Image Theory's Compatibility Test and Evaluations of the Status Quo

Area of Science:

• Organizational Psychology
• Decision-Making Theory
• Social Psychology

Background:

• Image theory's concept of progress decisions has been primarily studied in laboratory settings.
• Previous research has focused on acceptability of the status quo versus a desired state, or movement toward a desired state.
• Limited research exists on non-laboratory, job-related progress decisions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the feasibility of non-laboratory research on job-related progress decisions.
• To develop methods for studying progress decisions with minimal intrusion on work time.
• To examine evaluations of the status quo versus a desired state in real-world organizational contexts.

Main Methods:

• Two experiments were conducted in a controller's office, a pretrial services office, and a fast-food chain.
• Experiment 1 used elaborate methods to measure compatibility between desired and current supervision, and satisfaction.
• Experiment 2 employed simple, single-item methods to measure the same concepts.

Main Results:

• Decreased compatibility between desired and current supervision led to decreased satisfaction.
• Organizational satisfaction was mediated by satisfaction with supervision.
• Hope for change was found to mitigate the negative effects of incompatibility on satisfaction.

Conclusions:

• Compatibility plays a significant role in organizational decision-making and satisfaction.
• Simple, non-intrusive methods are feasible for measuring compatibility, acceptability, and hope in field research.
• Hope for change is a crucial factor that can buffer the impact of perceived discrepancies on employee satisfaction.