员工差错报告意愿的影响因素:一个整合模型

Factors Influencing Intention of Employee Error Reporting:An Integrated Model

差错报告是组织发现差错的主要途径,员工差错报告意愿的影响因素是重要的研究议题。本文整合理性行为理论、自愿行为理论和工作设计理论,构建了一个包含个体因素(感知成本、感知收益)、情境因素(差错沟通气氛、任务相关性)、工作的差错特征(差错类型、差错容忍度)三类影响因素的概念模型。运用404份员工调查问卷的数据进行假设检验,研究结果表明:第一,报告态度和主观规范均正向影响报告意愿,主观规范正向影响报告态度;第二,感知成本负向影响报告态度,感知收益正向影响报告态度,差错沟通气氛和任务相关性均正向影响主观规范;第三,知识型差错弱化感知成本对报告态度的负向影响,差错容忍度强化任务相关性对主观规范的正向影响。

Error refers to the employee＇s deviant actions or plans unintentionally, which may have both the neg- ative effects （such as accidents） and the positive effects （such as the facilitating the learning）. Error Reporting is of- ten the main means by which organizations become aware of errors and of the circumstances leading to them. However, employees are usually unwilling to report the errors, considering that reporting may lead to cost（ such as the economic costs, the destruction for personal image and the human relations, and the increase of the workload, etc. ） and negative emotions（ such as the fear and the guilt）. Thus,it is important to know the key factors affecting the employees＇ error reporting intentions. In this study, we developed a research model by integrating the Theory of Reasoned Action （ TRA）, Discretion- ary Behavior, and Task Design theory to construct a concept model including the individual factors （perceived costs and perceived benefits ）, contextual factors （ error communication climate and task interdependence） , and error characteristics of work （ error type and error tolerance） to investigate the factors influencing employees＇ error repor- ting intention. We confirm our hypothesis through a survey of 404 employees. The main conclusions are as follows： Firstly, both attitude and subjective norm with regard to employee error reporting have a positive impact on employ- ees ＇ intention to report error, and subjective norm has a positive impact on attitude ; Secondly, perceived costs of er- ror reporting behaviors have a negative impact on the attitude, and perceived benefits have a positive impact on the attitude,error communication climate and task interdependence both have a positive impact on subjective norm; Thirdly, knowledge-based errors reduces the negative impacts of perceived costs to attitude, the higher proportion of knowledge-based mistakes in work, the negative influence of perceived costs on attitude will be weaker; and error tolerance strengthens the positive impacts of task interdependence to subjective norm, the higher error tolerance of the post, the positive influence of task interdependence on subjective norm will be stronger. However, knowledge- based mistakes don＇ t significantly moderate the relationship between perceived benefits and attitude ; Slips don＇ t significantly moderate the relationships from perceived costs and perceived benefits to attitude; Error tolerance dose not significantly moderate the relationship between error communication climate and subjective norm. This paper has both theoretical and practical significances, and the theoretical significances include the follow-ing points. First,the paper built a theoretical framework of decision-making psychological mechanism of employee error reporting. Descriptions of psychological process of employee error reporting were very detailed in the integrated model based on this framework. Furthermore, the paper integrated and developed the previous studies on the rela- tions among cost-benefit evaluations, potential victims, the relationships with superiors and colleagues, and job char- acteristics influence, which could be references to the similar research. Second, the paper studied the effect of error types and error tolerance in the situation assessment of error reporting, which were based on cognitive origins. The paper explained the mechanism of action of error types and error tolerance based on the attribution theory and cost- benefit evaluations, and also provided empirical evidence in Chinese context, which deepened and supplemented previous studies. Various measures could be used to inspire the error reporting behavior. Enterprises should set a system of re- wards and penalties to change the staffs cost-benefit cognition of error reporting, for example, implementing the ex- emption, providing training opportunities or material reward to those reporting errors and punishing those covering up errors. Moreover, enterprises could create harmonious error communication to reduce staff＇s social stresses when they made decisions on error reporting, for example, building simple error reporting system, arranging the exchange time devoted to errors and providing comfortable places, superiors showing an affinities for inferiors referring to errors, or- ganizing team members of high task interdependence to discuss errors and exchange experience regularly.