From workaholism to burnout: psychological capital as a mediator

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 213-227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiona Moyer ◽  
Shahnaz Aziz ◽  
Karl Wuensch

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships among workaholism, psychological capital (PsyCap), and burnout, as well as investigate the potential mediating effect of PsyCap on the relationship between workaholism and burnout. Design/methodology/approach Data on workaholism, PsyCap, and burnout were collected, through administration of an online survey, from 400 faculty and staff at a large Southeastern university. Findings Workaholism is negatively related to PsyCap and is positively related to burnout, while PsyCap is negatively correlated with burnout. Moreover, while tested in a mediation model, PsyCap appeared as a significant mediating variable for all three dimensions of burnout (i.e. emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment). Research limitations/implications Future researchers may benefit from examining a sample outside an educational institution. Also, both workaholism and burnout may be better suited for studies utilizing longitudinal designs. That said, the data reveal information about the process whereby tendencies indicative of heavy work investment lead to burnout within employees. That is, workaholism leads to lower PsyCap, which then results in burnout. Practical implications The results suggest that employers may benefit from considering the negative effects of heavy work investment and maintaining a culture that discourages such behavior. It might also be beneficial for employers to ensure that employees have a heightened PsyCap and, therefore, are safeguarded against burnout. Originality/value This is the first study to examine the influence that employee PsyCap has on the development of workaholism and burnout by examining its role as a mediator.

2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (11) ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Tuwei Sun ◽  
Zhen Li

In the workplace, a lack of promotion opportunities causes a hierarchical plateau for some employees, which can lead to decreased work engagement. Using conservation of resources theory, we proposed that employees' repetitive and circular reflection on their work identity (forgone work identity) would mediate the relationship between hierarchical plateau and work engagement. We also argued that promotion regulatory focus could serve as a moderator in this relationship. We collected data from 423 Chinese employees via an online survey conducted in two waves. Results showed that hierarchical plateau was negatively related to work engagement, and forgone identity dwelling mediated this relationship. Additionally, promotion regulatory focus moderated the indirect relationship, such that the mediating effect was significant only for employees with high promotion regulatory focus. These findings highlight the need to consider forgone work identity when examining the negative effects of a hierarchical plateau on work attitudes and behaviors.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 721-740
Author(s):  
Jiang Rui ◽  
Lin Xinqi

PurposeConducting research on the relationship between benevolent leadership and unethical employee behavior can help us find solutions to reduce unethical employee behavior. This paper also discusses how the benevolent manager leadership can be transmitted to the employee's unethical behavior through the benevolent supervisor leadership and the moderating effect of LMX and ethical climate.Design/methodology/approachThrough a questionnaire survey of 406 pairs of leaders, supervisor and employees, the authors use data aggregation test, confirmatory factor analysis, descriptive statistics and multilevel model (HLM) to test our hypothesis.Findings(1) Manager supervisor leadership is negatively related to unethical employee behavior, (2) benevolent supervisor leadership mediates the relationship between benevolent manager leadership and unethical employee behavior, (3) LMX positively moderates the relationship between benevolent manager leadership and benevolent supervisor leadership and moderates the mediating effect of benevolent supervisor leadership, and (4) ethical climate positively moderates the relationship between benevolent supervisor leadership and unethical employee behavior and moderates the mediating effect of benevolent supervisor leadership.Originality/valueFirst, based on previous studies, this study further proves that benevolent leadership is a popular positive leadership among the three dimensions of paternalistic leadership that extends its influence to unethical employee behavior. Second, the study traces the source of the benevolent leadership of employees' supervisors and reveals the action mechanism of how benevolent manager leadership affects unethical employee behavior (trickle-down effect). LMX and the ethical climate provide the organizational context of the trickle-down effect and the occurrence of unethical employee behavior.


2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 1244-1260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nishtha Malik

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between authentic leadership and contextual performance of nursing staff while considering the mediating effect of psychological capital and moderating effect of autonomy on this association. Design/methodology/approach Data were gathered from 41 small and medium-sized hospitals situated in the state of Uttarakhand, India. The sample for the study included 530 nurses and their 146 supervisors. Process macro (Hayes) was used to examine the influence of authentic leadership on contextual performance and the mediating effect of psychological capital and moderating role of autonomy in the relationship between authentic leadership and contextual performance. Findings Results indicate that authentic leadership is positively linked to contextual performance of nurses. Furthermore, psychological capital is found to mediate the relationship between authentic leadership and contextual performance while autonomy acts as a moderator between psychological capital and contextual performance. Practical implications Findings of this investigation would help healthcare managers to understand the importance of developing the psychological capital of healthcare workers. The paper draws attention of hospital administrators toward the need for setting up an appropriate environment wherein nurses are given a certain degree of autonomy to perform their task more effectively. This study also highlights the importance of an effective leadership style, namely authentic leadership in influencing contextual performance in service-oriented organizations such as healthcare institutions, as investigated in this study. Originality/value While extensive literature is available on authentic leadership and its impact on followers’ behavior, very little work seems to have been done to show a linkage between authentic leadership and contextual performance, especially in the context of nurses in developing country such as India. This work, therefore, may be considered original and of significant value in understanding the relationships between the various constructs in the Indian scenario.


2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 419-435 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joana Kuntz ◽  
Philippa Connell ◽  
Katharina Näswall

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the independent and joint effects of regulatory focus (promotion and prevention) on the relationship between workplace resources (support and feedback) and employee resilience. It proposed that, at high levels of resource availability, a high promotion-high prevention profile would elicit the highest levels of employee resilience. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was completed by 162 white collar employees from four organisations. In addition to the main effects, two- and three-way interactions were examined to test hypotheses. Findings Promotion focus was positively associated with employee resilience, and though the relationship between prevention focus and resilience was non-significant, both regulatory foci buffered against the negative effects of low resources. Employees with high promotion-high prevention focus displayed the highest levels of resilience, especially at high levels of feedback. Conversely, the resilience of low promotion-low prevention individuals was susceptible to feedback availability. Practical implications Employee resilience development and demonstration are contingent not only on resources, but also on psychological processes, particularly regulatory focus. Organisations will develop resilience to the extent that they provide workplace resources, and, importantly, stimulate both promotion and prevention perspectives on resource management. Originality/value This study extends the research on regulatory focus theory by testing the joint effects of promotion and prevention foci on workplace resources, and the relationship between regulatory foci and employee resilience.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jatin Pandey ◽  
Manish Gupta ◽  
Yusuf Hassan

PurposeIntrapreneurship is gaining traction in organizations to buckle up for the dynamic business environment. Scholars have argued that intrapreneurship increases positivity at work and helps employees attach themselves better with their job. However, empirical evidence suggests that these relationships do not exist. The objective of this paper is to examine the mediating role of psychological capital (PsyCap) in the relationship between intrapreneurship and work engagement.Design/methodology/approachData were collected through an online survey. Responses from 309 employees working in different industries in India were analysed. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to analyse the hypothesized relationships.FindingsThe results show that there exist positive relationships among intrapreneurship, psychological capital (PsyCap) and work engagement. Further, it was observed that the PsyCap partially mediates the relationship between intrapreneurship and work engagement.Practical implicationsManagers may not only encourage intrapreneurial behaviour in their organizations but also ensure that the employees are psychologically capable (high on PsyCap). It would enable the employees to engage themselves wholeheartedly into their work.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is one of its kinds to relate intrapreneurship with PsyCap and work engagement.


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (12) ◽  
pp. 1277-1299
Author(s):  
Van Thac Dang ◽  
Ninh Nguyen ◽  
Jianming Wang

PurposeAnchored on social trust theory, social identity theory and signalling theory, this study investigates the process of how consumers respond to online retailers' corporate social responsibility (CSR).Design/methodology/approachFollowing the hypo-deductive research design, a unique model was developed to link online retailers' CSR with consumer purchase intention through brand identification and word of mouth (WOM). This model was subsequently tested and validated by conducting an online survey to 239 customers of a major online retailer in China, that is, JD.com.FindingsAnalysis using structural equation modelling demonstrates that online retailers' CSR is positively associated with consumer purchase intention, and brand identification positively mediates such an association. In addition, WOM exhibits a mediating effect on the relationship between perceived online retailers' CSR and consumer purchase intention and between brand identification and consumer purchase intention.Practical implicationsOnline retailers must endeavour to employ CSR as a strategy to enhance consumer purchase intention and behaviour. Moreover, they should develop communication programmes that highlight their engagement in CSR activities to improve their brand image and facilitate consumers' positive WOM.Originality/valueTo the best of the researchers' knowledge, this study is the first to examine the mediating roles of brand identification and WOM in the relationship between online retailers' CSR and customer purchase intention. Furthermore, this study extends current knowledge about online retailers' CSR and its potential impact in emerging economies by focussing on the context of China.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wooyoung William Jang ◽  
Kevin K. Byon ◽  
Thomas A. Baker III ◽  
Yosuke Tsuji

PurposeRecently, Jang and Byon (2020) found that esports recreational gameplay consumption is causally linked to esports online media consumption. In the context of esports, live-streaming content (by individual creators) is a new type of media consumption, which should be distinguished from esports event broadcast. Extending Jang and Byon’s finding, the purpose of this study is to examine the mediating effect of esports content live streaming in the relationship between esports recreational gameplay and esports event broadcast because it allows the games to be more accessible to viewers due to two-way communication. In order to test for stability of the mediating effect of esports live content streaming, we examined the hypothesized model across the three genres (i.e. imagination [n = 224], physical enactment [n = 195], sport simulation [n = 179]).Design/methodology/approachData (N = 598) were collected via an online survey from individuals who had experienced esports recreational gameplay. A total of 15 items with five dimensions (i.e. esports recreational gameplay, esports content live streaming, esports event broadcast, streamer identification, and pro-player identification) were adapted from existing studies. The two identification constructs and gender were used as control variables.FindingsThe model fit of the measurement model was found to be acceptable via CFA. The results of SEM indicated that the intention of esports content live streaming consumption played a full mediation role in the relationship between esports recreational gameplay behavior and the intention of esports event broadcast consumption. Additionally, we found the mediating effect of esports content live streaming across the three genres.Originality/valueThis study contributes to literature related to the esports consumer behavior by conceptualizing esports content live streaming and found that esports content live streaming represents a mechanism that underlies the relationship between esports recreational gameplay intention and esports event broadcast consumption.


2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 110-123
Author(s):  
Feray Adıgüzel ◽  
Carmela Donato

Purpose This paper aims to examine and compare the simultaneous effect of financially successful appeals and attractiveness for male spokespersons, as well as explain why and when this effect happens based on the viewer’s gender. Design/methodology/approach Two studies were designed by manipulating the success (vs absent) and attractiveness (vs average looking) of a male spokesperson and compared his marketing effectiveness in terms of purchase intention and advertising attitude. Additionally, the influence of gender through the mediating effect of negative/positive affect was compared. Findings Participants indicated lower purchase intention and advertising attitude in light of the success appeal in both studies; however, this effect was influenced by attractiveness in case of high involvement product. Additionally, success had a greater effect on ad effectiveness than attractiveness. Only for males, negative affect mediated the relationship between ad effectiveness and exposure to a successful spokesperson. Practical implications Practitioners should be aware of the negative influence of a financially successful spokesperson overall, especially if he is also very attractive and the product is a high involvement one targeting males. On the contrary, attractiveness of a successful spokesperson might cancel out negative effects for those products targeting females. Originality/value This study differs from previous studies by considering the simultaneous effect of successful and/or attractive male spokespersons on adult sample instead of college students and examine the effects for high and low involvement product.


2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 1235-1255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi-Hsuan Lee ◽  
Chan Hsiao ◽  
Yee-Chen Chen

Purpose This study aims to identify the driving forces of customer value co-creation (VCC) that occur through employee positive psychological capital (PPC), employee service-oriented organizational citizenship behavior (SOOCB) and customer brand experience (BE). Design/methodology/approach In total, 493 valid samples were retrieved from 30 hotels in Taiwan. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to extensively and accurately examine customer VCC from a cross-level perspective. Findings The results showed that employee PPC was not positively related to customer VCC, that employee PPC affected customer VCC indirectly through the mediating effect of employee SOOCB and that the relationship between employee SOOCB and customer VCC was positively moderated by customer BE. Originality/value First, this study investigated the customer VCC driving forces through the role of the employee, and thus advances the customer VCC field. Second, it identified employee SOOCB as a key mediating mechanism that links the indirect relationship between employee PPC and customer VCC. Third, it identified customer BE as a key moderating mechanism in the relationship between employee SOOCB and customer VCC. Fourth, regarding methodology, few studies investigate VCC through a cross-level approach. The present study used hierarchical linear modeling to extensively and accurately examine customer VCC and its cross-level relationships, thus providing greater research value compared with single-level analysis. Finally, the result findings suggest that organizational leaders should enhance the PPC of employees in furtherance of encouraging the employees to perform extra-role SOOCB, which makes customer co-creation behavior, and ultimately, contributes to managerial practice.


Author(s):  
Wenchen Guo ◽  
Shaosheng Sun ◽  
Rong Dai

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to define the concept of guanxi deviant behaviour (GDB) initially on the basis of a theoretical study of guanxi, guanxi behaviour and workplace deviant behaviour and to analyse the influence of GDB and the relationship between GDB and counterproductive work behaviour.Design/methodology/approachThis study collects interview data from 30 enterprise executives, summarises relevant literature from four major databases (two in English and two in Chinese) and applies a grounded theory methodology to refine and further define the core category of GDB, and the main category is interpreted and validated using triangulation.FindingsThe three dimensions of GDB are guanxi bribery behaviour, irregular connected transaction behaviour and guanxi allied behaviour. There are links amongst the three dimensions, no dimension has an independent existence and that is not the end of the GDB issue. Generally, the occurrence of a kind of GDB can be construed to be a preparation for the implementation of another kind, and the latter is the real purpose of the perpetrators.Social implicationsThis paper is expected to attract the attention of managers and improve the ability of recognising, preventing and punishing GDB.Originality/valueThis study not only enriches organisational behaviour theory but also enhances the awareness of, and insights into, the negative effects of guanxi.


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