Search

Using the "Computers are social actors" paradigm, this study brings the concept of power to human–computer interactions in tourism. Building on theories of social power and deliberate practice, the authors examine psychological effects of expert power of online travel review platforms (influencer) and its interaction effects with the power of users (influenced). Two expert platform attributes are conceptualized: specialization and experience. A significant interaction effect was identified between platform specialization, platform experience, and user power on perceived information-task fit using a 2 × 2 × 2 between-subjects experiment. When users are powerful, specialization affected perceived information-task fit for low-experience platforms; no significant effect was evident for high experience platforms. When users are powerless, specialization did not affect perceived information-task fit, regardless of experience condition. Perceived information-task fit mediated the effect of specialization on intention to use. The findings contribute to power discourses by exploring the workings of expert power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated why women may have lower desires and intentions to apply to become a member of a leadership group (i.e., committee) than men when the majority of its members are men. In four studies, we examined the interaction between gender and gender composition of the leadership group on leader candidates' sense of power, desire to lead, and intentions to apply to become a member of a leadership group. Informed by research on gender, perceived power, and the model of goal-directed behavior, we found that women, compared to men, expected lower sense of power when considering applying to a majority-male (vs. gender-balanced) online leadership committee (Study 1A, N = 294; Study 1B, N = 278). This pattern observed for women in majority-male leadership committees was not, however, evident for men in majority female leadership committees (Study 2, N = 560). Furthermore, women's lower sense of power explained why they expressed lower desires to lead and intentions to apply for a majority-male leadership committee compared to men. Finally, we found that increasing women's sense of power increased their desires and intentions to lead in a majority-male committee (Study 3, N = 460). We contribute to understanding why there still exists a discrepancy in the number of men versus women in leadership groups despite ongoing efforts to reduce it. We hope readers will apply these findings by identifying ways to increase women leader candidates' sense of power in order to increase women's representation on leadership committees and groups (e.g., boards). Online slides for instructors who want to use this article for teaching are available on PWQ 's website at http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/suppl/10.1177/0361684320939065 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we present the development of the Spanish version of the Generalized Sense of Power Scale — individuals’ perception about their ability to influence others. After examining evidence of content validity, in two studies we investigated the psychometric properties of the Generalized Sense of Power Scale (GSPS) and its relationship with other theoretically related variables. In Study 1, we found through an exploratory factor analysis that the factorial structure of the GSPS presents two differentiated factors: sense of soft power and sense of harsh power. In Study 2, a confirmatory factor analysis replicated this finding, and we also found the expected correlations between these two factors and other theoretically related variables. Furthermore, we found that these two factors showed adequate internal consistency in both studies. All in all, our results suggest that the Spanish version of the GSPS is an instrument that is able to measure the generalized sense of power. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

An increasing number of consumers rely on online reviews to make purchase decisions in today’s global service industry. In this article, we investigate the impact of power on a consumer’s willingness to spread word-of-mouth (WOM) by posting an online review. Drawing on self-enhancement theory, which suggests that an individual is motivated to spread WOM in order to boost his or her self-image, and the agentic versus communal theory of power, we argue that the impact of power is moderated by the valence of the customer’s service experience, and its congruity with that of other forum users. Results from three studies in hotel and restaurant contexts indicate that powerless consumers are more likely to post positive reviews when the forum consensus is also positive. Conversely, powerful consumers are more likely to post positive reviews when the overriding consensus is negative. Further, such results hold only for positive (vs. negative) service experiences. Managerially, our findings suggest that introducing power mechanisms such as influence rankings or helpful votes into online consumer forums may shape review posting behaviors. Service marketers and social media managers need to be aware that some customer segments are not inclined to post positive online reviews. As indicated by our findings, powerful consumers, such as those with high helpful ratings or elite reviewer status, are more likely to post positive reviews when the forum consensus is negative. Conversely, powerless consumers, such as those with low helpful ratings or junior reviewer status, might be more inclined to post positive reviews when the forum consensus is also positive. Based on our findings, we also discussed the theoretical contributions, limitations, and ideas for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals exercise self-control daily to achieve desired goals; at the same time, people engage in social interaction daily and influence (feel powerful) or are influenced (feel powerless) by others. Does controlling the self have an unforeseen consequence for people’s perception of their capacity to control others? Five studies—one correlational and four experimental—demonstrate that ego depletion from prior self-control determines one’s personal sense of power; low-level, concrete mental construals account for this relationship. Our results showed that people with higher trait self-control reported a greater sense of power (Study 1). People who had depleted their self-control-related regulatory resources (vs. those who had not) experienced a lower sense of power (Study 2). The relationship between ego depletion and low sense of power was mediated by construal level (Study 3) and observed only when low-level, concrete construals were present, but not under high-level, abstract construals (Studies 4 and 5). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]