Luke Booker, Paula K Mowbray, Keith Townsend and Xi Wen Chan
The well-being of employees in distributed work has never been of more importance. This study aims to investigate the factors that empower or undermine the connectivity agency of…
Abstract
Purpose
The well-being of employees in distributed work has never been of more importance. This study aims to investigate the factors that empower or undermine the connectivity agency of teleworkers. Connectivity agency is an important form of autonomy for managing work–home boundaries, recuperation from work and psychological detachment. With this in mind it becomes vital to understand how connectivity agency is shaped by various contextual factors.
Design/methodology/approach
This qualitative study draws upon data collected from 27 teleworkers representing a variety of industries and roles. We employed a semi-structured interview protocol and analysed the data using Tracy’s (2013) iterative coding technique.
Findings
Factors that influence one’s likelihood or capacity to exercise connectivity agency exist at the individual, group or organisational level. Our data elucidate factors such as the provision of home and technological resources, the state of team norms and shared expectations and the level of organisational (dis)trust as having significant influence on whether a teleworker exercises connectivity agency, or whether attempts to do so fail altogether.
Originality/value
Whilst we have a comprehensive understanding of types of connectivity agency behaviours, it is unclear how one’s agency may be influenced by contextual factors. The originality and key contribution of our study is in enriching our understanding of connectivity agency to appreciate it as a dynamic phenomenon that is shaped by various contextual factors. This presents a variety of important insights for professionals leading, implementing or partaking in distributed work.
Details
Keywords
Xi Wen Chan and Kate Hutchings
Although many organisations and governments internationally acknowledge that a diverse workforce is essential for improved decision-making, employee well-being and organisational…
Abstract
Purpose
Although many organisations and governments internationally acknowledge that a diverse workforce is essential for improved decision-making, employee well-being and organisational performance and competitiveness, women with disabilities and their (potential) participation and contributions within organisations continue to be overlooked and under-researched. Examining the careers of women with disabilities through the lens of human resource management (HRM) allows for the development of policies and practices that support their inclusion and progression in the workforce and helps lay the foundation for legislative, institutional and organisational changes that address the unique challenges faced by this cohort.
Design/methodology/approach
We conducted a comprehensive, systematic scoping review that analyses various career-related aspects for women with disabilities across different cultural and geographical contexts internationally. A two-stage review (Stage 1 – Title and abstract screening and Stage 2 – Full-text review) of the extant literature on the careers of women with disabilities yielded 80 relevant empirical articles.
Findings
Our review identified four key career-related themes pertaining to women with disabilities: (1) Educational interventions and support for positive career outcomes of women with disabilities; (2) Workplace discrimination and workplace accessibility of women with disabilities; (3) Factors influencing the career development and advancement of women with disabilities and (4) The role of gender in the career exploration and decision-making processes of women with disabilities.
Originality/value
This systematic scoping review contributes to the nascent scholarly discourse on enhancing career-related outcomes of women with disabilities and offers evidence-based insights to guide future HRM research on the intersection of gender and disability/ies in careers.
Details
Keywords
Jason Spedding, Paula Brough, Amy Jane Hawkes and Xi Wen Chan
Due to the proliferation of measures (and conceptualisations) employed to assess shared leadership behaviours, it is unclear to researchers and practitioners which specific team…
Abstract
Purpose
Due to the proliferation of measures (and conceptualisations) employed to assess shared leadership behaviours, it is unclear to researchers and practitioners which specific team behaviours should be encouraged and which measures should be included in research to enhance team effectiveness outcomes. To address this issue, this research tests 11 shared leadership scales to identify which measures and behaviours exhibit the strongest relationship with team effectiveness.
Design/methodology/approach
This research utilises survey methods (n = 328) to test the measurement of shared leadership using 11 previously validated scales. This novel approach uses structural equation modelling techniques (SEM) to compare and contrast multiple measures targeting a single underlying construct.
Findings
Across the 11 measures tested (drawn from three theoretical perspectives), no single scale demonstrated a superior ability to assess shared leadership (based on model-fit and effect size exhibited). Nevertheless, the results indicated that measures assessing shared transformational leadership were most highly related to team effectiveness; whilst the shared leadership density measure (using social network techniques) exhibited the weakest relationship.
Research limitations/implications
Limitations of this research include the use of a student sample (although participants were screened based on their current employment in a team environment), and the individual assessment of shared leadership rather than team assessment. These findings indicate that shared transformational leadership behaviours are highly related to perceptions of team effectiveness. It is recommended future research define and delineate between constructs of interest, including general forms shared leadership (i.e. shared leadership broadly defined) and more specific forms of shared leadership (e.g. shared transformational leadership [narrowly defined]).
Practical implications
It is recommended that interventions and/or training designed to enhance team shared leadership outcomes should specifically target shared transformational leadership behaviours; especially when aiming to increase beneficial team outcomes such as effectiveness or potency.
Originality/value
This research is novel in both advancing our understanding of the shared leadership behaviours needed to enhance team effectiveness; and in methodological approaches comparing and contrasting multiple measures of a single latent construct.
Details
Keywords
Alex Bradley, Haijiang Li, Honglei Qin, Wen Xi, Daniel Peel and Nicholas Nisbet
Defining building information modelling (BIM) standards for the infrastructure domain is a central issue to the successful implementation of BIM in civil engineering domains. To…
Abstract
Purpose
Defining building information modelling (BIM) standards for the infrastructure domain is a central issue to the successful implementation of BIM in civil engineering domains. To this end, this paper aims to present a requirements and process analysis for the ports and waterways domain to address the lack of BIM standards development, using the information delivery manual (IDM) approach and the ethos of openBIM standards.
Design/methodology/approach
This research uses the IDM approach. This involves the definition of use cases, process maps, exchange scenarios and subsequent exchange requirements. All these developments were sourced and validated by a series of international industry consultations.
Findings
The paper identifies 30 domain relevant use cases collated from existing sources and new cases. An overview and detailed ports and waterways process map (defining actors, activities and data exchanges). The process maps highlighted 38 exchange scenarios between various activities. Various exchange requirements were defined and are discussed in the context of the required information exchange model and the extensions required to fulfil the needs of the domain. The analysis provides the core information for the next steps of development for a substantial extension to the Industry Foundation Classes and the supporting data dictionary standards.
Research limitations/implications
Because of the international scope of the research, the outcomes can be applied by any stakeholders in the domain of ports and waterways. Therefore, some variation is expected at a national and organizational level. This research has the potential to accelerate the adoption of openBIM standards within the ports and waterways domain leading to increases in efficiency, collaborative working.
Originality/value
This paper reviews the requirements of an identified gap in the provision of openBIM standards relevant and applicable to the domain of ports and waterways.
Details
Keywords
Parveen Kalliath, Thomas Kalliath, Xi Wen Chan and Christopher Chan
Drawing on the conservation of resources theory and social exchange theory, this study aims to examine the underlying relationships linking work-to-family enrichment (WFE) and…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on the conservation of resources theory and social exchange theory, this study aims to examine the underlying relationships linking work-to-family enrichment (WFE) and family-to-work enrichment (FWE) to perceived supervisor support and ultimately, job satisfaction among social workers.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from members of a social work professional body (n = 439) through an internet-based questionnaire and analysed using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling.
Findings
Perceived supervisor support mediated the relationships between work–family enrichment (specifically, WFE-Development, WFE-Affect and FWE-Efficiency) and job satisfaction.
Research limitations/implications
Social workers who worked in a positive work environment that uplifts their moods and attitudes (WFE-Affect), have access to intellectual and personal development (WFE-Development) and felt supported by their supervisors reported higher levels of job satisfaction. Those who possessed enrichment resources were found to be more efficient (FWE-Efficiency) also perceived their supervisors to be supportive and experienced higher job satisfaction. Future studies should consider other professional groups and incorporate a longitudinal design.
Practical implications
Promoting work–family enrichment among social workers can contribute to positive work outcomes such as perceived supervisor support and job satisfaction. HR practitioners, supervisors and organisations can promote work–family enrichment among social workers through introduction of family-friendly policies (e.g. flexitime, compressed workweek schedules) and providing a supportive work–family friendly environment for social workers.
Originality/value
Although several work–family studies have linked work–family enrichment to job satisfaction, the present study shows how each dimension of WFE and FWE affects social workers' job satisfaction.
Details
Keywords
Xi Wen Chan, Thomas Kalliath, Paula Brough, Michael O’Driscoll, Oi-Ling Siu and Carolyn Timms
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the mediating roles of work and family demands and work-life balance on the relationship between self-efficacy (to regulate work and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the mediating roles of work and family demands and work-life balance on the relationship between self-efficacy (to regulate work and life) and work engagement. Specifically, it seeks to explain how self-efficacy influences employees’ thought patterns and emotional reactions, which in turn enable them to cope with work and family demands, and ultimately achieve work-life balance and work engagement.
Design/methodology/approach
Structural equation modelling (SEM) of survey data obtained from a heterogeneous sample of 1,010 Australian employees is used to test the hypothesised chain mediation model.
Findings
The SEM results support the hypothesised model. Self-efficacy was significantly and negatively related to work and family demands, which in turn were negatively associated with work-life balance. Work-life balance, in turn, enabled employees to be engaged in their work.
Research limitations/implications
The findings support the key tenets of social cognitive theory and conservation of resources (COR) theory and demonstrate how self-efficacy can lead to work-life balance and engagement despite the presence of role demands. Study limitations (e.g. cross-sectional research design) and future research directions are discussed.
Originality/value
This study incorporates COR theory with social cognitive theory to improve understanding of how self-efficacy enhances work-life balance and work engagement through a self-fulfilling cycle in which employees achieve what they believe they can accomplish, and in the process, build other skills and personal resources to manage work and family challenges.
Details
Keywords
Xi Wen Chan, Thomas Kalliath and David Cheng
Research has largely shown that supervisors' negative emotions lead to subordinates' negative emotions and detrimental work outcomes, but recent studies are showing that…
Abstract
Purpose
Research has largely shown that supervisors' negative emotions lead to subordinates' negative emotions and detrimental work outcomes, but recent studies are showing that supervisor negative emotions may yield both negative and positive subordinate behaviours. Drawing on the work–home resources model, this research sought to unpack the interpersonal, cross-domain effects of supervisor negative emotions on subordinate cognitive work engagement and family undermining through subordinate perceived leader effectiveness and self-efficacy to manage work and life.
Design/methodology/approach
To test the relationships, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were conducted on time-lagged dyadic data collected from 372 supervisor–subordinate pairs.
Findings
Results revealed that supervisor negative emotions led to higher levels of subordinate cognitive work engagement and family undermining.
Research limitations/implications
Supervisor negative emotions had unintended consequences on subordinates' work and family outcomes – they enhanced subordinates' cognitive work engagement (positive work outcome) but also increased subordinates' family undermining (negative family outcome). Future studies could benefit from a diary study with a within-subject design since emotions are known to fluctuate in a day.
Practical implications
This research provides supervisors with insights about the consequences of their negative emotions on their subordinates, calls upon organisations to provide cognitive regulation training, and encourages subordinates to develop self-efficacy in managing their work and life.
Originality/value
This study is among the first to incorporate self-efficacy to manage work and life as a personal resource and subordinate family undermining as an outcome of supervisor negative emotions, which enhances understanding of the resource allocation and loss processes between supervisors and subordinates.
Details
Keywords
Using the methodologies of text mining, this paper examines the implications of US and Chinese policies on bilateral trade. Official speeches by political leaders of the U.S. and…
Abstract
Using the methodologies of text mining, this paper examines the implications of US and Chinese policies on bilateral trade. Official speeches by political leaders of the U.S. and China on the issues of trade were collected and analytically examined for US-China gaps in major foreign policies, such as bilateral trade and the Belt and Road Initiative. In this paper, a term frequency-inverse document frequency word cloud, a network similarities index, machine learning-processed latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA), and structural equivalence are applied to examine the meanings of the speeches. The main arguments in this paper are as follows. First, the document similarity between the speeches of Chinese and US leaders appears to be completely different. Also, while the documents from Chinese leaders are considerably similar, the documents from US leaders differ by far. Secondly, LDA topic analysis indicates that China concentrates more on international and collaborative relationships, while the U.S. has more focus on domestic and economic interests. Third, from a word hierarchy analysis, the basic words used by American and Chinese leaders are also completely different. Agriculture, farmers, automobiles, and negotiations are the basic words for American leaders, but for Chinese leaders, the basic words are planning, markets, and education.
Details
Keywords
Hou Yukan, Li Yuan, Zhang Jie, Wen-Bin Tang and Jiang Shoushan
The purpose of this study is to present a new and relatively inexpensive method for posture evaluation of the positioning of the wing-body assembly. Positioning is an essential…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to present a new and relatively inexpensive method for posture evaluation of the positioning of the wing-body assembly. Positioning is an essential process to guarantee alignment accuracy in an assembly line.
Design/methodology/approach
The studied method includes a structural set-up and a software algorithm used to process a set of experimental input data to compute the actual position of the wing with respect to the ideal position, which is proposed considering measurement uncertainty, the deviation caused by large errors in measurement points and the different tolerance requirements.
Findings
The studied method has been found to be simple and effective in addition to being highly accurate. Compared with most of the current methods that have been developed with optical equipment, it is more cost- and space-efficient. The automation process determines how much operation time will be saved.
Practical implications
The studied method has been applied in an actual assembly line, and the economic and time savings illustrate its benefits.
Originality/value
This method provides an attractive wing-body assembly solution for those enterprises that want to find a low-cost option or have limited measuring space for optical equipment. It can also be the basis for the accurate assembly of other large parts for aircraft and other vessels.