Special issue on team identity, emotion and development in non-standard work arrangements
Article Type: Call for papers From: Team Performance Management, Volume 16, Issue 5/6
A growing number of workers prefer to work as free-lance contractors or contingent workers in non-standard work arrangements. They represent a modern form of ``day laborers'' hired and paid if not by the day then by the contract. Traditionally the concept of ``contingent workers'' has been used with a negative connotation. However, today the concept is also used for workers holding temporary jobs for personal reasons and as a voluntary choice. Although many contingent workers are employed in low-quality, low-paying jobs, the number of contingent workers in professional positions is steadily increasing. This group of contingent workers typically consists of individuals who have made a personal choice of wanting autonomy, flexibility, and self-control over work processes and time. They want to be their own bosses.
Researchers have assumed that contingent workers, due to the nature of their employment contract, are less committed, less satisfied, and less likely to exhibit extra-role behaviors. But the empirical evidence is mixed. Beard and Edwards (1995), for example, found that job insecurity and lack of control have a negative impact on job satisfaction and commitment among contingent workers. In contrast, Lee and Johnson (1991) found that contingent workers had significantly higher levels of job satisfaction and organizational commitment compared with permanent workers. A different line of research has found that contingent and traditional full-time workers differ in terms of their needs,personality characteristics, and work motivation (Lemmergaard and Vlad, 2007). Contingent workers take charge of their own careers and consequently their mobility is high (Pink, 2001), as they have more focus on job content than on status in the organization. Moreover, contingent workers have a high need for achievement, and they highly value direct feedback on their performance.
Full-time employment is still considered to be the most prevalent type of employment but, given the increase in the number of contingent workers and combined with their special characteristics, creating teams composed of both traditional and contingent workers is increasingly challenging team leaders. The aim of this special issue in Team Performance Management is to examine in more detail what makes a good team and how both academics and practitioners can help their teams to improve when teams consist of a combination of traditional full-time and contingent workers. The special issue will focus on team performance management in teams including contingent workers and includes, but is not limited to, topics such as:
Team initiative
Team attachment
Team mood and emotions
Team cohesion
Team socialization
Interteam relations
Interteam conflict
Team leadership.
Manuscripts must be received by 30 September 2010. All manuscripts will undergo a double-blind review process. Manuscripts submitted to the special issues of Team Performance Management should not have been previously published nor be submitted to any other journals during the review process. For author guidelines please see: http://info.emeraldinsight.com/authors/writing/index.htm
Please submit manuscripts in a word-compatible format electronically to:Jeanette Lemmergaard, PhD, Associate Professor of Human Resource Management Internal Communication,Department of Marketing Management,University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55,DK-5230 Odense M,DenmarkE-mail: jla@sam.sdu.dk
