To complain or not to complain: Management responses as a moderator in the relationship between workplace incivility and workplace outcomes among Australia and singaporean targets

Workplace incivility is a challenging global occupational risk that is frequently considered trivial by managers and organizations. Often, complaints from targets are ignored; when this occurs, complaints can quickly escalate into formal grievances that cost businesses millions of dollars. While existing studies have uncovered cultural and gendered differences in how targets and organizations respond to workplace incivility, few cross-cultural studies have empirically examined how targets and organizations react to formal complaints. This study responds to this gap by using selective incivility, the transactional stress model, and national/cultural theories to conduct a multifaceted analysis of the underlying mechanisms responsible for targets' organizational outcomes. Specifically, we tested a moderated model with 303 Australian (152 males and 151 females) and 304 Singaporean (154 males and 150 females) employees working in multinational organizations to determine whether the degree to which organizations took incivility complaints seriously moderated the organizational outcomes of work withdrawal and work satisfaction. Overall, the results indicated that, compared to Singaporean employees and Australian female employees, Australian male employees were less tolerant of being mistreated and continued to experience heightened job dissatisfaction and withdrawal even when their complaints were taken seriously by their organization. These results suggest that complex gendered and cultural differences influence the impact of incivility complaints on work-related outcomes.

Competing aspects of the rural Arab mothers' bereavement experience

The study applied relational dialectics theory to explore competing discourses in bereaved Arab mothers' talk about their bereavement experience in a collective space in rural areas of Israel, and to understand how the interaction between these discourses gives meaning to their experience. Fifteen bereaved mothers were interviewed. The mothers, aged 28-46 years, had children (aged 1-6 years) who died between 2 and 7 years previously. Analysis of the interviews revealed three main discursive struggles that characterize mothers' bereavement experience: (a) moving closer versus keeping one's distance; (b) social harmony versus personal needs; and (c) criticism of ongoing grief versus criticism of returning to routine functioning. The advantage of being part of a close-knit social network is that it provides emotional cushioning to the bereaved. This cushioning, however, does not preclude the struggle to attain normalcy after the tragedy within the parameters of the contradictory societal expectations and needs of the mourner.

The confinement and empowerment of Muslim leadership within the ‘iron cage of cultural complexity’: The case of an Islamic setting within Australia

The purpose of this empirical research is to address leadership within a complex multicultural context; namely Islamic organizations within a contemporary Western society (Australia). The researchers utilized qualitative analysis of triangulated, predominantly qualitative data. The analysis drew on core elements of grounded theory. It was found that both macro- and micro-dimensions of culture had an impact on Australian Muslim understandings of leadership and subsequently had an impact on leading. The analysis also uncovered intra- and inter-cultural complexity within Muslim organizations. The concept of an ‘iron cage’ of micro-cultures emerged to integrate these findings. An abstract storyline is posed wherein a new leadership identity will facilitate empowerment and uncertainty resolution about the stress of cultural complexity, resulting in more effective leadership.

Depression, anxiety, and academic performance in COVID-19: a cross-sectional study

Depression and anxiety are common after months of social isolation, and they can have a negative impact on anyone's quality of life if they are not treated promptly and appropriately. The aim of this study was to determine if the change to online modality courses and the presence of depression or anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with a difference in the college student's academic achievement. This study was a cross-sectional survey in which we used the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and the General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7). Also, we examined the students' perceptions of their academic performance using the Academic Self-Concept Scale (ASCS). A total of 610 students responded to the survey. The average score on the Academic Self-Concept Scale was 2.76 ± 0.35, the students presented a risk of 61.5% for possible depressive disorder and 52.1% for possible generalized anxiety disorder. The intensity of depression and anxiety symptoms had a significant effect on Academic Self-Concept Scale scores (p < 0.001 and p < 0.05, respectively). The findings indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a direct effect on students' mental health and academic performance.

The Criterion Problem in Cross-Cultural Performance Research

The criterion problem is a serious conceptual and methodological challenge that has confronted investigators and managers in the organizational sciences for over 100 years. This paper is an introduction to the criterion problem and some of the complex, multifaceted issues it encompasses. It defines and discusses important concepts (e.g. the problem itself, conceptual criteria, operational criteria). It explores broad dilemmas that afflict all types of criteria and narrower dilemmas that are more individually relevant to criteria traditionally considered objective or subjective. It concludes by examining prospects for the criterion problem both in general and within cross-cultural management.

Collectivistic norms, beliefs and Mexican OCBs: gender and generation differences

Purpose

The authors study the role of collectivistic norms and beliefs on organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) in Mexico, including differences across gender and generations.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors researched the relationship between Mexican employees' collectivistic norms and beliefs and their OCBs, which the authors grouped into etic (universal), emic (regional) and unique (indigenous) categories, the latter referred to as Mexican OCBs (MOCBs). The authors also studied the role of gender and generations as moderators.

Findings

Collective norms had a positive relationship only on the etic OCBs of sportsmanship, while collective beliefs impacted altruism and civic virtue; the etic OCBs of personal development, protecting company resources, interpersonal harmony; and the MOCBs of dedication and camaraderie. Collective beliefs on the etic OCB of altruism, the emic OCB of protecting company resources and the unique MOCB of camaraderie were stronger for workers from Xers than for Millennials. Moderation tests also showed that collective belief had stronger effects on the emic OCB of protecting company resources and the unique MOCBs of dedication and camaraderie for men than for women.

Research limitations/implications

Gender roles in emerging economies where society is characterized by collectivistic attributes, especially in a sample drawn from professional employees, may have changed. This could explain the reason why most of the interactions were stronger for men. Future studies involving gender roles should look beyond a demographic variable and design an instrument measuring self-perceptions of role identity, such as the Bem Sex Role Inventory (Bem, 1974). This study's findings could be generalized, particularly, to other Latin American nations, but scholars should acknowledge differences in economic development and gender roles, as well as unique cultural elements (Arriagada, 2014; Hofstede, 1980).

Practical implications

The results of this study yield three practical implications for international managers, including (1) distinguishing between the impact of changing cultural norms or beliefs on OCBs, (2) understanding how demographic factors such as gender or generation may influence the degree of OCBs exhibited in the workplace by specific employee groups, and (3) identifying cultural contexts which promote OCBs. First, workers from a younger generation in a collectivistic society, such as Millennials, respond less positively than workers from older generations to cultural beliefs concerning OCBs, such that they are less willing to engage in a particular category of OCBs including protecting company resources.

Social implications

Global managers should be aware that employees engage in distinct OCBs for different reasons. Emphasizing cultural rules and norms behind helping one another may backfire in Mexico, particularly among men and younger generations of workers. This is understandable for these OCBs. For example, engaging in personal development for the organization's sake due to collective norms may be less effective that pursuing personal development opportunities that employees are passionate about or recognize as beneficial for their careers. Dedication and sportsmanship behaviors that stem from rules are likely less strong or effective as OCBs employees engage in due to strong beliefs or altruistic spontaneity.

Originality/value

The authors filled a gap in scholar's understanding of cultural norms and beliefs on behavior. Specifically, the authors found that cultural beliefs shape etic, emic and unique MOCBs, particularly for men and older generations, and that cultural norms have a negligible and sometimes negative role, being positively related only to the etic OCB of sportsmanship.

Exploring cultural values in conflict management: a qualitative study of university heads of departments

Purpose

In seeking to understand the impact of culture on conflict management (CM), extant organisational management research has, for the most part, confined itself to using the one-dimensional collectivism/individualism model of Hofstede's cultural theory. The purpose of this present study is to extend this knowledge area by adopting the more comprehensive analysis of Hofstede's fourfold dimensional typology – power distance, individualism/collectivism, uncertainty avoidance and masculinity/femininity – as a conceptual lens to investigate how national culture impacts the interpersonal CM of those in leadership positions in higher education institutions. Specifically, this article explores the extent to which cultural values influence the CM practices of university heads of departments (HODs).

Design/methodology/approach

Adopting a qualitative approach, 36 interviews were conducted with heads of different departments across a variety of disciplines in selected Nigerian universities.

Findings

The study's results conceptualise how underlying cultural norms – promoting paternalism, servility and social relations – influence the conflict-handling strategies adopted by university HODs. It consequently emerged from the thematic analysis that in Nigeria, conflict-handling decisions are shaped by status-based dictates, a normative emphasis on communality, masculine hegemony and religious motivation – as opposed to Western cultures, where these benevolent and integrative values play a far smaller role.

Research limitations/implications

The study focussed on a small group of research subjects. Although the sample is not a sample that enables generalisation, the findings provide theoretical insights into how cultural ascendancy could frame conflict resolutions. This research is especially relevant as it runs in a culture significantly different from the ones that originally were investigated and in which managerial books and mainstream practices emerged and, thus, can contribute to challenge and enhance theory.

Originality/value

The study seeks to advance knowledge of the interface between culture and CM in a sub-Saharan African context where literature is scarce.

Knowledge-hiding behaviors and employees’ silence: mediating role of psychological contract breach

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between knowledge-hiding behaviors (evasive hiding, playing dumb and rationalized hiding) and employees’ silence (defensive silence, relational silence and ineffectual silence). Besides, this paper investigates the relation mediated by psychological contract breach.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected with three-time lags (40 days each) through a structured questionnaire from 389 employees of registered software houses in Pakistan. The structural equation modeling (partial least squares) approach is used for data analysis.

Findings

The findings of this study confirm that knowledge-hiding behaviors have a significant and positive relationship with employees’ silence, and psychological contract breach significantly mediates the relationship between knowledge-hiding behaviors and employees’ silence.

Practical implications

The implications of this study are very supportive to the knowledge-intensive organizations, i.e. software houses. The management should increase the knowledge sharing and trust culture among employees to discourage the knowledge-hiding behaviors among employees. Moreover, supervisors should develop trust among employees, motivate them to avoid knowledge hiding and encourage the employees to raise their voices against their problems in a formal way.

Originality/value

The present study highlights the impact of different dimensions of knowledge hiding on employees’ silence and the role of psychological contract breach as a mediator in this scenario.