Work engagement and task performance within a global Dutch ICT-consulting firm: The mediating role of innovative work behaviors

From exhaustion to insight: Uncovering the antecedents of work stress among healthcare professionals

BackgroundIn the post-COVID period, the work stress experienced by healthcare professionals has become a more questionable problem. Existing studies generally examine factors caused by work stress. Few studies and discussions are identifying the antecedents of work stress.ObjectiveThis study aims to uncover the underlying factors contributing to work stress among healthcare professionals. Among these antecedents, we examined the effect of innovative work behavior, contextual business performance and discussed the moderating role of ergonomics.MethodsThe study sample consisted of 177 health professionals over 18 working in hospitals operating in Istanbul. We collected data from healthcare professionals through sociodemographic information form, work stress scale, innovative work behavior scale, and contextual business performance scale. We analyzed the data by partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) using the Smart PLS 4.0 software package.ResultsAs a result, the research findings suggest contextual business performance, potentially affected by innovative work behaviour and moderated by ergonomics, can be a critical antecedent of work stress.ConclusionHealth administrators who desire to reduce employees' work stress need to develop a theoretical and practical understanding of innovative work behaviour, contextual business performance, and ergonomics. Hence, discovering the causal mechanism behind work stress fills an essential gap in the literature.

When high work engagement is negative for family tasks: mechanisms and boundary conditions

Background

Typically, work engagement is positively related to beneficial job outcomes. Earlier studies, however, revealed a "dark side" of work engagement showing negative effects such as more work-family conflict. Using a resource perspective, our study seeks to better understand why and when these negative effects of work engagement occur. Specifically, we test a new model in which the relationship of work engagement with work-family conflict is mediated by organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and work rumination. Moreover, we argue that employees' resource-building strategies (i.e., job crafting) and resource levels (i.e., psychological capital) buffer resource depletion due to high work engagement.

Methods

We tested our assumptions in a field study that involved data collected on three measurement points with 523 employees from Nigeria. The measures consist of Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, Organizational Citizenship Behavior Scale, Work Rumination Scale, Psychological Capital Scale, Job Crafting Measure, Work-family Conflict Scale, and demographic variables. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypotheses.

Results and discussion

Results from latent structure equation modelling confirm that work rumination mediates the positive relationship between work engagement and work-family conflict. Additionally, our findings suggest that behavioral engagement (i.e.,OCB) and work rumination mediate the relationship between work engagement and work-family conflict. Moreover, psychological capital mitigated the relationships of work engagement with work rumination, but not job crafting. Our study helps to better understand the "dark side" of work engagement and offers implications on how to mitigate its detrimental relationship with work-family conflict.

The Impact of Transformational Leadership on Service Employees in the Hotel Industry

Transformational leadership is important to the hotel industry where employees play a critical role in delivering the service. Transformational leadership is a leadership style that causes changes in employees by sharing the organization's vision and goals, providing necessary resources, promoting intellectual stimulation, and expecting high performance. This study uses four dimensions of transformational leadership to investigate how the dimensions influence employees' organizational identification, creativity, and task performance. In order to test the proposed model, data were gathered from employees of six hotels in South Korea. The data were analyzed with SmartPLS 4.0 program. The finding shows that four dimensions of transformational leadership have different effects on organizational identification and creativity. While core transformational leadership and supportive leader behavior enhance employees' organizational identification, which affects creativity and task performance, intellectual stimulation has an impact on creativity, which influences task performance. The post hoc analysis shows that organizational identification fully mediates the relationship between two dimensions of transformational leadership and creativity. This study contributes to the existing literatures of leadership theory and social identification theory by expanding the knowledge on the role of transformational leadership on employees. Some theoretical and practical implications are offered.

Modelling the significance of psychological, social, and situational factors on work efficiency and the preference for working from home in Southeast Asia

The shift in work paradigm owing to the implementation of new policies in the developing countries of Southeast Asia to reduce the spread of COVID-19 has created new challenges for both employers and employees. The study aimed to address the lack of extensive research on the effects of psychological, social, and situational factors on the work-from-home shift in Southeast Asia. This study incorporates the job characteristic theory, emphasizing how specific job characteristics influence motivation and performance. The study emphasizes the importance of creating an innovative and supportive work environment, improving digital capabilities, and promoting sustainable development through high-skill jobs to enhance remote employees' productivity. Valid responses from 288 full-time employees who have the option to work remotely were collected through online survey. The findings indicate that self-discipline, digital capability, and perceived organizational support significantly influence the preference for remote work. Managers should focus on motivating employees, providing support, and establishing a digital infrastructure to maximize productivity. Training and recruitment strategies should adapt to the changing work culture, while social support is crucial for encouraging innovative problem-solving. Trusting employees with autonomy and providing appropriate technologies fosters collaboration, efficiency, and creativity in different work settings.

The effect of empowering leadership on job performance among frontline employees: does power distance orientation matter?

Purpose

The objective of this research is to investigate how empowering leadership (EL) could promote employees' knowledge sharing (KS) and innovative work behavior (IWB), which, in turn, improve their job performance (JP). Besides, the moderating role of power distance orientation (PDO) will be considered as well.

Design/methodology/approach

This study employed a self-reported questionnaire from 460 frontline employees at Vietnamese commercial banks and the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) via the SmartPLS 3.0 to test the hypotheses.

Findings

The findings showed that there was a positive influence of EL on JP; this was mediated partially through KS and IWB. Additionally, the first research was the one that revealed that employees with high PDO dampened the positive effects of EL on KS and IWB.

Practical implications

The result of this study suggests that managers should evolve EL to heighten employees' JP.

Originality/value

The findings explored correlations between a system of variables. Besides, the main results of this research also demonstrated that EL played a crucial role in KS, IWB and JP.

A systematic review and meta-analytical synthesis of the relationship between work engagement and job satisfaction in nurses

PURPOSE

This study aimed to clarify the mixed conclusions regarding work engagement and job satisfaction in the nursing research literature by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis.

DESIGN AND METHODS

This meta-analytic review synthesized 15 independent studies published between 2007 and 2021.

FINDINGS

An overall effect size of random-effect model was calculated as r = 0.47 (k = 15, N = 3,818, 95% confidence interval [0.43;0.51]). Data collection method and presence of control variable, as significant moderators, accounted for 43.6% and 43.8%, respectively, of the effect size heterogeneity.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

While the positive relationship between work engagement and job satisfaction was higher in studies using the face-to-face data collection method, it was lower in studies using the control variable in their research models.

Person-environment fit and task performance: exploring the role(s) of grit as a personal resource

The Job Demands-Resources Framework (JDR) has established job- and personal resources as essential elements motivating people to perform. Whilst the purpose of job resources in this motivational process is well established, the role of personal resources is still quite ambiguous. Within the JDR framework, personal resources could (a) directly affect performance, (b) indirectly affect the relationship between a job resource and a performance outcome and (c) moderate the job resource-performance relationship. Grit has recently emerged as a promising personal resource as it could potentially act as a direct antecedent-, mediator and moderator within the motivational process of the JDR. To further the debate on the role of personal resources, this paper explores the function of grit (as a personal resource) within the person-environment fit (job resource) and task performance relationship. Specifically, the aim is to determine if grit directly or indirectly affects the relationship between person-environment fit and task performance. Finally, it aims to investigate whether grit moderates this relationship. Data were collected from 310 working adults through electronic surveys, and the relationships were explored through structural equation modelling. When controlling for age and gender, the results showed a positive association between person-environment fit, grit and task performance. Further, grit was also found to indirectly affect the relationship between the person-environment fit and task performance. However, no moderating effect could be established. This signifies the importance of grit as a psychological process, rather than a buffering element that may explain how person-environment fit affects performance outcomes.

Relationship between Employee Mental Health and Job Performance: Mediation Role of Innovative Behavior and Work Engagement

The relationship between employee mental health and job performance has been one of the key concerns in workplace. However, extant studies suffer from incomplete results due to their focus on developed economies' contexts and the unclear path of employee mental health's impact on performance. In this paper, we investigate the mechanism of employee mental health influencing job performance. We use the data of Chinese firms to test these hypotheses. Drawing on a sample of 239 firms from China, we find that employee mental health positively impacts job performance, and such relationship is mediated by innovative behavior and work engagement. The findings not only enrich the discipline's knowledge on mental health in an emerging economy setting but also extend the implications of mental health, innovative behavior, and work engagement to job performance.

The Linkage between Ethical Leadership, Well-Being, Work Engagement, and Innovative Work Behavior: The Empirical Evidence from the Higher Education Sector of China

In this study, we investigate the relationship between ethical leadership (EL), work engagement (WE), well-being, and innovative work behavior (IWB). The significance of these variables has increased in the current era when the influence of technology is exponentially increasing in the education sector. We investigate the role of ethical leadership in determining innovative work behavior. Moreover, we investigate the moderating effect of WB in the relationship between EL and WE. We also examine the mediating impact of WE in the relationship between EL and IWB. We used a questionnaire survey approach to collect data. The target population of this study was the academic personnel, i.e., senior professors, lecturers, and supporting staff associated with the higher education sector located in Zhejiang Province, China. Data were collected in two phases. In the first phase, we sent 300 research questionnaires and received 251 responses. In the second phase, after a three-month interval, we sent 200 questionnaires and received 162 responses. However, over the two phases, we collected a total of 413 questionnaires; 43 were discarded. Therefore, for analysis, we used 370 questionnaires. The data were analyzed using the structural equation modeling through SmartPLS 3.2.2. First, in the direct relationship, results confirm that EL positively influences the IWB. Secondly, WB has a positive and moderating relationship between EL and IWB. Thirdly, we address the relationship between EL and WE. The outcome indicates that there is a positive and significant relationship. Fourth, the results of this study indicate that there is positive and significant relationship between WE and IWB. Finally, the outcomes imply that WE positively mediates between EL and IWB. Ethical leadership and well-being are important for innovative work behavior that supports managers in introducing a supportive workplace environment that promotes good interpersonal relationships with subordinates. Therefore, a good interpersonal relationship between managers and subordinates enhances the work quality. So, ethical leaders provide a supportive work environment to all subordinates regarding their work.

Exploring the Relationship Between Learning Goal Orientation and Knowledge-Sharing Among Information Communication Technology Consultants: The Role of Incentive Schemes

Knowledge sharing (KS) is critical for consulting companies to develop sustainable competitive advantages. While the importance of KS in the information communication technology (ICT) sector has been proved, the assumed linear relationships in KS mechanisms are confronted with KS dilemmas: consultants' intention to maximize personal gains from KS resulting in restrained KS efforts, for fear of losing value after sharing knowledge with colleagues. Drawing on motivation theory and goal orientation perspective, this study examines the roles of learning goal orientation (LGO) and incentive schemes in KS among ICT consultants. The multiple regression analyses of 389 consultants' responses from 14 Chinese and 8 Korean ICT consulting companies demonstrated an inverted U-shape relationship between LGO and knowledge sharing; incentive schemes moderate this relationship. The findings shed light on the knowledge-sharing dilemma, with theoretical implications to research regarding goal-orientation, knowledge sharing, and managerial practices about the motivation and incentives of ICT consultants.

Fostering University Students’ Engagement in Teamwork and Innovation Behaviors through Game-Based Learning (GBL)

Higher Education Instituions (HEIs) should be the driving force behind the training of college students in terms of both hard and soft skills (for example, innovation and teamwork competencies), and they should also do so without neglecting their health and well-being, perhaps more than ever in these complex times of the SARS-CoV2 pandemic. Game-based learning (GBL) could be a powerful and useful tool in this regard. There is, however, some controversy surrounding the use of games for learning purposes in higher education institutions, and most of the research done about this issue corresponds to GBL through digital games. Under this background, the main objective of this study was to test the effect of GBL on the intrinsic motivation (IM), teamwork engagement (TWE), team building (TB), teamwork competence (TWC), and innovation behaviors (IWB) of 142 college students of Health Sciences and Social Work. After rehearsing in small groups, the game was tested (T2). Our results obtained through the differential analyses confirmed that undergraduates were more intrinsically motivated, experienced more TWE, TB, and TWC, and developed more IWB than before playing the game (T1). Therefore, the development of core personal skills might be promoted effectively by games in an efficient, engaging, and motivating way.

The Influence Mechanism of Supervisor Developmental Feedback on the Enactment of Employees' Creative Ideas: A Moderated Chain Mediation Model Based on Psychological Empowerment

Employees’ creative idea enactment is critical for organizational creativity assessment and innovation implementation. In the paper, we want to develop and verify a moderated chain mediation model to explore the impact of supervisor developmental feedback on the enactment of employees’ creative ideas, and to investigate the moderating role of psychological empowerment further. Hierarchical regression analyses of the multi-time data from 375 employees in China indicate that positive emotions and work engagement, respectively mediate the relationship between supervisor developmental feedback and employees’ creative idea enactment. Simultaneously, positive emotions and work engagement form chain mediation between supervisor developmental feedback and creative idea enactment. Besides, we find that psychological empowerment negatively moderates the relationship between supervisor developmental feedback and employees’ positive emotions, as well as moderates the chain mediating effect of this paper. The present study not only contributes to the literature on feedback and innovation, but also provides practical guidance on how to seek remedies to facilitate employees’ creative idea enactment from the perspective of human resource management.

Revisiting the Happy-Productive Worker Thesis from a Eudaimonic Perspective: A Systematic Review

The happy-productive worker thesis (HPWT) is considered the Holy Grail of management research, and it proposes caeteris paribus, happy workers show higher performance than their unhappy counterparts. However, eudaimonic well-being in the relationship between happiness and performance has been understudied. This paper provides a systematized review of empirical evidence in order to make a theoretical contribution to the happy-productive worker thesis from a eudaimonic perspective. Our review covers 105 quantitative studies and 188 relationships between eudaimonic well-being and performance. Results reveal that analyzing the eudaimonic facet of well-being provides general support for the HPWT and a much more comprehensive understanding of how it has been studied. However, some gaps and nuances are identified and discussed, opening up challenging avenues for future empirical research to clarify important questions about the relationship between happiness and performance in organizations.

The Psychometric Properties of the Grit-O Scale Within the Twente Region in Netherlands: An ICM-CFA vs. ESEM Approach

The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties (i.e., factorial validity, measurement invariance, and reliability) of the Grit-Original scale (Grit-O) within the Netherlands. The Grit-O scale was subjected to a competing measurement modeling strategy that sequentially compared both independent cluster model confirmatory factor analytical- and exploratory structural equation modeling approaches. The results showed that both a two first order, bi-factor structure as well as a less restrictive two factor ESEM factorial structure best-fitted the data. The instrument showed to be reliable at both a lower- (Cronbach’s alpha) and upper-level (composite reliability) limit. However, measurement invariance between genders could only be established for the B-ICM-CFA model. Finally, concurrent validity was established through relating the GRIT-O to task performance. The linear use of the Grit-O scale should therefore carefully be considered.