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1 – 10 of 62Milton Mayfield, Jacqueline Mayfield and Kathy Qing Ma
While there has been an abundance of research on the positive outcomes of creative environment, little work has been done on how creative environment influences the general work…
Abstract
Purpose
While there has been an abundance of research on the positive outcomes of creative environment, little work has been done on how creative environment influences the general work outcomes of noncreative specialist workers. The paper aims to fill this void by examining the influence of creative environment on absenteeism among garden variety workers and the mediating role of job satisfaction.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses cross-sectional data of 116 noncreative specialist workers to empirically test the hypotheses. The authors used covariance-based structural equation modeling (SEM) through the lavaan package for the statistical software R.
Findings
Results found that, for a cross section of noncreative specialist workers, a one standard deviation increase in a worker's creative environment would decrease that worker's absenteeism by 0.447 standard deviation. The creative environment also explained 11.3% of the variance in absenteeism. Subsequent analysis showed that job satisfaction fully mediated the relationship between the creative environment and absenteeism and that the results were resistant to omitted variable bias.
Originality/value
The study contributes to theory and practice by showing empirically that creative environment leads to positive work outcomes, despite the innovation level required by the job. This study advances research on creative environment by targeting the garden variety workers, underscores the importance of cultivating a creative environment and calls attention to the complexity of the creativity–job affect link.
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Milton Mayfield, Jacqueline Mayfield and Cassandra Wheeler
This paper provides guidelines for how leaders can use human resource department capabilities to improve organizational performance and related outcomes.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper provides guidelines for how leaders can use human resource department capabilities to improve organizational performance and related outcomes.
Design/methodology/approach
To develop these guidelines, existing best practices were examined and distilled into concise recommendations for organizational leaders.
Findings
Examination of best practices indicated three human resource areas for quality improvement in organizational outcomes: talent inventories, workforce planning and training/development processes.
Originality/value
This paper draws together multiple sources to provide ways for top leaders to better utilize existing human resource practices for improved workplace outcomes and strategic enhancements.
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Milton Mayfield and Jacqueline Mayfield
This manuscript presents guidelines for how managers can use communication (motivating language) to increase the feedback they receive from their followers.
Abstract
Purpose
This manuscript presents guidelines for how managers can use communication (motivating language) to increase the feedback they receive from their followers.
Design/methodology/approach
These guidelines were developed from careful analysis of leader motivating language and follower voice literature.
Findings
Analysis results lead research based suggestions for how leaders can increase feedback from followers.
Originality/value
This manuscript will help leaders to increase needed feedback from followers on how to improve and develop organizations.
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Qing Kathy Ma, Milton Mayfield and Jacqueline Mayfield
This paper aims to examine how companies can increase employee retention through job embeddedness.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine how companies can increase employee retention through job embeddedness.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors adopted a job embeddedness perspective to explain how different components of job embeddedness-fit, links, and sacrifice can contribute to employee retention.
Findings
The authors developed a practical model of employee retention by building job embeddedness into employee recruitment, selection, training, and development processes and provided a variety of easy-to-implement organizational practices.
Originality/value
This paper introduced job embeddedness as a new way to increase employee retention and developed a practical model for managers to develop HR practices for retaining their top talent.
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Milton Mayfield and Jacqueline Mayfield
This paper aims to examine how leader communication can help foster an employee’s ability to set and achieve goals and align these goals with organizationally relevant purposes.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine how leader communication can help foster an employee’s ability to set and achieve goals and align these goals with organizationally relevant purposes.
Design/methodology/approach
To better understand this process, the authors use two well-supported theories – motivating language to provide a framework for understanding leader communication and self-leadership to examine employee goal setting.
Findings
Examining these two theories together has resulted in a practical, theory-based guide for how managers can use leader communication to improve workplace results.
Originality/value
This paper offers researchers a new lens through which to view workplace practices in organizations driven by innovation and knowledge management, and a framework for managers and consultants to develop methods for inspiring and guiding workers toward improved organizational performance.
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The purpose of this conceptual paper is twofold, i.e. first, to elevate an assumption of Motivating Language Theory (MLT) – walk and talk congruence – to the level of antecedent…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this conceptual paper is twofold, i.e. first, to elevate an assumption of Motivating Language Theory (MLT) – walk and talk congruence – to the level of antecedent variable serving as a prerequisite to the implementation of Motivating Language (ML) and second, to explore the components of walk and talk congruence (Behavioral Integrity and Credibility) to understand how they are vital in the establishment of trust at the organizational level which is the key lever for ML to be strategically implemented.
Design/methodology/approach
The approach is cross-disciplinary, as it utilized MLT from the field of business; applied in the field of education with research from educational researchers; and for the purpose of utilization by organizations, leaders, and scholars from all fields.
Findings
The findings are leadership communication matters and is how leadership gets done, ML makes a difference to employees and organizations, trust is a critical factor in organizational success, Credibility is all that stands between a leader’s believability or not, and Behavioral Intergrity is the key determiner in walk and talk alignment.
Researchlimitations/implications
The implications for researchers are new research opportunities in the ML field.
Practicalimplications
The implications for practitioners are clear in terms of how to maximize leader effectiveness and organizational trust/citizenship, increase employee and organizational outcomes and drive leadership development.
Originality/value
The value of this paper is to both the practitioner and scholar in terms of application and deepening of the field.
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This paper aims to outline a process for establishing and implementing strategic priorities to enhance worker garden variety creativity – a type of creativity that improves direct…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to outline a process for establishing and implementing strategic priorities to enhance worker garden variety creativity – a type of creativity that improves direct worker outcomes such as enhancing operational efficiencies and flexibility.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper presents process suggestions that are based on existing research and practical understanding of best practices for improving worker creativity in typical workplace settings.
Findings
The paper finds that organizations need to maximize worker creativity at all organizational levels in order to maintain the flexibility necessary for today's turbulent economic climate. Also, there are concrete steps organizations can take to develop this creativity.
Research limitations/implications
This process is not designed to increase high‐level creativity (such as developing new microchips), and is not appropriate for moving organizations forward in such a direction.
Practical implications
Most organizations are better served by increasing more prosaic outcomes that are improved through garden variety creativity. As such, the vast majority of organizations will benefit by finding ways to improve garden variety creativity.
Originality/value
This paper makes a contribution to the literature in terms of understanding how organizations can strategically focus on worker creativity improvements, and how this focus can be translated into managerial actions.
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Sandra Gutierrez-Wirsching, Jacqueline Mayfield, Milton Mayfield and Wei Wang
The purpose of this paper is to propose motivating language as a mediator to increase the positive effects of servant leadership on subordinates’ outcomes. The authors propose…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose motivating language as a mediator to increase the positive effects of servant leadership on subordinates’ outcomes. The authors propose that motivating language acts as a mediator to transmit servant leadership traits and enhances the positive impact that servant leadership verbal behavior has on employees’ performance.
Design/methodology/approach
By developing a conceptual model, the authors propose a connection between servant leadership and motivating language.
Findings
In the proposed model, motivating language acts as a full and a partial mediator. The authors further categorize three distinct outcome sets that should be improved from this relationship. The first set includes improved worker performance, job satisfaction, absenteeism and worker innovation. The second set is composed of self-efficacy, organizational citizenship behavior and employee commitment. Finally, the third set includes trust, satisfaction with the leader and inspiration to become servant leaders.
Research limitations/implications
Empirical research needs to be conducted to test this model.
Practical implications
The positive effects of servant leadership through the use of motivating language could be operationalized in multiple ways. First, potential servant leaders could take the well-established, reliable and valid motivating language scale to diagnostically identify their leader-member communication strengths and weaknesses. Then, tailored motivating language trainings could be implemented which target motivating language weaknesses and key strategic outcomes in the proposed model. Furthermore, motivating language training would be a valuable instrument for transmission of a servant leadership culture.
Social implications
Servant leadership style responds to the demand for positive ethical behavior that is much needed during these times when emphasis is given to profitability and lack of concern for people is the norm rather than the exception. It is also synchronized with the current benefits of organizational citizenship behaviors that have recently emerged in the field of managerial research.
Originality/value
This paper aims at addressing a gap in the literature by developing a model of how leader strategic language, namely, motivating language, mediates between servant leadership and worker outcomes.
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Milton Mayfield and Jacqueline Mayfield
The purpose of this paper is to provide a model for how leaders can nurture and develop worker garden variety creativity.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide a model for how leaders can nurture and develop worker garden variety creativity.
Design/methodology/approach
This model was created by synthesizing existing research and literature on leadership and garden variety creativity.
Findings
Findings' synthesis yielded a testable and implementable model for improving worker garden creativity through leader interventions.
Originality/value
This paper provides a specific examination of leader potential for garden variety creativity enhancement. This focus is different from most research that examines organizational structure interventions, high‐level creativity, or both.
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Jacqueline Mayfield and Milton Mayfield
The purpose of this paper is to extend the motivating language (ML) theory conceptualization by examining the role of leader‐level communication (as compared to the current dyadic…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to extend the motivating language (ML) theory conceptualization by examining the role of leader‐level communication (as compared to the current dyadic level conceptualization) in employee performance and job satisfaction.
Design/methodology/approach
Partial least squares (PLS) analysis is used to test how leader and dyadic‐based ML effects employee outcomes. PLS analysis is applied in an incremental fashion, adding leader‐level language after dyadic‐level ML had been included in the model. Such an incremental approach shows the extent of added variance by leader‐level ML. The sample is drawn from 151 health care workers in a Southeastern health facility.
Findings
Results indicate that leader‐level ML significantly and positively effects follower performance. In comparison, dyadic‐level ML significantly and positively effects both employee performance and job satisfaction.
Research limitations/implications
This research only examines a subset of the outcome variables that have been examined in ML research. As such, it is not clear how extensively leader‐level ML effects related employee outcomes.
Practical implications
The paper helps us to better understand how ML actually effects employee outcomes. As a result, this research contributes insights into improved organizational interventions that are designed to improve follower outcomes through leader communication.
Originality/value
The paper extends our understanding of ML and leader communication. The paper adds a leader‐level component to the original dyadic‐level theory. This reconfiguration offers new avenues for research investigation and implications for leader training.
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