Swati Alok, Navya Kumar and Sudatta Banerjee
COVID-19 placed millions of employees under work-from-home/telework. Employers intend extending telework for the long-term, anticipating business benefits. But the benefits are…
Abstract
Purpose
COVID-19 placed millions of employees under work-from-home/telework. Employers intend extending telework for the long-term, anticipating business benefits. But the benefits are impacted by employees' well-being/ill-being, which is affected by the satisfaction of psychological needs. In turn, need satisfaction is influenced by employees' personal/job attributes. As work-from-home's blended environment disrupts routines, the satisfaction of the psychological need for structure or routines was examined in this study, along with the effect of personal/job attributes.
Design/methodology/approach
Cross-section primary data were collected from 500 teleworking information technology employees from India and analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling. Vigour and exhaustion represented well-being and ill-being. Telework self-efficacy, standardised job, technology assistance and supervisor social support were the determinants or personal/job attributes. Need for structure satisfaction was the mediator.
Findings
Telework self-efficacy, technology assistance and supervisor social support were positively associated with structure satisfaction. In turn, structure satisfaction was related positively with vigour and negatively with exhaustion, and thus mediated between personal/job attributes and vigour/exhaustion. Standardised job did not affect vigour, exhaustion or structure satisfaction.
Originality/value
Need for structure is mostly studied as a trait, with implications of greater/lesser preference for structure examined. However, this work acknowledges structure as a basic ubiquitous need. Everyone needs some structure. Hence, need for structure is researched from the novel perspective of its satisfaction. This paper also uniquely combines job demands–resources model which identifies personal/job attributes, with concepts of epistemic which posit the need for structure.
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Navya Kumar, Swati Alok and Sudatta Banerjee
Even after COVID-19 pandemic, several organizations intend extending work-from-home (WFH), to the extent of making it permanent for many. However, WFH's impact on productivity…
Abstract
Purpose
Even after COVID-19 pandemic, several organizations intend extending work-from-home (WFH), to the extent of making it permanent for many. However, WFH's impact on productivity remains uncertain. Therefore, this paper aims to study personal and job factors determining the likelihood of amount of work done at home being same/more vis-à-vis office.
Design/methodology/approach
Employees' basic psychological needs and job crafting tendencies; job-related aspects of task independence, technology resources and supervisory support; and several demographic factors are examined as determinants. Firth logistic regression analysis of data from 301 Indian white-collar employees is performed.
Findings
Demographically, longer exposure to WFH, greater work experience and being a support function worker increased the likelihood of same/greater amount of work done at home. Being a woman or married reduced the likelihood, while being a manufacturing/services worker was non-significant. Among psychological needs, greater needs for autonomy and relatedness decreased and increased the likelihood of same/greater amount of work done at home, respectively. Regarding personal and job resources, job crafting to increase structural job resources and supervisor support increased the likelihood of same/greater amount of work done at home versus office.
Originality/value
This paper adds to the limited India-centric literature on WFH; uniquely examining influences of individual personal attributes on amount of work done by combining job demands-resources (JD-R) model and basic psychological needs theory.
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Swati Alok, Sudatta Banerjee and Navya Kumar
This study aims to identify demographic characteristics, personal attributes and attitudes and social support factors that adversely or favourably affect the likelihood of career…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to identify demographic characteristics, personal attributes and attitudes and social support factors that adversely or favourably affect the likelihood of career persistence amongst women workers of the Indian IT sector.
Design/methodology/approach
The research, grounded in the social cognitive career theory, analyses primary data collected from 850 women working in IT via a survey. Based on an original definition of career persistence, the sample was segregated into 427 persistent and 423 non-persistent women. Logistic regression was performed to test for the effect of various determinants on the likelihood of women being career persistent versus non-persistent.
Findings
Being married, having children, as well as high levels of belief in gender disadvantage and work–family conflict lowered the likelihood of career persistence amongst women. While being a manager, possessing high career identity, high occupational culture fit, positive psychological capital and family support boost the likelihood.
Originality/value
The study examines women's actual continuance in an IT career vis-à-vis exit from the workforce/IT field, rather than women's stated intent to persist/quit as previously investigated. It uses logistic regression to identify both hurdles and aids on the path of women's career persistence. The findings can help recognize women more likely to struggle, thus be a first step in targeted organizational interventions to plug a leaky talent pipeline.
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Work-from-home (WFH) gained ground with COVID and will now continue to be a part of India’s future of work. Under WFH information and communication technologies (ICT) media become…
Abstract
Purpose
Work-from-home (WFH) gained ground with COVID and will now continue to be a part of India’s future of work. Under WFH information and communication technologies (ICT) media become the primary/sole mode of communication for employees, which holds several implications for employers and employees. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the impact of ICT media characteristics and usage frequency on multiple WFH outcomes. Specifically studied was ICT media’s ability to support synchronicity or coordinated behaviours of individuals working together.
Design/methodology/approach
This work examined the effect of ICT media’s synchronicity-supporting ability and usage frequency on WFH employees’ need for competence and relatedness satisfaction, thereby wellbeing and preference to WFH. Data from 301 white-collar employees of varied manufacturing and services organizations of India was analysed via partial least squares structural equation modelling.
Findings
Achieving more synchronicity by frequently using ICT media that can better facilitate coordinated behaviours did not directly influence WFH employees’ feeling of belongingness (need for relatedness) or wellbeing. It did, however, positively affect their feeling of effectance (need for competence) and thereby wellbeing. However, unexpectedly, it negatively influenced preference to WFH more often.
Originality/value
This study has uniquely combined media synchronicity and self-determination theories to investigate the implications of a work practice on employee wellbeing and preferences. Also, an extensible media evaluation parameter was created that encompasses the characteristics and usage frequency of a set of ICT media.
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Navya Kumar, Swati Alok and Sudatta Banerjee
Gender diversity is known to trigger creative and relationship conflicts alike, the former a boon for innovation and the latter a bane. This study aims to explore the possibility…
Abstract
Purpose
Gender diversity is known to trigger creative and relationship conflicts alike, the former a boon for innovation and the latter a bane. This study aims to explore the possibility of a gender mix that is “just right” for balancing the intensities of varied forms of conflict to boost innovation in firms in India. Specifically, this paper investigated the presence of an optimal level of women as a percentage of the firm’s full-time permanent employees (Percent-Women) that maximized the firm’s likelihood of product innovation (Product–Innovation–Likelihood).
Design/methodology/approach
Logistic regression analyses of firm-level data of Indian establishments of varied sizes and industries from World Bank Enterprise Surveys 2014 was performed. Instrumental variable addressed the potential endogeneity of Percent-Women.
Findings
The analysis demonstrated an inverted U-shaped relationship between Product–Innovation–Likelihood and Percent-Women. Product–Innovation–Likelihood peaked when Percent-Women lay between 35% and 58%, i.e. when the firm was gender-balanced or close to it.
Practical implications
The finding of an optimal level of female inclusion presents to firms a defined target of gender mix to be achieved, failing to which they may be limiting their innovation potential. It compels firms to view gender diversity as a business imperative with definite implications for their long-term performance.
Social implications
For India, the demonstrated relationship between workplace gender diversity and innovation brings additional reason and urgency to public initiatives, such as female literacy, for boosting female economic engagement. Innovation can power the next stage of the Indian growth story by engaging the heretofore insufficiently tapped female worker.
Originality/value
By demonstrating an optimal degree of female inclusion at which innovation potential peaks, the study reconciled opposing theories of diversity-driven conflicts and went beyond the commonly observed simple linear relationship between female inclusion and innovation. Further, the paper focused on India, a major developing economy with a vast female populace and growing innovation ambitions but scarcely researched for gender diversity’s role in innovation.
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Amaya Erro-Garcés, Angel Belzunegui-Eraso, María Inmaculada Pastor Gosálbez and Antonio López Peláez
Navya Thirumaleshwar Hegde, V.I. George, C. Gurudas Nayak and Kamlesh Kumar
The purpose of this paper is to give reviews on the platform modeling and design of a controller for autonomous vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) tilt rotor hybrid unmanned…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to give reviews on the platform modeling and design of a controller for autonomous vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) tilt rotor hybrid unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Nowadays, UAVs have experienced remarkable progress and can be classified into two main types, i.e. fixed-wing UAVs and VTOL UAVs. The mathematical model of tilt rotor UAV is time variant, multivariable and non-linear in nature. Solving and understanding these plant models is very complex. Developing a control algorithm to improve the performance and stability of a UAV is a challenging task.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper gives a thorough description on modeling of VTOL tilt rotor UAV from first principle theory. The review of the design of both linear and non-linear control algorithms are explained in detail. The robust flight controller for the six degrees of freedom UAV has been designed using H-infinity optimization with loop shaping under external wind and aerodynamic disturbances.
Findings
This review will act as a basis for the future work on modeling and control of VTOL tilt rotor UAV by the researchers. The development of self-guided and fully autonomous UAVs would result in reducing the risk to human life. Civil applications include inspection of rescue teams, terrain, coasts, border patrol buildings, police and pipelines. The simulation results show that the controller achieves robust stability, good adaptability and robust performance.
Originality/value
The review articles on quadrotors/quadcopters, hybrid UAVs can be found in many literature, but there are comparatively a lesser amount of review articles on the detailed description of VTOL Tilt rotor UAV. In this paper modeling, platform design and control algorithms for the tilt rotor are presented. A robust H-infinity loop shaping controller in the presence of disturbances is designed for VTOL UAV.
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Vivek G. Nair, Leena Chatterjee and Navya Bagga
The paper aims to provide a career perspective on self-employment (SE) by focusing on how engaging in SE shapes the career experiences of MBA graduates in a distinct cultural and…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to provide a career perspective on self-employment (SE) by focusing on how engaging in SE shapes the career experiences of MBA graduates in a distinct cultural and institutional context.
Design/methodology/approach
We thematically analyse interviews with 29 Indian MBA graduates (including 10 women) who have engaged in both SE and salaried employment, using the conservation of resources (COR) theory as the theoretical framework.
Findings
Participants took up SE in a challenging institutional and cultural environment. Resources such as financial stability, social networks and family support enabled participants to pursue SE. Participants noted that the SE experience boosted their psychological resources, providing them with greater confidence, perseverance and self-awareness. Participants observed that SE had a negative impact on subjective career success (SCS) dimensions of financial success and positive work relationships but positively impacted other SCS dimensions such as entrepreneurship, learning and development, positive (social) impact and work–life balance (particularly for women).
Research limitations/implications
Participants were highly educated with strong social networks from past work experience in a developing economy, so the transferability of the findings to other contexts may be limited.
Practical implications
Individuals could benefit from considering a broader career canvas that includes SE as a career option. Policymakers should work towards removing institutional barriers and changing cultural perceptions towards SE.
Originality/value
Our study is distinct in that it comprises participants who had engaged in both SE and salaried employment during their careers. Few studies have looked at the impact of one employment episode on another. We show that SE episodes can contribute to career sustainability by developing psychological resources.