Search results

The traditional perspective in the occupational and organizational psychology literature aimed at understanding well‐being, has focused almost exclusively on the “disease” pole. Recently, however, new concepts focusing on health are emerging in the so‐called “positive psychology” literature. The purpose of this paper is to test multiple possible linkages (or profiles) between certain personal, organizational, and cultural variables that affect both burnout and vigor. Burnout (disease) and vigor (health) are assumed to represent two extreme poles of the well‐being phenomenon.

An innovative statistical treatment borrowed from data mining methodology was used to explore the conceptual model that was utilized. A self‐administered questionnaire from a sample of 1,022 physicians working in Swedish public hospitals was used. Standardized job/work demands with multiple items were employed in conjunction with the Uppsala Burnout scale, which was dichotomized into high (burnout) and low (vigor) score. A combination of ANOVAs and “classification and regression tree analyses” was utilized to test the relationships and identify profiles.

Results show an architecture that predicts 59 percent of the explained variance and also reveals four “tree branches” with distinct profiles. Two configurations indicate the determinants of high‐burnout risk, while two others indicate the configurations for enhanced health or vigor.

In addition to their innovative‐added value, the results can also be most instrumental for individual doctors and hospitals in gaining a better understanding of the aetiology of burnout/vigor and in designing effective preventative measures for reducing risk factors for burnout, and enhancing well‐being (vigor).

The purpose of this research is to explore the relationship between the positive and negative psychological states of work (i.e. engagement and burnout, respectively) and their effects on an individual’s mental and physical health. This study analyzes their separate and joint manifestations. In total, 2,094 nurses were segmented into quadrants that represent a 50/50 median split on both engagement and burnout. The four resulting quadrants were then examined in a series of analyses including logistic regression and ANOVA.

This is a cross-sectional study based on a very large survey (> 2,000 people) in Spain. Data were collected from nurses in collaboration with the official nurses corporations in half a dozen provinces in Spain. Data were analyzed in stages which included zero-item correlations and ANOVA to determine their independence and suitability for predicting states of engagement and burnout. This was followed by a series of binary logistic regression analyses.

The findings suggested that engagement and burnout were generally inversely related (67 per cent of the sample) which is the conventional wisdom in this regard, but 33 per cent of the sample manifested concurrently at either extreme. Burnout was chiefly driven by work demands, as both quadrants of low burnout had lower demands and both quadrants of high burnout had higher demands. Engagement was primarily driven by resources and affinity. Social support acted independently (perhaps as a moderator) by aligning with states of burnout. Worker health was primarily driven by burnout, wherein both states of low burnout exhibited better health and both states of high burnout exhibited poorer health.

Much of the current research on this topic considers engagement and burnout to be linear dimensions and focuses on building structural models of the precise relationships between variables. That approach is to be encouraged, but there is also a need to jointly deconstruct dimensions and relationships in a tactile manner that can inform future structural models. The secondary benefit of this approach is that these findings can be submitted directly to managers to provide an easily understood approach for assessments and interventions.

The purpose of this paper is to exemplify how the bioecological model (BM) may be used as a systems approach framework to address workplace well-being in a holistic, meaningful and practical way.

This conceptual paper is structured according to the design of Bronfenbrenner’s (1999) BM. As such, the different layers of the model are described and then examples from the recent international and interdisciplinary literature and current policy from Australia are provided to support the argument. These selected examples represent some key themes in the field of workplace health and well-being management.

The BM is ideal in holistically analysing workplace health promotion and management. This finding supports future research using this model. The limitations of the model are that it can lend itself to research projects that are unfocused. It is suggested that determining the research aims and objectives and then using the model to respond to this agenda would use the model effectively.

This paper proposes the applicability of a specific model to a research agenda suggesting that interested parties could design a project around this model to investigate workplace health and well-being management.

The model gives weight to the lived experiences of employees and suggests that business owners and policy makers hold power in controlling aspects that influence employee well-being. This model could be used to inform policy makers about the holistic nature of employee well-being urging inclusive policies that support positive well-being practices.

This paper provides a unique contribution to the field by offering a topic-specific model useful to those concerned with workplace health and well-being management.

The purpose of the paper is twofold. The first purpose is to provide a synthesis of the dominant cross-cultural models and to present the more recent tri-axial model as a promising alternative that responds well to the limitation of prevailing models. Consequently, the second purpose is to employ the model to explore key differences in the culture and values of public service organisations in old and new EU member states.

The paper surveyed public sector employees in four different countries, two old EU (OEU) states (Germany, The Netherlands) and two new EU (NEU) states (Estonia, Lithuania). The employees were asked to classify 60 values on the three axes of the tri-axial model and to select the five most important values in their organization. The survey replies were analyzed and mapped to facilitate comparison of the tri-axial cultural profile of the two EU clusters.

The results show differences in value orientation between the two groups of countries: the public sector in the OEU member states appears to be more ethically and less pragmatically oriented than in the NEU member states. Findings show that in the new member states, value congruence is very high across demographic groups, in contrast to the situation encountered in the OEU member states.

Further research should include more countries before generalising the conclusions of this study to the rest of the OEU and NEU countries. Furthermore, although collecting data from a homogeneous unit (e.g. public sector) suggests more valid comparison, in the future, research should strive to also examine additional units, for example private companies.

The conclusions derived from this exploratory cultural mapping provide useful knowledge for improving international collaboration across public sector organizations.

This study is the first study that maps the values in the public sector using the tri-axial model.

The purpose of this paper is to integrate cultural value management into the high level of human resource management to propose a new direction of strategic human resource management (SHRM) development through management by the values (MBV) concept.

The paper proposes an integrative MBV SHRM model for Chinese management, incorporating Neo‐Confucian values for responsible, pragmatic and humanistic management, as well as two dynamic SHRM elements: leadership and learning. First SHRM in China is described; then the MBV concept and model are introduced. At that point, the evolution of cultural studies and Chinese Neo‐Confucianism is introduced before proposing an integrative MBV SHRM model for Chinese management.

Instead of the economic approach most often adopted by SHRM researchers, a harmonious managerial approach is argued for, based on the MBV triaxial model: ethical, economic, and emotional values, to orient the operations of the organisation.

This integration of three angles in values, management, and performance is novel in the field of SHRM. It not only contributes to the further development of the field, but also implies healthier and more sustainable practices in management, both in China and in the rest of the world.

The exploratory study introduced the tri-axial model as a basic framework of cultural value to Chinese public sectors. The study tries to display value mapping of the Chinese public sectors and to examine the relationship between the identified values with organizational outcome variables, which is normally characteristic of an exploratory research. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

404 civil servants were asked to classify 62 cultural values into three axes, emotional, economical and ethical, and to attain the importance of the 62 values.

Five cultural values including happiness, belonging, harmony, achievement, and efficiency are identified to be the most important values in Chinese public sectors. Harmony and achievement were found to affect organizational outcome variables.

Sample size is relatively small, and more cultural differences have been neglected within Chinese culture. And the paper collected data twice and used different means, but analyzed the combined data, which could be problematic.

The findings suggest that Chinese civil servants pay much attention on emotional-developmental type of cultural values. Ethic-related culture needs to be emphasized more on culture building behaviors both at the organizational level and at the national level.

This is the first time the tri-axial model was introduced into Chinese culture. Testing with Chinese samples, the tri-axial model appears to address some of the important limitations of previous models that were summarized before. The paper successfully grouped all the cultural values into three pre-defined axes. The most important values are identified.

The extant literature on leadership in the Arab world reflects the traditional bias of leadership being a male domain. Arising out of a patriarchal social structure, men assume leadership in organizations while women are often confined to work at home. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the emergence of women leaders in UAE organizations by going beyond biological sex role biases to identify leadership as masculine or feminine gendered role stereotypes in organizations.

The data collected over two periods comprised two sets of Schein Descriptive Index (SDI) together with those of leadership intention and behaviour style; correlations thereof were computed to test hypotheses constructed from the literature.

The findings indicate that within organizations in the UAE, employee feedback highlights gender‐role stereotypes as defining leadership roles, rather than individual biological sex and their traditional family and social role. The findings reveal that in the UAE, gender stereotypes influence leadership intention and behaviour rather than individual biological sex and related traditions. Accordingly, women leaders having higher proportions of “agentic” characteristics of male gender stereotype together with lower proportions of “people orientation” of female gender stereotype, which makes successful leaders in the UAE break the proverbial “glass ceiling”. This explains the emergence of an increasing number of women leaders in the UAE.

Generalizability of the findings is limited by non‐representation of countries with high gender egalitarianism, as well as the geographical limitation of the study to the UAE only. In the context of traditional male‐dominated organizations in the UAE, the findings on gender‐role stereotypes of leaders in these organizations cannot only help organizations take informed decisions in choosing leaders without the “glass ceiling” biases, but can go further to identify and nurture potential leaders, including women leaders, within organizations. These findings are of considerable significance to the Middle East and the Arab world in general, in the wake of the developments witnessed there.

The paper explains women leadership in organizations in the UAE, a part of the Arab world of the Middle East, from the perspective of gender‐role stereotypes, as opposed to traditional sex‐role biases, to bring women leaders there into the mainstream gender literature.

This paper is aimed at presenting a conceptual model of managing by values (MBV) as an important philosophical and practical framework for leaders and managers of organizations use in today’s work environment. We briefly discuss the evolution of management from that of management by instruction (MBI) to management by objectives (MBO) and finally management by values (MBV). We outline the trends and examples of two influential organizations focusing on values and finally provide a MBV as critical and needed method that has been used in Spain and extensively in Cuba.

Although this is a conceptual article, we have included some practical examples where MBV has been used and also some research that has been conducted using this model on MBA students across business schools across the globe.

We present the three major dimensions of MBV (economical‐pragmatic, ethical, and emotional‐developmental). These dimensions were derived from research and practice using MBV in organizations and business schools.

In this article, we present a new management philosophy and practice that is pertinent to organizational leaders and managers in the twenty‐first century. We believe that MBA is not only an important method but also one that is very needed for organizations today. We believe this system of values is core to organizational success and development as it is critical to both practitioners and researchers.

This research is interested in how dynamics in negotiating cultural meanings in the globalizing market place in China become visible in one particular aspect of culture: colour culture. The purpose of this paper is to explore the provenance of some of the many potential meanings invested in colours in contemporary China, and how and why these influence international business, communication, design and marketing management in particular.

A qualitative empirical study with ambition for an emic cultural approach to Chinese colour culture. Narrative analysis of accounts by Chinese colour professionals participating in a focus group interview, and by individually interviewed managers with extensive experience in Sino‐Finnish business are reported in narrative format.

The findings support the proposed existence of a phenomenon which the author has named “Colour culture” – a cultural set of meanings that are invested in colours. Unexpectedly, the empirical study proposes a strong tendency towards these meanings being value based in China. Visual manifestations of cultural values appear to be dynamic and dependent on context.

The current study does not offer generalizable prescriptions for contextual colour usages. The explorative, qualitative nature of this study serves as a basis for contextual and quantifiable future research on the phenomenon.

Since, for the Chinese, colours manifest cultural values and are highly emotional, not only linguistic, but also visual translation of communication is needed. For international communication, design and marketing managers, this further implies a need for contextual understanding of local colour culture.

Recognizing the existence of colour culture and its value‐based proposition in China opens up new research avenues and practical considerations for cross‐cultural studies.

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the concept of organizational values from the management by values perspective and develop an understanding of the features of well‐functioning organizational values in the context of management by values.

Organizational values and management by values are analyzed using the systems theory approach, whereby organization consists of individuals and both the organization and the individuals have values interdependent of each other.

The paper concludes that there are specific features about organizational values and values statements that make it more effective to manage by values. It is argued that management by values deals with only a certain layer of organizational values – the layer that is conscious and explicit. The paper shows that, from a management by values perspective, organizational values should be instrumental (as opposed to basic), regulate employee character (as opposed to behaviour), and relate to wellbeing and the ethical (as opposed to survival) dimension.

There are clear implications for managers in their attempt to formulate or revise organizational values.

The main value of the paper lies in the thorough analysis of extensive literature that has been published in relation to organizational values and their management to date. The paper shows the state of play in the field and suggests a way forward.