scholarly journals Work as Meaningful and Menacing Phenomenon for South African Middle Managers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Self-Transcendence in Cultivating Meaning and Wellbeing

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aden-Paul Flotman
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Middle Managers ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
Service Industry ◽  
Meaningful Work ◽  
Hermeneutic Phenomenological ◽  
The Face ◽  
Self Transcendence ◽  
The Impact

Self-transcendence has become and remains an important research theme. Little is known about the role of self-transcendence in cultivating meaningful work and its impact on the wellbeing of middle managers in the face of adversity, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the meaning middle managers attach to their work by investigating the role of self-transcendence in cultivating meaning and wellbeing in a cohort of seven South African middle managers employed in cross-boundary service industry settings. Data were collected through unstructured narratives. Findings confirm that self-transcendence serves as a coping mechanism during adversity and that it facilitates the re-negotiation of meaning, resulting in three potential shifts: the shift from a blame orientation to a work orientation, the shift from reflection to reflexivity and the shift from self-consciousness to other-consciousness. The findings also highlight how self-transcendence enables the exploration of the adaptive benefits of anxiety. The findings contribute new insights into the construct of self-transcendence and extend research on existential positive psychology. It is suggested that organizations invest in reflexive practices as a tool to promote deep learning and connectivity by exploring dialectical processes through reflexive work.

Preserving Integrity in the Face of Performance Threat

2012 ◽  
Vol 23 (12) ◽  
pp. 1455-1460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Legault ◽  
Timour Al-Khindi ◽  
Michael Inzlicht
Keyword(s):  
Error Detection ◽  
Error Monitoring ◽  
Error Related Negativity ◽  
Threatening Information ◽  
Electrophysiological Responses ◽  
The Face ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Brain

Self-affirmation produces large effects: Even a simple reminder of one’s core values reduces defensiveness against threatening information. But how, exactly, does self-affirmation work? We explored this question by examining the impact of self-affirmation on neurophysiological responses to threatening events. We hypothesized that because self-affirmation increases openness to threat and enhances approachability of unfavorable feedback, it should augment attention and emotional receptivity to performance errors. We further hypothesized that this augmentation could be assessed directly, at the level of the brain. We measured self-affirmed and nonaffirmed participants’ electrophysiological responses to making errors on a task. As we anticipated, self-affirmation elicited greater error responsiveness than did nonaffirmation, as indexed by the error-related negativity, a neural signal of error monitoring. Self-affirmed participants also performed better on the task than did nonaffirmed participants. We offer novel brain evidence that self-affirmation increases openness to threat and discuss the role of error detection in the link between self-affirmation and performance.

scholarly journals Employees’ work engagement and job commitment: The moderating role of career anchors

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Melinde Coetzee ◽  
Dries Schreuder ◽  
Rebecca Tladinyane
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Work Engagement ◽  
Service Industry ◽  
Career Anchors ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Job Commitment ◽  
Competitive Edge ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Career Literature

Orientation: Organisations continue to focus on human resource initiatives for enhancingemployee commitment, satisfaction and engagement in order to gain a competitive edge in adynamic and fast-changing marketplace.Research purpose: The objective of the present study was to assess whether individuals’career anchors (measured by the career orientations inventory) significantly moderate therelationship between their work engagement (measured by the Utrecht work engagementscale) and job commitment (measured by the organisation-related commitment scale).Motivation for the study: Although the literature review suggests that people’s workengagement and job commitment may be influenced by their career anchors, there seems to bea paucity of research examining the interaction effects between these three variables.Research approach, design and method: A cross-sectional quantitative survey approach wasused. A non-probability purposive sample of adults (N = 318) employed in a human resourcecapacity in the South African service industry participated in the study. Stepwise hierarchicalmoderated regression analysis was performed to achieve the objective of the study.Main findings: The results showed that the work engagement-job commitment relationshipwas generally stronger for high career anchor preferences than for low career anchorpreferences.Practical/managerial implications: The results of the study can be useful when human resourceinterventions for enhancing employees’ engagement and commitment are developed.Contribution: The results of the study add new insights to the career literature by showing thatpeople’s career self-concepts (as reflected by their career anchors) are important to consider inenhancing their work engagement and job commitment.

Party-Political and Socio-Economic Сonsequences of Elections to the German Bundestag

2021 ◽  
pp. 24
Author(s):  
V.B. Belov
Keyword(s):  
Point Of View ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Social Democrats ◽  
The Social ◽  
Angela Merkel ◽  
The Face ◽  
German Bundestag ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Further Development

The article examines the results of the last Bundestag elections. They marked the end of the Angela Merkel era and reflected the continuation of difficult party-political and socio-economic processes in the informal leader of the European Union. The main attention of the research focuses on the peculiarities of the election campaign of the leading parties and of the search for ways of further development of Germany in the face of urgent economic and political challenges. These challenges include the impact of the coronavirus crisis, the impact of the energy and digital transition to a climate-neutral economy, and the complex international situation. Based on original sources, the author analyzes the causes of the SPD victory and the CDU/CSU bloc defeat, the results of the negotiations of the Social Democrats with the Greens and Liberals, the content of the coalition agreement from the point of view of the prospects for the development of domestic and foreign policy and the economy of Russia's main partner in the west of the Eurasian continent. The conclusion is made about the absence of breakthrough ideas, the consistent continuation of the course started by the previous government for a carbon-free economy and the strengthening of the role of Germany in Europe and the world. For this course, conflicts and problems in achieving the set goals will be immanent due to the compromising nature of the coalition agreements.

scholarly journals Energy Saving as an Important Factor in Ensuring Product Competitiveness

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (48) ◽  
pp. 120-125
Author(s):  
O. P. Vashkiv ◽  
◽  
S. B. Smereka ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Saving ◽  
Specific Energy Consumption ◽  
Environmental Standards ◽  
Manufacturing Enterprise ◽  
Research Results ◽  
Industrial Enterprises ◽  
The Face ◽  
The One ◽  
The Impact

The article is aimed at studying the features of energy saving at a manufacturing enterprise and establishing a cause-and-effect relationship between energy saving and product competitiveness. Due to analyzing and generalizing the research results of domestic and foreign scientists the views of researchers on the process of energy saving at a manufacturing enterprise are systematized; the growing role of energy saving in ensuring energy efficiency and, consequently, product competitiveness is established. The research results show that energy saving at an enterprise is one of its most important assets, the impact of which on the level of product competitiveness is becoming increasingly important in the face of the exacerbating energy and environmental crises. Energy saving, basically focusing on the intensification of production processes and use of energy and energy resources, on the one hand, reduces the level of specific energy consumption and, consequently, the price of the released product while maintaining or increasing its quality; on the other hand, it reduces the carbon loading on the environment, thus contributes to the growth of the company's image among its consumers and partners. Both components are the most important factors in ensuring product competitiveness. The development and implementation of energy saving measures at industrial enterprises, with regard to the industry-specific character of economic entities, market conditions, and the requirements of environmental standards can serve as prospects for further research

scholarly journals An attack on the Cross: Spiritual leaders’ accounts of fear and resilience during COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mammusa Rosinah Lekoa ◽  
Sibusiso Louis Ntuli
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Church Leaders ◽  
Spiritual Leaders ◽  
Vulnerable Communities ◽  
Difficult Time ◽  
Essential Services ◽  
The Face ◽  
African Context ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Church

This paper provides accounts on the impact that COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdown(s) had on the Church and its leaders in the South African context. The study explores challenges that the leaders faced and how they dealt with them to remain standing despite their fears. The context is COVID-19 pandemic, which brought mass deaths, fear, confusion and frustration to congregations globally. Church leaders faced a challenge to show resilience amid fear because they too were directly affected. Governments introduced regulations that imposed lockdowns to control the spread of the virus. Limiting contact by restricting distance amongst citizens. The church was one sector that could not operate. Although some sectors were never declared essential services like churches, this left vulnerable communities without support in the face of fear. Spiritual leaders had to demonstrate resilience to support the congregants. The key question the researchers seek to understand is to what extent did the church remain resilient during COVID-19 pandemic? And how did the church leaders deal with fear despite anointing and expectations from the congregants and communities? A qualitative approach was used in this study. COVID-19 has shown that Church leaders are humans and they are also fearful, however their faith in God has assisted them to show resilience even at this difficult time. The study also asserts that governments should consult different groupings of faith-based organisations, not only those that are under organised bodies before embarking on restrictions for pandemic control. Communities encompass many churches and leaders require support to assist them from church members.

The Importance of Behavior and Personal Values for Managers' Attitudes Towards Innovativeness

2017 ◽  
pp. 164-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zlatko Nedelko ◽  
Maciej Brzozowski
Keyword(s):  
Personal Values ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Management Behavior ◽  
Openness To Change ◽  
Schwartz Value Survey ◽  
Self Transcendence ◽  
Development Paths ◽  
European Economies ◽  
The Impact

The main purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of prevalent management behavior on management attitudes about creativeness and innovativeness, while also considering the impact of personal values, in three Central European economies, having different development paths, namely Slovenia, Austria, and Poland. Personal values are measured using Schwartz value survey, using openness to change, conservation, self-transcendence and self-enhancement value dimensions. Results reveal that manager's behavior significantly influences on manager's attitudes regarding innovativeness, in all three countries. The impact of personal values on shaping management behavior and manager's attitudes toward innovativeness is significant only in few instances in Austrian sample, while in Slovenia and Poland it is insignificant. Regarding the mediating effect of managers' personal values on the association between management behavior and their creativeness, our results reveal marginal role of personal values.

The Resilient Constitution

2021 ◽  
pp. 277-309
Author(s):  
David Dyzenhaus ◽  
Alma Diamond
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Transitional Justice ◽  
Comparative Approach ◽  
Constitutional Court ◽  
Extreme Pressure ◽  
The Face ◽  
Justice Process ◽  
The One

This chapter evaluates the so called 'transitional constitution' of South Africa and the 'permanent constitution' of Colombia. Through a comparative approach, it contends that constitutions are better understood in terms of their resilience rather than either being transitional or permanent, and that a 'resilient constitution' is the one capable of springing back even after being subjected to extreme pressure, as long as leaders maintain their commitment to governing within the limits of the law. In this sense, the differences between the Colombian transitional justice and the South African case do not stem primarily from the 'permanence' of its Constitution, but rather from the difficulties and tensions inherent to any transitional justice process, because it derives from some of the very rights it is designed to promote. The chapter then details how the jurisprudence of the Colombian Constitutional Court on transitional matters can be understood as having moved from an understanding of the Constitution as permanent, to one of resilience that does not represent a new power grabbed by the Court. Rather than that, it signals an understanding of the role of the Court in maintaining a constitutional order even in the face of existential threats to it.

Regulation

2020 ◽  
pp. 372-381
Author(s):  
Lawrence Gostin
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
International Law ◽  
Legal Change ◽  
The Face ◽  
Public Health Officials ◽  
The Law ◽  
The Impact

The objectives of this chapter are to help you understand: the impact of legislation, regulations, and litigation on the public’s health; the powers, duties, and restraints imposed by the law on public health officials; the potential of legal change to improve the public’s health; the role of international law and institutions in securing public health in the face of increasing globalization.

Towards validating a framework of adaptive schemata for entrepreneurial success

2006 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bae Amanjee ◽  
F Crous ◽  
A Crafford
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Job Creation ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Personality Characteristics ◽  
Entrepreneurial Success ◽  
African Context ◽  
Successful Entrepreneurs ◽  
Industry Sectors ◽  
The Impact

The role of entrepreneurship within the context of an emerging economy has been well documented. Specifically within the South African context, the concept of entrepreneurship has been embraced by most industry sectors particularly for its resultant job creation and associated economic benefits. To date, psychologists have attempted to understand and define the factors that predispose individuals to embark on entrepreneurial careers, focusing primarily on the personality characteristics of entrepreneurs. However, entrepreneurial research from a cognitive psychological framework has been limited. Specifically, the impact of schemata on the success of the entrepreneur has received little exposure. A study was conducted to examine the presence and type of schemata inherent in successful entrepreneurs. The findings indicate that successful entrepreneurs display varied manifestations of adaptive schemata.

How can leader humor enhance subordinates’ service creativity? The moderator of subordinates’ SFIT and the mediator of role modeling

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 865-882
Author(s):  
Leiqing Peng ◽  
Shaohui Lei ◽  
Yulang Guo ◽  
Fei Qiu
Keyword(s):  
Service Industry ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Organizational Factors ◽  
Role Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Moderated Mediation Model ◽  
Path Analyses ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeAs an essential personality charm of leaders, humor can bring a series of positive outcomes to both users and receivers. However, there is also evidence that the impact of leaders’ humor (LH) is constrained by individuals, teams and organizational factors. The aim of this research is to investigate the relationship between LH and subordinates’ service creativity. Based on social learning theory and previous literature on LH, this paper identifies role modeling as the mediator and suggests that subordinates’ sensitivity to favorable interpersonal treatment (SFIT) moderates these relationships.Design/methodology/approachIn order to test the proposed moderated mediation model, this study employed hierarchical multiple regression and path analyses with valid data of 348 samples.FindingsResults revealed that LH positively affects role modeling and service creativity of subordinates, while subordinates' SFIT positively moderates the relationship between LH and subordinates' service creativity via role modeling.Practical implicationsIn compliance with these findings, this research suggests that enterprises should pay attention to the role of humor from middle managers and strengthen managers' role modeling through multiple measures to establish a relaxed and harmonious atmosphere in the workplace.Originality/valueBuilt on the conceptual framework, this study contributes to the literature on LH and employees’ service creativity by treating role modeling as the mechanism and SFIT as the moderator. This research is one of the first few empirical studies to investigate the relationship between LH and service creativity of service personnel in the service industry.

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