Rumination for innovation? Analysing the longitudinal effects of work-related rumination on creativity at work and off-job recovery

Work-related rumination is not a single construct, but consists of a dimension associated with negative emotions or affect (affective rumination), and a dimension associated with reflective thinking and applying strategies to solve problems (problem-solving pondering). In this three-wave longitudinal study across two years (N?=?630) we investigated whether the relationships between work-related rumination, off-job recovery, and creativity at work varied along the two dimensions of work-related rumination. In addition, we tested whether the relationships followed normal, reversed, or reciprocal causation. The results showed, first, that in a one-year perspective affective rumination, but not problem-solving pondering, was negatively related to off-job recovery and that problem-solving pondering, but not affective rumination, was positively related to creativity at work. Second, in a two-year perspective, reversed effects were detected as creativity at work was negatively related to affective rumination and positively to off-job recovery. Our results suggest that the quality of work-related thoughts determines whether the outcome is beneficial or detrimental. Occupational health interventions that only advise employees to stop thinking about work during off-job time, may therefore be too simplistic.     

Are state mindfulness and state work engagement related during the workday?

Given the growing interest in mindfulness in the workplace and the established importance of work engagement for work-related health and well-being, we explore the relationships between these 2 positive psychological states as they vary naturalistically over the workday. Utilising data from 3 measurement occasions per day (before work, mid-workday, and end-workday), we track natural variations in state mindfulness and state work engagement to create a fine-grained picture about their reciprocal relationships within the workday. A sample of 94 university employees completed multiple diary entries per day, for 10 working days. Data were analysed using multilevel structural equation modelling in MPlus, testing within-person pathways between mindfulness and work engagement across the day. Although state work engagement was a predictor of subsequent state mindfulness, state mindfulness did not predict subsequent state work engagement when controlling for earlier within-day work engagement. Overall, the within-day associations between mindfulness and work engagement were weak. We note the high within-day stabilities of state mindfulness and state work engagement, and discuss whether job and personal resources as well as task features might be moderators in the relationships between these constructs.     

Which leadership roles matter to whom? an examination of rater effects on perceptions of effectiveness

Using a 360-degree feedback approach, we examined the extent to which raters vary in the leadership roles they associate with effectiveness, as well as the extent to which self-ratings reflect those of other raters. Using data from 252 managers and their subordinates, peers, and superiors from the public utility industry, we found that, depending on the rater-ratee relationship, different leadership roles are associated with effectiveness. The managers themselves resembled their superiors the most in terms of the leadership roles they associated with effectiveness. These results lend support for the importance of 360-degree feedback for both practitioners and researchers. Organizational researchers, then, should not only examine levels of rater agreement, but also try to better understand what different raters consider critical leadership roles. This article is a step in that direction.     

Need to choose between cutting people and pay? A work sector may matter if maintaining work attitudes is your concern

Despite the increase in the cases of reducing payroll costs (i.e., the costs of wages and salaries), studies that directly compare the effects of related methods (cutting pay vs. downsizing) on work attitudes are extremely limited. Moreover, there has been no effort to answer the question of “who” is more or less affected by one method over the other. This study directly compares the effects of cutting pay vs. downsizing on work attitudes (i.e., affective commitment and job satisfaction) of remaining employees (i.e., employees whose pay is cut vs. survivors of downsizing). The study also examines the moderating effect of the work sector (private vs. public sectors) in this comparison. To do this, 4,359 Irish workers who participated in the 2009 National Workplace Survey (NWS) were analyzed. The analysis reveals no overall difference in the effects of the two methods in maintaining the work attitudes of remaining employees. However, this comparison is moderated by sector. In the private sector, downsizing better maintained the work attitudes of remaining employees than cutting pay. In the public sector, in contrast, there was no significant difference in these effects between the two methods. The results challenge the earlier belief that pay cuts cannot be a feasible alternative to downsizing due to their detrimental effect on employee motivation. The study outcomes indicate that this concern is applicable only in the private sector. Thus, the findings suggest that organizations in the public sector can utilize the pay cut option (rather than downsizing) to gain social approval, which can also be an essential resource that allows firms to better compete in the market.     

How do CEOs matter? The moderating effects of CEO compensation and tenure on equity ownership in international joint ventures

We propose that CEO compensation and tenure moderate the relationship between multinational corporations' (MNCs) R&D intensities and their percentages of equity ownership in international joint ventures (IJVs). Transaction cost economics (TCE) suggests a positive relationship between MNC R&D intensity and IJV equity ownership, but this relationship has not been confirmed consistently in prior research. We examine the moderating effects of CEO compensation and tenure on the relationship between MNC R&D intensity and IJV equity ownership, thereby bringing more nuanced explanations from agency theory and upper echelons theory into the discussion. Our proposed relationships were tested using a sample of 202 IJVs formed between U.S. MNCs and foreign partners in high-tech industries for the period 1993 to 2003. We found an overall positive relationship between MNC R&D intensity and the percentage of equity ownership in IJVs. Moreover, CEO tenure and bonus compensation each weaken the positive R&D intensity-equity ownership relationship in our sample, while CEO stock options compensation amplifies it. These findings indicate that CEO compensation and tenure influence decision making about equity ownership in IJVs, suggesting that scholars and boards of directors should consider these CEO-related factors when evaluating strategic decisions regarding IJVs.     

Does change process healthiness reduce the negative effects of organizational change on the psychosocial work environment?

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate whether the detrimental effects of organizational change on the psychosocial work environment are reduced by the “healthiness” of change processes. This includes the management's awareness that the change may be experienced differently by various individuals and groups (diversity); availability of the manager during the process; the degree to which conflicts are resolved constructively; and the degree to which the new roles to be taken on are clarified. Two studies are presented. Using a randomized sample of the Norwegian working population (N = 2389), the first study showed that there were both direct and indirect positive relationships between organizational change and stress, with job demands (but not control and support) as a mediator. In the second study a healthy change process index (HCPI) was developed from dimensions of healthy change that had emerged in an earlier qualitative study. Using data from seven Norwegian enterprises undergoing change (N = 561), this study showed that the healthiness of the change process was related negatively to stress and positively to Control and Support, but not to Demands. Overall, these findings support the idea that a healthy process may not reduce the additional demands produced by organizational change. However, a healthy process may still be able to reduce the experience of stress and facilitate coping with stress and associated increased demands through enhancing the psychosocial work environment.     

Engaging leader – Engaged employees? A cross-lagged study on employee engagement

The goal of this study is to provide a cross-lagged examination of the relationships between engaging leadership, job resources and employee work engagement. We propose a mediation model and we postulate that engaging leadership can increase perceptions of three specific job resources (i.e. autonomy, support from colleagues and opportunities for learning and development) which theoretically correspond to the three facets of engaging leadership (i.e., inspiring, connecting and strengthening, respectively). Subsequently, in keeping with the extant body of Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) research, we link job resources to employee work engagement. Our hypotheses were tested on data collected at two time-points – T1 (N = 759) and T2 (N = 273) –from employees working for a hotel chain in the Netherlands. In line with our expectations, engaging leadership showed a significant cross-lagged relationship with autonomy and support from colleagues, but did not predict learning opportunities and work engagement across time. While we formulated specific hypotheses, we also tested reversed causation relationships. We found no direct effect from engaging leadership on employee work engagement, however, the reversed effect was significant; employee perceptions of engaging leadership were shaped by their own engagement experiences. Importantly, engaged employees at T1 reported more job resources at T2. By providing a cross-lagged examination of our model, we showed that engaging leaders as well as employees’ positive affective state of being engaged, are essential to shaping a resourceful work context. A comprehensive view on the triggers and outcomes of work engagement and engaging leadership is needed, as the traditional unidirectional cause-effect rationale fails to explain how these concepts relate to one another and to employee experiences of job resources.     

Do you think that your health or safety are at risk because of your work? A large European study on psychological and physical work demands

Abstract

Throughout Europe there are relatively few statistics, gathered a national level, which deal specifically with the problem of violence at work. In the UK, the revised Reporting of Injuries. Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 1995 now require that certain violent incidents are reported on a national basis. The criteria for reporting, which are entirely dependent on the physical outcome of incidents, are discussed. It is recommended that employing organizations should establish their own internal systems for reportmg and recording a wider range of violent, and potentially violent, incidents. These should then be used to inform risk assessment and risk management.     

When do leaders sacrifice?: The effects of sense of power and belongingness on leader self-sacrifice

Past research on leader self-sacrifice has focused entirely on the effects of this leader behavior on followers and its implications for organizations. The present research focused on antecedents of leader self-sacrifice. We argued that self-sacrifice is positively influenced by leaders' sense of belongingness to the group they supervise. Furthermore, leaders' subjectively sensed power can serve as a moderator of this effect. We expected this because a high sense of power is known to facilitate goal pursuit. Given that organizational goals often prescribe serving the interests of the organization, leaders' sense of belongingness should promote self-sacrifice particularly among leaders low in subjective power; leaders high in subjective power should display self-sacrifice regardless of their sense of belongingness. Two field studies supported these predictions. A final experiment supported a critical assumption underlying our argument in showing that the sense of power × sense of belongingness interaction is restricted to situations that prescribe cooperative goals. When situations prescribe competitive goals, this interaction was absent.     

Why do users trust algorithms? A review and conceptualization of initial trust and trust over time

Algorithms are increasingly playing a pivotal role in organizations' day-to-day operations; however, a general distrust of artificial intelligence-based algorithms and automated processes persists. This aversion to algorithms raises questions about the drivers that lead managers to trust or reject their use. This conceptual paper aims to provide an integrated review of how users experience the encounter with AI-based algorithms over time. This is important for two reasons: first, their functional activities change over the course of time through machine learning; and second, users' trust develops with their level of knowledge of a particular algorithm. Based on our review, we propose an integrative framework to explain how users’ perceptions of trust change over time. This framework extends current understandings of trust in AI-based algorithms in two areas: First, it distinguishes between the formation of initial trust and trust over time in AI-based algorithms, and specifies the determinants of trust in each phase. Second, it links the transition between initial trust in AI-based algorithms and trust over time to representations of the technology as either human-like or system-like. Finally, it considers the additional determinants that intervene during this transition phase.     

When and with whom to cooperate? Investigating effects of cooperation stage and type on innovation capabilities and success

In times of saturated markets and decreasing product life cycles, the continuous development and successful launch of innovations are essential for profit-oriented organizations of any kind. Interorganizational cooperation enables companies to get better access to knowledge and capabilities in order to generate and successfully introduce innovations. While scientific research and management practice have acknowledged the importance of cooperation, little research effort is dedicated to empirically determine the effectiveness of cooperation intensity within different stages of the innovation process (cooperation stage) and with different partners (cooperation type). This article aims to fill these gaps by empirically examining the effects of cooperation intensity with different kinds of partners (horizontal, vertical and institutional cooperation) in different stages of new product development (concept and product development as well as implementation stage) on innovation capabilities and success of individual companies. Drawing upon a sample of 154 high-tech companies from the German B-2-B sector, our results reveal that it is in general beneficial for a company to cooperate. However, cooperation in concept and product development primarily improves a company's innovation capabilities while cooperation in the implementation stage primarily enhances innovation success of a company. With respect to cooperation type, vertical, horizontal as well as institutional cooperation significantly enhance innovation capabilities and success of a company. However, cooperation with institutional partners was found to be the most important contributor throughout all stages.     

When do leaders matter? Ownership,governance and the influence of CEOs on firm performance

Leadership and strategic management research suggests that the extent to which CEOs influence performance largely depends on the presence or absence of certain factors. These factors may include the characteristics of the task at hand, subordinates, the organization itself or the external environment. Among these factors, a fundamental contingency that has received little empirical attention is an organization's ownership and governance structure—that is, who owns and monitors the organization. In this paper, we outline how different ownership and governance structures can present the opportunity for, or limit, leader influence and empirically examine the extent to which CEO effects on financial performance depend on these structures. Examining organizations in the same industry but with different ownership and governance structures, our results suggest that these structures are closely aligned with the degree to which CEOs influence firm performance. Our findings support the notion that leaders matter most when ownership and governance structures correspond with a weak or ambiguous institutional logic. This study contributes new insight into the “opportunity structure” of CEO influence, that is, the organizational factors that shape leader discretion and, hence, condition the CEO's level of influence over firm performance.     

What is the future of work? A science mapping analysis

This article aims to systematise and provide a structure for research into the Future of Work (FoW). We used SciMAT to conduct a science mapping analysis based on co-word bibliographic networks. The Web of Science (WoS) database was used for article retrieval, and a total of 2,286 documents were identified from 1959 to 2019. Our results are counterintuitive, as concerns over satisfaction, leadership values or corporate social responsibility (CSR) appear alongside traditional human resource management (HRM) themes, such as organisational commitment or careers, as well as more current FoW themes, such as the impact of technological change on employment, wage inequality, vulnerable workers, telework or talent management. In addition, we offer a classification of the most prolific FoW research themes and challenges into technological, social, economic and political categories.     

How bad are the effects of bad leaders? A meta-analysis of destructive leadership and its outcomes

While the focus on constructive leadership still dominates leadership research, an increasing number of studies investigate different forms of destructive leadership. This meta-analysis integrates different conceptualizations of destructive leadership and analyzes the relationship between destructive leadership and outcome variables. The search for articles yielded more than 200 studies of which 57 could be included in the meta-analysis. Results indicate the expected negative correlations with positive followers' outcomes and behaviors (e.g., attitudes towards the leader, well-being, and individual performance) and positive correlations with negative outcomes (e.g., turnover intention, resistance towards the leader, counterproductive work behavior). As expected, the highest correlation arises between destructive leadership and attitudes towards the leader. Surprisingly, the next highest correlation was found between destructive leadership and counterproductive work behavior. After discussing the results, an agenda for future research is proposed. Given the negative impact of destructive leadership, more knowledge is especially necessary regarding what triggers destructive leadership.     

When do subordinates' emotion-regulation strategies matter? Abusive supervision,subordinates' emotional exhaustion,and work withdrawal

Drawing upon conservation of resources theory, this research examines the linkage between abusive supervision and work withdrawal from a stress perspective, focusing on the moderating role of subordinates' emotion-regulation strategies and the mediating role of emotional exhaustion. Survey data included 254 ranked officers in 55 workgroups of the Taiwan Ministry of National Defense. The HLM results suggest that subordinates' emotional exhaustion mediated the relationship between abusive supervision and work withdrawal only when subordinates engaged in high-frequency expressive suppression or low-frequency cognitive reappraisal. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

Dimensions of work–home culture and their relations with the use of work–home arrangements and work–home interaction

Abstract

This study examined the associations of work–home culture with (a) demographic and organizational characteristics, (b) the use of work–home arrangements, and (c) negative and positive work–home interaction, among 1,179 employees from one public and two private organizations. Substantial support was found for a 2-factor structure of a work–home culture measure differentiating between “support” (employees’ perceptions of organization's, supervisors’, and colleagues’ responsiveness to work–family issues and to the use of work–home arrangements) and “hindrance” (employees’ perceptions of career consequences and time demands that may prevent them from using work–home arrangements). This 2-factor structure appeared to be invariant across organizations, gender, and parental status. Significant relationships with organizational characteristics, the use of work–home arrangements, and work–home interaction supported the validity of these two cultural dimensions. It is concluded that if employers want to minimize work–home interference, to optimize positive work–home interaction, and to boost the use of work–home arrangements, they should create a work–home culture that is characterized by high support and low hindrance.     

Are work stress relationships universal? A nine-region examination of role stressors,general self-efficacy,and burnout

Cross-national studies of job stress have not kept pace with other streams of research in the international milieu. To begin to address this lack of development, we examined the relationships among role stressors, general self-efficacy (GSE), and burnout across nine regions (i.e., U.S., Germany, France, Brazil, Israel, Japan, China, Hong Kong, and Fiji). Findings indicated GSE had a universally negative association with burnout across all regions. Further, self-efficacy mediated the relationship between role conflict and/or role ambiguity and burnout across eight of the nine cultures. Conclusions center around how low self-efficacy may help to explain why occupational role stressors have a positive association with burnout cross-nationally. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.     

When do subordinates commit to their supervisors? Different effects of perceived supervisor integrity and support on Chinese and American employees

While subordinates' commitment to the supervisor is highly desirable, the routes to achieve this might vary in different cultures. Drawing on the theories of leader–member exchange (LMX) and cultural logic, this study posits different interaction effects for subordinates' perceived supervisor integrity and support on commitment to the supervisor in cultures with different expectations of personal integrity. The results indicate that an additive effect can be observed for American subordinates: perceived supervisor support increases commitment to the supervisor to a greater extent when a high degree of supervisor integrity is also perceived. In contrast, a compensatory effect can be observed for Chinese subordinates: perceived supervisor support increases commitment to the supervisor more when a lower degree of supervisor integrity is perceived. Our findings shed light on cultural differences in the psychological mechanisms of employees' relationship with their supervisors. Theoretical and practical implications for the effectiveness of Asian leadership are discussed.     

The prospective effects of work–family conflict and enrichment on job exhaustion and turnover intentions: comparing long-term temporary vs. permanent workers across three waves

This study investigated work–family conflict (WFC) and enrichment (WFE) in relation to job exhaustion and turnover intentions among long-term temporary (n = 384) and permanent (n = 430) workers. We used three-wave data collected among Finnish university employees in 3 consecutive years. The participants were either permanently or temporarily employed for the whole 3-year period. The results showed that permanent employees reported both higher WFC and WFE during the follow-ups than temporary employees. Temporary workers reported higher job exhaustion and turnover intentions compared to permanent workers. Job contract functioned as a moderator: high WFC showed a prospective effect on increased turnover intentions in permanent employees. In contrast, temporary employees benefited more from high WFE, which showed a prospective effect on reduced job exhaustion in temporary employees. The results suggest that measures taken to improve work–family balance could have different implications for long-term temporary and permanent workers.