The Effect of Experienced Fun on Knowledge Workers’ Organizational Attachment across Attitudes Toward Fun
Subject Areas : Human resources management)mahboobeh arab 1 , Mahmood Yahyazadehfar 2 , mahsa moazeni 3
1 - Assistant Professor, Department of Management, Rahedanesh Institute of Higher Education, Babol, Iran.
2 - Professor, Department of Management, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran.
3 - Master of Executive Management, Payame Noor University, Karaj, Iran.
Keywords: Information Technology, Knowledge Workers, Workplace, Fun, Organizational Attachment,
Abstract :
Emerging research findings underscore the competitive nature of attracting and maintaining knowledge workers in information technology industry and the knowledge workers’ propensity to find an appropriate workplace with fun as a distinctive feature attributed to it. This study investigated knowledge workers’ feeling of organizational attachment in relation to the fun they experienced in their workplace and with regard to the attitude they held toward workplace fun. The research population comprised 437 employees in the information technology industrial companies in Mazandaran Province, Iran. The data collection instruments included three standardized questionnaires measuring the amount of experienced fun, organizational attachment and attitude toward fun that were administered to a stratified sample of 212 participants. The collected data were analyzed statistically and revealed that the fun knowledge workers experienced in their workplace, with an impact factor of 0.441, was significantly correlated with their organizational attachment. In addition, the moderating role of attitude toward workplace fun, with an impact factor of 0.262, was approved. Scrutiny of fun activities indicated that celebration of work achievement and success was of paramount importance for knowledge workers.
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Allen, D. G., Bryant, P. C. and Vardaman, J. M.(2010). Retaining talent: replacing
misconceptions with evidence-based strategies. Academy of Management Perspectives, 24(2), 48-64.
Bar-Haim, A.(2007).Rethinking organizational commitment in relation to perceived organizational power and perceived employment alternatives. International Journal of Cross-cultural Management, 7(2), 203-217.
Berg, D.(2001). The power of a playful spirit at work. The Journal for Quality & Participation, 24(2), 57-62.
Boehm. K. J and Lyubomirsky. S.(2007), Does happiness promote career Success?, Journal of career assessment , 16(1): 101-116.
Coombs, C. R. (2009). Improving retention strategies for IT professionals working in the public sector. Information & Management, 46(4), 233-240.
DeMers, A. (2002). Solutions and strategies for IT recruitment and retention: A manager’s guide. Public Personnel Management, 31(1), 27-40.
Dutton. M. V and Edmund. D.(2007), A model of workplace happiness,Journal of selection and development review, 23: 9-14.
Esen, E.(2002). SHRM Fun Work Environment Survey. Society for Human Resource Management, 1-56.
Fleming, P. (2005). Workers’ playtime? Boundaries and cynicism in a "culture of fun" program. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 41(3): 285-303.
Fluegge, E.R. (2008). Who put the fun in functional? Fun at work and its effects on job performance. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Florida, 1-99.
Gaiduk R., Gaiduk J.and Fields D.(2009). Limiting the brain drain: Determinants of employee organizational attachment in Lithuania. Baltic Journal of Management, 4(2), 149-168.
Ghapanchi, A.H. and Aurum, A.(2010). Antecedents to IT personnel’s intentions to leave: A systematic literature review, Journal of Systems and Software, 84(2): 238-249.
Gerhart, B. and Fang, M. (2014). Pay for (individual) performance: Issues, claims, evidence and the role of sorting effects. Human Resource Management Review, 24(1), 41-52.
Gialuisi, O. and Coetzer, A.(2013). An exploratory investigation into voluntary employee turnover and retention in small businesses. Small Enterprise Research, 20(1): 55-68.
Ford, V. F., Swayze, S., & Burley, D. L. (2013). An exploratory investigation of the relationship between disengagement, exhaustion and turnover intention among IT professionals employed at a university. Information Resources Management Journal, 26(3), 55-68.
Gorman, C.(2014). The dawn of the great workplace era, 4th Annual World’s Best Multinational Workplaces List, Great Place to Work Institute.
Govaerts, N., Kyndt, E., Dochy, F. and Baert, H. (2011). Influence of learning and working climate on the retention of talented employees. Journal of Workplace Learning, 23: 35-55.
Holmes, M. (2006). Retaining information technology employees in higher education (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database.
Joseph, D., Kok-Yee, N., Koh, C. and Ang, S.(2007). Turnover of information technology professionals: a narrative review, meta-analytic structural equation modeling, and model development. MIS Quarterly,31(3):547–577.
Kappelman, L., McLean, E., Luftman, J., & Johnson, V. (2013). Key issues of IT organizations and their leadership: The 2013 SIM IT trends study. MIS Quarterly Executive, 12, 227-240.
Karl, K.A. and Peluchette, J. (2006). How does workplace fun impact employee perceptions of customer service quality?. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 13(2): 2-13.
Karl, K.A., Peluchette, J. Hall, L. and Harland, L. (2005). Attitudes toward workplace fun: A three sector comparison. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 12(1): 1-17.
Kennedy, E. and Daim, T. U. (2010). A strategy to assist management in workforce engagement and employee retention in the high tech engineering environment. Evaluation and Program Planning, 33: 468-476.
Koster, F., de Grip, A. and Fouarge, D. (2011). Does perceived support in employee development affect personnel turnover?. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 22: 2403-2418.
Krejcie, R. and Morgan, D.W. (1970). Determining sample size for research activities. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 30: 607-610.
Lockard, C.B. and Wolf, M.(2012). Occupational employment projections to 2020, Monthly Labor Review,January:84-108.
Maertz, C.P and Campion, M.A. (2004). Profiles in quitting: Integrating process and content turnover theory. Academy of Management Journal,47(4):566-582.
Meyer, H. (1999). Fun for everyone. Journal of Business Strategy, 20: 13-17.
McDowell, T. (2005). Fun at work: Scale development, confirmatory factor analysis, and links to organizational outcomes.Doctoral dissertation, Alliant International University.
McKeen, J. D., Smith, H. and Jin, J. (2009). Developments in practice XXXII: Successful strategies for IT staffing. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 24(1): 805-820.
McKercher, C and Mosco, V.(2007). Knowledge Workers in the Information Society. Lahnam, Maryland: Lexington Books.
Müceldilia, B., Erdil O.(2016).Finding Fun in Work: The effect of workplace fun on taking charge and job engagement , Social and Behavioral Sciences, 35(1), 304 –312.
Niederman, F., Sumner, F. and Maertz, C.P.(2006). An analysis and synthesis of research related to turnover among IT personnel.Conference on Computer Personnel Research,California, USA.
Owler, K., Morrison, R. and Plester, B. (2010). Does fun work? The complexity of promoting fun at work. Journal of Management Organization, 16(3), 338-352.
Ramsey, R. (2001). Fun at work: Lessons from the fish market. Supervision Burlington, 62(4), 7-9.
Purohit, M.(2016). Employee Turnover in IT Sector with Special Emphasis on Wipro and Infosys, Journal of Business and Management,4(1), 47-51.
Redman, T. and Mathews, B.P. (2002). Managing services: Should we be having fun?. The Service Industries Journal, 22(3): 51-62.
Riketta M. and Van Dick R.(2005). Foci of attachment in organizations: A meta-analytic comparison of the strength and correlates of workgroup versus organizational identification and commitment. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 67(3), 490-510.
Quick, J.C. and Nelson, D.L. (2009). Principles of Organizational Behavior: Realities and Challenges (6th ed.). Australia: South-Western.
Shandler, D. (2009), Motivating the Millennial Knowledge Worker: Help Today's Workforce Succeed in Today's Economy ,Axzo Press.
Shoaib, M., Noor, A., Tirmizi, S.R. and Sajid B.(2009). Determinants of Employee Retention in Telecom Sector of Pakistan. Proceedings 2nd CBRC, Lahore, Pakistan, 14.
Skirmuntt, M. (2017). The Information Technology Sector, Great Place to Work, 1-6.
Stern, G. and Borcia,Y.(2000).Motivation strategy. Executive Excellence,17:18.
Tews, M.J., Michel, J.W. & Barlett A. (2012). The fundamental role of workplace fun in applicant attraction. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 19(1), 105-114.
Weinstein, M. (1996). Managing to have fun. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 1-224.
Zhao, L. and Rashid, H. (2010). The mediating role of work-leisure conflict on job stress and retention of IT professionals. Academy of Information & Management Sciences Journal, 13(2), 25-40.
_||_Aldag, R. and Sherony, K.(2001). A spoonful of sugar: Some thoughts on “fun at work”. Current Issues in Management, 1(1): 62-76.
Agarwal, R. and Ferratt, T.W.(2002). Enduring practices for managing IT professionals.Communications of the ACM, 45(9), 73-79.
Allen, D. G., Bryant, P. C. and Vardaman, J. M.(2010). Retaining talent: replacing
misconceptions with evidence-based strategies. Academy of Management Perspectives, 24(2), 48-64.
Bar-Haim, A.(2007).Rethinking organizational commitment in relation to perceived organizational power and perceived employment alternatives. International Journal of Cross-cultural Management, 7(2), 203-217.
Berg, D.(2001). The power of a playful spirit at work. The Journal for Quality & Participation, 24(2), 57-62.
Boehm. K. J and Lyubomirsky. S.(2007), Does happiness promote career Success?, Journal of career assessment , 16(1): 101-116.
Coombs, C. R. (2009). Improving retention strategies for IT professionals working in the public sector. Information & Management, 46(4), 233-240.
DeMers, A. (2002). Solutions and strategies for IT recruitment and retention: A manager’s guide. Public Personnel Management, 31(1), 27-40.
Dutton. M. V and Edmund. D.(2007), A model of workplace happiness,Journal of selection and development review, 23: 9-14.
Esen, E.(2002). SHRM Fun Work Environment Survey. Society for Human Resource Management, 1-56.
Fleming, P. (2005). Workers’ playtime? Boundaries and cynicism in a "culture of fun" program. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 41(3): 285-303.
Fluegge, E.R. (2008). Who put the fun in functional? Fun at work and its effects on job performance. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Florida, 1-99.
Gaiduk R., Gaiduk J.and Fields D.(2009). Limiting the brain drain: Determinants of employee organizational attachment in Lithuania. Baltic Journal of Management, 4(2), 149-168.
Ghapanchi, A.H. and Aurum, A.(2010). Antecedents to IT personnel’s intentions to leave: A systematic literature review, Journal of Systems and Software, 84(2): 238-249.
Gerhart, B. and Fang, M. (2014). Pay for (individual) performance: Issues, claims, evidence and the role of sorting effects. Human Resource Management Review, 24(1), 41-52.
Gialuisi, O. and Coetzer, A.(2013). An exploratory investigation into voluntary employee turnover and retention in small businesses. Small Enterprise Research, 20(1): 55-68.
Ford, V. F., Swayze, S., & Burley, D. L. (2013). An exploratory investigation of the relationship between disengagement, exhaustion and turnover intention among IT professionals employed at a university. Information Resources Management Journal, 26(3), 55-68.
Gorman, C.(2014). The dawn of the great workplace era, 4th Annual World’s Best Multinational Workplaces List, Great Place to Work Institute.
Govaerts, N., Kyndt, E., Dochy, F. and Baert, H. (2011). Influence of learning and working climate on the retention of talented employees. Journal of Workplace Learning, 23: 35-55.
Holmes, M. (2006). Retaining information technology employees in higher education (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database.
Joseph, D., Kok-Yee, N., Koh, C. and Ang, S.(2007). Turnover of information technology professionals: a narrative review, meta-analytic structural equation modeling, and model development. MIS Quarterly,31(3):547–577.
Kappelman, L., McLean, E., Luftman, J., & Johnson, V. (2013). Key issues of IT organizations and their leadership: The 2013 SIM IT trends study. MIS Quarterly Executive, 12, 227-240.
Karl, K.A. and Peluchette, J. (2006). How does workplace fun impact employee perceptions of customer service quality?. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 13(2): 2-13.
Karl, K.A., Peluchette, J. Hall, L. and Harland, L. (2005). Attitudes toward workplace fun: A three sector comparison. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 12(1): 1-17.
Kennedy, E. and Daim, T. U. (2010). A strategy to assist management in workforce engagement and employee retention in the high tech engineering environment. Evaluation and Program Planning, 33: 468-476.
Koster, F., de Grip, A. and Fouarge, D. (2011). Does perceived support in employee development affect personnel turnover?. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 22: 2403-2418.
Krejcie, R. and Morgan, D.W. (1970). Determining sample size for research activities. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 30: 607-610.
Lockard, C.B. and Wolf, M.(2012). Occupational employment projections to 2020, Monthly Labor Review,January:84-108.
Maertz, C.P and Campion, M.A. (2004). Profiles in quitting: Integrating process and content turnover theory. Academy of Management Journal,47(4):566-582.
Meyer, H. (1999). Fun for everyone. Journal of Business Strategy, 20: 13-17.
McDowell, T. (2005). Fun at work: Scale development, confirmatory factor analysis, and links to organizational outcomes.Doctoral dissertation, Alliant International University.
McKeen, J. D., Smith, H. and Jin, J. (2009). Developments in practice XXXII: Successful strategies for IT staffing. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 24(1): 805-820.
McKercher, C and Mosco, V.(2007). Knowledge Workers in the Information Society. Lahnam, Maryland: Lexington Books.
Müceldilia, B., Erdil O.(2016).Finding Fun in Work: The effect of workplace fun on taking charge and job engagement , Social and Behavioral Sciences, 35(1), 304 –312.
Niederman, F., Sumner, F. and Maertz, C.P.(2006). An analysis and synthesis of research related to turnover among IT personnel.Conference on Computer Personnel Research,California, USA.
Owler, K., Morrison, R. and Plester, B. (2010). Does fun work? The complexity of promoting fun at work. Journal of Management Organization, 16(3), 338-352.
Ramsey, R. (2001). Fun at work: Lessons from the fish market. Supervision Burlington, 62(4), 7-9.
Purohit, M.(2016). Employee Turnover in IT Sector with Special Emphasis on Wipro and Infosys, Journal of Business and Management,4(1), 47-51.
Redman, T. and Mathews, B.P. (2002). Managing services: Should we be having fun?. The Service Industries Journal, 22(3): 51-62.
Riketta M. and Van Dick R.(2005). Foci of attachment in organizations: A meta-analytic comparison of the strength and correlates of workgroup versus organizational identification and commitment. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 67(3), 490-510.
Quick, J.C. and Nelson, D.L. (2009). Principles of Organizational Behavior: Realities and Challenges (6th ed.). Australia: South-Western.
Shandler, D. (2009), Motivating the Millennial Knowledge Worker: Help Today's Workforce Succeed in Today's Economy ,Axzo Press.
Shoaib, M., Noor, A., Tirmizi, S.R. and Sajid B.(2009). Determinants of Employee Retention in Telecom Sector of Pakistan. Proceedings 2nd CBRC, Lahore, Pakistan, 14.
Skirmuntt, M. (2017). The Information Technology Sector, Great Place to Work, 1-6.
Stern, G. and Borcia,Y.(2000).Motivation strategy. Executive Excellence,17:18.
Tews, M.J., Michel, J.W. & Barlett A. (2012). The fundamental role of workplace fun in applicant attraction. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 19(1), 105-114.
Weinstein, M. (1996). Managing to have fun. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 1-224.
Zhao, L. and Rashid, H. (2010). The mediating role of work-leisure conflict on job stress and retention of IT professionals. Academy of Information & Management Sciences Journal, 13(2), 25-40.