Ronald F. Burke and Carol A. McKeen
Reports the findings of a study which examined the relationship ofemployment gaps to measures of work outcomes and emotional wellbeing.Data were collected from a diverse sample of…
Abstract
Reports the findings of a study which examined the relationship of employment gaps to measures of work outcomes and emotional wellbeing. Data were collected from a diverse sample of 161 women chartered accountants (CAs) using questionnaires completed anonymously. Women CAs with more employment gaps were older, more likely to be married, had more children if married, and worked fewer hours and extra hours per week. Women with more employment gaps also reported less satisfaction, less job involvement and were less optimistic about their career prospects, when other factors were controlled. Employment gaps were not related to psychological wellbeing however.
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Ronald J. Burke, Fay Oberklaid and Zena Burgess
This study examined the relationship of female and male psychologists perceptions of organizational values supportive of work‐personal life balance and their work experiences…
Abstract
This study examined the relationship of female and male psychologists perceptions of organizational values supportive of work‐personal life balance and their work experiences, work and non‐work satisfactions, and psychological well‐being. Data were collected from 458 Australian psychologists using anonymous questionnaires. Psychologists reporting organizational values more supportive of work‐personal life balance also reported greater job and career satisfaction, less work stress, less intention to quit, greater family satisfaction, fewer psychosomatic symptoms, and more positive emotional well‐being. Interestingly, perceptions of organizational values supportive of work‐personal life balance were unrelated to hours and extra‐hours worked and job involvement.
This study, using a longitudinal design, examined the relationship of perceived organizational support (POS) and job satisfaction among hospital‐based nursing staff survivors of…
Abstract
This study, using a longitudinal design, examined the relationship of perceived organizational support (POS) and job satisfaction among hospital‐based nursing staff survivors of significant healthcare restructuring. In addition, the role of both restructuring processes and restructuring stressors in affecting POS, and the potential mediating role of POS in the relationship between both restructuring processes and stressors and job satisfaction, was considered. Data were collected from 393 respondents at two points separated by three years. Levels of POS were relatively low on both occasions and declined slightly over the three year period. POS and job satisfaction were found to have a bi‐directional relationship over time. Both restructuring processes and stressors had significant relationships with POS, positive and negative respectively. POS fully mediated the relationship between restructuring processes and job satisfaction and partially mediated the relationship between restructuring stressors and job satisfaction.
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James A. Russo and Lea E. Waters
This study had three aims. First, to examine the validity of the workaholism triad as compared to the workaholism dyad. Second, to test the relationship between workaholism and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study had three aims. First, to examine the validity of the workaholism triad as compared to the workaholism dyad. Second, to test the relationship between workaholism and work‐family conflict. Third, to explore the three‐way relationships between worker type, work‐family conflict (WFC) and supervisor support and flexible work schedules.
Design/methodology/approach
Participants consisted of 169 workers employed in the legal industry. The sample used was respondent‐driven and questionnaires were self‐administered. Workaholism was operationalised using two dimensions of the Spence and Robbins WorkBat: first, drive to work and second, work enjoyment, which produced four worker types (workaholics, enthusiastic workaholics, relaxed workers and uninvolved workers).
Findings
Support was found for McMillan et al.'s dyad conceptualisation of workaholism as opposed to Spence and Robbins' triad model. Specifically it was found that the work involvement subscale had low internal reliability and an unreliable factor structure. Results demonstrated that worker type was significantly related to WFC. Specifically, workaholics and enthusiastic workaholics experienced significantly more WFC than relaxed and uninvolved workers. Regarding the three‐way relationships, it was found that worker type moderated the relationship between schedule flexibility and WFC. Specifically, it was found that enthusiastic workaholics, in contrast to their workaholic counterparts, experienced declining WFC with access to flexible scheduling. Supervisor support was not significant.
Practical implications
The current study suggests that blanket policies, designed to promote work‐life balance, are unlikely to be effective for all employees. Indeed, it appears that although both workaholics and enthusiastic workaholics experience high levels of WFC, these two worker types may require different support mechanisms in order to achieve greater work‐life balance.
Originality/value
Despite their apparent conceptual linkage, the relationship between workaholism and work‐family conflict has not been explored in the literature to date. The current study contributes to the field of organisational behaviour both through proposing an additional dispositional antecedent to WFC (i.e. workaholism) and through uncovering an additional consequence of workaholic behaviour patterns (i.e. WFC).
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Lisa Fiksenbaum, Mustafa Koyuncu and Ronald J. Burke
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between virtues and indicators of work engagement, satisfaction, and psychological well‐being among a large sample of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between virtues and indicators of work engagement, satisfaction, and psychological well‐being among a large sample of managerial and professional women working in a large Turkish bank. Managerial women in Turkey, as elsewhere, are under‐represented at senior levels of management. A virtue is any psychological process that enables a person to benefit herself or himself and others.
Design/methodology/approach
Data are collected from 286 managerial and professional women using anonymously completed questionnaires, a 72 percent response rate. Two virtues are considered: Optimism and Proactive Behavior.
Findings
Optimism and Proactive Behavior are significantly and positively correlated. Hierarchical regression analyses, controlling for both personal demographic and work situation characteristics, indicate that virtues account for significant increments in explained variance on all outcome measures. Optimism emerges as a particularly consistent predictor of these.
Research limitations/implications
The research data are collected at one point in time, limiting the understanding of causality.
Practical implications
Suggestions for increasing levels of virtues through training are offered based on previous theory.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to the emerging literature in positive organizational scholarship on the relationship of virtues to individual health and performance in work settings.
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The last ten years has demonstrated increased attention to women in management research (Davidson & Burke, 1994; Fagenson, 1993; Sekaran & Leong, 1992). We have a good…
Abstract
The last ten years has demonstrated increased attention to women in management research (Davidson & Burke, 1994; Fagenson, 1993; Sekaran & Leong, 1992). We have a good understanding of the barriers women face as they pursue careers in medium and large organizations (Morrison, 1992; Auster, 1993). An increasing number of organizations have realized that the full utilization and development of the talents of all employees has become a business imperative (Schwartz, 1992). Supporting the career aspirations of women is not just the right thing to do; it is the smart thing to do if organizations are to remain productive and competitive in an increasingly demanding market place (Totta & Burke, 1995).
Ghada El-Kot, Ronald J. Burke and Lisa M. Fiksenbaum
This paper aims to examine the relationship of perceived supervisor empowerment behaviors and feelings of personal empowerment with important work and well-being outcomes in a…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the relationship of perceived supervisor empowerment behaviors and feelings of personal empowerment with important work and well-being outcomes in a sample of Egyptian women managers and professionals.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 155 managerial and professional women using anonymously completed questionnaires. Respondents were relatively young; had university educations; had the short job and organizational tenures; held various levels of management jobs; and worked in a range of functions. All measures used here had been used and validated previously by other researchers.
Findings
Work outcomes included job satisfaction, career satisfaction, work engagement, work-family and family-work conflict, emotional exhaustion/burnout, life satisfaction and intent to quit. Both perceived levels of supervisory/leader empowerment behaviors and self-reported feelings of empowerment had significant relationships with the majority of work and well-being outcomes.
Research limitations/implications
Data were collected using self-report questionnaires with the small risk of response set and common method biases. Second, all data were collected at one point in time making it challenging to address issues of causality. Third, all respondents came from the two largest cities in Egypt, Cairo and Alexandria; thus, the extent to which our findings would generalize to managerial and professional women and men is indeterminate. Fourth, it was not possible to determine the representativeness of our sample as well.
Practical implications
Practical implications of these findings along with future research directions are offered. Practical applications include training supervisors on empowerment behaviors, and training all employees on the benefits of personal empowerment and efficacy and ways to increase them.
Social implications
A number of ways to increase levels of empowerment of both front-line employees and managers have been identified. These include increasing employee participation in decision-making, delegating authority and control to these employees, creating more challenging work roles through job redesign, leaders sharing more information and leaders providing more coaching and mentoring to their staff. At the micro level, increasing levels of employee self-efficacy through training and more effective use of their work experiences will increase personal empowerment and improve work outcomes.
Originality/value
Relatively little research has been undertaken on women in management and human resource management in Egypt.
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Ayala Malach‐Pines, Mustafa F. Özbilgin and Ronald Burke
The purpose of this paper is to introduce the papers in this special issue and some issues surrounding choosing management as a career. A jointly developed questionnaire is also…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to introduce the papers in this special issue and some issues surrounding choosing management as a career. A jointly developed questionnaire is also presented.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is descriptive in nature.
Findings
It is crucial for researchers and practitioners to expand their perspectives to include other cultures and other theoretical perspectives beyond those offered by traditional vocational choice theories.
Originality/value
Understanding the antecedents, correlates and consequences of people's vocational choice to become managers will not only help researchers and practitioners and benefit managers, but will improve the understanding of career choice in general.
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Jawad Syed, Ronald J. Burke and F. Pinar Acar
The purpose of this paper is to offer an editorial introduction to the special issue on “Diversity management in the Middle East”.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to offer an editorial introduction to the special issue on “Diversity management in the Middle East”.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper reviews the state of extant research on diversity and equal opportunity in the Middle East. It also offers an overview of the papers included in the special issue and the unique contribution they make to this field of knowledge.
Findings
Findings vary from one paper to the other; however, overall, the papers in the special issue bring to fore alternative types of national and corporate institutions, theoretical ideas, activities and challenges involved in diversity and equality management in the Middle East.
Research limitations/implications
The papers offer some fresh insights in terms of theorizing and enacting diversity and equal opportunity in departure from the dominant Anglo‐centric theorizations in this field.
Practical implications
Policy makers as well as business managers may take into account various findings and recommendations offered in the papers in formulating context‐specific policies and practices of diversity management in the Middle East.
Originality/value
There are not many researchers interested in this field in the Middle East. Thus there are relatively few high quality research papers being produced. Those that are published appear in a wide variety of journals never achieving a critical mass. And the central role of national culture and values is rarely examined. The current (special) issue of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion addresses these gaps.