Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Designing work environments to influence productivity

  • Articles
  • Published:
Journal of Business and Psychology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Features of the work environment can be designed to contain cues for performance standards, thereby influencing productivity on the job. This paper explores the importance of normative information for motivation and how it can be designed into the workplace in order to promote more efficient job behaviors.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Davis, T.R.V. (1984). The influence of the physical environment in offices.Academy of Management Review, 9, 183–271.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davis, T.R.V. and Luthans, F. (1980). Managers in action: A new look at their behavior and operating modes.Organizational Dynamics, 9, 64–80.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fiske, S.T., Kenny, D.A., and Taylor, S.E. (1982). Structural models for the mediation of salience effects on attribution.Journal of Experimental Social Psychology,18.

  • Ford, J.K. (1983).The impact of goal setting and self monitoring on the accuracy of self generated knowledge of results and the level of task performance. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University.

  • Griffin, R.W. (1983). Objective and social sources of information in task redesign: A field experiment.Administrative Science Quarterly, 28, 184–200.

    Google Scholar 

  • Herzlinger, R. E. and Schwartz, J. (1986). How companies tackle health care costs: Part III.Harvard Business Review, January–February 70–80.

  • Komaki, J., Barwick, K., and Scott, L. (1978). A behavioral approach to occupational safety: Pinpointing and reinforcing safe performance in a food manufacturing plant.Journal of Applied Psychology, 63, 434–445.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mayo, E. (1933).The human problems in an industrial civilization. New York: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • McArthur, L.Z. and Post. D.L. (1977). Figured emphasis and person perception.Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 13, 520–535.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, T.R. (1982). Motivation: New directions for theory, research, and practice.Academy of Management Review, 7, 80–85.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, T.R., Rothman, M. and Liden, R.C. (1985). The effects of normative information on task performance.Journal of Applied Psychology, 70, 48–55.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nisbett, R.E. and Wilson, T. (1977). Telling more then we can know: Verbal reports on mental processes.Psychological Review, 84, 231–252.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pennebaker, J.W. and Lightner, J.M. (1980). Competition of internal and external information in an exercise setting.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 39, 165–174.

    Google Scholar 

  • Porter, L.W., Lawler, E.E. and Hackman, J.R. (1975).Behavior in organizations, New York: McGraw Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rajecki, D.W., Ickes, W., Corcoran, C., and Lenerz, K. (1977). Social facilitation of human performance: Mere presence effects.Journal of Social Psychology, 102, 297–310.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rakestraw, T.L. and Weiss, H.M. (1981). The interaction of social influence and task experience on goals, performance and performance satisfaction.Organizational behavior and human performance, 27, 326–344.

    Google Scholar 

  • Salancik, G., and Pfeffer, J. (1978). A social information processing approach to job attitudes and task design.Administrative Science Quarterly, 23, 224–250.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scheier, M.F. and Carver, C.S. (1983). Self-directed attention and the comparison of self with standards.Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 19, 205–222.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, S.E. and Fiske, S.T. (1978). Salience, attention and attributions: Top of the head phenomenon. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.),Advances in experimental social psychology, Vol. 2, New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tversky, A. and Kaheman, D. (1974). Judgement under uncertainty: Heiristics and biases.Science, 185, 1124–1131.

    Google Scholar 

  • White, S.E. and Mitchell, T.R. (1979). Job enrichment versus social cues: A comparison and competitive test.Journal of Applied Psychology, 64, 1–9.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Business Administration, University of San Diego, San Diego

    Miriam Rothman

Authors
  1. Miriam Rothman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

The author gratefully acknowledges the helpful comments of Terence R. Mitchell and J.H. Kerr Inkson on an earlier draft of this paper.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Rothman, M. Designing work environments to influence productivity. J Bus Psychol 1, 390–395 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01018147

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01018147

Keywords

Search

Navigation