Alexandra A. Henderson, Sophia S. Jeong and Kristin A. Horan
This study aims to examine the role of trust in management and state government in mitigating the relationships between individual- and state-level stressors and well-being during…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the role of trust in management and state government in mitigating the relationships between individual- and state-level stressors and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from a US sample still working during the first wave of infections (N = 437) and was supplemented with objective state-level data. Data were analyzed using hierarchical regression modeling with the PROC MIXED procedure with SAS software to incorporate both individual- and state-level variables.
Findings
Results indicated that individual-level stressors (work and family role overload) were positively associated with stress; however, the relationship between family role overload and stress was mitigated among those with high trust in state government. Results indicated that state-level stressors (infection rates and population density) were not associated with stress; however, the relationship between state population density and stress was positive among those with low trust in management and negative among those with high trust in management.
Practical implications
This study highlights the need for organization and government leaders to build trust before and during crisis situations, as well as engage in a collaborative approach to managing stressors in crisis situations.
Originality/value
This study highlights the importance of expanding the focus of employee trust across organizational boundaries for understanding employee well-being during a crisis situation. This study also demonstrates the cross-over effects of trust, such that organization leaders can protect workers from community stressors, while government leaders can protect workers from family stressors.
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Kristin A. Horan, Mary T. Moeller, R. Sonia Singh, Rachel Wasson, William H. O’Brien, Russell A. Matthews, Steve M. Jex and Clare L. Barratt
This purpose of this paper is to investigate the possibility of non-linear relationships between supervisor support for stress management and intervention process ratings from a…
Abstract
Purpose
This purpose of this paper is to investigate the possibility of non-linear relationships between supervisor support for stress management and intervention process ratings from a workplace stress management intervention to highlight how context shapes intervention experience.
Design/methodology/approach
Data from 37 nurses and nurse aides assigned to the treatment group in an occupational stress management intervention were analyzed using polynomial regression in SPSS.
Findings
A quadratic function with a U-shape best explained variance in process variables for the relationship between supervisor support for stress management at baseline and ratings of intervention relation reactions and overall perceptions of session helpfulness in both sessions and for task reactions in session 1. Those with low and high supervisor support for stress management tended to perceive the intervention favorably, which is framed in terms of the intervention compensating for or complimenting their work environment, respectively.
Research limitations/implications
Although exploratory and based on a small sample, this paper lays the groundwork for future theoretically-grounded investigations of relationship between intervention context and process.
Practical implications
Results provide a rationale for training supervisors in stress management support as a supplement to a workplace intervention.
Originality/value
This paper investigates a novel molar supervisor support construct and challenges previous research that assumes that the relationship between context and intervention process or outcomes always conform to a simple linear relationship.
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Linda Kristin Hørsrud and Trine Lise Bakken
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how users with particularly complex needs including intellectual disability (ID) reacted to the changes and restrictions during the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how users with particularly complex needs including intellectual disability (ID) reacted to the changes and restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Design/methodology/approach
As few studies of changes during the pandemic include users with ID and multiple, complex needs, the authors adopted a qualitative approach, using a semistructured interview guide. Ten participants were leading ID nurses in residential facilities in community settings. The interviews were taped, transcribed and analyzed using a thematic analysis.
Findings
The thematic analysis generated six main themes, including both user and staff perspectives: daily routines, activities, facilitation of tasks and well-being, from the users perspectives, and use of working hours and positive staff experiences, from the staff perspectives.
Research limitations/implications
Ten residential facilities constituted a convenience sample of services for users with multiple, complex needs. Thus, the authors do not know whether the findings are representative. Further research should include user opinions based on the findings of this study.
Practical implications
The users represented in this study appeared to experience less stress during the pandemic, contrary to the expectations of professional caregivers. The findings indicated more well-being among users. It was noted that receiving services at home, largely flexible schedules, staying in bed a little longer in the morning and avoiding stressful situations, such as travelling in minibuses, was appreciated by the users.
Social implications
Daily schedules with activities throughout the day should be considered for users as represented in this study. Stressful events should also be considered.
Originality/value
The knowledge about pandemic experiences of users with ID and additional complex conditions and hence comprehensive needs is still sparse. This study may add to this knowledge.
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This paper aims to contribute by providing a more comprehensive understanding of the inter-relatedness of business goals among firms in strategic networks by exploring the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to contribute by providing a more comprehensive understanding of the inter-relatedness of business goals among firms in strategic networks by exploring the following research question: How do different business goals coexist in networks? When joining a strategic network, firms are likely to pursue goals of self–interest, as well as those of collective interests. Goal formulation and joint network activities provide vital information toward investigating how firms utilize their network for the purpose of accessing, capturing and integrating the efforts of others to achieve their own goals.
Design/methodology/approach
The empirical basis is a case study of a strategic network of food producers in Denmark. Twenty qualitative face-to-face interviews with strategic network member firms constitute the empirical data that are analyzed using the software Leximancer.
Findings
This research combines the goal formulation and business of a single firm with the collective and joint effort of a strategic network to help broaden our knowledge of how different goals and strategies coexist in networks. A typology of business goals in networks is developed. Appellations of “Achievers”, “Wishers” and “Harvesters” help to characterize the different types of goal formulation strategies in these networks.
Research limitations/implications
It is not appropriate to make statistical generalizations based upon this study.
Originality/value
This research aims to contribute by providing a more comprehensive understanding of the inter-relatedness of formulated goals, choices and interactions among firms in a strategic network context.