How and When Does Psychological Wellbeing Contribute to Proactive Performance? The Role of Social Resources and Job Characteristics.

Are psychologically healthy employees more proactive at work? Surprisingly, responses to this question are lacking as empirical research has overlooked the wellbeing-proactive performance relationship. Drawing insights from the conservation of resources theory and the motivational fit perspective, this study proposes that leader-member exchange and team-member exchange act as social resources that convey the benefits of psychological wellbeing to subsequent proactive performance. Moreover, job complexity and task interdependence-two job characteristics that enhance the motivational potential of social resources-are expected to amplify these positive indirect relationships. Data from a three-wave, time-lagged study conducted among employees (N = 318) from French-Canadian organizations were used to test our hypothesized model. The results indicated that leader-member exchange mediated a positive relationship between wellbeing and proactive performance and that the contribution of wellbeing to proactive performance via leader-member exchange was increased when job complexity was higher. We also found a negative indirect relationship between wellbeing and proactive performance via team-member exchange when team interdependence was lower. Theoretical and practical implications of this research are discussed.

Job insecurity and innovative work behaviour: A moderated mediation model of intrinsic motivation and trait mindfulness.

Research has disregarded the processes and boundary conditions associated with the effects of job insecurity on innovative work behaviour. Combining the job demands-resources and the self-determination perspectives, the present study develops and tests a first-stage moderated mediation model that identifies intrinsic motivation as a key mechanism accounting for a negative effect of job insecurity on innovative behaviour and trait mindfulness as a buffer against the detrimental impact of job insecurity on intrinsic motivation and, indirectly, innovative work behaviour. Two time-lagged studies-a two-wave study of 138 employees from Canadian firms and a three-wave study of 157 employees from US firms-were conducted to test the hypothesized model. Supporting our predictions, intrinsic motivation mediated a negative relationship between job insecurity and innovative work behaviour. Moreover, high levels of trait mindfulness were observed to attenuate the negative relationship of job insecurity with intrinsic motivation and, indirectly, innovative behaviour. These findings contribute to the literature by disclosing the processes linking job insecurity with impaired work outcomes and help to elucidate how and when employee can keep their innovative potential alive in spite of insecure work conditions.

The moderating effect of exposure to robbery on the relationship between post-traumatic stress and job satisfaction.

Research has disregarded the boundary conditions of the effects of post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) at work. Addressing this issue, the present study examines the moderating impact of the (shared vs. isolated) exposure to robbery on the relationship between PTSS and employee job satisfaction. Drawing on the conservation of resources theory, we argue that PTSS would positively affect employee job satisfaction when the robbery is experienced collectively. To test our predictions, we conducted a two-wave study-with a lag of two months between measurements-on 140 employees from a national bank in Italy. Results from hierarchical regression analyses supported our prediction: the exposure to robbery moderated the relationship between PTSS and job satisfaction. While within the "isolated exposure" group the job satisfaction score was higher among less symptomatic victims, within the "shared exposure" group those with high PTSS reported higher job satisfaction levels than those with low PTSS. We discuss the implications of these findings for theory and practice.

Affective commitment, participative leadership, and employee innovation: a multilevel investigation / Compromiso afectivo, liderazgo participativo e innovación del empleado: una investigación multinivel

Research investigating the relationship between organizational affective commitment and employee innovation has yielded scarce and inconsistent findings. This study examined the role of participative leadership in a team as a boundary condition of the effectiveness of organizational affective commitment predicting employee innovation. Data were collected from 343 employees in 34 teams from different Italian companies. The results from hierarchical linear modelling analysis indicated that the relationship between organizational affective commitment and employee innovation was stronger when team-level participative leadership was high. Our findings provide meaningful insights regarding the contextual conditions that strengthen the impact of organizational commitment on workplace innovation

La investigación sobre la relación entre el compromiso organizacional afectivo y la innovación del empleado ha producido hallazgos escasos e inconsistentes. Este estudio examinó el papel del liderazgo participativo en un equipo como condición límite de la efectividad del compromiso organizacional afectivo para predecir la innovación del empleado. Los datos fueron obtenidos de 343 empleados en 34 equipos de diferentes compañías italianas. Los resultados de análisis de modelamiento lineal jerárquico indicaron que la relación entre el compromiso organizacional afectivo y la innovación del empleado era más fuerte cuando el liderazgo participativo a nivel de equipo era alto. Nuestros hallazgos proporcionan claves significativas sobre las condiciones contextuales que refuerzan el impacto del compromiso organizacional sobre la innovación en el trabajo

Escala de metas de autoimagem e compaixão: adaptação para amostras brasileiras / Self-image and compassion goals scale: adaptation for brazilian samples / Escala de metas de autoimagen y compasión: adaptación para muestras brasileñas

O artigo teve como objetivo traduzir e adaptar a escala de metas de autoimagem e compaixão de sua versão original em inglês para o português, no contexto da Polícia Militar do Distrito Federal (com amostras; N=127 e N=480) e buscar evidências de validade nacionais da escala. A original possui treze itens e o processo foi desenvolvido com base em métodos recomendados na literatura, passando por etapas de tradução, tradução reversa, comitê e análise de coeficiente de validade de conteúdo, que obteve índices satisfatórios (CVC=0,95). A análise fatorial exploratória apontou a estrutura bifatorial da escala conforme teoria e confirmou suas evidências de validade, mas indicando três itens que apresentaram baixas cargas fatoriais. Por fim, após nova coleta de dados, foi realizada a análise fatorial confirmatória da escala que confirmou sua estrutura bifatorial após exclusão de três itens existentes em sua versão original.

The aim of this study was to translate and adapt the scale of Self-Image and Compassion goals from English to Portuguese, in the context of the Federal District Military Police (with samples N = 127 and N = 480), and seek evidence of the scale's national validity. The original scale had 13 items, and the validation procedure was developed following the cross-cultural literature recommendation. Thus, using the first sample, items went through a translation/back translation procedure, followed by the Content Validity Index computation, which obtained satisfactory levels (CVI = 0.95). An exploratory factor analysis confirmed the proposed two-factor structure, providing evidence of validity, but indicated three items that presented low factor loadings, which were later excluded. Finally, with the larger sample (N = 480), a confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the two-factor structure of the scale, after exclusion of three items from its original English version.

Este artículo tiene como objetivo traducir y adaptar la escala de metas de autoimagen y compasión, de su versión original en Inglés al portugués, en el contexto de la Policía Militar del Distrito Federal (con muestras, N = 127 y N = 480) y buscar evidencias de validez nacional de la escala. La original tiene trece ítems y el proceso fue desarrollado con base en métodos recomendados en la literatura, pasando por etapas de traducción, traducción reversa, comité y análisis de coeficiente de validez de contenido, que obtuvo índices satisfactorios (CVC = 0,95). El análisis factorial exploratorio apuntó la estructura bifactorial de la escala, según la teoría, y confirmó sus evidencias de validez, pero indicó tres ítems con bajas cargas factoriales. Por último, tras una nueva recopilación de datos, se realizó el análisis factorial confirmatorio de la escala que ratificó su estructura bifactorial tras la exclusión de tres ítems de su versión original.

Expatriates' Multiple Fears, from Terrorism to Working Conditions: Development of a Model.

Companies' internationalization appears to be fundamental in the current globalized and competitive environment and seems important not only for organizational success, but also for societal development and sustainability. On one hand, global business increases the demand for managers for international assignment. On the other hand, emergent fears, such as terrorism, seem to be developing around the world, enhancing the risk of expatriates' potential health problems. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships between the emergent concept of fear of expatriation with further workplace fears (economic crisis and dangerous working conditions) and with mental health problems. The study uses a quantitative design. Self-reported data were collected from 265 Italian expatriate workers assigned to both Italian and worldwide projects. Structural equation model analyses showed that fear of expatriation mediates the relationship of mental health with fear of economic crisis and with perceived dangerous working conditions. As expected, in addition to fear, worries of expatriation are also related to further fears. Although, the study is based on self-reports and the cross-sectional study design limits the possibility of making causal inferences, the new constructs introduced add to previous research.

Detrimental Effects of Workplace Bullying: Impediment of Self-Management Competence via Psychological Distress.

Emotional intelligence has been linked to various positive outcomes, such as organizational effectiveness, commitment, morale, and health. In addition, longitudinal studies demonstrate that the competencies of emotional intelligence may change and be developed over time. Researchers have argued that work relationships are important for the development of emotional competence, but their usefulness depends on the quality of the relationship. Workplace bullying is considered to be one of the most stressful phenomena in the workplace and an example of a dysfunctional and toxic relationship that has detrimental effects on an individual's physical and psychological health. Hence, the objective of the present study was to analyze the relationship linking workplace bullying, psychological distress and the self-management competence of emotional intelligence. More specifically, we tested part of the model presented by Cherniss and Goleman (2001) in which researchers argued that individual emotional intelligence is a result of relationships at work. In addition, we extended the model by proposing that the relationship between exposure to workplace bullying and the competence of self-management is explained by psychological distress. Data analysis of 326 participants from two private sector organizations in Italy demonstrated that psychological distress fully mediated the relationship between workplace bullying and the emotional intelligence ability of self-management. The present study's findings point to the idea that, not only may emotional intelligence assist in handling exposure to workplace bullying, but exposure to workplace bullying may impede emotional intelligence via psychological distress.

Workplace Bullying in a Sample of Italian and Spanish Employees and Its Relationship with Job Satisfaction, and Psychological Well-Being.

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to examine the prevalence rate of workplace bullying in a sample of Italian and Spanish employees, and its differential consequences on employees' job satisfaction and psychological well-being. The effects of workplace bullying on job satisfaction and psychological well-being were explored taking into account a contextualized approach. Design/Methodology/approach - Cross-sectional study was adopted, in which a sample of 1,151 employees in Italy and 705 in Spain completed a questionnaire. We hypothesized that the relationship between exposure to bullying behaviors and psychological well-being is mediated by job satisfaction, and that this simple mediation model is moderated by the country (moderated mediation). Findings - Results suggest that no particular differences exist in bullying prevalence among Spanish and Italian employees. However, we found scientific confirmation of our hypothesized moderated mediation model. Research limitations/implications - Despite the limitations of the sample studied, findings capture contextual differences in the bullying phenomenon, which may have several implications for further research in this domain, as well as for designing interventions to deal with workplace bullying. Originality/value - Although this study explores bullying in different cultural contexts without investigating specific cultural values, it establishes the roots to assess workplace bullying from a contextualized perspective.

Enhancing nurses' empowerment: the role of supervisors' empowering management practices.

AIM: This study tests a theoretical model where: (a) nurses' dispositional resistance to change is indirectly negatively related to behavioural empowerment through the mediating role of psychological empowerment; and (b) supervisors' empowering management practices buffer both the negative relationship between dispositional resistance to change and psychological empowerment and the indirect negative relationship between resistance to change and behavioural empowerment via psychological empowerment. BACKGROUND: Promoting a high level of empowerment among nursing personnel is important to ensure their effectiveness in the context of organizational change. It is thus essential to advance our current understanding of the factors that hamper nurses' psychological and behavioural expressions of empowerment and to clarify supervisor practices that can overcome such barriers. DESIGN: A cross-sectional research design. METHOD: We collected survey data during 2012 from a sample of 197 nurses from a Canadian hospital undergoing a major organizational change. RESULTS: Results from moderated mediation analyses provided evidence for an indirect negative relationship between dispositional resistance to change and behavioural empowerment through psychological empowerment, and for a moderating (buffering) effect of supervisors' empowering management practices on this mediated relationship. These findings provided support for our hypotheses. CONCLUSIONS: Supervisors' empowering management practices represent an important contextual buffer against the negative effects of dispositional resistance to change on nurses' empowerment. Organizations should develop empowering management skills among nurses' supervisors to counteract the detrimental effects of dispositional resistance to change and to sustain an empowered nursing workforce.

Does Leaders' Health (and Work-Related Experiences) Affect their Evaluation of Followers' Stress?

BACKGROUND: Stressed workers suffer from severe health problems which appear to have increased. Poor leadership is especially considered a source of stress. Indeed, supervisors might perceive their subordinates to be similar to them as far as stress is concerned and this might more widespread in organizations than previously thought. METHODS: The present research investigates the relationships between leaders' health, in terms of work-related stress, mental health, and workplace bullying and their evaluation of subordinates' stress. Five regression models were formulated to test our hypothesis. This is a cross-sectional study among 261 Italian leaders, using supervisor self-assessment and leaders' assessments of their subordinates. RESULTS: Leaders' health was related to their evaluation of staff stress. Job demand, lack of job control, and lack of support by colleagues and supervisors evaluated in their subordinates were particularly associated with the leaders' own health. CONCLUSION: Implications for developing healthy leaders are finally discussed.