences in Work Experience
George S. Benson (University of Texas), Alec R. Levenson (CEO), and John W. Boudreau (CEO) This study examines the informal developmental experiences and career success of current and former employees of a large professional services firm.
Occupational Human Capital and Career Dynamics
In this paper Alec R. Levenson (CEO), George S. Benson (University of Texas), and John W. Boudreau (CEO) revisit the concept of human capital accumulated on the job to allow functionally-specific and managerial human capital to coexist in a job or person.
Searching for Pay Equity: The Role of Pay Compression on Individual-Level Outcomes
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.