Does cultural intelligence increase work engagement? The role of idiocentrism-allocentrism and organizational culture in MNCs

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Gabel-Shemueli ◽  
Mina Westman ◽  
Shoshi Chen ◽  
Danae Bahamonde

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of cultural intelligence (CQ), idiocentrism-allocentrism and organizational culture on work engagement in a multinational organization from the perspective of conservation of resources theory.Design/methodology/approachThe sample consisted of 219 employees of a multinational company (MNC). Partial least squares–structural equation modeling was used to test the research model.FindingsThe results suggest that CQ is positively related to work engagement and that this relationship is moderated by employees’ idiocentrism-allocentrism, as well as by the adaptability dimension of organizational culture.Research limitations/implicationsGreater generalizability of the findings could be achieved with a more geographically dispersed sample. Other cultural dimensions, as well as personal and organizational characteristics, should be considered in order to more clearly ascertain the relationships between these variables.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest that CQ is a powerful tool for developing employee engagement within MNCs. Furthermore, a highly adaptive organizational culture and consideration of employees’ cultural values are important in order to enhance the effect of CQ on engagement.Originality/valueThis study identifies relevant resources that can aid in managing a diverse workforce and increasing employee engagement in companies that operate across national borders.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abinash Panda ◽  
Subhashis Sinha ◽  
Nikunj Kumar Jain

PurposeGuided by social exchange, broaden and build and conservation of resources theoretical perspectives, this study explores the moderated mediating role of supervisory support (SS) on the relationship between job meaningfulness (JM) on job performance (JP) through employee engagement (EE).Design/methodology/approachField data were collected from two hundred and nineteen executives and their thirty-eight supervisors of a large paint manufacturing industry through a time-lagged research design and was analyzed with partial least squares based structural equation modeling.FindingsFindings of this study indicate that JM mediated by EE contributes to JP, which means if an employee finds one's job meaningful, she/he is likely to be more engaged emotionally, psychologically and cognitively to deliver better JP. SS is also found to be salient as it moderates both direct and indirect relationships between JM and JP through EE.Research limitations/implicationsGeneralizability of the findings of this study should be done with caution. Though the study has time-laggard data from two different sources but missing longitudinal data restricts causality of relationships/findings.Practical implicationsThese findings are relevant for organizations given that organizational leaders can create a context, by appropriate job design and engaging work context that motivates employees to perform better in their jobs. Insights of this study will be useful for organizations to curate meaningful jobs for their employees and also groom leaders with requisite skills and competencies to help subordinates perform up to their potential.Originality/valueThis study is an attempt toward a better understanding of the interplay of JM, work engagement and SS on JP in a manufacturing set-up in India, which has not been hitherto examined in Indian context.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Samarendra Kumar Mohanty ◽  
Arunprasad P

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to extend the scope of social exchange theory (SET) to explore employee engagement and test its application in the context of Indian power companies. The study also attempts to explore the antecedents of employee engagement. This study includes organizational culture and three trusts, that is co-worker trust, supervisor trust and organizational trust whose presence in the organization influences employee engagement.Design/methodology/approachThe study includes a sample of 812 executives who represent three major functions of the Indian power sector, that is power generation, power transmission and power distribution. The relationships between constructs are evaluated using structural equation modeling.FindingsThe findings of this study indicate that four resources in the organization influence employee engagement in different ways. Three constructs representing co-worker trust, supervisor trust and organizational trust partially mediate the relation between organizational culture and employee engagement. This study also compares the engagement levels of the employees from three power companies.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is focused on companies operating in only the government sector.Practical implicationsEnsuring engagement from employees for the critical power sector is expected to support the development of the HR practices in this sector. Identification of sector-specific resources is expected to aid both employees and policymakers from the organization.Social implicationsThis study assists the policy makers in the organization by showcasing the importance of organizational culture, interpersonal and organizational trusts and their impact on employee engagement.Originality/valueResource theory explains why certain resources in the workplace are exchanged for employee engagement. This study extends theories of engagement as well as SET and examines their application as employee engagement in the context of executives from Indian power companies. This understanding will aid the practitioners and researchers to further their understanding of employee engagement.


2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (9) ◽  
pp. 1845-1858
Author(s):  
Chih-Chieh Wang ◽  
Hui-Hsien Hsieh ◽  
Yau-De Wang

PurposePrevious studies have found that abusive supervision undermines employees' work motivation and attitudes, namely work engagement and job satisfaction. However, less is known about the mechanisms by which abusive supervision negatively relates to employees' work engagement and job satisfaction. Drawing on conservation of resources theory, this study examines employee silence as a mediating mechanism linking abusive supervision to employees' work engagement and job satisfaction.Design/methodology/approachSurvey data were collected from a sample of 233 full-time employees of a large hotel service company in Taiwan. Structural equation modeling analyses were conducted to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe results showed that abusive supervision has a positive association with employee silence. Moreover, the results showed that employee silence mediates the negative associations of abusive supervision with employees' work engagement and job satisfaction.Practical implicationsThe results suggest that organizational managers should provide supervisors with leadership interventions to prevent the occurrence of abusive supervision. Furthermore, organizational managers should provide employees with opportunities to voice their concerns through the use of organizational communication and participation, which can reduce employee silence and subsequently foster employee engagement and satisfaction at work.Originality/valueThis study advances our understanding of how abusive supervision results in poor work motivation and attitudes among employees. This contributes to the literature by identifying employee silence as a suitable mediating mechanism linking the negative associations of abusive supervision with employees' work engagement and job satisfaction.


2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 895-910
Author(s):  
Ameer A. Basit

PurposePolitical skill is a valued resource employees use to achieve success. Earlier research has mostly focused on the effect of political skill on others rather than on the self of the politically skilled individuals. Specifically, there is disconnect between political skill and employee engagement research as both these fields have been growing in isolation. Drawing from theories of engagement and conservation of resources, this study bridges this gap in knowledge by investigating how political skill leads to job and organization engagement of politically skilled employees via impacting their self-evaluations of organization-based self-esteem (OBSE) and organizational identification.Design/methodology/approachUsing a survey method, data were obtained from 188 employees who worked in three private schools of Lahore, Pakistan. Structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed model.FindingsThis study found that individuals who used political skill by practicing social astuteness, interpersonal influence, networking and sincerity rated themselves high in OBSE and organizational identification. As a consequence, high OBSE enhanced their job engagement, whereas high organizational identification increased their organization engagement.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first studies to present political skill as a driver of job and organization engagement. It reveals that the self-evaluations of OBSE and organizational identification mediate the political skill–engagement relations in unique manners.


2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 427-443
Author(s):  
Minsoo Kim ◽  
Candace White ◽  
Chansouk Kim

Purpose Studies have explored expectations of corporate social responsibility (CSR) among cultures, but findings are mixed. A more nuanced view of cultural dimensions rather than using Hofstede’s aggregate country scores can offer a stronger empirical foundation for studying the effects of culture. Based on two cultural dimensions and Carroll’s four-dimensional model of CSR, the purpose of this paper is to test the relationship between individualistic/collectivistic values and individuals’ expectations of different types of responsibilities (economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic), the relationship between long-term values and individuals’ expectations of different types of responsibilities and the degree of skepticism about CSR related to these values. Design/methodology/approach This study surveyed panel participants in two countries, South Korea (collectivistic and long term) and the USA (individualistic and short term), chosen because they are at extreme ends of the cultural values continuum. Multi-dimensional aspects of the cultural variables were tested in the samples rather than using national scores as proxy variables for culture. Data were quantitative and various statistical tests including structural equation modeling were used for analysis. Findings The findings show that horizontal collectivism and the planning dimension of long-term orientation are positively associated with CSR expectations, whereas the tradition dimension of long-term orientation is negatively associated with CSR expectations. In addition, vertical individualism is positively associated with skepticism toward CSR activities. Research limitations/implications The differences in types of individual-collectivism (horizontal and vertical) as well as the different aspects of long-term orientation had an effect on the results, pointing to the importance of exploring the nuances of the dimensions as well as the importance of testing them within the sample rather than using aggregated national scores. Originality/value Previous studies that used a proxy variable for culture assumed that collectivistic cultures have higher expectations for CSR. While empirically supporting the assumption of the relationship between cultural factors and CSR expectations at the individual level, the study found that people who view themselves as autonomous within a group but accept inequality within the group (vertical individualism) are more likely to be skeptical of CSR activities and suggests that skepticism about CSR may be more closely related to individual viewpoints or to particular contexts or particular corporations rather than to cultural factors, which has implications for international corporate communication.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim-Lim Tan ◽  
Peik Foong Yeap

PurposeGrounding our research in the conservation of resources (COR) theory and the job demands-resources (JD-R) theory, this study addresses the research gap of examining the relationship between meaningful work and dimensions of job burnout with work engagement as the mediator, especially in times of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also attempts to understand if age plays a role in moderating the effect of these relationships.Design/methodology/approachThis study collected data using a questionnaire protocol that was adapted and refined from the original scales in existing studies. The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze data collected from 530 social workers working in New Zealand nonprofit organizations (NPO).FindingsResults indicated that meaningful work only addressed one dimension of job burnout. Work engagement was found to have mediating effects on the relationships between meaningful work and all the dimensions of job burnout. Age does not have any moderating effect on these relationships.Originality/valueThis study addresses the lack of literature that collectively examines the constructs of meaningful work, dimensions of job burnout and work engagement in the same model. In doing so, this study provides a unique verification of job burnout as a multidimensional construct. At the same time, this study offers insights into the effect of these constructs in NPOs, unraveling the complexities that drive these NPOs' human resources (HR) processes.


2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 1091-1105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Germano Reis ◽  
Jordi Trullen ◽  
Joana Story

Purpose – The idea of being authentic at work is gaining traction in both academia and organizations. The purpose of this paper is to test whether four types of perceived organizational culture (hierarchical, clan, market, and adhocracy) influence employees’ authenticity and whether behaving more authentically at work influences the extent to which employees are engaged with their jobs. Design/methodology/approach – The sample includes 208 professionals working in a variety of industries in Brazil. Hypotheses are tested using structural equation modeling. Findings – Results indicate that environments that are perceived to be more inclusive and participative, and that incentivize autonomy (i.e. clan and adhocracy cultures) neither nurture nor inhibit authenticity. On the other hand, cultures perceived to emphasize stability, order, and control (i.e. hierarchy and market cultures) are negatively related to authenticity. In addition, employees who behave more authentically at work are more engaged with their jobs. Authenticity at work also mediates the relationship between hierarchical and market cultures and work engagement. Originality/value – The authors address the call of Roberts et al. (2009) for more research associated with the role that the organizational context plays in the development of authenticity. With the focus on authenticity the authors broaden the range of work engagement antecedents already discussed in the literature (Christian et al., 2011).


2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daria Lupsa ◽  
Loreni Baciu ◽  
Delia Virga

Purpose This study is based on job demands-resources model and the conservation of resources theory explores the roleof psychological capital (PsyCap), as a personal resource, and organizational justice (distributive and procedural), as a contextual resource, in enhancing health through work engagement. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 193 Romanian social workers (87.60 percent women) from the national network was used to test two structural models. Findings Structural equation modeling analysis revealed that work engagement partially mediates the relationship between PsyCap and health, and work engagement totally mediates the relationship between organizational justice and health. Research limitations/implications The results emphasize the role of resources, PsyCap and organizational justice, in protecting the social workers’ health. Practical implications These findings support the necessity of combined evidence-based programs to develop social worker’s PsyCap and to maintain the optimum level of perceived organizational justice. These intervention programs can, in turn, enhance the work engagement and protect the health of employees in the workplace. Originality/value This study indicates a novel conceptual model that has two simultaneous predictors of work engagement and health. It provides insights into how contextual resources (organizational justice) potentiate the effect of personal resources (PsyCap) in enhancing health.


2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 1406-1428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vishal Singh Patyal ◽  
Maddulety Koilakuntla

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the organizational culture (OC) of the competing values framework (CVF) on quality management (QM) practices. Specifically, it tests OC on two views, QM practices, i.e. the infrastructure quality and core QM practices.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed hypotheses were tested using empirical data drawn from 262 manufacturing organizations in India. The research model developed was analyzed using structural equation modeling technique.FindingsThe findings of this study revealed that the hierarchical and rational cultures are the dominant types of culture, and top management commitment and Six Sigma structure are the most important aspects of the infrastructure and core QM practices in Indian manufacturing organizations. Further, the results of the study showed that group culture and development culture are the most supportive culture types for both infrastructure and core QM practices. On the contrary, hierarchical and rational culture types are the least supportive for infrastructure and core QM practices. The study proposes the need for the mixed culture approach that facilitates the adoption of business strategiesPractical implicationsBefore implementing infrastructure and core QM practices, managers must understand the importance of cultural values in their organization to facilitate effective implementation of QM.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the existing literature by providing empirical evidence leading to the relationship between OC and QM practices. This is the first study that empirically examined the Indian cultural context using CVF, thus contributing to the scarce body of literature particularly in the developing countries.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Navneesh Tyagi

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to measure the impact of organizational culture on managerial effectiveness of academic leaders to enhance employee engagement and retention in higher educational institutions. This study utilizes “Social Exchange Theory (SET)” as a theoretical lens to clarify the phenomena.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses an exploratory cum descriptive research design. Data collected via a structured questionnaire was analyzed and interpreted through structural equation modeling.FindingsOrganizational culture is found to have a significantly positive impact on managerial effectiveness. The findings also delineate a positive influence of managerial effectiveness on employee engagement and employee retention.Research limitations/implicationsThis study provides insights into the cultural neuances and subtleties of how organizational culture influences managerial effectiveness of institutional leaders. This has a direct bearing upon work engagement and retention of employees. Therefore if leaders focus on organizational culture they will succeed in creating a productive and healthier workplace for their employees. This study is also addressing the strategic concern of sustainability in higher educational institutions through employee engagement and retention.Originality/valueIt is an original work based on primary data to bridge the research gap concerning the prevalent OC shaping ME in Indian higher educational context. It also enriches understanding about alignment of cultural dimensions towards achieving work engagement, and retention of employees through managerial effectiveness of leaders in higher education institutions.


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