Motivating workers: how leaders apply self-determination theory in organizations

Medical laboratory scientist motivation to pursue graduate education

BACKGROUND

Medical laboratory staffing shortages have persisted, with challenges in maintaining adequate medical laboratory professionals. The career trajectory for medical laboratory scientists beyond entry level is ambiguous, but advancement opportunities are enhanced with specialist certifications and advanced degrees.

OBJECTIVE

This study explored the motivation and preferences of medical laboratory scientists in pursuing graduate medical laboratory science education based on the importance of professional development, career advancement, recognition, and employment benefits.

METHODS

A quantitative, cross-sectional, and descriptive correlational study surveyed American Society for Clinical Pathology Board of Certification-credentialed medical laboratory scientists using an online questionnaire.

RESULTS

The overall response rate was 2.5%, and 1247 complete surveys were analyzed. Educational preferences varied by respondent age and amount of laboratory experience. Professional development, career advancement, recognition, and employment benefits were all important motivators for seeking graduate degrees, but those who were younger and had less experience indicated they were more important.

CONCLUSION

This study suggests several areas of improvement for educational programs, health care organizations, and professional organizations to support the motivation of medical laboratory scientists to pursue graduate education.

Evidence of validity and reliability of the controlling motivational style questionnaire in the work context

According to the self-determination theory (SDT), leaders may adopt a controlling motivational controlling style (CMS) that forces employees to think, feel, or behave in a certain way to promote employee motivation. However, a scale has yet to be developed to measure CMS in the work environment. Usually, researchers use questionnaires adapted to different contexts or designed for another motivational style. However, whether these questionnaires capture the behaviors that represent CMS in the work context is little known. This research aimed to elaborate on and analyze the validity and reliability of the questionnaire on Controlling Motivational Style at Work (CMS-W). The study was based on a literature review of the types of controlling behaviors and a review of questionnaires used by SDT researchers who assessed the controlling motivational style in different contexts. A Peruvian sample of 1100 public sector employees participated. The results show that the short and encompassing CMS-W-11 has a one-dimensional structure with good fit indices: Robust RMSEA = 0.071 with 90 % CI from 0.064 to 0.078; Robust CFI = 0.975; Robust TLI = 0.969; SRMR = 0.025 and good reliability coefficients: Ω = 0.930 and AVE 0.630. Furthermore, it shows convergent validity with controlled motivation (r = 0.260, p < .001) and discriminant validity with autonomous motivation (r = -0.270, p < .001). Moreover, the invariance of the gender category was tested. The fit indices were adequate, and the comparative results between the models were also satisfactory. In addition, the behaviors of the CMS in a work context are conditional negative regard, judging and devaluing, control through objectives, intimidation, and intrusive authority. Therefore, labor organizations will have the CMS-W validated and tested in a work context to evaluate the CMS of leaders and study how it related to the motivation of human capital and organizational objectives.

Development and Validation of the "Lying Flat" Tendency Scale for the Youth

In recent years, "lying flat" has been enthusiastically pursued by young people in China, and it is worth studying its cause and social impact. However, there is still a lack of measurement tools that can scientifically evaluate an individual's tendency for "lying flat." In this study, a 6-item "Lying Flat" Tendency Scale was developed and cross-validated for reliability and validity in different samples from China. The findings demonstrated that the scale showed good internal consistency in three different samples; both exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis supported the single dimension model of the scale, indicating good construct validity; the LFTS total score was negatively correlated with the satisfaction of basic psychological needs, happiness index, and positive emotions, and was positively correlated with negative emotions; simultaneously, the LFTS total score was also significantly positively correlated with the choice of "lying flat" behavior in the simulated situation. These results show that the scale has good validity and reliability, and can be used as a measuring tool for subsequent empirical research. It will help to promote the development of empirical research on the phenomenon of "lying flat", help to understand the causes and consequences of "lying flat" more deeply, and also help to find effective ways to help young people break out of the "lying flat" dilemma.

Stakeholders' experiences and perception on transitional care initiatives within an integrated care project in Belgium: a qualitative interview study

BACKGROUND

In 2015, a plan for integrated care was launched by the Belgium government that resulted in the implementation of 12 integrated care pilot project across Belgium. The pilot project Zorgzaam Leuven consists of a multidisciplinary local consortium aiming to bring lasting change towards integrated care for the region of Leuven. This study aims to explore experiences and perceptions of stakeholders involved in four transitional care actions that are part of Zorgzaam Leuven.

METHODS

This qualitative case study is part of the European TRANS-SENIOR project. Four actions with a focus on improving transitional care were selected and stakeholders involved in those actions were identified using the snow-ball method. Fourteen semi-structured interviews were conducted and inductive thematic analysis was performed.

RESULTS

Professionals appreciated to be involved in the decision making early onwards either by proposing own initiatives or by providing their input in shaping actions. Improved team spirit and community feeling with other health care professionals (HCPs) was reported to reduce communication barriers and was perceived to benefit both patients and professionals. The actions provided supportive tools and various learning opportunities that participants acknowledged. Technical shortcomings (e.g. lack of integrated patient records) and financial and political support were identified as key challenges impeding the sustainable implementation of the transitional care actions.

CONCLUSION

The pilot project Zorgzaam Leuven created conditions that triggered work motivation for HCPs. It supported the development of multidisciplinary care partnerships at the local level that allowed early involvement and increased collaboration, which is crucial to successfully improve transitional care for vulnerable patients.

Psychological Empowerment and Job Stress in Higher Education Institutions in Ecuador

Purpose

Both psychological empowerment and job stress have been the subjects of great concern, studied mainly in developed countries. In emerging economies, few studies have contributed to the knowledge of the relationship between these two constructs. This study analyzed the relationship between the dimensions of psychological empowerment and job stress in tenured professors from public higher education institutions in Ecuador during 2019, providing insights for achieving better results regarding the productivity and well-being of teachers. This research seeks to bridge the knowledge gap concerning psychological empowerment and job stress within an academic context in an emerging economy.

Methods

In this quantitative study, a confirmatory model was proposed. Correlation analysis was used to investigate whether psychological empowerment dimensions are related to job stress. Data were collected from a sample of 200 tenured professors working at public universities located in Zone 3 of Ecuador in 2019. The instrument applied for psychological empowerment was proposed by Spreitzer, composed of four dimensions—meaning, competence, impact, and autonomy. For job stress, the Occupational Stress Inventory-Revised (OSI-R) instrument applied was proposed and revised by Osipow.

Results

Through structural equation modeling with partial least squares, it was possible to demonstrate that psychological empowerment reduces levels of job stress only when it is perceived that there is autonomy, fewer limitations, and more freedom. No evidence was identified that other components of psychological empowerment, such as meaning, competence, and impact, are related to job stress.

Conclusion

The results indicated that the model used to explain the relationship between these variables had weak predictive power. Furthermore, only one research hypothesis is accepted. Finally, these findings are corroborated and explained by the different perspectives presented by various authors.

Familiarity with emergency preparedness and its predictors among nurses and physicians working at public hospitals in east Gojjam zone, northwest Ethiopia

Objective:

Emergency preparedness and response operations for all types of catastrophes rely heavily on healthcare facilities and their staff. On the other hand, hospital employees suffer significant gaps in emergency preparedness knowledge and skills when it comes to treating mass casualties. The objective of this study was to assess the nurses’ and physicians’ familiarity with emergency preparedness and identify the associated factors.

Methods:

A facility-based cross-sectional survey was conducted by census utilizing a self-administered questionnaire among all nurses and physicians working in emergency departments in East Gojjam zone public hospitals. The collected data were entered into Epi-data version 4.2 and exported to SPSS 25.0 for further analysis. Frequency, mean, and standard deviation were computed to describe individual and other characteristics of the sample. A simple and multiple linear regression model was fitted to identify factors associated with familiarity with emergency preparedness. An unstandardized adjusted beta (β) coefficient with a 95 % confidence level was used to report the result of the association at a p-value of 0.05 statistical significance.

Results:

In this study, a total of 237 individuals completed the questionnaire, yielding a response rate of 94 %. The mean score of familiarity with emergency preparedness was 106.1 ± 31.8 (95% CI: 102, 110.1), with approximately 52.3 % scoring higher than the mean score. Self-regulation (B = 3.8, 95% CI: 2.6, 5), health care climate (B = 1.4, 95% CI: 0.4, 2.43) and participation in actual major disaster event (B = 15.5, 95% CI: 7.8, 23.2) were significant predictors of familiarity.

Conclusion:

According to the findings of this study, nurses’ and physicians’ expertise in emergency and disaster preparedness is inadequate. Previous engagement in actual disaster events, self-regulation, and the healthcare climate were significant predictors of familiarity. As a result, the responsible stakeholders should develop strategy to enhance self-regulation (motivation), job satisfaction of emergency department employees, and drills and hands-on training in mass casualty management.

Does social media usage evoke employees' spirituality? A cross-level moderation model of inclusive leadership

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of social media usage (SMU) and relational energy on employees' workplace spirituality within an organization from a psychological perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

This study proposes a research model based on self-determination theory. This research model was tested using a cross-level hierarchical regression analysis. Data were collected from 276 knowledge workers on 39 teams in 37 enterprises in China.

Findings

SMU has a significant positive impact on employees' relational energy and workplace spirituality. Relational energy partially mediates the relationships of cognitive usage and social usage of social media with workplace spirituality and fully mediates the relationship between hedonic usage of social media and workplace spirituality. Inclusive leadership positively affects workplace spirituality and acts as a negative cross-level moderating variable on the relationship between hedonic usage and workplace spirituality.

Practical implications

This work suggested that with appropriate SMU implications, enterprises might be able to integrate spirituality into human resource management practices to improve employees' meaningful life experiences within organizations.

Originality/value

The authors’ findings not only help to theoretically clarify the relationship between SMU and workplace spirituality but also enrich the relevant research on SMU in enterprises to improve employees' spiritual life within the organization.