Ideal self and proactive physical wellness behaviors predict leader flow at work

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine predictors of leader flow (well-being) at work, based on conservation-of-resources theory. The authors also introduce the concept of fuel, the proactive and strategic use of physical wellness behaviors to generate the energy needed to manage personal stress, maximize performance and to thrive in life. Specifically, the authors examined the main and interactive relationships of leader self-reports of ideal self and fuel on flow at work. Design/methodology/approach Three different samples of leaders were surveyed online over a three-year period. Findings In all three samples, leaders high in self-reported fuel had strong, positive relationships between their ideal selves and flow at work. Leaders low in self-reported fuel had negative or non-significant relationships between ideal selves and flow. Practical implications Leaders can be coached to develop and use a healthy ideal self and to proactively engage in physical wellness behaviors, to enhance their workplace well-being. This coaching can be strengthened by emphasizing the connection between possessing an ideal self, and engaging in physical wellness behaviors, and resulting leader well-being. Originality/value This is the first study to examine and demonstrate that a combination of proactive leader wellness behaviors is critical to their experience of flow at work, an indicator of work-related well-being.

The Impact of Work Centrality and Type of Work on Life Satisfaction: an Exploration of Global Respondents

Organizations have over time, become concerned with non-work aspects of their employees’ lives such as their life satisfaction and their happiness. This is because extant research has shown these states of being, truly have an impact on their job performance, intra-organizational relationships, and other important work- related outcomes. The World Values Survey assesses the cultural values of people across the world, what is important to them in life, their physical and mental state of being, and other valuable information. Using a random portion of this international dataset and drawing on the literatures pertaining to work centrality and meaning of work, the hypothesized model is developed to test the relationship between work centrality and the flow at work (i.e., type of work done) on the life satisfaction of individuals. These aspects of the work domain were found to have a minimal direct impact on life satisfaction leading to the reaffirmation that the different domains (work, family, values) have unequal impacts on life satisfaction and within each domain, different components have differing levels of impact as well.

Innovation with flow at work: exploring the role of servant leadership in affecting innovative work behavior through flow at work

PurposeThis study aims to ascertain the role of servant leadership in inducing flow at work. The study, along with confirming the relation between flow at work and innovative work behavior (IWB), intends to explore the mediating role flow at work plays in relating servant leadership to IWB.Design/methodology/approachThe data collection was conducted through an interviewee-administered questionnaire in three waves that were four weeks apart. The data were collected from 267 respondents. To run the measurement model and structural model, Smart-PLS was used, and Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) was used to summarize the demographic information and conduct hierarchal regression.FindingsServant leadership is related to flow at work. Additionally, flow at work is related to IWB. Finally, flow at work mediates the relationship between servant leadership and IWB.Originality/valueThe study found servant leadership is related to flow at work. Moreover, the study unearthed the relation between flow at work and IWB. Finally, the study unveiled that flow at work acts as a mediator between servant leadership and IWB.

Flow among Scientists A Job Demands Resources Perspective

The study was conducted to investigate the relationship of flow at work of scientists with their job demands, job resources and personal resources. 64 scientists comprised the sample. Personal data sheet, work-related flow inventory, general self-efficacy scale and Copenhagen psychosocial questionnaire (second version) were the instruments used in the study. Descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, correlation analysis and hierarchical regression were the statistical techniques used. The results of the study suggested that scientists of various age-groups and length of service did not differ from each other on job demands, job resources, personal resources and flow at work. It was also found that flow at work was significantly positively related to job resources and personal resources but not significantly related to job demands. Job resources and personal resources were found to be significant positive predictors of flow at work whereas job demands were not found to have a significant impact on flow at work.

THE ROLE OF JOB CRAFTING ON THE PROMOTION OF FLOW AND WELLBEING

ABSTRACT Purpose: To investigate the mediating role of flow at work on the relations of job crafting (task crafting, cognitive crafting and relational crafting) with positive mental health dimensions (emotional well-being, psychological well-being and social well-being). Originality/value: Job crafting actions have been identified as antecedents of the levels of well-being at work. The present study contributed to the literature examining the relationships between job crafting, flow at work, and positive mental health, which have not yet been investigated in previous empirical studies. Design/methodology/approach: The quantitative approach was used through an online questionnaire composed of a sociodemographic questionnaire and three scales. The sample consisted of 386 professionals from different Brazilian states, of which 58% were female, with a mean age of 44 years (SD = 12 years). The data were analyzed through structural equations. Findings: The results of the analysis of structural equations showed that relational crafting had a direct impact on positive mental health. The relations of cognitive crafting with positive mental health were totally mediated by flow at work. We concluded that job crafting, primarily cognitive crafting, influence occupational and general well-being.

The measurement of flow and social flow at work: a 30-year systematic review of the literature

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review three decades of the literature on flow measurement and propose issues to advance research on the measurement of social flow at work. Design/methodology/approach In a systematic literature review, the authors analyzed 143 articles published in the first three decades (1983–2013) of scholarly publications on flow measurement, of which 84 articles used scales to measure flow and 16 articles used scales to measure flow at work. Findings The main findings are: flow is frequently measured in association with other constructs or by means of proxies; flow measurement is highly dependent on a study’s purposes and context; flow is mostly studied at the level of the individual and, when studied beyond the individual, the measurement of flow in groups is simplified as an aggregation of individual-level measures; and social flow at work is an underresearched construct that nevertheless impacts organizations in important ways, thus deserving a specific research agenda. Research limitations/implications The first limitation refers to the databases included in the review. There is always the possibility that important works were ignored. Another limitation is that the coding procedure was highly dependent on the authors’ discretion, as it did not include independent coding and formal assessment of agreement among coders. But the greatest limitation may refer to our very perspectives on flow, flow measurement and social flow at work, as they are highly attached to current models instead of seeing the issues with different lenses. This limitation is also present in the literature. Practical implications Reviewing three decades of scholarly publications on how flow has been measured contributes to organizations in their planning for person-job fit. The measurement of flow can reveal if and when flow correlates with personal characteristics and organizational events, thus serving to inform initiatives on personnel development, acculturation and job design. However, considering that flow as a social phenomenon has been conceived in superficial terms, that a vast number of empirical studies were developed with non-professional subjects, and that flow measurement involves significant adaptations to each situation, organizations are thus advised to be careful in adopting extant instruments. Originality/value This study provides a rich account on how flow measurement has been addressed in the scholarly literature, and it calls attention to research opportunities on social flow at work.

Coping with Work Stressors and Paving the Way for Flow: Challenge and Hindrance Demands, Humor, and Cynicism

Although the concept of flow at work is increasingly receiving scholarly attention, knowledge about the interaction between challenge and hindrance stress demands in the context of flow is still lacking. Moreover, little is known about the stress-relieving capacity of coping mechanisms in connection to work-related flow. The aim of our study is to investigate whether and how challenge stress demands are related to work-related flow, and whether this relationship is moderated by a three-way interaction between challenge stress demands × hindrance stress demands × use of humor/cynicism. For this study we use survey data from 265 employees of a financial service organization in the Netherlands. Results clearly indicate a positive linear association between challenge demands and work-related flow and a negative association between hindrance demands and flow. Support is found for an interaction effect between challenge and hindrance stress demands, showing that hindrance demands weaken the positive association between challenge demands and work-related flow. Finally, cynicism is found to alter this relationship between work stress demands and work-related flow, increasing the negative effect of hindrance demands and confirming the expected three-way interaction. Results from this study have implications for the theory on work-related flow and advance the challenge-hindrance stressors framework. Insights from this study suggest that managers who wish to foster work-related flow should be alert to the use of cynicism among employees and address organizational issues that cultivate the negative attitude underlying this.