Tony Simons
Cornell University, Hotel Administration, Faculty Member
Recent research suggests that employees are highly affected by perceptions of their managers' pattern of word-action consistency, which Simons (2002) called "behavioral integrity" (BI). We suggest that some employee racial... more
Recent research suggests that employees are highly affected by perceptions of their managers' pattern of word-action consistency, which Simons (2002) called "behavioral integrity" (BI). We suggest that some employee racial groups may be more attentive to BI than others. We test this notion using data from 1,944 employees working at 107 different hotels. We found that black employees rated their managers as demonstrating lower BI than did non-black employees. Mediation analyses are consistent with the notion that these differences in perceived BI, in turn, account for cross-race differences in trust in management, interpersonal justice, commitment, satisfaction, and intent to stay. Results of Hierarchical Linear Modeling were consistent with the idea that middle managers' perceptions of their senior managers' BI "trickle down" to affect line employee perceptions of the middle managers, and that this trickledown effect is stronger for black employees. We interpret these results as indicative of heightened sensitivity to managers' BI on the part of black employees. We also found a reverse in-group effect, in that black employees were substantially more critical of black managers than were non-black employees.
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Behavioral integrity (BI)—a perception that a person acts in ways that are consistent with their words—has been shown to have an impact on many areas of work life. However, there have been few studies of BI in Eastern cultural contexts.... more
Behavioral integrity (BI)—a perception that a person acts in ways that are consistent with their words—has been shown to have an impact on many areas of work life. However, there have been few studies of BI in Eastern cultural contexts. Differences in communication style and the nature of hierarchical relationships suggest that spoken commitments are interpreted differently in the East and the West. We performed three scenario-based experiments that look at response to word–deed inconsistency in different cultures. The experiments show that Indians, Koreans, and Taiwanese do not as readily revise BI downward following a broken promise as do Americans (Study 1), that the U.S.–Indian difference is especially pronounced when the speaker is a boss rather than a subordinate (Study 2), and that people exposed to both cultures adjust perceptions of BI based on the cultural context of where the speaking occurs (Study 3).
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Behavioral integrity (BI) describes the extent to which an observer believes that an actor's words tend to align with their actions. It considers whether the actor is seen as keeping promises and enacting the same values they espouse.... more
Behavioral integrity (BI) describes the extent to which an observer believes that an actor's words tend to align with their actions. It considers whether the actor is seen as keeping promises and enacting the same values they espouse. Although the construct of BI was introduced in 1999 and developed more fully in 2002, it builds on the work of earlier scholars that discussed related notions of hypocrisy, credibility, and gaps between espousal and enactment. Since the 2002 paper, a growing literature has established the BI construct, largely but not exclusively in the leadership realm, as a critical antecedent to positive attitudes such as trust and commitment, positive behaviors such as turnover and performance, and as a moderator of the effectiveness of leadership initiatives. BI is by definition subjectively assessed, and perceptions of BI are susceptible to various forms of perceptual biases. A variety of factors appear to affect whether observers interpret a particular word-...
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Extending theory on behavioral integrity to department and business unit levels of analysis, we examined a chain of relationships culminating in operational and financial performance measures. Specifically, we analyzed survey data from... more
Extending theory on behavioral integrity to department and business unit levels of analysis, we examined a chain of relationships culminating in operational and financial performance measures. Specifically, we analyzed survey data from 6,800 workers from 76 same-branded US hotels and integrated it with operational and financial data. Latent variables structural equation modeling and path analyses showed strong associations between manager behavioral integrity and worker turnover, customer satisfaction, and hotel profitability. In fact, behavioral integrity accounted for 13% of the variance in profitability across hotels. This relationship was partially mediated by trust in managers, affective commitment, and discretionary service behavior.
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We provide a review of the research in this volume and suggest avenues for future research. Review of the research in this volume and unstructured interviews with health care executives. We identified the three central themes: (1) trust... more
We provide a review of the research in this volume and suggest avenues for future research. Review of the research in this volume and unstructured interviews with health care executives. We identified the three central themes: (1) trust in leadership, (2) leading by example, and (3) multi-level leadership. For each of these themes, we highlight the shared concerns and findings, and provide commentary about the contribution to the literature on leadership. While relation-oriented leadership is important in health care, there is a danger of too much emphasis on relations in an already caring profession. Moreover, in most health care organizations, leadership is distributed and scholars need to adopt the appropriate methods to investigate these multi-level phenomena. In health care organizations, hands-on leadership, through role modeling, may be necessary to promote change. However, practicing what you preach is not as easy as it may seem. We provide a framework for understanding current research on leadership in health care organizations.
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ABSTRACT The basic interview, where the hiring manager or recruiter asks questions about qualifications and attempts to get a "feel" for the candidate, is vulnerable to many kinds of error and bias, and, as a result, has... more
ABSTRACT The basic interview, where the hiring manager or recruiter asks questions about qualifications and attempts to get a "feel" for the candidate, is vulnerable to many kinds of error and bias, and, as a result, has almost no ability to predict an employee's future job performance. On the other hand, systematic interviews using structured questions that are based on careful analysis of the components of excellent job performance can improve the interviewer's ability to predict an employee's future performance from about 3 percent to near 25 percent. The best questions are matched with hypothetical answers that illustrate excellent, good, and marginal answers, and which may be compared to candidates' actual answers. The questions may be framed as historical (behavioral) or hypothetical (situational). Every candidate for a particular job is asked the same set of questions. Interview panels, probing and follow-up questions, and credential previews are all controversial, but prudence and common sense can be acceptable guides on those issues. The costs of developing structured interview programs are usually offset by the savings from avoiding poor hires and subsequent turnover, and line managers' responses to the structured interview format are generally very positive.
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We provide a review of the research in this volume and suggest avenues for future research. Review of the research in this volume and unstructured interviews with health care executives. We identified the three central themes: (1) trust... more
We provide a review of the research in this volume and suggest avenues for future research. Review of the research in this volume and unstructured interviews with health care executives. We identified the three central themes: (1) trust in leadership, (2) leading by example, and (3) multi-level leadership. For each of these themes, we highlight the shared concerns and findings, and provide commentary about the contribution to the literature on leadership. While relation-oriented leadership is important in health care, there is a danger of too much emphasis on relations in an already caring profession. Moreover, in most health care organizations, leadership is distributed and scholars need to adopt the appropriate methods to investigate these multi-level phenomena. In health care organizations, hands-on leadership, through role modeling, may be necessary to promote change. However, practicing what you preach is not as easy as it may seem. We provide a framework for understanding curr...
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... Recognize that the presence of diverse viewpoints in a group does not necessarily lead to the open ... 1998. "Demography and Diversity in Organizations ... Newsletter | Privacy Policy | User Agreements | Questia... more
... Recognize that the presence of diverse viewpoints in a group does not necessarily lead to the open ... 1998. "Demography and Diversity in Organizations ... Newsletter | Privacy Policy | User Agreements | Questia School | About Us | Advertise with Us | Contact | Tools for Webmasters ...
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... THE DOLLAR VALUE OF YOUR IMPECCABLE WORD 5 see in later chapters, successful executives I talk to recognize the dividend too, but until now it has not ... It plays a major role in our public discourse, as poli-ticians of all stripes... more
... THE DOLLAR VALUE OF YOUR IMPECCABLE WORD 5 see in later chapters, successful executives I talk to recognize the dividend too, but until now it has not ... It plays a major role in our public discourse, as poli-ticians of all stripes revel in accusing their opponents of lacking it. ...
ABSTRACT Within the context of climate strength, this simulation study examines the validity of various dispersion indexes for detecting meaningful relationships between variability in group member perceptions and outcome variables. We... more
ABSTRACT Within the context of climate strength, this simulation study examines the validity of various dispersion indexes for detecting meaningful relationships between variability in group member perceptions and outcome variables. We used the simulation to model both individual-and group-level phenomena, vary appropriate population characteristics, and test the proclivity of standard and average deviation, interrater agreement indexes (rwg, r*wg, awg), and coefficient of variation (both normed and unnormed) for Type I and Type II errors. The results show that the coefficient of variation was less likely to detect interaction effects although it outperformed other measures when detecting level effects. Standard deviation was shown to be inferior to other indexes when no level effect is present although it may be an effective measure of dispersion when modeling strength or interaction effects. The implications for future research, in which dispersion is a critical component of the theoretical model, are discussed.
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Research Interests: Communication, Organizational Culture, Leadership, Health Services Research, Applied Economics, and 12 moreProblem Solving, Humans, United States, Medical Care, Intensive Care Unit, Validity and Reliability, Questionnaires, Patient Care Team, Public health systems and services research, Analysis of Variance, Reproducibility of Results, and Intensive Care Units
... Behavioral integrity as a critical ingredient for transformational leadership. The Authors. Tony L. Simons , School of Hotel Administration,Cornell University, USA. Abstract. ... Article Type: Researchpaper. Keyword(s): Fashion;... more
... Behavioral integrity as a critical ingredient for transformational leadership. The Authors. Tony L. Simons , School of Hotel Administration,Cornell University, USA. Abstract. ... Article Type: Researchpaper. Keyword(s): Fashion; Individual behaviour; Leadership; Trust. Journal: ...
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This work examines the aggregation of justice perceptions to the departmental level and the business-unit level, the impact of these aggregate perceptions on business-unit-level outcomes, and the usefulness of the distinction between... more
This work examines the aggregation of justice perceptions to the departmental level and the business-unit level, the impact of these aggregate perceptions on business-unit-level outcomes, and the usefulness of the distinction between procedural and interpersonal justice at different levels of analysis. Latent variables analyses of individual-level and department-level data from 4,539 employees in 783 departments at 97 hotel properties showed that the 2 justice types exercise unique paths of impact on employees' organizational commitment and thus on turnover intentions and discretionary service behavior. Business-unit-level analyses further demonstrate paths of association between aggregate justice perceptions, aggregate commitment levels, and the business-unit-level outcomes of employee turnover rates and customer satisfaction ratings.
Research Interests: Marketing, Psychology, Applied Psychology, Organizational Culture, Social Justice, and 12 moreOrganizational Commitment, Customer Satisfaction, Social Perception, Humans, Latent variable, Business and Management, Female, Male, Personnel Management, Interpersonal Relations, Questionnaires, and Cross Sectional Studies
... In the reported research, this bipolar model formed the basis for a continuous linguistic indicator of these conceptualizations of ... tested a linguistic indicator of dyads' con-ceptualizations of utility as a critical... more
... In the reported research, this bipolar model formed the basis for a continuous linguistic indicator of these conceptualizations of ... tested a linguistic indicator of dyads' con-ceptualizations of utility as a critical component of cognitive maps during integrative bargaining and ...
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ABSTRACT The authors of this study examined the influence of transactive memory systems (TMSs) on team performance and team cohesion, as mediated by team psychological safety. Using a sample of 178 undergraduate students representing 27... more
ABSTRACT The authors of this study examined the influence of transactive memory systems (TMSs) on team performance and team cohesion, as mediated by team psychological safety. Using a sample of 178 undergraduate students representing 27 service-management teams in a real-life restaurant setting with real-world consequences, TMS exhibited significant positive relationship with team performance and team cohesion. Team psychological safety was found to mediate the relationship between TMS and team outcomes. Based on the findings, theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
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The chief executive officers (CEOs) of 96 multisite, U.S.-based hotel owner/operator companies were interviewed and asked to describe the dominant upcoming threats and opportunities they perceived for their segment. Responses converged in... more
The chief executive officers (CEOs) of 96 multisite, U.S.-based hotel owner/operator companies were interviewed and asked to describe the dominant upcoming threats and opportunities they perceived for their segment. Responses converged in describing two major threats (overbuilding and economic downturn) but were far more divergent in descriptions of opportunities. This pattern may emerge from the nature of threats and opportunities,