The Construct of Job Insecurity at Multiple Levels: Implications for Its Conceptualization and Theory Development.

Over the years, job insecurity has accumulated important scholarly work. As a result, research has identified multiple constructs that involve employees' concerns about job loss. Most of these are individual-level constructs (e.g., subjective and objective job insecurity), but, recently, an incipient body of literature has adopted a multilevel perspective by understanding job insecurity as a collective phenomenon (e.g., job insecurity climate, strength climate, downsizing or temporary hiring strategies). Furthermore, these constructs at different levels are underpinned by shared theoretical frameworks, such as stress theory or psychological contract theory. However, all this literature fails to present an integrative framework that contains the functional relationship for mapping job insecurity constructs across levels. Accordingly, the present study aims to examine job insecurity from a multilevel perspective, specifically by conceptualizing job insecurity at the individual level-understood as subjective and objective job insecurity-and at the organizational level, understood as job instability in an organization, job insecurity climate, and climate strength. The methodology of multilevel construct validation proposed by Chen, Mathieu and Bliese (2005) was applied; thus, (1) job insecurity were defined at each relevant level of analysis; (2) its nature and structure was specified at higher levels of analysis; (3) psychometric properties were tested across and/or at different levels of analysis; (4) the extent to which job insecurity varies between levels of analysis was estimated; and (5) the function of job insecurity was tested across different levels of analysis. The results showed significant relationships among these, and were related to an organizational antecedent (e.g., organization nature) and organizational and individual outcomes (collective and individual job satisfaction) in two European samples: Austria and Spain. Accordingly, this study exposed the multilevel validity of job insecurity constructs through an integrative framework in order to advance in the area of job insecurity theory and practice. The contributions and implications to job insecurity research and other multilevel research are discussed.

Organizational and psychological features of successful democratic enterprises: A systematic review of qualitative research.

In organizational psychology the positive effects of democratically structured enterprises on their employees are well documented. However, the longstanding viability as well as economic success of democratic enterprises in a capitalistic market environment has long been contested. For instance, this has given rise to widespread endorsement of the "degeneration thesis" and the so-called "iron law of oligarchy". By reviewing 77 qualitative studies that examined 83 democratic enterprises (including 15 studies on nine enterprises of the Mondragon Cooperative Cooperation network) within the last 50 years, the present systematic review provides evidence that such enterprises are able to economically survive and prosper. The majority of studied enterprises (63.5%) either resisted pressures toward degeneration or subsequently regenerated after undergoing degenerative processes. Only 9.5% fully degenerated in accordance with the degeneration thesis and the "iron law of oligarchy", while 27.0% of the democratic enterprises showed diverse and mixed forms of degeneration tendencies, indicating that the notion of an "iron law" needs to be revised. Within the nine investigated cases of Mondragon not one single enterprise or group fully degenerated. Three cases showed degenerative tendencies, another three one degeneration tendencies and simultaneously regeneration, one case fully resisted degeneration tendencies (retention) and two cases regenerated. Further, this systematic review provides an overview of organizational and external conditions, non-/democratic or non-/participative practices and psychological phenomena that contribute to the degeneration, regeneration, or resistance to degeneration (i.e., retention). The described examples of such practices may help practitioners to implement and maintain democratic structures and processes in contemporary organizations.

Reality Meets Belief: A Mixed Methods Study on Character Strengths and Well-Being of Hospital Physicians.

Positive psychology deals with factors that make life most worth living and focuses on enhancing individual potentials. Particularly, character strengths can positively contribute to well-being and work-related health, bearing a promising potential for professions, such as physicians, who are at risk for burnout or mental illnesses. This study aims to identify beneficial character strengths by examining the quantitative and qualitative data. In a cross-sectional multi-method study, 218 hospital physicians completed an online survey assessing their character strengths and their general and work-related well-being, comprising thriving, work engagement, and burnout dimensions (outcome variables). Quantitative data were analyzed for the total sample and by tertiary split. Additionally, interview-gathered opinions of four resident physicians and four medical specialist educators were collected to expand the perspective on which character strengths might be beneficial for the well-being of the resident physicians. The highest significant correlations between character strengths and outcome variables were found for hope and thriving (r = 0.67), zest, and work engagement (r = 0.67) as well as emotional exhaustion (r = -0.47), perseverance/leadership and depersonalization (r = -0.27), bravery, and reduced personal accomplishment (r = -0.39). Tertiary splits revealed that some correlations were not consistent across the entire scale continuum, for example, creativity was only significantly correlated with comparatively high levels of thriving (r = 0.28) or forgiveness with comparatively high levels of depersonalization (r = -0.34). Humility, social intelligence, and teamwork showed predominantly low correlations with all outcome variables (r = -0.17 - 0.34), although humility was stated by all interviewed medical specialist educators to be the most relevant for the well-being at work, and the latter two by three resident physicians, respectively. Different perspectives resulting from quantitative and qualitative data in terms of beneficial character strengths for work-related well-being may be driven by different work experiences, professional understandings, generational beliefs, or social expectations. Some significant correlations between character strengths and well-being outcomes varied depending on low, medium, or high outcomes. This raises questions about suitable work-related well-being interventions, as simple single intervention approaches (one intervention fits all) may not work for the respective outcome levels. These new findings warrant further research on how to foster the well-being of resident physicians at work.

Do More of What Makes You Happy? The Applicability of Signature Character Strengths and Future Physicians' Well-Being and Health Over Time.

Research on applying signature character strengths demonstrated positive effects on well-being, health and work behavior. Future health care professionals represent a group at risk for impaired well-being due to high study demands. This study investigates potential long-term protective effects on well-being. In total, 504 medical students participated in a longitudinal online study, with at least 96 providing complete data at all three time points (time lag: 1 year). Data on individual signature character strengths and their applicability, thriving (subjective and psychological well-being), work engagement, burnout, mental and physical health were collected. Longitudinal relations of signature character strengths' applicability and well-being, mental and physical health were tested with cross-lagged panel analyses. Moreover, indirect longitudinal mediation effects via work engagement and emotional exhaustion were considered. Cross-lagged panel analyses demonstrated significant positive effects of thriving on signature character strengths' applicability at later time points (ß = 0.20 to 0.27) indicating that higher levels of well-being might be mandatory first to have access to one's own signature character strengths in a naturalistic setting. Disentangling thriving, the effect was only significant for psychological well-being (t1-t2: ß = 0.23; t2-t3: ß = 0.27). Across all three time points, significant indirect effects via work engagement on the relation of the applicability of signature character strengths and well-being were identified (r = 0.15), whereas significant indirect effects on mental and physical health were only evident at t2 (both: r = 0.06) and t3 (mental health: r = 0.11). A longitudinal mediation analysis via work engagement revealed a significant indirect effect (a∗b = 0.13). These results call for further research as previous studies showed that the applicability of signature character strengths affected well-being, not vice versa. The 'broaden-and-build' theory (positive emotions broaden one's consciousness and hereupon individuals build new enduring resources and skills) and the assumption of well-being in a "top-down" model (trait-like predisposition to interpret life experiences in positive ways coloring one's evaluation of satisfaction in various domains accordingly) could possibly explain these novel results.

Job insecurity and performance: the mediating role of organizational justice in terms of type of contract / Inseguridad y Desempeño Laboral: el Papel Mediador de la Justicia Organizacional Considerando el Tipo de Contrato

BACKGROUND: Job insecurity has been widely researched. However, there have been inconsistent results about the association between job insecurity and job performance. This study proposed a multi-group mediation model to explain the underlying mechanisms of this relationship according to psychological contract and social exchange theory. METHOD: Data were collected through a survey. The sample was composed of 1,435 employees in 138 organizations from two European countries (i.e. Spain and Austria). RESULTS: Results showed that job insecurity was indirectly related to OCB and self-rated performance through the three types of organizational justice (distributive, procedural, and interactional justice); and these relationships varied depending on the type of contract. CONCLUSIONS: This study contributes to a better understanding of the relationship between job insecurity and performance by clarifying underlying mechanisms according to the type of contract

ANTECEDENTES: la inseguridad laboral ha sido ampliamente estudiada en la investigación. Sin embargo, esta presenta resultados inconsistentes sobre la asociación entre la inseguridad laboral y el desempeño laboral. Este estudio propuso un modelo de mediación multigrupo para explicar los mecanismos subyacentes de esta relación de acuerdo con el contrato psicológico y la teoría del intercambio social. MÉTODO: los datos fueron recogidos a través de un cuestionario. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 1.435 empleados de 138 organizaciones de dos países europeos (España y Austria). RESULTADOS: los resultados mostraron que la inseguridad laboral estaba indirectamente relacionada con OCB y el desempeño auto-evaluado, a través de los tres tipos de justicia organizacional (justicia distributiva, procesal e interactiva); y que estas relaciones variaban en función del tipo de contrato. CONCLUSIONES: este estudio contribuye a comprender mejor la relación entre la inseguridad laboral y el desempeño laboral al aclarar los mecanismos subyacentes considerando el tipo de contrato

Job Insecurity and Performance: The Mediating Role of Organizational Justice in terms of Type of Contract.

BACKGROUND: Job insecurity has been widely researched. However, there have been inconsistent results about the association between job insecurity and job performance. This study proposed a multi-group mediation model to explain the underlying mechanisms of this relationship according to psychological contract and social exchange theory. METHOD: Data were collected through a survey. The sample was composed of 1,435 employees in 138 organizations from two European countries (i.e. Spain and Austria). RESULTS: Results showed that job insecurity was indirectly related to OCB and self-rated performance through the three types of organizational justice (distributive, procedural, and interactional justice); and these relationships varied depending on the type of contract. CONCLUSIONS: This study contributes to a better understanding of the relationship between job insecurity and performance by clarifying underlying mechanisms according to the type of contract.

Perceived Socio-moral Climate and the Applicability of Signature Character Strengths at Work: a Study among Hospital Physicians.

Previous research demonstrated that the applicability of signature character strengths at work is associated with employee well-being. However, there is a lack of research on possible antecedents of the applicability of signature character strengths in the occupational domain. In this study we examined whether the perceived socio-moral climate of medical departments has a positive impact on the applicability of hospital physicians' signature character strengths and whether it relates to work engagement, hedonic subjective well-being (SWB) and eudaimonic psychological well-being (PWB). Based on cross-sectional data of N = 165 hospital physicians in Austria, we tested mediation models with perceived socio-moral climate as predictor, applicability of signature character strengths as mediator, and work engagement, SWB and PWB as outcomes. Additionally, we collected longitudinal data (time-lag T1-T2: 6 months) from a sub-sample (n = 69) for testing the relationship between the perceived socio-moral climate and the applicability of signature character strengths over time. The cross-sectional results showed indirect effects of the perceived socio-moral climate on work engagement and eudaimonic well-being via the applicability of signature character strengths at work. Results from a cross-lagged panel analysis suggested an impact of socio-moral climate at T1 on the applicability of signature character strengths 6 months later (T2), but also an even stronger reversed effect of the applicability of signature character strengths at T1 on perceived socio-moral climate at T2.

Work analysis tool for higher education: Development and validation of the german student measure WA-S Screening.

BACKGROUND: Work demands, resources and stressors affecting health, well-being and motivation also exist in the work of university students. There is a shortage of measures for analyzing work characteristics in this setting. OBJECTIVE: This article addresses that shortage of measures and describes the development and the validation of the short Work Analysis Measure for Students (WA-S Screening). METHODS: In study 1 (N = 422 students in Austria) the final version of the measure was developed based on analyzing the factor structure and psychometric properties of items and scales. Study 2 (N = 333 German-speaking students in Germany, Austria and Switzerland) was conducted for a cross validation and analyzing the criterion validity. RESULTS: An eight-scale structure of the WA-S Screening was supported in study 1 and 2. The scales have shown to be significantly associated with burnout and work engagement in study 2. CONCLUSIONS: The examinations indicate that the WA-S Screening is a short, reliable and valid instrument to identify critical, health-promoting work characteristics in the context of studying at university.

Possession and Applicability of Signature Character Strengths: What Is Essential for Well-Being, Work Engagement, and Burnout?

Signature character strengths can foster health-related outcomes in work and private life, thus being particularly important for endangered occupational groups like physicians. However, situational circumstances need to allow character strengths demonstration (applicability) first to enable their application. Therefore, this study addresses the role of (1) applicability of signature character strengths in work and private life beyond their possession and (2) relationships with well-being, work engagement, and burnout dimensions (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment). Hospital physicians (N = 274) completed an online survey examining their signature character strengths and applicability, well-being, work engagement, and burnout dimensions. The top-five individual signature character strengths were fairness, honesty, judgment, kindness, and love. Hierarchical multiple linear regressions revealed that the possession as well as the applicability of signature character strengths was important in work and private life, but to different degrees. Possessing fairness, honesty, or kindness indicated significant positive relations with subjective well-being, whereas judgment and kindness seemed to negatively interact with reduced personal accomplishment. Hospital physicians' applicability of fairness, honesty, judgment, and love was particularly essential for their psychological well-being and work engagement, whereas the applicability of fairness (reduced personal accomplishment) and judgment (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization) at work interacted negatively with the respective outcomes. Therefore, creating awareness for individual signature character strengths as well as providing applicability in hospitals and private life could be a promising approach to improve physicians' well-being and consequently patient care as well as the performance of the health-care system in general.

Identifying thriving Workplaces in Hospitals: Work Characteristics and the Applicability of Character Strengths at Work.

In most of their work settings, the health and well-being of hospital physicians are at risk. Trends of work intensification and changing laws in the European Union and beyond have heightened the call for taking a closer look at the workplace and training conditions of hospital physicians. This study aims to identify specific work characteristics (such as autonomy, social support, cognitive demands, and skill adequacy), in order to determine conditions for the applicability of individual character strengths at work and in turn for increased work engagement and well-being. We examined our hypotheses based on cross-sectional (N = 173) and longitudinal self-report data (N = 72) of hospital physicians in Austria. The results identified significant indirect effects of skill adequacy, cognitive demands, autonomy, and social support at work - via the applicability of individual character strengths at work - on work engagement and general well-being. Longitudinal analyses additionally confirmed autonomy as a thriving work characteristic for promoting the applicability of individual character strengths over time (time lag: 6 months). This study revealed the value of enabling and preserving the applicability of character strengths in a hospital work setting and focused - for the first time - on its predicting work characteristics. Furthermore, it emphasizes the importance of securing skill adequacy early in the training of young physicians and encouraging, as well as, sustaining autonomy in their daily work life.

Psychometric Characteristics of the German Values in Action Inventory of Strengths 120-Item Short Form.

The original Values in Action Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS) is an international 240 item validated self-report questionnaire measuring character strengths. A validated and reliable English 120-item short form (VIA-120) is available. However, there is limited information about the psychometric properties of the German VIA-120. This article addresses this gap and reports the reliability, validity and comparability of the German VIA-120 with the German VIA-240 version. Two independent samples were recruited: a general population sample (N = 1073, Sample 1) and a sample consisting of medical students and physicians (N = 685, Sample 2). Internal consistency of the VIA-120-scales ranged from α = .58 (modesty) to α = .87 (spirituality) in Sample 1 and α = .63 (honesty) to α = .90 (spirituality) in Sample 2. Intercorrelations between the scales of the 120-item version and the original 240-Items version (Sample 1) ranged from r = .52 (hope) to r = .89 (prudence). Criterion validity with the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and the Brief Inventory of Thriving (BIT) was demonstrated. The comparison of the factor structure between the original and the short form showed a good convergence (Tucker's Phi .93-.99 Sample 1, .95-.98 Sample 2). Overall, the German VIA-120 was reliable, showed good convergence with the German VIA-240 and thus presents a similar level of validity for the assessment of character strengths. This study provides the first indication that the VIA 120 short form is comparable regarding the validity and reliability of the original VIA 240-item version indicating its potential to be used in large scale research studies.

Development of Cynicism in Medical Students: Exploring the Role of Signature Character Strengths and Well-Being.

Reports of medical students experiencing burnout-related symptoms (e.g., cynicism) have increased in recent years. Little is known about the developmental process of this phenomenon and its relations with signature character strengths and well-being. The aim of this longitudinal analysis was to explore changes in the level of cynicism of medical students while in preclinical education. We further examined how the applicability of signature character strengths and well-being are related to this developmental process. Medical students (N = 99) participated in three online surveys over 3 years during medical school. Latent growth modeling, latent class growth modeling, general mixed modeling was conducted, and post hoc mixed ANOVA, Friedman test and Welch test analyses were examined. The results showed an increase in cynicism among medical students from first to last measurement. Two groups with distinct developmental trajectory patterns of cynicism were identified. Students with high levels of cynicism (high-level group) and students with changing levels of cynicism (increasing group) perceived higher applicability of signature character strengths in private life compared to the study context. Moreover, the high-level group experienced significantly lower psychological well-being (in particular mastery, optimism, and relationship) in their first year of medical education. This explorative study offers a comprehensive understanding of cynicism development in medical students during medical school and its relations to the applicability of signature character strengths and well-being. Prospective replication studies are needed to replicate the results obtained in this study.

Character Strengths Profiles in Medical Professionals and Their Impact on Well-Being.

Character strengths profiles in the specific setting of medical professionals are widely unchartered territory. This paper focused on an overview of character strengths profiles of medical professionals (medical students and physicians) based on literature research and available empirical data illustrating their impact on well-being and work engagement. A literature research was conducted and the majority of peer-reviewed considered articles dealt with theoretical or conceptually driven 'virtues' associated with medical specialties or questions of ethics in patient care (e.g., professionalism, or what makes a good physician). The virtues of compassion, courage, altruism, and benevolence were described most often. Only a limited number of papers addressed character strengths of medical students or physicians according to the VIA-classification. Those articles showed that the VIA-character strengths fairness, honesty, kindness, and teamwork were considered most often by respondents to be particularly important for the medical profession. Available cross-sectional (time span: six years) and longitudinal (time span: three years) data regarding VIA-character strengths profiles of medical professionals were analyzed (N = 584 medical students, 274 physicians). These profiles were quite homogenous among both groups. The character strengths fairness, honesty, judgment, kindness, and love had the highest means in both samples. Noteworthy differences appeared when comparing medical specialties, in particular concerning general surgeons and psychiatrists, with the former reporting clearly higher levels of e.g., honesty (d = 1.02) or prudence (d = 1.19). Long-term results revealed significant positive effects of character strengths on well-being and work engagement (e.g., perseverance on physicians' work engagement) but also significant negative effects (e.g., appreciation of beauty and excellence on students' well-being). Further, hope was significantly associated both positively with physicians' well-being and negatively with students' work engagement, possibly indicating specific issues concerning medical education or hospital working conditions. According to the modern-day physician's pledge, medical professionals should pay attention to their own well-being and health. Therefore, promoting self-awareness and character building among medical professionals could be a beneficial strategy.

Creating Positive Work Experiences Through Task Self-Redesign.

Complementing the traditional focus in work design on "top-down" organizational interventions, research into proactive work behavior suggests that "bottom-up" processes, based on the "micro-emancipatory" actions employees engage in, create more rewarding and meaningful work experiences. Based on current theorizing, this study tests a tripartite model of task self-redesign and positive work-related states of meaning, affective commitment, and work-home enrichment. The interactive effects of three modes of task influence are postulated: (a) the active use of existing potentials for task autonomy; (b) job crafting, as unauthorized and self-organized modifications of task features; (c) the individual renegotiation of tasks through idiosyncratic deals (i-deals) with superiors. Survey data from an occupationally heterogeneous convenience sample of N = 279 German-speaking employees were analyzed, using confirmatory factor analysis and moderated linear regression. The regression results confirmed that task i-deals consistently related to positive experiences, whereas autonomy only related to one, and task crafting had no significant main effect. A significant two-way interaction between i-deals and crafting was found only in relation to affective commitment. Supporting the suggested tripartite model, significant (synergistic) three-way interactions explained the additional variance in all three examined outcomes. These results offer some preliminary insights into the interplay of organizationally designed, individually crafted, and interpersonally negotiated work activities. Task autonomy, task-directed job crafting, and task i-deals appear to fulfill complementary roles in the self-directed creation of positive work experiences. Methodological limitations and further research needs are discussed.

Associations between the Application of Signature Character Strengths, Health and Well-being of Health Professionals.

Previous research has shown a positive relation between character strengths, well-being and health. The aim of this analysis was to identify relations between the application of signature character strengths (ASCS) at work, and well-being and health, among medical students (Study 1) and resident physicians (Study 2). We expected positive direct links between the constructs and indirect effects through emotional exhaustion. To test these hypotheses, 387 medical students in their first year and 136 resident physicians completed five scales measuring well-being, mental/physical health, character strengths, the application of their five individual signature strengths, and emotional exhaustion as an indicator of burnout. Partial correlations were examined, and mediation analyses performed. ASCS at work was positively linked with well-being and mental health but not with physical health. All links were mediated by emotional exhaustion in Study 1 and (except for mental health) also in Study 2. Future studies would therefore do well to investigate the promotion of ASCS at work of people operating in medical education and its potential in fostering well-being and preventing burnout from the outset.

Distinguishing Relational Aspects of Character Strengths with Subjective and Psychological Well-being.

Research has shown that character strengths are positively linked with well-being in general. However, there has not been a fine-grained analysis up to date. This study examines the individual relational aspects between the 24 character strengths, subjective well-being (SWB), and different aspects of psychological well-being (PWB) at two times of measurement (N = 117). Results showed that overall the "good character" was significantly stronger related with PWB than with SWB. The character strength "hope" was at least moderately correlated with the PWB aspects meaning, optimism and autonomy, and "zest" with the PWB aspects relationships and engagement. "Persistence" showed the highest correlation with the PWB aspect mastery. Out of the 24 character strengths, the happiness-related strengths (hope, zest, gratitude, curiosity, and love) were more likely to correlate with PWB and SWB than any other character strength. This study offers a more fine-grained and thorough understanding of specific relational aspects between the 24 character strengths and a broad range of well-being aspects. Future studies should take up a detailed strategy when exploring relationships between character strengths and well-being.

The impact of sense of coherence and negative affectivity on the work stressor--strain relationship.

This study investigated different ways in which work stressors, sense of coherence (SOC), and negative affectivity (NA) might influence strain. Three models covering direct, moderating, and mediating effects between the variables were tested for hyperresponsitivity, causality, perception, selection, and stressor-creation mechanisms. The sample consisted of 205 hospital employees (nurses, physicians, and medical technicians). Work stressors, SOC, NA, and strain were measured and analyzed in structural equation models and with analyses of variance. Besides direct effects on strain, significant perception, selection, and stressor-creation mechanisms of SOC could be identified. After controlling for SOC and NA, work stressors remain substantial predictors of strain.

Aggression and violence against home care workers.

This article describes the development of the Violence and Aggression in Health Care Questionnaire (VAQ) and the application of the measure in the field of home care. In a 1st sample of 361 German home care workers, the scales of the VAQ reached internal consistencies from .72 to .93. A confirmatory factor analysis gave evidence to the hypothesized factor structure. Significant correlation with indicators of psychophysical strain and health resulted in a 2nd sample of 180 home care workers. In multiple regression analysis based on a 3rd sample of 180 home care workers, verbal aggression by patients was a significant predictor of negative psychological outcomes. The relationship is completely mediated by negative emotional reactions after aggressive incidents.