Nudging flow through ‘SMART’ goal setting to decrease stress, increase engagement, and increase performance at work

Self-Leadership, Performance, and Life-Satisfaction: The Mediation Role of Flow at Work in a Three-Wave Study

Based on the self-determination model of flow and the Job Demands-Resources theory, the present study aims to analyze whether flow at work mediates the relation between self-leadership and job performance, and the relation between self-leadership and life satisfaction over time. The design of the study is longitudinal and is conducted in three waves. Data were analyzed using structural equation models on an initial sample of 316 employees. The results supported the proposed model. We identified an association between self-leadership at T1 and flow at T2 and between flow at T2 and performance and life satisfaction at T3. The results also indicated that flow at work fully mediates the relationships between self-leadership, job performance, and life satisfaction over time (T1 to T2 to T3). Overall, the present research emphasizes the importance of promoting general well-being in the workplace and guides how organizations can effectively implement interventions to support employees in achieving optimal performance and life satisfaction.

Daily use of self-leadership strategies and employee work engagement while working from home and the office

Employees' work engagement may vary by work location (office vs. home office), assuming that working at home requires greater self-regulation. Hence, self-leadership may play an important role when employees work at home. The present study investigates whether employees use self-leadership strategies (self-goal setting, self-reward, self-punishment, self-cueing, and visualization of successful performance) more often on home days than on office days. We also examine how these strategies are related to daily work engagement, and whether they are more effective for promoting work engagement depending on the work location. One hundred and one employees completed daily questionnaires on office and home days, resulting in 514 observations. Multilevel analyses revealed that employees reported higher use of self-goal setting, self-reward, and visualization on home days than on office days. Furthermore, we found that applying these strategies was positively related to day-specific work engagement. Nevertheless, self-cueing had no effect and self-punishment was detrimental to work engagement. Moreover, we found no support for the idea that the effectiveness of self-leadership strategies for promoting work engagement depends on the work location. These findings contribute to our understanding of self-leadership strategies promoting work engagement on home and office days.

Why and when does multitasking impair flow and subjective performance? A daily diary study on the role of task appraisals and work engagement

In this diary study, we contribute to research on day-level multitasking in organizations by investigating why and when multitasking impairs employees' work-related flow and subjective job performance on a daily basis. Drawing on Lazarus and Folkman's transactional model of stress and coping, we propose that employees' appraisal of their daily tasks (i.e., less challenging and more hindering) may explain why multitasking has negative implications for flow and job performance. Moreover, we expect that daily work engagement can buffer the detrimental effects of multitasking on flow and job performance. A total of 33 professional workers in the food industry participated in our study and were asked to respond to 10 daily surveys at work across 4 weeks. In line with our expectations, results showed that on days when employees' working time was highly fragmented across a high number of tasks, they experienced less flow and, in turn, their job performance was lower on that particular day. Moreover, appraisal of daily tasks as less challenging - though not more hindering - explained why multitasking impairs flow. Finally, daily work engagement buffered the detrimental impact of multitasking on flow. The results presented in this paper offer novel and ecologically valid insights into why and when multitasking may backfire for employees.

Preventing diabetes in Latino families: A protocol for a randomized control trial

BACKGROUND

Latino families are disproportionately affected by type 2 diabetes (T2D) and lifestyle intervention is the first-line approach for preventing T2D. The purpose of this study is to test the efficacy of a culturally-grounded lifestyle intervention that prioritizes health promotion and diabetes prevention for Latino families. The intervention is guided by a novel Family Diabetes Prevention Model, leveraging the family processes of engagement, empowerment, resilience, and cohesion to orient the family system towards health.

METHOD

Latino families (N = 132) will be recruited and assessed for glucose tolerance as measured by an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) and General and Weight-Specific Quality of Life (QoL) at baseline, four months, and 12 months. All members of the household age 10 and over will be invited to participate. Families will be randomized to the intervention group or a control group (2:1). The 16-week intervention includes weekly nutrition and wellness classes delivered by bilingual, bicultural Registered Dietitians and community health educators at a local YMCA along with two days/week of supervised physical activity classes and a third day of unsupervised physical activity. Control families will meet with a physician and a Registered Dietitian to discuss the results of their metabolic testing and recommend lifestyle changes. We will test the efficacy of a family-focused diabetes prevention intervention for improving glucose tolerance and increasing QoL and test for mediators and moderators of long-term changes.

CONCLUSION

This study will provide much needed data on the efficacy of a family-focused Diabetes Prevention Program among high-risk Latino families.

Fostering flow experiences at work: a framework and research agenda for developing flow interventions

Flow, the holistic experience of intrinsic motivation and effortless attention, is positively associated with job performance, work engagement, and well-being. As many individuals struggle to enter and maintain flow states, interventions that foster flow at work represent valuable catalysts for organizational and individual improvement. Since the literature on work-related flow interventions is still sparse, this article aims to provide a foundation for the systematic development of these interventions. Through a narrative review of the empirical and theoretical field, we develop a comprehensive framework with three dimensions, (1) the intervention aim (entering, boosting, or maintaining flow), (2) the target (context, individual, or group), and (3) the executor (top-down or bottom-up), for systematically classifying flow interventions at work. We complement the framework with guiding questions and concrete starting points for designing novel interventions. In addition, we explain how to build on these dimensions when operationalizing flow as the outcome variable in evaluating intervention effectiveness. By acknowledging individual and situational variability in flow states and the contingent limitations of flow interventions, we offer a broad perspective on the potential for fostering flow at work by using adaptive interventions.

The Cognitive Control Model of Work-related Flow

Although several models of flow have been proposed that include environmental and trait-based antecedents of the state, elements of cognitive control that enable workers to experience flow and its subsequent outcomes at work have largely been overlooked. This research proposes and provides empirical support for the "Cognitive Control Model of Work-related Flow," which integrates antecedents of flow at work related to the ability to focus concentration of cognitive resources toward experiencing flow at work. Along with flow at work, the model includes the antecedents of grit, flow metacognition, and mindfulness at work and the outcomes of work performance, engagement, and burnout. Findings across three studies (a cross-sectional, a time-lagged, and a one-day experience sampling method study) utilizing MTurk participants provided support for the model, as grit, mindfulness, and flow metacognition predicted flow, and flow predicted subjective performance, engagement, and burnout. Theoretical implications and the potential for developing flow interventions at work are discussed.

Changes in pupil dilation and P300 amplitude indicate the possible involvement of the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine (LC-NE) system in psychological flow

Psychological flow is a state of full task immersion. The present study was conducted to test the hypothesis that psychological flow is positively related to activity of the phasic locus coeruleus-norepinephrine (LC-NE) system, which supports decisions on whether to engage in or disengage from the current activity. Subjective flow was assessed among 36 participants who engaged in a gamified version of the n-back task with various difficulty levels (0, 1, 2, and 3 back). During the tasks, continuous pupil diameter and EEG were recorded. We found that psychological flow and two presumed indicators of the phasic LC-NE activity (pupil dilation and EEG P300 amplitude) fit inverted U-shapes with increasing subjective task difficulty. Moreover, a positive linear relationship between psychological flow and pupil dilation (not with P300) was found. In conclusion, this study indicates the involvement of the LC-NE system in the peak experience of flow.

Authentic leadership and employee resilience during the COVID-19: The role of flow, organizational identification, and trust

The present work investigated fundamental mediating mechanisms (i.e., flow experience, organizational identification, and trust), underlining the impact of authentic leadership on employee resilience during the turbulent COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 901 frontline employees working in a construction engineering company in China participated in this study. They were asked to respond to a battery of questionnaires comprising Trust Scale (affective-based, cognitive-based, and competence-based), Flow Proneness Questionnaire (FPQ), Organizational Identification Scale, Authentic Leadership Questionnaire, and Employee Resilience Scale. Results of structural equation modeling indicated that: (1) Authentic leadership positively predicted employee resilience in the COVID-19 pandemic, directly and indirectly. (2) As for the indirect relationship, two parallel mediation effects and one chain mediation were detected: employees' flow at work and organizational identification respectively and dependently mediated the relationship between authentic leadership and employee resilience; trust and organizational identification played as a chain mediation role within authentic leadership-employee resilience association. The study provides empirical evidence for organizations' resilience-building and leadership training programs. Findings also contribute to the literature by facilitating flow intervention, promoting organizational identification and trust to enhance the effect of authentic leadership in promoting positive psychological functioning of employee resilience. Limitations with respect to future research directions were also outlined.

Flow experience and city identity in the restorative environment: A conceptual model and nature-based intervention

Within environmental psychology, the restorative environment is receiving increasing attention due to its favorable impact on people's mental recovery, stress reduction, and psychophysiological well-being. Flow theory, as one of the foundations of positive psychology, is a popular theoretical framework for understanding human flourishing and well-being. The restorative environment is suggested to facilitate flow experience and city identity from the perspective of positive environmental psychology. Nonetheless, systematic research investigating them all together can hardly be traced. Thus, through a preliminary review of 169 relevant studies retrieved from the data source, this work proposes a novel theoretical model in which people's interactions within the restorative environment facilitate their experience of flow and perceived city identity. Additionally, this research provides conceptual guidance for city workers to engage in nature-based intervention and leisure therapy for improved well-being. Overall, this review endeavors to contribute to developing urban workers' restoration, happiness, and well-being from both practical and theoretical perspectives.

Assessing the prevalence, sources and selective antecedents of organizational stressors among elite football players and coaches in the Ghana premier league: Empirical evidence for applied practice

Globally, job-related stress has been classified as a health epidemic which is common among many individuals across diverse populations. Despite this established knowledge, research has primarily focused on the general population and among health workers. Therefore, understanding stress related experiences in the context of professional sport would help design appropriate stress management interventions for effective coping. The overarching aim of this research was to assess occupational stress related experiences among players and coaches in the Ghana premier league. The study sought to assess: (1) the prevalence and sources of stressors among players and coaches, and (2) how age and years of experience influenced the stressors they experienced. Using a census survey, 44 premier league coaches and 424 players who were officially registered by 17 premier league clubs completed the intensity dimension of the Organizational Stressor Indicator for Sport Performers which has 5 subscales namely: Goals and Development, Logistics and Operations, Team and Culture, Coaching and Selection. Descriptive statistics (means and standard deviation) and multivariate analysis of variance were used to analyze the data. The results revealed that stressors were prevalent among football players and coaches, with these being significantly more dominant among coaches, p < 0.001. Selection was identified as the most predominant stressor for coaches (i.e., selecting players to play) and players (i.e., being selected). Age and experience were found not to be significant predictors of stressors for players and coaches in Ghana. Findings suggest that generally, stressors are common among football players and coaches, especially on issues related to selection. Sport psychologists and team managers in the various premier league clubs should incorporate appropriate interventions (e.g., stress inoculation training) aimed at providing adequate psychological support to promote players' and coaches' wellbeing.

The Benefits of Being Proactive While Working Remotely: Leveraging Self-Leadership and Job Crafting to Achieve Higher Work Engagement and Task Significance

Given the growing number of remote and hybrid working arrangements, this research investigates the process and outcomes of proactivity during remote work. We approach proactivity during remote working as a resource-building process and integrate self-leadership and job crafting literature. We propose that employees' self-leadership allows them to regulate their resources optimally, enabling resource availability that can be used to arrange remote working demands and resources proactively. We collected three-wave data from remote workers (n = 329 observations) and tested our hypotheses using multilevel analyses. Results differed by level of analysis. Specifically, at the between level, comparing behaviors between participants, social expansion mediated the relationship between self-goal setting and task significance. In contrast, at the within level (analyzing differences in behavior within the same person), social expansion mediated the relationship between self-goal setting and work engagement. Overall, these findings suggest that self-leadership allows higher availability of resources enabling the proactive initiation of social interactions, which, at the within level enhance work engagement, and at the between level improve task significance during remote work. We discuss these findings considering the implications for interventions to foster more positive remote-work experiences.