The effect of the emergency shift to virtual instruction on student team dynamics

In spite of the sudden onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many instructors who used team-based pedagogies shifted them online rather than suspending them entirely, but with limited time and resources. To examine the difference in team dynamics and outcomes for courses in Spring 2019 and Spring 2020 of over 1500 first-year engineering students per semester, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and random forests method were used. Results show that students reported less improvement in team-member effectiveness, lower psychological safety, and less satisfaction in the semester with the emergency transition. However, students also reported lower conflict. The most important factor predicting project grades shifted from 'Interacting with teammates' to 'Having relevant knowledge, skills, and abilities' amid the emergency shift, accompanied by a reduction in team interdependence. In spite of the collection of data during an emergency transition, the foundation of face-to-face interaction before moving to virtual cooperation represents a useful contribution to research that has focused exclusively on virtual learning circumstances.

Consumers' perceived value and use intention of cashless payment in the physical distancing context: evidence from an Asian emerging market

PurposeCOVID-19 and its measures such as physical distancing have shifted consumer payment behaviors toward cashless payment. Physical distancing is likely to remain a norm for some time to come and will be relevant in any future pandemics. This study aims to examine the impact of consumers' perceived value of cashless payment on their use intention in the physical distancing context, with the mediating role of psychological safety and the moderating role of trust propensity.Design/methodology/approachThis study used a survey method to obtain data from 690 consumers in an Asian emerging market, i.e. Vietnam. The data were analyzed using different statistical methods, including structural equation modeling.FindingsResults show that perceived value of cashless payment positively affects use intention, and this effect is mediated by psychological safety. Furthermore, trust propensity has a positive moderating effect on the link between perceived value and psychological safety.Practical implicationsThis study's findings provide implications for retailers and other stakeholders in implementing and promoting cashless payment systems, especially in the physical distancing context.Originality/valueThis study is among the first attempt to explain the relationships between consumers' perceptions, feelings of psychological safety and use intention toward cashless payment in the physical distancing context. The study's findings may also be relevant to any future pandemics.

Adhocracy Culture Buffers for Mindfulness Outcome: A Cross-level Moderated Mediation Analysis

The prolonged COVID-19 pandemic reduced the performance of the software developer team in the Indian IT industry because of numerous psychosocial challenges while working in a non-dedicated workspace. Therefore, using the lens of self-determination theory (SDT), the present study investigated the indirect effect of mindfulness on team performance via psychological safety and active remote engagement under the bounded condition of adhocracy culture. The web-based responses of 604 team members nested in 99 teams from 10 Indian IT companies were used to perform a multilevel analysis. The analyses were conducted using Mplus 8.0 version to test the hypothesis. The results showed a significant serial mediation role of psychological safety and remote engagement in the relationship between the mindfulness of software developers and team performance. The relationship between mindfulness and psychological safety becomes stronger when the adhocracy culture is high. Similarly, the relationship between mindfulness and team performance via the serial mediation of psychological safety and active remote engagement becomes stronger when the adhocracy culture is high. Similar to many psychological approaches, this study supports the postulates advocated by SDT, while emphasising the central role played by mindfulness.

Assessing the impact of intensive positive feedback on staff morale, culture, civility and psychological safety in a South West maternity unit

Introduction: The importance of psychological safety, staff morale, culture and civility (PSMCC) has been highlighted by multiple recent maternity investigations as key to the provision of safe, high quality maternity care [1]. These factors are also crucial for staff retention and recruitment. Concomitantly, the NHS Staff Survey indicates an almost universal decline in staff motivation and engagement since COVID;a trend also noted in our institution [2]. Regular, authentic, individual and group positive feedback could improve PSMCC by creating a culture of kindness and appreciation, reinforcing positive behaviour and improving teamwork. At UHP, an established 'Learning for Excellence (LfE)' positive feedback system is in place, facilitating provision of volitional, authentic feedback to individuals and enabling organisational learning about what works. The aim of this project was to assess the impact of a shift to a more positive, appreciative narrative in maternity using intensive positive feedback from patients and staff. Method(s): A literature review to derive validated questions for incorporation into a questionnaire to assess baseline levels of PSMCC and perceptions of positive feedback receipt. QI methodology and stakeholder focus groups aided the development of the interventions. Once established, the impact of these positive interventions on PSCMM will be assessed. Result(s): There were 103 responses to the baseline questionnaire. 24% staff felt their actions at work were never positively acknowledged;45% felt undervalued. 63% felt they do not receive enough positive feedback, whilst 93% believed that receiving more positive feedback would improve staff morale, wellbeing, culture and care. Discussion(s): Based on these findings, interventions to provide regular, authentic, positive feedback across our maternity unit have been created. These include: 1)motivational board sharing positive feedback stories from patients and staff obtained via LfE, showcasing the kind, compassionate and high quality care delivered;2) Weekly email shots of LfE stories focussing on specific positive behaviours such as teamwork and patient centred care;3) A white board for staff and patients to share positive messages ad hoc;4)Promotion of the LfE initiative to patients thus increasing positive feedback to staff. The impact of these interventions will be assessed shortly and presented in full.Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd

Organizational adaptation to working from home in a crisis situation (COVID-19): the interaction between leaders' openness and followers' voice.

Introduction: We investigated the effect of time spent at home on employee voice behavior and leadership openness during Covid 19. According to DeRue's adaptive leadership theory which offers an interactionist perspective to explain adaptive organizational behavior during an environmental crisis, we proposed that in the WFH's (work from home) reduced and limited communication space, leaders, who need more feedback, will encourage employees to express their opinions and will show more willingness to listen to them. Meanwhile, employees will ask more questions and make more suggestions to alleviate uncertainty and misunderstanding. Methods: Using an online questionnaire, a cross-sectional study (N = 424) has been carried out with employees working from home for a different amount of their working time during the pandemic. Data were analyzed using structural equation models (SEM) in which the effect of leadership openness on employee voice behavior was assessed through the mediation of affective commitment, psychological safety, and intrinsic motivation. Results: The results showed that in the WFH situation, time spent in home office had a low but significant direct negative effect on promotive voice behavior. At the same time, leadership openness was growing with the amount of time spent at home. Leadership openness counteracted the negative effect of WFH on voice behavior: although leadership openness did not have a direct significant effect on voice behavior, it had a positive effect on psychological safety and work motivation which, in turn, influenced positively both promotive and prohibitive voice behavior. Employee's voice, for its part, further augmented leadership openness. Discussion: In our research we could demonstrate the contingent nature and the mutual influence patterns and feedback loops of leaders-employees exchange. In the WFH situation the openness of the leader is growing with the amount of time spent at home and with the amount of promotive voice manifested by the employee. In consent with DeRue social interactionist adaptive leadership theory, a mutually reinforcing process of leadership openness and employee voice could be demonstrated. We argue that leadership openness is a key factor to motivate employee voice behavior during WFH.

Bringing Trauma Home: Reflections on Interviewing Survivors of Trauma while Working from Home

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, working from home became the new normal for many professionals. While this was beneficial in managing the rapidly spreading virus, it had varying impacts on the mental health of those previously not accustomed to remote work. This paper provides a critical reflection of the researcher's experience of conducting interviews with survivors of trauma while working from home. The research aimed to understand the experiences of significant others supporting patients with severe burn injury in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). As an experienced ICU nurse, the researcher has well developed personal coping strategies for dealing with complex trauma and in working with significant others of patients with severe burn injury in hospital settings. Due to the pandemic, data collection moved from face-to-face in the hospital, as originally intended, to phone or videoconference interviews. 17 participants were recruited, with all participants given the option of videoconference (n = 3) or telephone interviews (n = 14). Interviews had an average length of 55 minutes. This paper discusses the strategies adopted to cope with the sharing of significant others' experiences of trauma while in the home environment. Careful consideration was needed for the researcher, the participants and those within the homes of both researcher and participant, in terms of psychological safety, ethical considerations and rapport building. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of International Journal of Qualitative Methods is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY — THE EXPLORATION OF A MODERATED-MEDIATION MODEL

Drawing on self-determination theory (SDT) (Deci & Ryan, 2000, 2008a, 2008b, 1985;Ryan & Deci, 2000, 2017, 2019;Ryan et al., 2019, 2021) and conservation of resources (COR) theory (Hobfoll, 1989, 2004, 2011), this study constructed an mindfulness-employee involvement (M-EI) model to explore the mechanism of enhancing psychological safety (Edmondson, 1999;Edmondson & Lei, 2014;Dekker & Edmondson, 2022) by leveraging mindfulness (Baer et al., 2006;Hou et al., 2014;Kudesia, 2019) and employee involvement practices (Lawler, 1994;Riordan et al., 2005;Wood, 2020). Specifically, the study explored whether an organization or individuals are responsible for making people feel safe, as well as how COVID-19 lockdown practices could impact the above-mentioned mechanism. A quantitative survey was conducted and analysed via structural equation modelling. The regression results supported both a positive, direct correlation between mindfulness and psychological safety and an indirect correlation via employee involvement moderated (i.e., made less positive) by COVID-19 lockdown practices. Considering the uniqueness of Chinese culture, the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) 18 with a better model fit was constructed as the measurement for mindfulness. It is important to leverage both intrinsic and extrinsic factors to enhance psychological safety levels, allowing better mental health, accumulated intrinsic motivation, and greater autonomy at work for sustainable growth. © 2023 The Author.

Reducing Secondary Trauma and Promoting Self-Compassion Through a Graduate Medical Education (GME) Wellness Elective (Sch456)

Outcomes: 1. Explore the ways that palliative and mental health providers can collaborate to offer a novel, interdisciplinary wellness curriculum. 2. Evaluate impacts of a wellness course on secondary trauma, self-compassion, and burnout. Background(s): Palliative care and mental health providers possess skill sets that, when combined, can uniquely foster the well-being of colleagues within and beyond our specialties. The need for such peer support has become more urgent during the COVID pandemic. Self-care, compassion satisfaction, and trauma-informed training have been positively associated with an ability to cope with stressors in healthcare. We designed a 2-week GME elective intended to increase self-compassion and connection and reduce secondary trauma and burnout. Description: The course has been offered annually since 2019 to cohorts of 12-15 trainees across 14 specialties. Trainees participated in-person (2019, 2021) and virtually (2020). Coursework includes psychological safety, burnout/suicide prevention, self-compassion, occupational trauma and recovery, expressive art, medical error, cultural humility/upstanding, narrative medicine, conflict resolution, mindfulness, and others. We sought to evaluate the impact of the elective on burnout, self-compassion, and secondary trauma using the Professional Quality of Life (PROQOL) survey in the 2021 cohort. We evaluated trainee satisfaction with the course in all three cohorts (2019-2021). Result(s): 1 month after the elective, trainees reported a reduction in secondary trauma (p<0.0001) and an increase in self-compassion (p<0.005). The effect on burnout was not significant (p=0.57). Over 3 years, 100% of trainees (n=43) strongly agreed that the course was worth their time. Participants reported the course gave them "skills to better tolerate distress about things I cannot change" as well as self-agency through connection: "My peers helped me find new power that I didn't know I had." Conclusion(s): We generated a curriculum that impacted self-compassion and secondary trauma. We did not see an effect on burnout, which could be related to returning to an unchanged stressful environment following the course. Expanding access to this curriculum would afford opportunities to assess impact on a larger scale.Copyright © 2023

Examining employees' affective and behavioral responses to internal crisis communication in times of COVID-19.

Communication is an essential component of crisis management strategies in hospitality and tourism. This study aimed to build on the integrated internal crisis communication framework. This study employed qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. Following a preliminary qualitative study, a conceptual model was developed and tested with a total of 806 responses. The results showed that the approach and content of internal crisis communication messages directly affected employees' evaluations of their organizations' crisis management efforts and their psychological safety, both of which further affected their perceived social resilience and turnover intentions. Furthermore, the results of multigroup analyses revealed the different impacts of internal crisis communication on participants who were in full-time positions vs. part-time positions and salaried employees vs. hourly employees. Finally, theoretical and practical implications were provided based on the research findings.

We need a hero: HR and the 'next normal' workplace

During the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic, employees worked from home in record numbers and enjoyed extraordinarily high levels of autonomy. Now, as employers reopen their doors, we can build on those gains to create better workplaces than the ones we left behind. HR has a window of opportunity in which to develop psychologically safe workplaces, trust-based employment relationships and socially connected workforces. But progress towards better workplaces hangs on a few critical adjustments in the HR researcher-practitioner relationship. HR researchers must work with HR practitioners to identify organization-level interventions and examine their simultaneous influence on employee and employer outcomes. HR practitioners must create sandboxes where those interventions can be pilot tested, and resist their instinctive urge to establish formalised structures and develop monitoring systems. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Servicescape design: balancing physical and psychological safety

Purpose: As physical evidence, servicescapes play a crucial role in tangibilizing service value. Since value creation and consumption are inseparable in many services, servicescapes also contribute significantly to consumer experiences. By reviewing the role of design factors on the physical and psychological safety of customers, particularly in different service contexts based on social factors, this paper aims to provide insights into how servicescape frameworks may be re-examined from a safety perspective. Design/methodology/approach: Based on a critical review of studies in multidisciplinary domains, including environmental psychology, community medicine, architecture and engineering, this paper proposes a conceptual model anchored in stimulus–organization–response (S-O-R) theory and presents related propositions for safer servicescape designs. Findings: The study reveals the need for re-evaluating current servicescape design frameworks by incorporating the concept of servicescape safety, discusses the significance of various interior factors and presents the moderating effects of social factors and service types on perceived safety. Originality/value: With no robust models currently available to evaluate the impact of servicescape designs on users' physical and psychological safety, this paper provides guidelines based on a multidisciplinary review of studies. A healthy and safe servicescape requires interdisciplinary investigations, the results of which will reshape future design approaches. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.

From the Editor

Continuous quality improvement applies there too, and as of the first of this year, we have incorporated the IBAM Leadership Team to serve as members of the JBAM Editorial Board, thereby enhancing the IBAM/JBAM connection and a sense of mutual ownership in both processes and outcomes. Factors such as leadership style, organizational culture, social culture, and experiences with change in an organization influence how employees perceive and respond to the organizations dynamics. The Mediating Effect of Trust on Psychological Safety and Job Satisfaction by Dennis M. Mitterer and Heather E. Mitterer uses social exchange theory to illustrate positive influences that the quality of dyadic relationships and trust have on contagious effects.

Exploring the relationship between personal and work characteristics of project managers and psychological safety in virtual teams.

One of the organisational and employees' responses to the COVID-19 pandemic is a shift to virtual working models including the management of projects and project teams in virtual environments. However, little is known about the effect of personal and work characteristics on the psychological safety of project management professionals. This study explores the relationship between the personal and work characteristics of project managers on their psychological safety in virtual teams. Data for the study is collected from 104 project management professionals in the United Kingdom. SPSS is used to analyse and test a series of hypotheses. The study confirmed the significant relationship between the personal and work characteristics of the project managers and their psychological safety. The study provides an overview of the role of diversity, equality and inclusion on psychological safety among project managers; and proposes future research directions to understand and contribute to the psychological wellbeing of project managers working in virtual teams.

The Role of Psychological Safety in Enhancing Medical Students' Engagement in Online Synchronous Learning.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic instigated a global change in the delivery of undergraduate medical education, with an eminent shift from in-person to online teaching. The virtual methods that were utilised to a limited extent previously have now become the mainstay in education. The concept of psychological safety has been studied previously within medical education, but not in the distance learning context. The aim of the study was to explore students' experiences of online learning and to gain an understanding of the factors affecting psychological safety and its subsequent impact on their learning. Methods: A qualitative, social constructivist approach was adopted in this research. Data collection involved semi-structured interviews with 15 medical students from the University of Dundee. There was a representation from each year group on the undergraduate medical course. Data was transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. Results: Five key themes were identified as motivation for learning, engagement with learning, fear of judgement, group learning and adjustment to online learning. Each of these comprised of interlinked subthemes related to peer and tutor interactions. Conclusions: Drawing on students' experiences, the paper presents the significant interplay of group interactions and tutor attributes operating in the virtual synchronous learning environment. The relevance of psychological safety in student learning and experience, and strategies to foster it in online classrooms are discussed in the context of existing literature and proposed future developments.

The impact of an organizational-level mindfulness-based intervention on workplace social capital and psychological safety: A qualitative content analysis.

Background: Through the past decades, the mental health of the European population has been continuously declining. Social relations in various spheres of life, including workplace settings, have been shown to impact mental health. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) has been found effective in enhancing well-being, and reducing perceived stress, and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Research into mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) in workplace settings has shown that these interventions may positively affect workplace outcomes, such as interpersonal relations. However, research regarding the organizational impacts of MBIs is still nascent. The objective of this study was to investigate how an organizational-level mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) including a workplace-adapted MBSR programme may impact workplace social capital and psychological safety. Methods: Four small and medium-sized private companies were included in this study, representing 368 employees and managers. The intervention consisted of three steps: 1. Mandatory participation in introductory sessions on mental health and mindfulness, 2. Voluntary participation in a 10-week workplace-adapted MBSR programme, and 3. A workshop for selected employee representatives and managers on further implementation of mindfulness. Data was collected using pre and post-intervention focus group interviews. In total, 27 interviews including 76 respondents were conducted. Verbatim transcription was performed. Data was analyzed using deductive content analysis with theoretical frameworks for social capital and psychological safety. Results: The analysis resulted in three main categories: 1. Social capital (1.1. bonding social capital, 1.2. bridging social capital, 1.3. linking social capital), 2. Psychological safety, and 3. Emergent theme: The role of lockdown on the perceived organizational impact of a workplace MBI. The greatest impact was found relating to the bridging social capital, i.e., social capital between departments, and psychological safety among colleagues at the same level of employment. Conclusion: The results indicate that company participation in this organizational-level MBI including a workplace-adapted MBSR programme may positively impact social relations at work, especially the bridging social capital and psychological safety between colleagues at the same level of employment. These results may have been influenced by lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The interplay between servant leadership, psychological safety, trust in a leader and burnout: assessing causal relationships through a three-wave longitudinal study.

COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented psychological challenges for frontline healthcare workers, especially nurses, causing anxiety and depression leading to burnout. The responsibility of healthcare leaders has increased manyfold to deal with such challenges. This study attempts to employ the conservation of resources theory to examine the relationship between servant leadership and nurses' burnout, with the mediating role of psychological safety and the moderating effect of trust in leader. A three-wave longitudinal design was employed for data collection from 1204 nurses from 27 hospitals in China. The partial least squares structural equation modeling technique was used for data analyses with SmartPLS version 3.2.8. The findings endorse that servant leadership at time 1 significantly reduces nurses' burnout measured at time 3 through the mediating role of psychological safety measured at time 2, and that a higher level of trust in the leader enhances the impact of servant leadership in reducing nurses' burnout.

The effect of job insecurity on knowledge hiding behavior: The mediation of psychological safety and the moderation of servant leadership.

As the global economy deteriorates because of the great shocks such as COVID-19 pandemic and wars among nations, the business environment is suffered from uncertainty and risk. To deal with it, several firms have attempted to maximize its efficiency via downsizing and restructuring to diminish costs. Thus, the degree of anxiety is increased among employees who worry about the loss of their job. The current research hypothesizes that job insecurity increases employees' knowledge hiding behavior by diminishing the degree of their psychological safety. In other words, psychological safety functions as the underlying process (i.e., mediator) in the job insecurity-knowledge hiding behavior link. Furthermore, this paper tries to examine the boundary condition of how to decrease the detrimental influence of job insecurity, focusing on the moderating effect of servant leadership. Utilizing a 3-wave time-lagged data from 365 Korean employees, we empirically demonstrated that employees who perceive job insecurity are less likely to perceive psychological safety, eventually increasing their knowledge hiding behavior. We also found that servant leadership functions as a positive moderator which buffers the negative impact of job insecurity on psychological safety. Theoretical and practical contributions are described.