Emeka Smart Oruh, Chima Mordi, Chianu Harmony Dibia and Hakeem Adeniyi Ajonbadi
This study explores how compassionate managerial leadership style can help to mitigate workplace stressors and alleviate stress experiences among employees — particularly in an…
Abstract
Purpose
This study explores how compassionate managerial leadership style can help to mitigate workplace stressors and alleviate stress experiences among employees — particularly in an extreme situation, such as the current global COVID-19 pandemic. The study's context is Nigeria's banking, manufacturing and healthcare sectors, which have a history of high employee stress levels.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a qualitative, interpretive methodology, the study adopts the thematic analysis process (TAP) to draw and analyse data from semi-structured telephone interviews with 10 banking, 11 manufacturing and 9 frontline healthcare workers in Nigeria.
Findings
It was found that a compassionate managerial leadership can drive a considerate response to employees' “fear of job (in)security”, “healthcare risk” and concerns about “work overload, underpayment and delayed payment”, which respondents considered to be some of the key causes of increased stress among employees during the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Research limitations/implications
The study is limited to exploring the relationship between compassionate managerial leadership and an organisation's ability to manage employee stress in the COVID-19 situation, using 30 samples from organisations operating in three Nigerian cities and sectors. Future studies may involve more Nigerian cities, sectors and samples. It may also possibly include quantitative combination to allow generalisation of findings.
Practical implications
In order to survive in extreme situations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, organisations are forced to take drastic and often managerialist-driven work measures which can trigger high stress levels, low productivity and absenteeism among employees. Hence, organisations would benefit from implementing compassion-driven policies that are more inclusive and responsive to the workplace stressors facing employees.
Originality/value
Employee stress has been widely explored in many areas, including definitions, stressors, strains, possible interventions and coping strategies. There remains, however, a dearth of scholarship on how management-leadership compassion can help to reduce employee stress levels in extreme conditions, such as the COVID-19 pandemic — particularly in emerging economies.
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Chima Mordi, Babatunde Akanji and Hakeem Ajonbadi
Given the debilitating ways the COVID-19 global crisis altered peoples’ work–life affairs, this paper explores the effect of technology-related stress that UK academics…
Abstract
Purpose
Given the debilitating ways the COVID-19 global crisis altered peoples’ work–life affairs, this paper explores the effect of technology-related stress that UK academics encountered working from home during the lockdown. Drawing on boundary management theory, the study uncovered how the extreme deluge of teleworking heightened technostress that made it challenging to either segment or integrate work–life boundaries as both domains became exceedingly blurry, which necessitated a novel experience conceptualised as boundary violations with negative outcomes ensuing.
Design/methodology/approach
The dataset consists of semi-structured interviews with 32 academics in the UK. We rely on the interpretative paradigm using a qualitative research method.
Findings
The results reveal how the proliferation of technostress paved the way for a rising loss of boundary identity between professional and private affairs, morbidity and techno-isolation, which reinforced work–family conflict. The study’s findings highlight the processes involved in boundary disruption, as both domains were eroded in the wake of the unprecedented level of telework, which resulted in boundary violations (conceived as instances in which actions, conditions or situations either breach or neglect desired boundary management practices).
Research limitations/implications
The challenges involved in teleworking have seldom been the focus of work-life studies using role boundary management constructs in relation to the coronavirus pandemic. Hence, our study provides novel contributions to the contextually limiting conditions that have thwarted the well-established segmentation and integration processes of boundary management by conceptualising the boundary violations orchestrated by the invasive tendencies of virtual working environments and rising technostress caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Originality/value
While research on teleworking has consistently established more positive outcomes for both employees and organisations, the novelty of the present study is its contributions to the negative implications of remote working during the coronavirus pandemic, one of which is technostress. The study further discusses work–life implications for future research on the factors that made remote working particularly challenging during the coronavirus crisis.
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Olatunji David Adekoya, Chima Mordi, Hakeem Adeniyi Ajonbadi and Weifeng Chen
This paper aims to explore the implications of algorithmic management on careers and employment relationships in the Nigerian gig economy. Specifically, drawing on labour process…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the implications of algorithmic management on careers and employment relationships in the Nigerian gig economy. Specifically, drawing on labour process theory (LPT), this study provides an understanding of the production relations beyond the “traditional standard” to “nonstandard” forms of employment in a gig economy mediated by digital platforms or digital forms of work, especially on ride-hailing platforms (Uber and Bolt).
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopted the interpretive qualitative approach and a semi-structured interview of 49 participants, including 46 platform drivers and 3 platform managers from Uber and Bolt.
Findings
This study addresses the theoretical underpinnings of the LPT as it relates to algorithmic management and control in the digital platform economy. The study revealed that, despite the ultra-precarious working conditions and persistent uncertainty in employment relations under algorithmic management, the underlying key factors that motivate workers to engage in digital platform work include higher job flexibility and autonomy, as well as having a source of income. This study captured the human-digital interface and labour processes related to digital platform work in Nigeria. Findings of this study also revealed that algorithmic management enables a transactional exchange between platform providers and drivers, while relational exchanges occur between drivers and customers/passengers. Finally, this study highlighted the perceived impact of algorithmic management on the attitude and performance of workers.
Originality/value
The research presents an interesting case study to investigate the influence of algorithmic management and labour processes on employment relationships in the largest emerging economy in Africa.
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Chima Mordi, Hakeem Adeniyi Ajonbadi and Olatunji David Adekoya
This study explored the challenges academics faced with work structures during the COVID-19 pandemic and their implications for their work–life balance (WLB).
Abstract
Purpose
This study explored the challenges academics faced with work structures during the COVID-19 pandemic and their implications for their work–life balance (WLB).
Design/methodology/approach
Relying on the interpretative paradigm and the qualitative research method, the dataset consists of semi-structured interviews with 43 academics in the United Kingdom.
Findings
This study’s findings indicate that academics in the UK experience issues around increased boundary permeability between work and nonwork domains and role overlap, which engender the transfer of negative rather than positive spillover experiences and exacerbate negative consequences to the well-being of academics. ICTs also reinforced gendered work-family boundaries and generated more negative work–life/family spillover for women than for men.
Practical implications
Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) need to address ICT-related health issues through better work designs and HR initiatives that respond to the health requirements of academics. Policymakers should be futuristic and ensure comprehensive work–life policies for academics, which are necessary for humanising overall organisational well-being.
Originality/value
Although COVID-19 challenges are common to all workers, the experiences and effects on specific workers (in this case, UK academics) within specific national jurisdictions play out differentially, and they are often experienced with different levels of depth and intensity.
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Babatunde Akanji, Chima Mordi, Hakeem Ajonbadi and Olatunji Adekoya
Given the limiting gender role conditions arising from the prevalence of patriarchy in Nigeria and the shift to workers staying at home due to the deadly spread of coronavirus…
Abstract
Purpose
Given the limiting gender role conditions arising from the prevalence of patriarchy in Nigeria and the shift to workers staying at home due to the deadly spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), this article aims to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the work–life balance of professional mothers using the work–home resources model as a conceptual lens.
Design/methodology/approach
The qualitative data is based on telephone interviews with 28 married female university academics with children.
Findings
The findings reveal that the confinement policies enforced due to the need to combat the spread of COVID-19 and patriarchal norms deeply embedded in the Nigerian culture have exacerbated stress amongst women, who have needed to perform significantly more housework and childcare demands alongside working remotely than they did prior to the pandemic. The thematic analysis showed a loss of personal resources (e.g. time, energy, and income) resulting in career stagnation, health concerns, and increased male chauvinism due to the abrupt and drastic changes shaping the “new normal” lifestyle.
Research limitations/implications
The study relies on a limited qualitative sample size, which makes the generalisation of findings difficult. However, the study contributes to the emerging global discourse on the profound negative consequences of COVID-19 on the lives and livelihoods of millions, with a focus on the stress and work–family challenges confronting women in a society that is not particularly egalitarian – unlike Western cultures.
Originality/value
The article provides valuable insights on how the COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically affected professional working mothers in the sub-Saharan African context, where literature is scarce.
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Babatunde Akanji, Chima Mordi, Hakeem Ajonbadi and Olatunji David Adekoya
In seeking to understand the impact of culture on conflict management (CM), extant organisational management research has, for the most part, confined itself to using the…
Abstract
Purpose
In seeking to understand the impact of culture on conflict management (CM), extant organisational management research has, for the most part, confined itself to using the one-dimensional collectivism/individualism model of Hofstede's cultural theory. The purpose of this present study is to extend this knowledge area by adopting the more comprehensive analysis of Hofstede's fourfold dimensional typology – power distance, individualism/collectivism, uncertainty avoidance and masculinity/femininity – as a conceptual lens to investigate how national culture impacts the interpersonal CM of those in leadership positions in higher education institutions. Specifically, this article explores the extent to which cultural values influence the CM practices of university heads of departments (HODs).
Design/methodology/approach
Adopting a qualitative approach, 36 interviews were conducted with heads of different departments across a variety of disciplines in selected Nigerian universities.
Findings
The study's results conceptualise how underlying cultural norms – promoting paternalism, servility and social relations – influence the conflict-handling strategies adopted by university HODs. It consequently emerged from the thematic analysis that in Nigeria, conflict-handling decisions are shaped by status-based dictates, a normative emphasis on communality, masculine hegemony and religious motivation – as opposed to Western cultures, where these benevolent and integrative values play a far smaller role.
Research limitations/implications
The study focussed on a small group of research subjects. Although the sample is not a sample that enables generalisation, the findings provide theoretical insights into how cultural ascendancy could frame conflict resolutions. This research is especially relevant as it runs in a culture significantly different from the ones that originally were investigated and in which managerial books and mainstream practices emerged and, thus, can contribute to challenge and enhance theory.
Originality/value
The study seeks to advance knowledge of the interface between culture and CM in a sub-Saharan African context where literature is scarce.
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Babatunde Akanji, Chima Mordi, Afam Ituma, Toyin Ajibade Adisa and Hakeem Ajonbadi
The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of organisational culture (OC) on leadership styles in Nigerian universities. The study utilises the cultural dimensions theory…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of organisational culture (OC) on leadership styles in Nigerian universities. The study utilises the cultural dimensions theory (Hofstede’s insights) and the social exchange concept as theoretical lenses to examine the phenomena.
Design/methodology/approach
Using an exploratory qualitative approach, 40 interviews were conducted with senior academics and non-teaching staff working in Nigerian universities.
Findings
The findings reveal hierarchical, patriarchal, servile, and interdependent values as the underlying characteristics of organisation culture, shaping the choice of leadership styles in the management of Nigerian universities. As a result, it emerged from the study that positional, formalised exchanges, paternalism, relational approach and gendered reactions to leadership were typically adopted in university administration in this context.
Research limitations/implications
The study relies on a small qualitative sample size, which makes the generalisation of findings difficult. However, the study provides a good understanding of cultural hegemony, framing leadership styles different from those of western cultures.
Originality/value
The findings of this study help to bridge the research gap concerning the implications of OC, and its influence on leadership behaviours in the Sub-Saharan African context. Research within this subfield in Africa is rare. Specifically, the study also enriches our understanding of cultural dimensions, informing the leadership methods adopted in higher education institutions.
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Babatunde Akanji, Chima Mordi and Hakeem Adeniyi Ajonbadi
Using social dominance theory as a conceptual lens, this study explores how female managers and professionals strive to defy the perceived career stereotypes in traditionally…
Abstract
Purpose
Using social dominance theory as a conceptual lens, this study explores how female managers and professionals strive to defy the perceived career stereotypes in traditionally male-dominated occupations.
Design/methodology/approach
The dataset comprises 30 interviews with female bank managers and senior engineers in Nigeria – a non-Western location and work group – a sample that is considered under-researched.
Findings
The qualitative analysis identifies how the interviewed women adopted three strategies in managing gender and career stereotypes, with some expressing concerns of experiencing emotional dissonance as they contend with occupational segregation based on gender.
Research limitations/implications
The extent to which the findings can be generalised may be constrained by the study’s limited sample size. Nevertheless, the findings shed light on the underlying importance of disclosing how working women exert themselves in navigating the social dominance ideology in Nigeria that is notable for extreme gender role differentiation. This often results in an intensification of the efforts made by female professionals in confronting the endemic nature of male chauvinism in Nigerian organisations.
Originality/value
Research on gender and career constraints has, in the main, restricted our understanding of the barriers that Nigerian women face in their careers as a result of the masculine hegemony perpetuated by social dominance. The present study aims to challenge, however, proponents of social dominance by unveiling the mitigating strategies that women living in an inegalitarian society adopt to confront occupational male-group ascendency.
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Chima Mordi, Hakeem Adeniyi Ajonbadi, Olatunji David Adekoya and Emeka Smart Oruh
This study explores the practices of locational flexibility in the Nigerian higher education sector. It examines the realities of remotely organising and managing academics'…
Abstract
Purpose
This study explores the practices of locational flexibility in the Nigerian higher education sector. It examines the realities of remotely organising and managing academics' teaching and administrative workload, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Design/methodology/approach
Relying on the interpretative paradigm, the dataset consists of semi-structured interviews with 92 professionals in the Nigerian higher educational institution (HEI) sector drawn from private and public federal government-owned and regional (otherwise known as state government) tertiary institutions.
Findings
The study highlights the practices of locational flexibility across the Nigerian higher education sector. Therefore, it underscores the notions of locational flexibility from the perspective of Nigerian academics. It reveals a paucity in the range and usage of locational flexibility options across the Nigerian higher education sector, as well as the factors shaping its implementation and utilisation. Ultimately, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the findings reveal that locational flexibility is predominantly environmentally induced.
Originality/value
This study focused on a salient topic that explores the practices of locational flexibility, particularly in an underresearched context of developing economies, specifically Nigeria. Moreover, the study contributes to the scarce literature on locational flexibility. Additionally, unlike previous studies that are mostly preoccupied with the meaning of the concept and the importance of the practice to employees' work-life balance, organisational flexibility, and overall operational performance, this study underpins the practices, utilisation and barriers to implementing locational flexibility.
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Akanji Babatunde, Chima Mordi, Hakeem Adeniyi Ajonbadi and Emeka Smart Oruh
Drawing on the emotional labour theory, the purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of cultural orientation on emotion regulation and display processes for service…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on the emotional labour theory, the purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of cultural orientation on emotion regulation and display processes for service employees.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on a Nigerian study where literature is scarce, data were gathered from semi-structured interviews conducted with 40 call centre service agents.
Findings
The findings identified three key values around reinforcing social cohesion, anticipated self-curtailment, hierarchy and expressions of servility based on broader societal needs to promote relational harmony when managing customer relations during inbound calls into the call centre.
Research limitations/implications
The extent to which the findings can be generalised is constrained by the limited and selected sample size. However, the study makes contributions to the service work theory by identifying the extent to which communication of emotions is informed in large parts by local culture and seeks to incite scholarly awareness on the differences of emotional display rules from a developing country other than western contexts.
Originality/value
This paper is among the first to focus on the interface between culture and emotional labour from a Sub-Saharan African context.