Does academic excellence predict non-cognitive competencies? Insights from a situational judgement test among medical students in Nigeria

BACKGROUND

Situational judgment tests (SJTs) are becoming more widely accepted for assessing medical students' behavioral (non-cognitive) competencies. However, the correlation between behavioral and clinical competencies is under-explored, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Using a validated SJT questionnaire, this study examined the association between SJT and the academic performance of clinical medical undergraduates in Enugu state, Nigeria.

METHOD

This was a cross-sectional study of 279 clinical medical students at the Enugu State University of Science, Management and Technology (ESUT), Nigeria. The results of the SJT of behavioral competencies were collected using a pre-tested, validated, and self-administered questionnaire. Cronbach's alpha for SJT competencies was below 0.7, which reflects domain heterogeneity rather than poor tool precision. The association between the dependent variable (SJT performance) and individual-level predictors was assessed using both bivariate and multivariate linear regressions. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.01.

RESULTS

An increase in students' academic performance predicted a decrease in their SJT performance by 3% (β= -0.03; p = 0.21), but this finding was not statistically significant. Having a grade of A or B in chemistry, compared to a grade of C4 or below, predicted a statistically significant increase in SJT performance by 15% (β = 0.15; p = 0.01). Being a male student predicted a decrease in the SJT score by 8% (β= -0.08; p = 0.09). The results also showed that students' state of origin (β = 0.28; p = 0.04) correlated with their SJT performance.

CONCLUSION

Our study findings suggest that students who perform better clinically are less likely to have higher behavioral competence. However, the negative association between clinical performance and SJTs is not always statistically significant. This has implications for training and implies that excellent clinical education may not facilitate the production of better doctors, but this is not always the case. Hence, there may be a case for incorporating mechanisms to specifically build behavioral competencies in medical students being trained. There is a need for studies that examine these associations in other contexts and test the impact of trainings and other mechanisms in building behavioral competencies in medical professionals.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

Not applicable.

Personality differences in flow experience during collaborative problem solving in work teams

This study investigates the relationship between team members' personality traits and their perceived individual and team flow in collaborative problem-solving (CPS) contexts. Flow, a state of optimal experience, enhances motivation, performance, and satisfaction, benefiting both individuals and teams. Using multilevel regression analysis, we examined data from 60 participants across 15 work teams performing two CPS tasks, assessing individual and team flow separately. Linear regression revealed no noteworthy links between personality domains and individual flow. However, curvilinear analyses revealed various insights, with U-shaped relationships observed for Extraversion, indicating that individuals with either low or high levels of Extraversion tend to experience higher individual flow than those with moderate levels of this trait. Altruism/Agreeableness, while unrelated to individual flow, showed significant linear relationships with various team flow dimensions, including open communication and sense of unity. For team flow as well, curvilinear analyses revealed similar U-shaped relationships, mainly observed for Extraversion. The findings illustrate the nuanced role of personality in CPS and highlight the value of exploring curvilinear relationships besides linear relationships. Future research should examine the mechanisms underlying these relationships and their generalizability across contexts.

The Effects of Employee Dark Triad Traits and Leadership Styles on Work-Related Outcomes in China: An Agency-Communion Perspective

This study investigated the effects of employees' dark triad traits and leadership styles on employees' work outcomes among Chinese employees (N = 332). Four leadership scenarios were designed, based on a combination of leadership agency and communion, in order to capture goal-oriented and people-oriented leadership behaviors. Participants were randomly assigned to a leadership scenario and filled out a work-related questionnaire after reading it. We used hierarchical regression models to conduct the analyses. Next to significant direct effects of employees' dark triad traits and leadership styles on work outcomes, there were significant interaction effects between employees' Machiavellianism and leadership styles on their work outcomes. More specifically, compared to other leadership styles, high agency-low communion leadership was more likely to activate counterproductive work behavior (CWB) and emotional exhaustion among Machiavellians. No interaction effects occurred for narcissism and psychopathy.

Understanding the Climate for Creativity and Innovation: 40 Years of Progress on the Situational Outlook Questionnaire

Establishing a work environment that is conducive to creativity and innovation is a key priority for organizations of all kinds. A variety of measures have been developed to assess the climate and culture for creativity and innovation and some limited literature is available that reviews these. Those sources that do review these assessments usually include only a handful of measures and their reviews are brief. The purpose of this article is to comprehensively summarize forty years of research, development, and application of one of these assessments called the Situational Outlook Questionnaire (SOQ). This summary includes an overview of the development, conceptual and theoretical foundations, psychometric characteristics, as well as the status of the evidence for reliability and validity of the SOQ. It also includes three new analyses of data that illustrate its relationship to a variety of other variables. Finally, although much progress has been made, the article concludes by suggesting a number of future fruitful pathways for further inquiry.

A holistic focus on the psychophysiology of reinvestment: A systematic review on reinvestment-related neural, cardiac vagal and oculomotor activity

BACKGROUND

Reinvestment is a psychological phenomenon during which people consciously engage in controlling their movements (i.e., movement-specific reinvestment) or decision making (i.e., decision-specific reinvestment). This can result in performance deterioration and can have detrimental consequences for individuals in various sports.

OBJECTIVES

This systematic review aimed to identify psychophysiological correlates of reinvestment to tackle the need for more objective measurements of reinvestment and to develop interventions to counteract performance-related decrements in the future. Considering brain, parasympathetic and oculomotor activity, jointly adds a holistic perspective on mechanisms underlying reinvestment.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic literature search using the PRISMA guidelines in three electronic databases (Pubmed, Web of Science and SportDiscus) on 20th of November 2024. The included studies assessed reinvestment together with psychophysiological parameters. The risk of bias of the included studies was assessed by the authors using "The Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Analytical Cross Sectional Studies" (Moola et al., 2020).

RESULTS

A total of N =21 studies containing a total of 795 participants were included. Of these, twelve studies considered brain activity, five considered parasympathetic cardiac activity, and two considered heart rate. Finally, two studies considered gaze behavior.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings indicate potential relationships between reinvestment and the considered psychophysiological parameters, but methods and findings appear heterogeneous in terms of task variability, population groups, and study design. To be able to draw more accurate conclusions, more systematic research programs are required to move towards a better holistic understanding of the psychophysiological correlates of reinvestment.

The Black Unicorn Effect: Micro-daily Events and Satisfaction Decrease the COVID-19 Xenophobia, but Only for Those With Low Levels of Neuroticism

Drawing on the behavioral concordance model and the trait activation theory, this study examined how and when daily micro-events influence COVID-19 xenophobic attitudes. First, we examined the mediating role of satisfaction, and then, tested the moderating role of neuroticism in the mediated relationship. Overall, 340 working adults volunteered to participate in this study. The findings revealed that (1) satisfaction mediated the negative relationship between daily micro-events and xenophobic attitudes and (2) neuroticism moderated this relationship such that xenophobic attitudes increased for neurotic individuals, even when their satisfaction increased. Our findings contribute to understanding the relationship between daily micro-events and COVID-19 xenophobia and provide empirical evidence for the combined effects of personality factors and affective factors on xenophobic attitudes. Furthermore, we evidence the existence of the black unicorn effect, that is, neurotic individuals tend to transpose their neurotic cognitions and emotions to xenophobic attitudes despite the uplifting and satisfying nature of positive events.

Changes and their effects on working and daily life time use allocation between work-from-home and office work days during the telework period: insights from the survey in Japan

Introduction

The rapid adoption of telework, accelerated by advancements in ICT and the COVID-19 pandemic, offers potential benefits for wellbeing and environmental impact. However, telework's effects on work productivity, work-life balance, and social connectedness remain complex, particularly within hybrid models combining work-from-home (WFH) and in office days.

Methods

This study assessed telework's impact by comparing WFH and office days. A survey of 1,500 full-time workers in Japan's Tokyo Metropolitan Region focused on daily time allocation, and telework preferences during telework periods. Principal component and cluster analyses were used to identify groups with distinct work and lifestyle patterns.

Results

Six telework-related groups emerged, reflecting diverse experiences in productivity and daily life. Groups such as the "Overall Increase" and "Housework and Rest Increase" reported gains in leisure and family time, positively impacting wellbeing. In contrast, the "Unsuitable for WFH" group faced increased office-day workloads and reduced WFH productivity, indicating that telework's effectiveness depends on job and individual characteristics.

Conclusion

The findings highlight telework's potential to enhance wellbeing and sustainability but also underscore the need for tailored policies that address diverse job requirements and personal characteristics. This study contributes to sustainable telework strategies by offering insights into effective support systems that balance flexibility, productivity, and environmental sustainability, aiming both for an enhanced personal life and societal benefits.

Development and validation of a self-report adaptability measure for the military remote operations community

Building on emerging literature, a new self-report inventory was developed to assess multiple psychological attributes relevant to adaptability in remote warriors. Literature search backed by surveys of military and psychological experts identified 32 attributes for self-report scale development. Items were sorted reliably into targeted dimensions (67.5% vs. 1.6% random) in support of content validity. Item analysis of responses from 255 U.S. Air Force remote operations Airmen (74.5% sensor operators) narrowed the set to 25 empirically distinct scales demonstrating overall strong internal consistency reliability (Mdn alpha = .83), unidimensionality per scale, convergent and discriminant validity in relations with the NEO Personality Inventory-3 (e.g. Stress Tolerance r = -.50 with NEO Neuroticism and r = .00 with NEO Openness), and criterion validity in relations with burnout (e.g., Coping Flexibility r = -.43 with Exhaustion) and psychological distress (e.g., Hardiness r = -.62). Results support the continued development of the measure for advancing understanding of the psychology of remote warfare and engagement in similarly demanding occupations.

I'm More Prosocial than Others: Narcissism Facilitates Prosocial Behavior in Public Situations

Although narcissism consistently predicts maladaptive behaviors, the relationship between narcissism and prosocial behavior remains controversial due to the paradoxical nature of narcissism. In three studies, we investigated the roles of situational and motivational factors in the link between narcissism and prosocial behavior. In Study 1 (n = 932), a questionnaire survey revealed that trait narcissism positively predicted prosocial behavior tendencies only in public situations as opposed to anonymous situations. In Study 2 (n = 200) and 3 (n = 170), we manipulated individuals' state narcissism through story-based primes and measured prosocial behavior via actual monetary donations. Both Studies 2 and 3 consistently demonstrated that participants in the state narcissism group exhibited greater prosocial behavior in public situations compared to anonymous ones. Furthermore, the findings of Study 3 indicated that the increased prosocial behavior observed in public situations could be attributed to heightened self-enhancement. These findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between narcissism and prosocial behavior.

Uncovering Hidden Framings in Dark Triad Self-Ratings: What Frames-of-Reference Do People Use When Responding to Generic Dark Triad Items?

In typical Dark Triad (DT) questionnaires, generic items oftentimes refer to "others" or "people" in general. Hence, respondents have to mentally aggregate their behavior across several kinds of "others" (e.g., work colleagues, family members, and friends). It remains unknown if individuals consider different kinds of interaction partners equally or if their self-reports contain "hidden" interaction partner-specific tendencies. To shed light on this issue, we assessed generic and contextualized DT items (referring to family, friends, work, and strangers; N = 814 from the general population). The correlated trait-correlated (method - 1) model was used to investigate preregistered research questions. On average, generic DT items showed the strongest association with work-contextualized DT items and the weakest association with family-contextualized DT items. However, the associations varied considerably across DT items and traits. In sum, our results suggest that hidden framings exist in some DT items, which may impact their ability to predict relevant criteria due to contextual (a)symmetries. The generalizability of the findings to other DT instruments, items, and participant groups should be examined in future research.

The Effects of Illegitimate Tasks on Task Crafting and Cyberloafing: The Role of Stress Mindset and Stress Appraisal

Previous studies have mainly focused on the detrimental effects of illegitimate tasks as ubiquitous workplace stressors while ignoring the appraisal measures for such tasks. The term "illegitimate" is used by employees to describe the alignment of a task with their job role rather than the inherent qualities of the task itself. Thus, drawing on the transactional theory of stress, this study examines the moderating effect of the stress mindset on the relationship between illegitimate tasks and the appraisal of such tasks. On this basis, this study further explores when cognitive appraisal mediates the effects of illegitimate tasks on coping behaviors (task crafting and cyberloafing). Data were collected from 285 employees from an energy company in Shandong, China, by using a time-lagged research design. The findings indicate that employees react differently to illegitimate tasks depending on their stress mindset. Specifically, for employees with a stress-is-enhancing mindset, illegitimate tasks induce their challenge appraisal, which leads to task crafting. In addition, illegitimate tasks induce hindrance appraisal in employees with a stress-is-debilitating mindset, which leads to cyberloafing. In practice, this research study suggests that when illegitimate tasks cannot be eliminated, organizations should consider employees' stress mindset when assigning such tasks.

Delving into the link between employee proactivity and knowledge sharing: A multilevel mediated moderation investigation

This study examines why and when proactive employees share knowledge. By integrating the Motivation-Opportunity-Ability Framework and Trait Activation Theory, and incorporating Mindsponge Theory, our multi-level model proposed that job autonomy moderates the impact of proactive personality on knowledge sharing (KS) within and between teams. Transformational leadership exhibits a cross-level effect on job autonomy. Utilizing a two-source, three-time-point research design, we collected data from 63 team leaders and 241 team members across six Chinese companies. Multilevel regression analysis revealed that within teams, increased job autonomy coupled with a proactive personality significantly enhanced KS. Between teams, job autonomy had a positive moderating effect. When job autonomy was low, more proactive teams exhibited less KS, whereas this negative effect was mitigated when job autonomy was high. The cross-level effect of transformational leadership on job autonomy was demonstrated. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Field of Study and Gender Moderation of the Association of Personality and Math Anxiety with Numeracy

Math anxiety and personality influence numeracy, although the nature of their contribution has been overlooked. In the present study, we investigated whether their association with numeracy depended on field of study and gender in higher education. Participants were Italian undergraduates in either the humanities (N = 201) or Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM; N = 209) fields of study. These participants remotely completed standardized tests assessing numeracy, math anxiety, personality, intelligence, and basic numerical skills. We tested whether math anxiety and personality interacted with field of study and gender in predicting numeracy. Results showed that math anxiety was negatively associated with numeracy independently of field of study and gender, while the effect of personality, especially neuroticism, on numeracy interacted with field of study over and above intelligence and basic numerical skills. Specifically, humanities undergraduates with higher neuroticism levels scored lower in numeracy than STEM undergraduates. These findings underscore the importance of emotional experience for a good performance in mathematics, beyond math anxiety and the other personality traits, in the students that are less familiar with mathematics. Finally, no robust gender moderation emerged, suggesting that its role may be overridden by differences associated with career choice.

How Does Enlistment Motivation Shape Organizational Commitment? The Role of Career Identity and Organizational Support

This study, based on the integrative model of commitment and motivation and organizational support theory, examined the mechanism of intrinsic and extrinsic enlistment motivation on three facets of organizational commitment. A three-wave field questionnaire survey was conducted among 1606 Reserve Officers' Training Corps cadets from Chinese universities. The results showed that both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation positively predicted affective commitment, normative commitment, and continuous commitment. The positive effect of intrinsic motivation was stronger than extrinsic motivation. However, the interactive effect of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation negatively predicted the three aspects of organizational commitment. Career identity mediated all the direct effects above. Moreover, organizational support moderated the effects of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation on career identity. When organizational support was low, the positive effect of intrinsic motivation on career identity was stronger; whereas, when organizational support was high, the positive effect of extrinsic motivation on career identity was stronger. Furthermore, extrinsic motivation and organizational support jointly moderated the effect of intrinsic motivation on career identity and the mediating effects between intrinsic motivation and the three facets of organizational commitment. Specifically, when extrinsic motivation and organizational support were low, the direct and mediating effects above were stronger.

Relationship between core self-evaluation and innovative work behavior: mediating effect of affective organizational commitment and moderating effect of organizational learning capacity

Focusing on employees, this study examined the respective mediating and moderating effects of affective organizational commitment and organizational learning capacity in the relationship between core self-evaluation and innovation work behavior. We collected data via an online survey from 330 office workers at midsize and large companies in a metropolitan area of South Korea. The results of analyzing the data using PROCESS macro were as follows: (1) core self-evaluation was positively related to innovative work behavior; (2) the relationship was mediated by affective organizational commitment; (3) the relationship was buffered by organizational learning capacity, such that a higher level of organizational learning capacity diminished the impact of core self-evaluation on innovative wok behavior; and (4) the conditional effect of core self-evaluation on innovative work behavior existed only in the group of a low level of organizational learning capacity. Based on these findings, we suggested implications for theory building, research, and practice.

Anti-Racism Efforts in Healthcare: A Selective Review From a Social Cognitive Perspective

Health effects of structural racism occur on cultural and institutional levels and potentiate racism on an interpersonal level. Consequently, efforts to mitigate the health effects of racism may require intervention on all levels. The effectiveness of these approaches may depend partly on the degree to which they address the underlying patterns of social cognition, shaping social norms and influencing thoughts, feelings, and expectations about oneself, one's relationships with others, and interactions with the healthcare system. This paper aims to evaluate the current approaches to addressing structural racism (via racism and health statements and training programs in diversity, equity, and inclusion or cultural competence). These interventions work to shift social cognition, and consequently, shape social behavior in the healthcare context. Our goal is to identify ways to maximize the potential of these approaches to address social cognition to guide efforts to achieve a more inclusive and equitable healthcare system.

Fostering Learning Goals at Work: The Interplay of Dispositional and Workplace Learning Goal Orientation and Supervisor Appraisal Behavior

A workplace that emphasizes personal learning and task mastery fosters employee development and performance. However, it is yet unclear which specific factors support such a learning goal-oriented workplace. Based on research in the educational domain, we investigated the reciprocal effects of dispositional learning goal orientation, supervisor's appraisal behavior, and a learning goal-oriented workplace. In a study with a repeated measurement design (N = 144 employees), we did not find support for an effect of supervisor's appraisal behavior (operationalized by the perceived use of self-reference norms and constructive handling of errors by employees) on workplace learning goal orientation over time. However, we found that a dispositional learning goal orientation of employees supports a learning goal-oriented work environment. Furthermore, workplace learning goal orientation had a cross-lagged effect on dispositional learning goal orientation and supervisor's appraisal behavior. By comparing our results from work to findings from the educational context, our results convey important theoretical implications about the construct of workplace goal orientation and suggest practical applications to foster a learning goal-oriented workplace in terms of personnel development and performance management.

Too much may be a bad thing: the difference between challenge and hindrance job demands

Job demands and employee motivations are studied through a challenging-disruptive needs framework. However, studies on challenging demands show mixed results due to the difference in the level of demand and effect of moderating variables. In this study, based on the Yerkes-Dodson law and conservation of resources theory, the non-linear relationship between challenging demand and work engagement, linear relationship between hindrance demand and work engagement, and moderating effect of stress were verified. A total of 3914 people were surveyed. The results showed that hindrance demand had a negative linear relationship with work engagement. Moreover, challenging demand had a positive effect on work engagement till a certain level, but had an inverted-U relationship with a negative influence thereafter. Stress mindset moderated these relationships and the negative effects of challenging and hindrance demands weakened for a stress-enhancing-mindset. Based on these results, theoretical and practical implications and future research directions were proposed.

The Founder: Dispositional Greed, Showbiz, and the Commercial Determinants of Health

Marketing unhealthy products by multinational corporations has caused considerable harm to individual health, collective wellbeing, and environmental sustainability. This is a growing threat to all societies and a significant contributor to the rising global burden of non-communicable diseases and early mortality. While there is growing consideration of the commercial determinants of health, this is largely focused on the methods by which unhealthy products are marketed and disseminated, including efforts to manipulate policy. Little attention has been paid to the underlying psychological traits and worldviews that are driving corporate greed. Here, we consider the role of "dispositional greed" in the commercial determinants of health with a focus on the historical attitudes and culture in the ultra-processed food industry-exemplified by "The Founder" of the McDonald's franchise. We argue that greed and associated psychological constructs, such as social dominance orientation and collective narcissism, permeate the commercial determinants of health at a collective level. This includes how a culture of greed within organizations, and individual dispositional greed, can magnify and cluster at scale, perpetuated by social dominance orientation. We also consider the ways in which "showbiz" marketing specifically targets marginalized populations and vulnerable groups, including children-in ways that are justified, or even celebrated despite clear links to non-communicable diseases and increased mortality. Finally, we consider how greed and exploitative mindsets mirror cultural values and priorities, with trends for increasing collective narcissism at scale, recognizing that many of these attitudes are cultivated in early life. A healthier future will depend on navigating a path that balances material prosperity with physical and spiritual wellbeing. This will require cultural change that places higher value on kindness, reciprocity, and mutualistic values especially in early life, for more equitable flourishing.

Conceptual and methodological issues in the study of the personality-and-culture relationship

Culture-and-personality studies were central to social science in the early 20th century and have recently been revived (as personality-and-culture studies) by trait and cross-cultural psychologists. In this article we comment on conceptual issues, including the nature of traits and the nature of the personality-and-culture relationship, and we describe methodological challenges in understanding associations between features of culture and aspects of personality. We give an overview of research hypothesizing the shaping of personality traits by culture, reviewing studies of indigenous traits, acculturation and sojourner effects, birth cohorts, social role changes, and ideological interventions. We also consider the possibility that aggregate traits affect culture, through psychological means and gene flow. In all these cases we highlight alternative explanations and the need for designs and analyses that strengthen the interpretation of observations. We offer a set of testable hypotheses based on the premises that personality is adequately described by Five-Factor Theory, and that observed differences in aggregate personality traits across cultures are veridical. It is clear that culture has dramatic effects on the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors from which we infer traits, but it is not yet clear whether, how, and in what degree culture shapes traits themselves.

Situational Cues in Thoughts About the Future

Abstract: Based on stimulus–response learning accounts, we argue that including situational cues in thought about intended actions is an important aspect of self-regulation success in general and in successfully implementing delayed intentions. Accordingly, in Study 1 ( N = 328), we replicate a previous study and show a positive relationship between the self-reported inclusion of situational cues in thoughts about intended actions and beliefs of self-regulation success. In Study 2 ( N = 136), we find a similar tendency when measuring self-regulation success with an assigned task to be completed within one week. Our results fit with if-then planning perspectives on how to facilitate novel behavior and recent perspectives that attribute self-regulation success to beneficial habits.

Promoting concern for team members in Indian enterprises through personal interaction: mediating through a preference for teamwork and co-worker support

Purpose

What motivates employees to show concern for their team or in-group members, and why is it vital to prefer teamwork and receive support from co-workers at the workplace? Given the significance of social relations in the workplace and drawing from social exchange theory, the present study seeks to examine the association between personal interaction with concern for team members by identifying preference for teamwork and co-worker support (CWS) mediating the relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

The data of 261 collected from employees working in varying public and private sector Indian enterprises were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis, Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) and Hayes PROCESS macro to investigate the multiple mediation analysis.

Findings

The findings showed a positive relationship between personal interaction and concern for the team member, which elaborates that increasing personal interaction among employees tends to display concern for their team members. Moreover, teamwork preference and CWS mediated the relationship, demonstrating that preferring teamwork and receiving support from co-workers, the propensity to concern for team members is influenced by personal interaction.

Practical implications

This research pinpoints how personal interaction among members may develop a feeling of belongingness, leading to concern for their team members. With the inclusion of employees in teamwork and creating a cordial work environment, employees prefer working in groups and teams; they may feel responsible for their group and its members, ultimately helping improve the organization's human capital.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the employee and organizational development by unveiling how employees may develop cordial social relationships through personal interaction, preferring teamwork and CWS.

Understanding employee creativity from the perspectives of grit, work engagement, person organization fit, and feedback

Purpose

Drawing on the growing emphasis in the literature on the importance of creativity in the workplace, the present study examines the effect of personal and organizational level factors that influences employee creativity. Precisely, we examine how grit, work engagement, person-organization fit, and feedback influence creativity in the workplace.

Design/methodology/approach

We sampled data from 422 research assistants who are professional workers at top-notch Universities in China. They were recruited to participate in the survey through an online medium known as WeChat. We empirically tested the effect of grit, work engagement, person-organization fit, and feedback on employee creativity. These hypotheses were supported by confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis, and path analysis.

Findings

The results show that work engagement strengthens the relationship between grit and creativity. In addition, the results proved that person-organization fit positively moderates the link between grit and work engagement. Feedback also had a positive mediating effect on the link between work engagement and creativity.

Practical implications

Based on the appropriateness of an individual work environment, a gritty person will likely become engaged and creative with task execution. Consequently, a person's organizational fit will strongly interact with grit, work engagement, and creativity.

Originality/value

We shed light on the blended value of personal and organizational-level factors that positively affect creativity in the workplace. Specifically, grit being both a personal and organizational factor influences employee creativity via work engagement. This research explored the effect of work engagement as a mechanism that serves as a motivational feature enhancing creativity. We also simultaneously identify the moderation conditions of person-organization fit and feedback. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed in detail. The study makes a theoretical contribution through its assessment of the impact of grit on employee creativity. The trait activation theory portrays how grit can be expressed through feedback and person-organization fit. In terms of practice, grit can be an important consideration in hiring decisions, and feedback should be given to make the workplace more creative.

Are narcissists always bad apples? The relationship between employee narcissism and creative deviance

This study aims to advance the understanding of the effect of employee narcissism on creative deviance through creative self-efficacy and the moderation of this effect through transformational leadership. Research data were collected using a three-wave lagged model (n = 446) from 446 employees of 6 Chinese companies to test our moderated mediation model. The findings show that narcissism positively and significantly predicted creative self-efficacy (β = 0.42, p &lt; 0.001) and creative deviance (β = 0.64, p &lt; 0.001), and that creative self-efficacy partially mediated that relationship. Transformational leadership strengthens the effect of narcissism on creative self-efficacy, and there is a positive indirect relationship between employee narcissism and creative deviance through creative self-efficacy when transformational leadership is high. These findings extend the understanding of the antecedents of creative deviance by showing the relations between employee narcissism and creative deviance. The study also contributes to the literature of mediating role of creative self-efficacy and the moderating role of transformational leadership to explain the relationship between employee narcissism and creative deviance.

The Role of Grit in Organizational Performance During a Pandemic

In the context of the organizational crisis caused by COVID-19, scholars and professionals have focused on factors that help employees stay at their jobs and perform well. In an uncertain era, grit is a significant employee and organizational sustainability trait. Using 890 responses, this study determined how grit affects organizational performance and used contingencies including supportive climate and transformational leadership as moderators. The hypotheses were tested by examining the relationship between grit and organizational performance and the moderating effects of supportive climate and transformational leadership. Further, these hypotheses were supported by confirmatory factor analysis, PROCESS macro analysis, and bootstrapping. Grit was found to be positively associated with organizational performance; meanwhile, supportive climate and transformational leadership strengthen the relationship between grit and performance. Both theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed. This study makes a theoretical contribution through its assessment of the impact of grit on organizational performance. Trait activation theory can explain how grit can be expressed through organizational climate and leadership. With regard to practice, grit can be used as a vital factor for personnel selection and a supportive climate should be provided to ensure a desirable organizational climate.

Moderating role of perceived work addiction of managers in the relationship between employees' perfectionism and work addiction: a trait activation theory perspective

Purpose

Earlier authors suggested that a combination of different factors leads to the development of work addiction, hereby indicating that no single perspective is enough to fully understand this phenomenon. Hence, the aim of this study was to examine the moderating role of perceived work addiction of managers in the relationship between employees' perfectionism and work addiction.

Design/methodology/approach

The present cross-sectional study was conducted on a convenience sample of 964 workers from different organizations in Lithuania. Data were collected by means of online self-administered questionnaires. To test the moderating effect, a covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM) path analysis was performed.

Findings

At the level of bivariate correlations, both self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism showed positive links with employees' work addiction. However, in structural equation models only self-oriented perfectionism was related to higher levels of work addiction. Further, although the results of the study did not confirm the assumption about the moderating effect of perceived work addiction of managers on the relationship between employees' self-oriented perfectionism and work addiction, the results showed that a positive relationship between employees' socially prescribed perfectionism and work addiction was strongest when a manager was perceived to be highly addicted to work.

Originality/value

The study enriched understanding of the roots of work addiction by employing trait activation theory (Tett and Burnett, 2003) and explaining how both dispositional and contextual factors interacted in predicting this phenomenon.

Employee Growth Mindset and Innovative Behavior: The Roles of Employee Strengths Use and Strengths-Based Leadership

This study aimed to investigate the relationship of employee growth mindset with innovative behavior and the mediating role of use of strength as well as the moderating role of strengths-based leadership in this relationship. Data with a sample of 244 employees working in diverse Chinese organizations were collected at two points in time. Results of bootstrapping analyses demonstrated that growth mindset is positively related to innovative behavior, employee strengths use partially mediates the positive relationship of growth mindset with innovative behavior, and strengths-based leadership strengthens the direct relationship between employee growth mindset and innovative behavior and the indirect relationship of employee growth mindset with innovative behavior via strengths use. This study advances growth mindset and innovative behavior theories and research.

Evaluation of Employee Empowerment on Taking Charge Behaviour: An Application of Perceived Organizational Support as a Moderator

Purpose

Based on trait activation theory, this study validates the boundary effect of perceived organizational support (POS) on employee empowerment (EE) to sustain employee's taking charge behaviour (TCB). It hypothesizes that EE has a strongly significant and positive relationship with TCB when POS is high.

Methodology

The authors selected a time-lagged cross-sectional study and collected data from two sources in manufacturing firms in China where 290 team members and 56 supervisors participated in the survey. In a questionnaire, team members self-reported employee empowerment, taking charge behaviour, and perceived organizational support, whereas supervisors rated employees' taking charge behaviour at individual-level to avoid common method bias. In addition, for meeting the study objectives statistically, we used SPSS-Process Macro for hypotheses testing.

Findings

The study findings were significant, in which employee empowerment demonstrated positive relationship with TCB under the boundary condition of POS but under low POS. This empirical result endorses that employee empowerment accelerated by perceptions of low organizational support demonstrates a positive impact on the development of taking charge behaviour.

Practical Implications

Receivers' reactions to organizational support are not constantly positive; sometimes, they might feel vulnerable or incapable, and sometimes "overhelped". Our study outcomes extend these streams of work by concentrating on support from the organization and authenticating an exclusive outline associating employee empowerment with perceived organizational support on employee's taking charge behaviour- specifically organizations might, rather counterintuitively, attain greater levels of empowered employee's taking charge behaviour by delivering less is more-oriented organizational support programs. More specifically, it is not always high, but sometimes low POS performs as a resilient situational factor or contextual moderator that is capable of activating and encouraging employee empowerment on their taking charge behaviour.

Originality/Value

This study highlights the importance of taking charge as trait-relevant behaviour by empowered employees (a trait in our case) and organizational support as a trait-relevant cue for sustainable performance in the manufacturing industry of China.

Remote working: a double-edged sword for workers' personal and professional well-being

While research suggests that work centrality has a positive effect on work engagement and a negative influence on family satisfaction, these relations may differ as a function of one's work setting (onsite vs. remote working). In the present study, we examined the direct and indirect – through work-family conflict (WFC), family-work conflict (FWC), work-family enrichment (WFE), and family-work enrichment (FWE) – effects of work centrality on work engagement and family satisfaction. We also examined whether these effects of work centrality on work engagement and family satisfaction differed between onsite and remote employees. We used a cross-sectional survey design to test our hypotheses among a total of 432 employees, including 152 always working onsite and 280 working remotely. As expected, our results revealed that work centrality was positively related to work engagement and negatively to family satisfaction. Moreover, the indirect effects (IE) of work centrality on work engagement were significantly mediated by WFE, whereas the IE of work centrality on family satisfaction were significantly mediated by FWC, WFE, and FWE. Finally, the relations between work centrality and the outcomes (work engagement and family satisfaction) were stronger among onsite employees than among remote employees. These results revealed that remote working may act as a double-edged sword by buffering the negative effects of work centrality on family satisfaction but also limiting the positive effects of work centrality on work engagement. Organizations and managers should thus consider addressing employees' work centrality and work type in their efforts to promote employees' professional and personal well-being.

Pathways to performance in undergraduate medical students: role of conscientiousness and the perceived educational environment

This study examined conscientiousness and the perceived educational environment as independent and interactive predictors of medical students' performance within Biggs' theoretical model of learning. Conscientiousness, the perceived educational environment, and learning approaches were assessed at the beginning of the third year in 268 medical students at the University of Geneva, Switzerland. Performance was examined at the end of the third year via a computer-based assessment (CBA) and the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE). Path analysis was used to test the proposed model, whereby conscientiousness and the perceived educational environment predicted performance directly and indirectly via students' learning approaches. A second model included interaction effects. The proposed model provided the best fit and explained 45% of the variance in CBA performance, and 23% of the variance in OSCE performance. Conscientiousness positively predicted CBA performance directly (β = 0.19, p < 0.001) and indirectly via a deep learning approach (β = 0.05, p = 0.012). The perceived educational environment positively predicted CBA performance indirectly only (β = 0.02, p = 0.011). Neither conscientiousness nor the perceived educational environment predicted OSCE performance. Model 2 had acceptable, but less optimal fit. In this model, there was a significant cross-over interaction effect (β = 0.16, p < 0.01): conscientiousness positively predicted OSCE performance when perceptions of the educational environment were the most positive, but negatively predicted performance when perceptions were the least positive. The findings suggest that both conscientiousness and perceptions of the educational environment predict CBA performance. Research should further examine interactions between personality traits and the medical school environment to inform strategies aimed at improving OSCE performance.

The willing successor: an exploration of grit and situational cues in family firms

Purpose

This conceptual paper explores how the activation of the individual-level trait grit can explain variance in successor willingness to take over leadership of the family firm.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing from trait activation and situation strength theories, the authors develop a framework to examine the interactions of the two dimensions of grit (passion and perseverance) on the successor's willingness to take control of the family firm.

Findings

The authors identify how the grit dimensions would interact with the situational cues present during the succession process to predict the successor's willingness to take control of the family firm and offer testable propositions to guide future empirical work.

Originality/value

The authors help to address the growing need for additional microfoundational family firm research by drawing insights from organizational behavior theories and personality research and apply them to the family firm succession process.