An innovative work behaviour-enhancing employability model moderated by age

Learn in Order to Innovate: An Exploration of Individual and Team Learning as Antecedents of Innovative Work Behaviours in Ghanaian Technical Universities

Ghanaian higher education is continuously transforming, and teachers are constantly encouraged to innovate and change. We test a mediated-moderation model that assesses interplays among individual learning (IL), team learning (TL), gender, and innovative work behaviours (IWB) in a sample of 487 lecturers from six technical universities in Ghana. Results suggest that team learning mediates the influence of individual learning on IWB, and gender moderates the remaining direct association between individual learning and IWB such that individual learning appears conducive to IWB among men but not women. This study encourages focusing on team learning to drive knowledge-sharing within and across faculties to generate sustainable innovative outcomes, and it points to ways in which higher education managers and human resources practitioners can invest in human resources to enhance IWB and, subsequently, performance in higher education.

Work Tenure and Organizational Citizenship Behaviors; A Study in Ghanaian Technical Universities

This study investigates linear and non-linear associations among work tenure, organizational tenure, and organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB), and between leader–member exchange (LMX) and OCBs. A deductive approach was employed to collect data from academics. Using a convenience sample of 364 lecturers from six technical universities in Ghana, stepwise OLS regression analysis suggests that LMX correlates positively with OCBs. The relationship between work tenure and OCB was positive, with longer-tenured employees engaging in more OCBs. The effect of organizational tenure was, however, non-significant. Findings from this study have both theoretical and practical implications. Theoretically, this study adds to the literature on OCBs and LMX, and further enhances the understanding of how tenure in an organization can foster employee productivity. Practicaly, human resource practitioners and managers of higher education institutions can benefit from the findings of this study due to the implicit effects of both work and organizational tenure on workers’ attitudes, behaviors, and performance. This is a novel and pioneering study in an understudied context that examines work tenure, organizational tenure, LMX, and OCB in six public technical universities.

Team Learning, Work Behaviors, and Performance: A Qualitative Case Study of a Technical University in Ghana

Higher education institutions in Ghana have a lot of expectations but appear to be facing contemporary challenges. Using five focus groups, this study explores individual learning, team learning, organizational citizenship behaviors, leader–member exchanges, innovative work behaviors, and performance in a Ghanaian technical university. Interactive exchanges suggest that individual social behaviors and leadership exchanges are important to higher educational institutions (HEIs). Both stakeholders and managers should activate these behaviors and leadership qualities to enhance performance. The inherent benefits help both faculty and HEIs fulfill their core mandates of teaching, research, and community service. With these, they remain globally competitive given challenges, dynamism, and expected performance from both faculty and HEIs as agents of socio-economic development. This study informs on underlying mechanisms that affect engagement in some of these behaviors, including the effect of culture as an inhibitor of women’s innovative behaviors. Next to that, it provides both theoretical and practical evidence for stakeholders, especially HEI managers, regarding how to increase faculty members’ efficiencies and performance. Finally, the study offers both recommendations and directions for future research.

Scoping Review on Ageism against Younger Populations

Systematic efforts have been carried out to study ageism against older populations. Less is known about ageism against younger populations, including how it is defined, how it manifests, its effects, and how it can be addressed. A scoping review was conducted aimed at identifying available evidence on these topics. A comprehensive search strategy was used across thirteen databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, and CINAHL. Records were screened by two independent reviewers. Data extraction was done by one rater and independently reviewed by a second rater. Of the 9270 records identified, 263 were eligible for inclusion. Most of the evidence focused on the manifestation of ageism (86%), followed by a focus on the determinants of ageism (17%), available interventions to address ageism (9%), and the effects of ageism (5%). This study points to the inconsistent terminology used to describe ageism against younger populations and the relatively limited theoretical rationale that guides existing studies. It also highlights key research gaps and points to the strengths of existing research.

Towards a Sustainable Model of Innovative Work Behaviors’ Enhancement: The Mediating Role of Employability

In this mixed methods study, a moderated mediation model predicting effects of leader-member exchange (LMX) and organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB) on innovative work behaviors, with employability as a mediator, has been tested. Multi-source data from 487 pairs of employees and supervisors working in 151 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) supported our hypothesized model. The results of structural equation modelling provide support for our model. In particular, the benefits of close relationships and high-quality exchanges between employee and supervisor (LMX), and fostering individual development as a result of employees’ OCB have an indirect effect on innovative work behaviors through positive effects on workers’ employability. Innovative work behaviors depend on employees’ knowledge, skills, and expertise. In other words, enhancing workers’ employability nurtures innovative work behaviors. In addition, we found a moderation effect of organizational politics on the relationship between employability and innovative work behaviors. Secondly, qualitative methods focusing on experiences of the antecedents and outcomes of employability were used to complement our quantitative results. All in all, this study has important consequences for managerial strategies and practices in SMEs and call for an awareness of the dysfunctional effect of perceived organizational politics.

Factors affecting employee performance: a systematic literature review

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to synthesize the fragmented literature on organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), leader–member exchange (LMX), learning, innovative work behavior (IWB) and employee performance across different countries, disciplines and organizations, thereby broadening the literature breath and making gap identification comprehensive. Second, it provides information on how much studies have been concentrated on Africa with the goal of provoking scholarly work in a unique cultural setting on the interrelatedness of these concepts.

Design/methodology/approach

Relevant literature search was undertaken using key search terms, “employee performance,” “OCB,” “LMX,” “IWB,” “individual learning” and “team learning.”

Findings

The findings show positive relationships between the behaviors and employee performance. They also reveal an interesting diversity in the study across multidisciplinary fields holding both cultural and contextual significance for academia and practitioners.

Research limitations/implications

The limitation of literature to peer-reviewed journals from the authors’ university library might have missed important information not in this domain. Further studies must make use of additional search terms and engines excluded from this study to provide a more comprehensive analysis.

Practical implications

The paper has important managerial implications for practitioners. The analysis can support the understanding of employee performance from a broader and more diverse view points; and help in providing insight into real-life opportunities, constraints and solutions in enhancing performance management.

Originality/value

This systematic literature review highlights important knowledge gaps which need to be explored especially in the African and Ghanaian contexts.