Katarina Katja Mihelič, Nada Zupan and Ajda Merkuž
At the dawn of a new decade, as ever more corporations are pursuing sustainable working conditions and advocating employee well-being, employees are increasingly tending to feel…
Abstract
Purpose
At the dawn of a new decade, as ever more corporations are pursuing sustainable working conditions and advocating employee well-being, employees are increasingly tending to feel fatigued and drained by their work, which compromises their performance. Drawing on the job demands–resources model and social acceleration debate, the authors test a moderated mediation model. Specifically, the authors hypothesise that unreasonable tasks raise perceptions of emotional exhaustion when the pace of work is increased and investigate the moderating role of psychological detachment.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used a sample of 245 employees from Europe, all knowledge workers, to test the hypotheses.
Findings
Apart from unreasonable tasks being directly related with emotional exhaustion, this relationship was mediated by the perceived work pace. In addition, the authors establish psychological detachment as a relevant moderator for the mediating effect.
Practical implications
Managers and HR practitioners are equipped with a better understanding of the effects of an increasing speed of work, the conditions leading to it and the individual and organizational resources that may help to create healthy and meaningful job positions, which facilitate employee efficiency.
Originality/value
Our study expands the literature on contemporary stressors and adds to what is known about the ‘dark side’ of job demands that affect the organizational bottom-line, as well as the resource-based mechanism that can buffer the negative effects.
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Keywords
Nada Zupan, Katarzyna Dziewanowska and Alison Pearce
The purpose of this paper is to identify challenges of talent management (TM) of transition economies, based on a study of employee and employer obligations as elements of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify challenges of talent management (TM) of transition economies, based on a study of employee and employer obligations as elements of anticipatory psychological contracts (APC) among young entrants to labor market. The authors aim to analyze how APC differ between transitional and non-transitional countries and also if there are differences between transitional countries.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors used a quantitative research design and conducted a survey using the PC inventory among business students in Poland and Slovenia and the UK (as a control group).
Findings
The authors found that APC in transitional countries differ significantly from the control group, with Polish and Slovenian APCs being more transactional and less relational than in the UK. Also, there are several differences between Poland and Slovenia, suggesting that Central and Eastern Europe transitional countries cannot be considered a single region in this respect.
Practical implications
The authors identified challenges related to TM in transitional countries based on APC characteristics and proposed several ways in which employers and educators could help to build more realistic expectations and thus helping young talents with their transition from education to labor market. By increasing the understanding of APC employers can improve their TM practices for the young talents.
Originality/value
The study offers unique insights into APC of the young entrants to labor market in transitional countries, with regard to both employee and employer obligations. The three types of APC were studied along with particular dimensions of APC. The authors linked TM to the APC characteristics. Based on the results, the authors propose that socio-economic context as well as national culture should be considered as antecedents of APC formation and given more attention in both psychological contract and TM research.
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The paper aims to examine structural positions of individuals, especially HR actors (line managers and HR specialists) within relational networks for creating and sharing…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to examine structural positions of individuals, especially HR actors (line managers and HR specialists) within relational networks for creating and sharing knowledge and to explore implications for designing and implementing HR practices in knowledge‐intensive firms (KIF).
Design/methodology/approach
This article used exploratory research design conducting a single case study of a KIF. Social network analysis (SNA) – network centrality measures and visualization tools – was used to examine the structural position of individuals.
Findings
Line managers who are HR actors are centrally positioned within examined knowledge networks, while the HR specialist is not, which implies that the decentralized approach to HRM in KIF can be effective. Results also show that the more operational (instrumental) the information or knowledge flow is, the denser the knowledge networks.
Research limitations/implications
This study provides support for devolution of HRM to the line in KIF. It suggests that HRM could affect the process of knowledge creation and sharing by implementing HR practices through centrally positioned line managers. A limitation of the research is a single case study and observed intensity rather than quality of relations.
Practical implications
SNA appears to be an effective tool for mapping relationships in an organization. Centrally positioned HR actors (especially line managers involved in HRM) in knowledge networks are advantageous for HRM effectiveness only if obstacles to their effectiveness are properly managed. HR specialists should relate strongly to these actors to enable successful design and implementation of HR practices.
Originality/value
The paper applies SNA to the HRM field, thus expanding the traditional view of HRM into examining the position of HR actors in relational networks and exploring their role in effectively executing HR practices.