I am interested in several different industrial/organizational research topics.  In addition, I have been involved in several student-initiated research projects.  So, if you have a great idea for some I/O-related research, but don't see it described below, chances are you can still pursue your interests.

Antedecents and Consequences of Job Insecurity

My main research area centers around the development of an integrated model of job insecurity.  Specifically, I am interested in understanding factors (individual, job-related, and organizational) that lead to the perception of job insecurity among employees.  In addition, I am interested in the process by which this job insecurity results in a variety of employee outcomes such as decreased job satisfaction - yet increased productivity - lower organizational commitment, higher turnover intentions, and more mental distress.

More recently, I have become very interested in pursuing employee safety as an important outcome of job insecurity.  Research that I conducted with a former undergraduate student (now pursuing a Ph.D. in I/O Psychology) showed that job insecurity is related to lower employee safety knowledge and motivation, less safety compliance, and more accidents and injuries. A follow-up study (published 2002 in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology) showed that this decrease in safety is also accompanied by a decline in employee emphasis on product quality. Interestingly, when threatened with layoffs, employees focus more energy on sheer production at the expense of safety and quality.  However, our research also shows that while productivity may increase, creativity decreases.  Thus, organizations may "win" the productivity battle, but lose out when it comes to employee creativity and adaptability.

Representative Publications:

Probst, T. M., Stewart, S., Gruys, M. L., & Tierney, B. W. (2007). Productivity, counterproductivity, and creativity: The ups and downs of job insecurity. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 80,479-49.

Probst, T. M., & Brubaker, T. L. (2007). Organizational safety climate and supervisory layoff decisions: Preferences versus predictions. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 37, 1630-1648.

Probst, T. M. (2005). Countering the negative effects of job insecurity through participative decision making: Lessons from the demand-control model.  Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 10, 320-329.

Probst, T. M. (2004). Safety and insecurity: Exploring the moderating effect of organizational safety climate. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 9, 3-10.

Probst, T. M. (2003). Exploring employee outcomes of organizational restructuring: A Solomon four-group study. Group and Organization Management, 28, 416-439.

Probst, T.M. (2003). Development and validation of the Job Security Index and the Job Security Satisfaction Scale: A classical test theory and IRT approach. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology.

Probst, T.M. (2003).  Job insecurity: Exploring a new threat to employee safety. In J. Barling, & M. Frone (Eds.) Psychology of workplace safety. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Probst, T. M. (2002).  Layoffs and tradeoffs: Production, quality, and safety demands under the threat of job loss. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 7(3), 211-220.

Probst, T.M. (2002).  The impact of job insecurity on employee work attitudes, job adaptation, and organizational withdrawal behaviors. In J. M. Brett & F. Drasgow (Eds.) The psychology of work: Theoretically based empirical research. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Probst, T.M. & Brubaker, T.L. (2001). The effects of job insecurity on employee safety outcomes: Cross-sectional and longitudinal explorations. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 6, 139-159.

Brubaker, T.L., & Probst, T.M. (2000, April ). Exploring the effects of job insecurity on employee safety motivation and compliance. Poster presented at the 15th Annual Conference of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, New Orleans, LA.

Probst, T.M., & Brubaker, T.L. (2000, April). Can job insecurity be detrimental to employee safety motivation and compliance? Results from a longitudinal field study. Paper presented at the 2000 Western Psychological Association, Portland, OR.

Probst, T.M. (2000).  Wedded to the job: Moderating effects of job involvement on the consequences of job insecurity. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 5, 63-73.

Occupational Safety and Health

I am also extremely interested in the topic of workplace safety and health.  As noted above, there are interesting intersections between psychosocial stressors such as job insecurity and safety outcomes.  However, I am also interested in the influence of organizational-level variables such as safety climate and workgroup-level variables such as supervisor behavior on employee safety outcomes.  In particular, the problem of accident under-reporting is a large one and appears to be predicted by psychosocial factors. Our research lab has studies the topic of under-reporting in multiple organizations and industries.  Most currently, we are beginning an investigation into under-reporting of near misses and accidents within the mining industry.

Representative Publications and Presentations:

Probst, T. M. & Graso, M. (in press). Reporting and investigating accidents: Recognizing the tip of the iceberg. In S. Clarke, C. Cooper, & R. Burke (Eds.), Occupational health and safety: Psychological and behavioral challenges. Surrey, United Kingdom: Gower. 

Probst, T. M., & Estrada, A. X. (in press).  Accident under-reporting among employees: Testing the moderating influence of safety climate and supervisor enforcement of safety practices. Accident Analysis & Prevention.

Probst, T. M. (2008, October).  Job insecurity and accident underreporting. Paper presented to the annual Institute of Behavioral and Applied Management conference, Orlando, FL.

Probst, T. M.,  Brubaker, T. L., & Barsotti, A. (2008). Organizational under-reporting of injury rates: An examination of the moderating effect of organizational safety climate. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(5), 1147-1154.

Probst, T. M. (2008, October). Psychosocial predictors of accident under-reporting. Invited presentation to the Northwest Occupational Health Conference, Seattle, WA.

Probst, T. M., & Estrada, A. X. (2008, April).  Accident under-reporting: The moderating effect of organizational safety climate. In S. C. Payne & J. M. Rodriguez (Chairs), Safety in organizations: Moderators and mediators of safety climate. Symposium presented to the 2008 Conference of the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, San Francisco, CA.

Probst, T. M., & Brubaker, T. L. (2007). Organizational safety climate and supervisory layoff decisions: Preferences versus predictions. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 37, 1630-1648.

Probst, T. M. (2006, October).  Individual- and organizational- accident under-reporting: The moderating effect of organizational safety climate. Invited presentation to the Portland Industrial/Organizational Psychology Association, Portland, OR.

Probst, T. M. (2004). Safety and insecurity: Exploring the moderating effect of organizational safety climate. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 9, 3-10.   

Probst, T. M. (2002).  Layoffs and tradeoffs: Production, quality, and safety demands under the threat of job loss. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 7(3), 211-220.

Cross-Cultural I/O Research

In addition, I also conduct cross-cultural I/O research and have collaborated most recently with researchers in Switzerland, France, and China on data collection ventures. For these projects, my collaborators and I are attempting to answer a number of questions.  One major question concerns the cross-cultural effectiveness of human resource practices.  As corporations increasingly become multi-national, there is a tendency for these organizations to export their HR practices to these new locations.  Our research, however, suggests that HR practices that may be welcomed in one country may have a very different reception in others. Other cross-cultural research efforts look at translation equivalence across languages, and different negotiation tactics used in different cultures.

Representative Publications & Presentations:

Konig, C. K., Probst, T. M., Staffen, S., & Graso, M. (2009). A Swiss-U.S. comparison of the effects of job insecurity. Poster presented to the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, New Orleans, LA.

Konig, C. K., Probst, T. M., Staffen, S., & Graso, M. (2009). Predicting outcomes of job insecurity in Switzerland and the US: Uncertainty avoidance versus the social safety net. In H. De Witte (Chair), Job insecurity: Global and local perspectives. Symposium presented to the 14th European Congress of Work and Organizational Psychology, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

Probst, T. M. & Lawler, J. (2006). Cultural values as moderators of the outcomes of job insecurity: The role of individualism and collectivism. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 55, 234-254.

Drasgow, F. & Probst, T. M. (2005).  The psychometrics of translation: An evaluation of measurement equivalence across languages. In R. Hambleton, P. Merenda, & C. Spielberger (Eds.) Adapting
educational and psychological tests for cross-cultural assessment. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Robert, C., Probst, T. M., Drasgow, F., Martocchio, J., & Lawler, J.  (2001). Matching management practices to national culture in India, Mexico, Poland, and the U.S. Academy of Management Executive, 15(2), 130-132. Research translation by M. C. Marchese.

Triandis, H. C., Carnevale, P. J., Gelfand, M., Robert, C., Wasti, A., Probst, T. M., Kashima, E., Dragones, T., Chan, D., Chen, X. P., Kim, U., de Dreu, C., van de Vliert, E., Iwao, S., Ohbuchi, K-I., & Schmitz, P. (2001).  Culture and deception in business negotiations: A multilevel analysis. International Journal of Cross-Cultural Management, 1, 73-90.

Robert, C., Probst, T. M., Drasgow, F., Martocchio, J., & Lawler, J.  (2000). Empowerment and
continuous improvement in the U.S., Mexico, Poland, and India: Predicting fit on the basis of the dimensions of power distance and individualism. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85, 643-658.

Probst, T. M., Carnevale, P. J., & Triandis, H. C. (1999). Cooperation and culture in intergroup and single-group social dilemmas. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 77, 171-191.

For some examples of how I have incorporated undergraduate students into my research, please read below...

Examples of Undergraduate Research Assistant Activities:

• Field research and experimental project design
• Acquisition of organizational data sites
• Survey data collection
• Lab data collection
• HTML programming for web-based survey
• Data entry
• Data analysis
• Preparation of organizational feedback reports
• Preparation and presentation of conference submissions
• Preparation and publication of book chapters and journal articles

Sample of Publications Co-Authored with Current and Former Undergraduates:

Johns, D. J., & Probst, T. M. (2004). Sexual minority identity formation in an adult population. Journal of Homosexuality, 47, 81-90.

Probst, T.M. & Brubaker, T.L. (2001). The effects of job insecurity on employee safety outcomes: Cross-sectional and longitudinal explorations. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 6, 139-159.

Probst, T.M., & Johns, D. (2002). Harassment and discrimination in the workplace. In J.C. Thomas & M. Hersen (Eds.) Handbook of mental health in the workplace (pp 413-436). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publication, Inc.

Probst, T. M., Stewart, S., Gruys, M. L., & Tierney, B. W. (2007). Productivity, counterproductivity, and creativity: The ups and downs of job insecurity. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 80, 479-497.  

Probst, T. M., Graso, M., Estrada, A. X., & Greer, S.  (under 2nd review). Extending the consideration of future consequences to safety outcomes. Journal of Safety Research.

Probst, T. M.  Brubaker, T. L., & Barsotti, A. (2008). Organizational under-reporting of injury rates: An examination of the moderating effect of organizational safety climate. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(5), 1147-1154.

Probst, T. M., & Brubaker, T. L. (2007). Organizational safety climate and supervisory layoff decisions: Preferences versus predictions. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 37, 1630-1648.