scholarly journals Psychosocial factors influencing the experience of sustainability professionals

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 445-469 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadine Andrews
Keyword(s):  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Psychosocial Factors ◽  
Negative Emotion ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Needs ◽  
Ecological Crisis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Psychological Threat

Purpose The purpose of this study is to gain insight into psychosocial factors influencing sustainability professionals in their work to lead by influencing and improving pro-environmental decision-making in their organisations and to increase understanding of psychosocial factors that affect their effectiveness in achieving desired results. Design/methodology/approach Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis as a framework, the study enquires into the lived experience of six research subjects. The participants are sustainability professionals and leaders from the UK and Canada. The primary data source is semi-structured interviews, analysed with micro-discourse analysis. Findings Key psychosocial factors involved in participants’ experience are identified, specifically psychological threat-coping strategies, psychological needs, motivation and vitality, finding complex interactions between them. Tensions and trade-offs between competency, relatedness and autonomy needs and coping strategies such as suppression of negative emotion and “deep green” identity are modelled in diagrams to show the dynamics. How these tensions are negotiated has implications for psychological well-being and effectiveness. Practical/implications The concepts and models presented in this paper may be of practical use to sustainability professionals, environmentalists and organisation leaders, for example, in identifying interventions to develop inner resources, support authentic and effective action and disrupt maladaptive responses to ecological crisis. Originality/value The study contributes insight to understanding of underlying processes shaping environmental cognition and behaviour, particularly in relation to psychological threat-coping strategies and interacting factors. With a transdisciplinary approach, the methodology enables nuanced interpretation of complex phenomena to be generated.

Thwarted psychological needs: the negative impact of customer mistreatment on service employees and the moderating role of empowerment HRM practices

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiuming Chen ◽  
Haiying Kang ◽  
Ying Wang ◽  
Mingjian Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Job Performance ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Employee Performance ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Needs ◽  
Basic Psychological Needs ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hrm Practices

PurposeDrawing on self-determination theory (SDT), this study aims to understand the adverse effects of customer mistreatment on employee performance and well-being by thwarting the satisfaction of employees' basic psychological needs. It also examines how these negative effects may be mitigated by empowerment human resource management (HRM) practices.Design/methodology/approachTwo studies were conducted using survey data collected in China. In Study 1, cross-sectional data from 321 telemarketing employees were analyzed to examine how customer mistreatment reduces the satisfaction of employees' basic psychological needs, harming job performance and job satisfaction. In Study 2, multiwave, multisource data were collected from 149 property agents and their supervisors to replicate the findings of Study 1 and further test empowerment HRM as a moderator of the relationship between customer mistreatment and satisfaction of needs.FindingsThe results from both studies show that customer mistreatment leads to low job performance and job satisfaction via reduced satisfaction of employees' needs for autonomy and competence but not relatedness. Moreover, the negative effect on the satisfaction of employees' needs for autonomy and competence was buffered when organizations had high empowerment HRM practices in place.Originality/valueThis study provides new insights on customer mistreatment by understanding its effects from a motivational perspective, which has not been considered in prior research. It also explores how HRM practices can help satisfy employee needs in adverse work environments induced by customer mistreatment.

Working in a prison: Challenges, rewards, and the impact on mental health and well-being

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Dennard ◽  
Derek K. Tracy ◽  
Aaron Beeney ◽  
Laura Craster ◽  
Fiona Bailey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Service Development ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Staff Support ◽  
Prison Staff ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Data Driven Approach ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Prisons are uniquely challenging working environments. Staff are often exposed to direct and indirect trauma, impacting negatively on their mental well-being. Due to the limited research into prison staff experience, this paper aims to explore what staff find most challenging, how they cope, what support they would like and rewarding aspects of their work. Design/methodology/approach This service development project was facilitated through a staff well-being event. A qualitative approach was used and 74 staff members provided anonymised responses. An inductive and data-driven approach was used to analyse the data, and the trustworthiness of the analysis was considered using criteria established by Lincoln and Guba (1985). Findings Thematic analysis identified six themes, namely, the challenging nature of the work, interactions with prisoners, staff interactions, inadequate resources, staff support and development and coping strategies. Key findings include managing distress, self-harm and violence and limited resources presenting challenges. Role variety and opportunities to support prisoners were reported as positive. A variety of coping strategies were identified. Wider availability of supervision and reflective practice was suggested by staff. Practical implications Recommendations for increased staff support are made. Suggestions for future research investigating methods to increase rewarding aspects of work within prisons are given. Originality/value This analysis adds to the limited body of qualitative research investigating prison staff experiences; in particular, aspects of the work that they find rewarding such as the role variety and opportunities to make positive changes to prisoners’ lives. Novel coping strategies were identified, including cognitive reframing and behavioural strategies for managing stress, which could be encouraged to increase resilience.

Transition points: well-being and disciplinary identity in the first years of doctoral studies

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
John A. Gonzalez ◽  
Heeyun Kim ◽  
Allyson Flaster
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Developmental Trajectories ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Needs ◽  
Doctoral Studies ◽  
Doctoral Study ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Disciplinary Identity

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine doctoral students’ developmental trajectories in well-being and disciplinary identity during the first three years of doctoral study. Design/methodology/approach This study relies on data from a longitudinal study of PhD students enrolled at a large, research-intensive university in the USA. A group-based trajectory modeling approach is used to examine varying trajectories of well-being and disciplinary identity. Findings The authors find that students’ physical health, mental health and disciplinary identity generally decline during the first few years of doctoral study. Despite this common downward trend, the results suggest that six different developmental trajectories exist. Students’ backgrounds and levels of stress, psychological needs satisfaction, anticipatory socialization experiences and prior academic success predict group membership. Originality/value Although there is emergent evidence of a mental health crisis in graduate education scant evidence exists about the way in which well-being changes over time as students progress through their doctoral studies. There is also little evidence of how these changes might be related to academic processes such as the development of disciplinary identity. This study reported varying baseline degrees of well-being and disciplinary identity and offers that stress and unmet psychological needs might be partially responsible for varying trajectories.

Challenge accepted! Distinguishing between challenge- and hindrance demands

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (4/5) ◽  
pp. 345-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anja Hagen Olafsen ◽  
Claus Wiemann Frølund
Keyword(s):  
Work Motivation ◽  
Job Demands ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Needs ◽  
Need Satisfaction ◽  
Basic Psychological Needs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Path Analyses ◽  
Motivational Process ◽  
Job Challenges

Purpose The purpose of this paper was to test a model that differentiated between two types of job demands in relation to basic psychological need satisfaction, work motivation, and, in turn, employee well-being. In particular, job challenges and job hindrances were hypothesized to relate to this motivational process in different ways. Design/methodology/approach Survey data from a sample of 160 entrepreneurs were used in path analyses to test the hypothesized relations. Findings The results showed that job challenges related positively to autonomy- and competence need satisfaction as well as to autonomous work motivation, while job hindrances related negatively to satisfaction of the needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness. Further, satisfaction of the need for autonomy, competence and relatedness related positively to autonomous work motivation. Finally, all of the three basic psychological needs as well as autonomous work motivation related directly and positively to vitality. Originality/value These results support a view on job challenges and job hindrances as distinct within the job demands-resources model by showing how they are differently related to basic psychological needs, autonomous work motivation and, subsequently, worker well-being.

Pathways through homelessness: the perceptions of homeless children in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 141-160
Author(s):  
Anna Wilshire Jones Bornman ◽  
Carol Jean Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Well Being ◽  
South African Context ◽  
Homeless Children ◽  
The South ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
African Context

Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore children’s pathways through homelessness within the South African context, with particular attention paid to pathways out of homelessness. This study focusses on factors influencing children’s successful transitions out of homelessness. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative exploratory design was used, using interviews with nine children who had exited or were in the process of exiting homelessness. Interviews were conducted at a children’s shelter in Pietermaritzburg or in the children’s home environments. Interviews were analysed thematically. Findings An ecological framework was used to frame the factors influencing children’s pathways in, through and out of homelessness in the children’s narratives. These included institutions, relationships and intrapersonal strengths and resources. The study suggested that constructive relationships with shelter staff and parental figures, as well as intrapersonal strengths, were the most prominent factors in children successfully negotiating their way through their homelessness. The importance of a relationship with the paternal family within some African cultures was also a point of leverage. Research limitations/implications Implications for policy and practise include the need for systemic change, as well as greater support for shelters and shelter staff. The issue of rivalry in the shelter context and the role of the paternal family in the reintegration process require more research attention. The research is limited to homeless children in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Practical implications This study provided feedback to the shelter regarding their strategies for assisting homeless children off the streets. It further provided evidence for the importance of the work of the shelter, to strengthen advocacy efforts. This may be useful to others in similar circumstances. Social implications This study highlights the importance of macrosystemic interventions in the efforts to assist homeless children, while at the same time not ignoring the inter and intra, personal elements to enhancing their well-being. Originality/value This paper is singular in its exploration of factors influencing children’s successful transitions out of homelessness within the South African context.

Dreams and reality: autonomy support for women entrepreneurs in Ethiopia

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (7) ◽  
pp. 727-742
Author(s):  
Atsede Tesfaye Hailemariam ◽  
Brigitte Kroon ◽  
Marloes van Engen ◽  
Marc van Veldhoven
Keyword(s):  
Women Entrepreneurs ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Needs ◽  
Basic Psychological Needs ◽  
Entrepreneurial Activity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Agents ◽  
Cultural Contexts ◽  
Autonomous Functioning

Purpose Taking a self-determination theory (SDT) perspective, the purpose of this paper is to understand the socio-cultural context on the satisfaction of basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness in the entrepreneurial activity of women entrepreneurs in Ethiopia. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 19 women entrepreneurs operating business in the formal sector of the economy in Addis Ababa. A thematic analysis approach was used to analyze and interpret the interview transcripts. Findings Women entrepreneurs experience autonomy-supportive and controlling socio-cultural contexts in their gender role, parent–daughter relationship, husband–wife relationship and their religious affiliation. Autonomy-supportive social agents provide women entrepreneurs, the chance to perceive themselves as competent and autonomous to exploit and choose opportunities and run their business in accordance with their personal values and interests. On the other hand, controlling social agents maintain and reinforce the existing male-dominated social and economic order. They constrain women’s entrepreneurial performance by undermining their basic psychological needs satisfaction, which limits their autonomous functioning and well-being in entrepreneurial activity. Practical implications To promote women’s autonomous functioning and well-being in entrepreneurial activity, policy should be aimed at reducing constraints to the satisfaction of psychological needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness in the socio-cultural context. Originality/value The study is the first to apply SDT to explore the influence of autonomy vs controlling socio-cultural contexts on satisfaction vs thwarting needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness in the entrepreneurial activity of women.

Are extracurricular activities stress busters to enhance students’ well-being and academic performance? Evidence from a natural experiment

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hasirumane Venkatesh Mukesh ◽  
Vrinda Acharya ◽  
Rajasekharan Pillai
Keyword(s):  
Academic Performance ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Academic Outcomes ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Academic Stress ◽  
Stress Coping ◽  
Natural Setting ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe stress-coping model is extensively studied in the academic context. Past studies have primarily focused on different coping strategies adopted by students to overcome academic stress. However, an important question, how to equip students to cope with stress, was ignored. Drawing on stress-coping theory and the extracurricular activity (ECA) literature, the current study investigates the intervention of ECA participation on students’ coping, academic performance, and well-being in a natural setting.Design/methodology/approachThe study follows a “cross-sectional post-test only quasi-experimental design” using a natural experimental setting.FindingsThe findings indicate that participation in ECA has a significant influence on academic outcomes. Different types of ECA participation influence well-being, whereas time spent on ECA positively affects academic performance. Further, the findings also indicate that involvement in ECA moderates the relationship between academic stress and coping.Practical implicationsThe study results have practical implications for designing interventional ECA to enhance students’ academic outcomes and well-being.Originality/valueThe study indicates the effectiveness of ECA participation in dealing with academic stress and the development of constructive coping strategies. Hence, the authors advise the academic administrators to integrate ECA in the academic setting.

A systematic review of factors influencing the implementation of health promotion programs in the construction industry

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamara Fuller ◽  
Abid Hasan ◽  
Imriyas Kamardeen
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Health Promotion ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Construction Workers ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Health Promotion Programs

PurposeThe construction industry has a poor reputation for an unhealthy lifestyle and a high prevalence of health problems such as obesity, stress and hypertension among construction workers. The review examines the factors influencing the design and delivery of health promotion programs implemented by construction organisations to educate workers and promote a healthy lifestyle. It also identifies gaps in research and practices and proposes directions for future research.Design/methodology/approachA systematic review of 51 relevant journal articles published during 2010–2019 was undertaken to achieve the aim of the study.FindingsThe review reveals 46 different factors grouped into four major themes related to individuals, organisations, industry and the program, influencing the successful implementation of health promotion programs. The top ten most cited factors are cost, time, facilities and resources, transient workforce, delivery method, influence from managers, long working hours, masculine culture, production pressure and interest. The review also found a noticeable lack of studies on implementing health promotion programs in the context of developing countries, small and medium-sized construction organisations, residential sector workers, and construction professionals and female workers.Research limitations/implicationsThe review's scope is limited to research on health promotion programs, and it did not investigate the factors affecting the health of construction workers in construction projects.Practical implicationsA better understanding of various influencing factors present at different decision levels will inform the future implementation of targeted workforce health promotion strategies to foster construction workers' health and well-being.Originality/valueThe review reveals bottlenecks that need to be addressed to successfully implement health promotion programs in the construction industry. It provides new insights that can improve existing health and workplace policies and health promotion programs in the construction industry. Finally, it identifies new research directions in a neglected but crucial area of workers' health and safety management.

“Fish out of water”: understanding decision‐making and coping strategies of English as second language consumers through a situational literacy perspective

2010 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 524-533 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madhu Viswanathan ◽  
Carlos Torelli ◽  
Sukki Yoon ◽  
Hila Riemer
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Second Language ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Small Subset ◽  
English As Second Language ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
And Coping

PurposeThis paper aims to study English as second language (ESL) consumers in the USA. The authors seek to focus on consumers who are literate in their native country, yet akin to fish out of water due to language difficulties and unfamiliarity with the marketplace.Design/methodology/approachUsing qualitative interviews of 31 informants and shopping observations of a small subset, the authors examined cognitive predilections, decision making, emotional trade‐offs, and coping strategies of ESL consumers.FindingsThe findings relate to cognitive predilections, decision making and emotional trade‐offs, and coping strategies of ESL consumers.Originality/valueThe authors analyze ESL consumers from a situational literacy perspective, viewing the situations faced by ESL consumers in terms of functional literacy skills. The findings provide a variety of new insights, and have important theoretical and practical implications for theory and practice.

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