Exploring the facilitators and mediators of workforce agility: an empirical study

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 (12) ◽  
pp. 1567-1586 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashutosh Muduli

Purpose Recognizing that very less number of research has been conducted on workforce agility, the current research aimed to examine the impact of organizational practices in the form of organizational learning and training, compensation, involvement, team work and information system (IS) on workforce agility. Influenced by the “Black Box” approach, the study also examined the role of psychological empowerment as a mechanism mediating the relationship between organizational practices and workforce agility. Design/methodology/approach The study has been conducted in selective Indian industries, representing manufacturing and service sector across public and private sectors. Quantitative and qualitative data have been collected from both executives and non-executives through reliable instruments validated in Indian context. Data have been analyzed using descriptive analysis, canonical correlation analysis and multiple regression. Findings Findings that organizational practices significantly related to workforce agility prove that organizational practices are capable of improving the agile attributes and behavior of the workforce. In detail, team work has the greatest influence on workforce agility, followed by Reward system, employee involvement, organizational learning and training and ISs. Further, the study result also proved the mediating role of psychological empowerment between organizational practices and workforce agility. Practical implications Organizations are to design practices related to organizational learning and training, compensation, involvement, team work and IS and implement them efficiently and effectively to enable agility within the workforce, as an agile workforce can only respond proactively to a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous business environment. Further, the result also suggests that managers should design the organizational practices capable of enhancing psychological empowerment, as the combination can deliver better workforce agility. Originality/value The research is useful considering very less number of research on workforce agility.

2014 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 377-400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabian O Ugwu ◽  
Ike E. Onyishi ◽  
Alma Maria Rodríguez-Sánchez

Purpose – This study aims to investigate the relationship between organizational trust, psychological empowerment, and employee engagement. In addition, the study seeks to test the moderating role of psychological empowerment on the relationship between trust and engagement. Design/methodology/approach – Hierarchical regression analyses were carried out on a sample of 715 employees from seven commercial banks and four pharmaceutical companies in south-eastern Nigeria who participated in the survey. Findings – The results showed that organizational trust and psychological empowerment were predictors of work engagement. There was a moderating effect of empowerment on the relationship between trust and engagement. Research limitations/implications – The findings show that organizational trust and psychological empowerment that predict positive job behaviour in Western cultures are also critical in understanding Nigerian workers ' positive organizational behaviour such as work engagement. Practical implications – For practical purposes, the results suggest that organizational trust may be a significant component of organizational interventions. Given that psychological empowerment is strongly related to work engagement, empowerment intervention programs is therefore important in building employees that would be engaged in their work. Originality/value – This study was one of the first attempts to empirically investigate the direct relationship among organizational trust, psychological empowerment and employee work engagement. Additionally, most previous studies on engagement have been conducted in developed economies of North America and Europe. This study was carried out in a Nigerian business environment where organizational behaviours have been scarcely investigated and comparing these findings with earlier studies may help further clarify the emerging work engagement concept.


2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (2/3) ◽  
pp. 156-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Talat Islam ◽  
Mubbsher Munawar Khan ◽  
Fida Hussain Bukhari

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the association among organizational learning culture (OLC), psychological empowerment (PE), affective commitment (AC), organizational citizenship behavior and turnover intention. Design/methodology/approach This study was undertaken via a questionnaire conducted among Malay-Chinese working in banking and insurance sector of Malaysia. Findings PE and OLC were found to influence employee’s citizenship behavior toward their organization and turnover intention. In addition, AC was found to perform the role of mediator between them. Research Limitations/implications The study used self-reported data based on a cross-sectional survey. The study has implications for the managers. Practical Implications OLC and PE were found to influence turnover intention directly and indirectly, providing an avenue of approach for managers to retain its key employees. Originality/value The paper examines the consequences of OLC and PE, neglected variables along with the mediation of AC.


2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 370-384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rahul Raj ◽  
Kailash B.L. Srivastava

Purpose This paper has three purposes – first, to establish the direction of relationship between market orientation (MO) and organizational learning (OL); second, to assess the effect of MO and OL on organizational innovativeness (OI); and third, to examine the mediating role of OL on the relationship between MO and innovativeness. Design/methodology/approach This research was carried out with a sample size of 321 respondents from Indian private and government/public sector industries, applying structural equation modeling (maximum likelihood estimation technique) using AMOS 16. To check the mediation, the study adopts the method suggested by Baron and Kenny (1986). Findings The study finds that MO acts as an antecedent to OL, and the direct effect of both the variables on innovativeness is positive. The study also exhibits that though OL plays a role of mediator between MO and innovativeness, yet the mediation is partial. However, the study also demonstrates the dominance of OL over MO to improve OI. Research limitations/implications The study is survey-based, where self-reporting bias can occur. The study considers the cross-sectional data only, whereas OL is a dynamic process which constrains the ability to make causal relations. Therefore, to firmly show relationships, the use of longitudinal study is necessary. Moreover, the study mainly includes Indian organizations. The diverse sample from different multi-national companies could lead to a better understanding of the model. Practical implications The study suggests that organizations need an inclination toward market information to improve their innovativeness in changing the business environment. The innovativeness of the organization can be improved further with the introduction of proper organizational learning processes which includes both adaptive and generative learning. The partial mediation of OL suggests that firms have several other ways to improve innovativeness; however, learning offers opportunity to process the external information adequately that can be combined with other resources to enhance innovativeness. Originality/value The study contributes to the literature in three ways. First, it addresses a gap in literature by responding to issues regarding the direction of relationship between MO and OL. It also provides empirical evidence that MO precedes OL. Second, it bridges the gap between MO and innovativeness literature by providing empirical evidence. Third, it also demonstrates the possible mediating role of OL between MO and innovativeness.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tapas Bantha ◽  
Umakanta Nayak

Purpose The purpose of the paper is to examine the relationship between workplace spirituality and employees’ innovative work behaviour and also to check the mediating role of psychological empowerment on this relationship from the lens of self-determination theory (SDT). Design/methodology/approach An internet-based survey was conducted among knowledge workers, i.e. 340 employees (software engineers and product developers) working in different US-based multi-national companies operating in India. The relationships are tested by using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) and, for mediation, Preacher and Hayes (2008) procedure has been used. Findings The PLS-SEM and Preacher and Hayes (2008) mediation results revealed that there is a significant positive relationship between workplace spirituality and employees’ innovative work behaviour. There is also a substantial effect of workplace spirituality on psychological empowerment and psychological empowerment on employees’ innovative work behaviour. Psychological empowerment is found to be mediating fully between workplace spirituality and employees’ innovative work behaviour. Practical implications In the context of organizations, it will be really beneficial to enhance employees’ innovative work behaviour through inculcating workplace spirituality. Promoting workplace spirituality is one of the prerequisites in organizations towards creating sustainability and establishing an empowered organization in this competitive business environment. Originality/value There is a dearth of studies in linking the relationship between workplace spirituality and employees’ innovative work behaviour with the mediating role of psychological empowerment from the lens of SDT.


Author(s):  
Ali Safari ◽  
Arash Adelpanah ◽  
Razieh Soleimani ◽  
Parisa Heidari Aqagoli ◽  
Rosa Eidizadeh ◽  
...  

Purpose This study aims at investigating the effect of psychological empowerment on job burnout and competitive advantage with the mediating role of organizational commitment and creativity. Design/methodology/approach The statistical population included all the managers and staffs of Tooka Company in Iran, and for data analysis, 120 completed questionnaires were used. Data analysis was carried out by SPSS 18 and Amos 20 software and structural equation modeling method. To test the mediating relationships, bootstrap method was used. Findings The findings showed that psychological empowerment has a significant direct effect on job burnout and competitive advantage. Also, psychological empowerment has a significant indirect effect on job burnout through the mediating role of organizational commitment. In addition, psychological empowerment has a significant indirect effect on competitive advantage through the mediating role of organizational creativity. Originality/value This study is among the first to investigate the relationship between psychological empowerment, job burnout, competitive advantage, organizational commitment and creativity.


2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 317-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna Macneil ◽  
Ziheng Liu

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explain progress, or the lack of it, in achieving workplace gender equality goals prescribed by affirmative action regulation by using concepts from soft regulation and organizational learning. Design/methodology/approach The research design is a longitudinal study (2002-2012) of a critical case, that of a single large organization in the male-dominated steel manufacturing, distribution and mining industries. The case focusses on the evidence about organizational learning to be found in that organization’s reports to government on its activities to promote workplace gender equality. Findings While other factors play a role, the apparent failure of the soft regulation to generate a significant shift in gender equality outcomes may also be attributed to ineffective organizational learning, demonstrated by the absence of systematic reflection within the organization on how to improve workplace gender equality, and the lack of firm targets and external benchmarking. Research limitations/implications Self-reported data may be overstated or incomplete. More research is needed to confirm the nature of the specific learning processes occurring within organizations. Practical implications Absent the advent of hard sanctions in workplace gender equality regulation, the responsible government agencies may find it valuable to focus on ways to encourage target organizations to develop competence in organizational learning. Social implications More effective gender equality regulation may change organizational policy and practice and improve work opportunities for women. Originality/value Rather than concluding that the only alternative, when soft regulation is unsuccessful, is hard regulation, this paper shifts the focus to ways that soft regulatory processes might be improved to strengthen their effect.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Asim Rafique ◽  
Yumei Hou ◽  
Muhammad Adnan Zahid Chudhery ◽  
Nida Gull ◽  
Syed Jameel Ahmed

PurposeInnovations are imperative for organizational growth and sustainability. This study focuses on the employees' innovative behavior, a source of organizational innovations, which has received substantial attention from the researchers. Based on the psychological empowerment theory, the study exposes the effect of the various dimensions of public service motivation (PSM) on employees' innovative behavior (IB) in public sector institutions especially in the context of developing countries such as Pakistan. Moreover, the study also investigates the mediating role of psychological empowerment (PSE) between the dimensions of PSM and IB.Design/methodology/approachThis study used the cross-sectional research design. By using random sampling, the adapted survey questionnaires were used to collect data from 346 faculty members of public sector universities located in provincial capitals of Pakistan. A partial least square–structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) tool was used to assess the proposed hypotheses through SMART-PLS software.FindingsResults revealed that attraction to policymaking (APM), compassion (COM), self-sacrifice (SS) have a significant impact on employees' PSE and their innovative behavior, while the relationship of commitment to the public interest (CPI) with PSE and IB was found insignificant. Moreover, PSE partially mediated the relationship between PSM dimensions and employees' IB.Originality/valueThere was a scarcity of research on IB especially in public sector institutions such as academia. This study theoretically contributed to the literature by providing a refined picture in assessing the proposed relationship of the constructs. This is also one of the original studies that examine the relationship between the dimensions of PSM and IB.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui Liu ◽  
Charles Cullinan ◽  
Junrui Zhang

Purpose Companies may be defendants in lawsuits that are unresolved at year-end. This paper aims to consider whether the financial statements of companies facing litigation claims (pending litigation) are more time-consuming to audit due to the complexity and subjectivity of contingent liabilities associated with pending litigation. The authors consider whether auditors tailor their approach to pending litigation based on two distinct factors in the Chinese business environment: the client’s government ownership status and the legal development of the region in which the company is based. Design/methodology/approach Data on litigation against companies and their audit report lags were obtained for 18,029 firm-year observations of Chinese companies from 2008 to 2017. The sample was subsequently divided based on whether the company was a state-owned enterprise (SOE) and based on whether the company was based in a region of China with a more-developed and more market-oriented legal system. Findings The overall results indicate that audits of companies with pending litigation take 2.9 days longer than those of companies without pending litigation. For companies with multiple pending claims, each additional claim is associated with 1.9 more days of audit report lag. These effects are weaker for SOEs and for companies in regions of China with less developed legal systems. The results are consistent with the idea that auditors tailor their response to pending litigation based on the risk profile of the client, including consideration of SOE status and regional legal development. Originality/value This paper is the first to consider the potential effect of pending litigation (including claims not disclosed or recognized in financial statements) on audit report lags and how environmental business factors can influence this relationship.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rama Krishna Gupta Potnuru ◽  
Chandan Kumar Sahoo ◽  
Kalyan Chakravarthy Parle

Purpose This paper aims to examine the moderating role of organizational learning culture (OLC) on the relationship between human resource development (HRD) practices and employee competencies (EC) in enhancing organizational effectiveness (OE). Design/methodology/approach An integrated research model of HRD practices, EC, OE and OLC was developed. The validity of the model is tested by applying structural equation modelling (SEM) approach to data collected from 506 employees working in 4 medium-size cement manufacturing companies. Findings The results confirmed that training and career development had a significant impact on EC, the moderating effect of OLC on the relationship between HRD practices and EC was found significant and there is a significant and positive relationship between EC and employee perceived OE. Originality/value This paper contributes to the HRD literature, integrating HRD practices, OLC and EC. The research is unique as it has applied moderated SEM to test hypotheses of the study.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document