The Enactment of Knowledge Sharing: The Roles of Psychological Availability and Team Psychological Safety Climate

"Comparisons are Odious"? - Exploring the Dual Effect of Upward Social Comparison on Workplace Coping Behaviors of Temporary Agency Workers

Temporary agency workers are becoming increasingly critical as a supplementary workforce within enterprises, inevitably leading upward social comparisons with permanent employees. However, existing research pays little attention to this phenomenon, which cannot provide theoretical guidance for the management of temporary agency workers. To fill this gap, our study utilizes the cognitive appraisal theory of emotion to construct a dual-path moderated mediation model, examining how upward social comparison is associated with positive and negative behaviors through two distinct forms of envy. Through the questionnaire survey, data is collected from 882 temporary agency workers in a Chinese temporary staffing firm. The results reveal that upward social comparison is associated with both benign and malicious envy, which in turn respectively relate to informal workplace learning and social undermining behavior. Additionally, psychological availability moderates the relationship between upward social comparison and envy, such that when psychological availability is higher (vs lower), the positive effect of upward social comparison on benign envy is stronger and the positive effect of upward social comparison on malicious envy is weaker. Moreover, psychological availability further moderates the indirect effect of upward social comparison on employee behavior. When psychological availability is higher (vs lower), the positive indirect effect of upward social comparison on informal workplace learning via benign envy is stronger, whereas the positive indirect effect of upward social comparison on social undermining via malicious envy is weaker. Our study enriches the theoretical research perspective of upward social comparison and provides insights for managing temporary agency workers. Our study is the first to explore the dual behavioral choices of upward social comparison of temporary agency workers and apply the cognitive appraisal theory of emotion to social comparison. The results indicate that organizations can improve the psychological availability of temporary agency workers to stimulate learning behavior and reduce social undermining behavior to achieve a win-win situation between temporary agency workers and organizations.

Unraveling the relationship between workplace dignity and employees’ tacit knowledge sharing: the role of proactive motivation

Purpose

Drawing on social exchange theory (SET) and proactive motivation model, this study aims to examine the relationship between workplace dignity and employees’ tacit knowledge sharing (TKS) and assess the mediating role of psychological safety and organizational identification in this relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

Data are collected in the three waves from 307 first-line supervisors and professionals of high- and medium-high-tech manufacturing organizations of Pakistan. Partial least squares structural equation modelling technique is applied using SmartPLS 4 software to test hypothesized relationships.

Findings

Results reveal that workplace dignity is directly and positively related to TKS and psychological safety and organizational identification mediate this relationship.

Practical implications

This study highlights the importance of workplace dignity as a vital determinant of TKS. Findings of this research underscore the need for enactment of humanistic and employee-oriented organizational policies and practices that signal workplace dignity which can result in increased psychological safety and enhanced organizational identification leading towards higher TKS.

Originality/value

This research proffers novel understanding of the nexus between an embryonic socio-emotional element of workplace context, namely, workplace dignity and TKS. This study not only advances knowledge management literature from dignity perspective but also contributes to SET and proactive motivation model.

Managing managerial coaching: the role of stakeholders

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss several obstacles that can reduce the effectiveness of managerial coaching. Furthermore, the paper highlights the role played by various stakeholders [i.e. the organization, senior leaders, the human resources (HR) function and managers] in overcoming or reducing the potency of such obstacles.

Design/methodology/approach

The views presented here have been derived from the authors’ professional experience in managerial coaching and a review of the literature on managerial coaching.

Findings

The authors discuss six common obstacles to effective managerial coaching: time for coaching, willingness to coach, ability to coach, employees’ ability and willingness, societal expectations and the intrusion of technology. They describe the critical role of various stakeholders (i.e. the organization, senior leaders, the HR function and line managers) in overcoming or mitigating the impact of such obstacles, thus contributing to effective managerial coaching.

Originality/value

A discussion of the obstacles to effective managerial coaching and the role of stakeholders in managerial coaching is valuable for organizations that seek to enhance the performance of employees through managerial coaching.

Understanding the Impact of Environmentally Specific Servant Leadership on Employees' Pro-Environmental Behaviors in the Workplace: Based on the Proactive Motivation Model

The increasingly severe environmental situation has brought challenges to the world, and organizations are aware of the importance of environmental management and are committed to changing individuals' environmental behavior patterns. Based on the proactive motivation model, this study constructs a moderated multiple mediation model to explore the impact mechanism and boundary conditions between environmentally specific servant leadership (ESSL) and employees' workplace pro-environmental behaviors (WPB). This study examines 440 Chinese industrial sector employees, and the linear regression method test results show that: (1) ESSL significantly promotes employees' WPB. (2) Green self-efficacy (GSE), green organizational identity (GOI), and environmental passion (EP) act as multiple mediators between ESSL and employees' WPB. (3) Green shared vision (GSV) positively moderates the relationship between ESSL and employees' WPB. This study provides a new theoretical perspective on how ESSL affects employees' WPB, which is analyzed from three aspects: "can do", "reason to", and "energized to". This new mechanism reveals that leaders should transform their leadership style to that of environmental service, and focus on enhancing the employees' GSE, GOI, and EP. Moreover, ESSL should make copious use of green strategy tools, such as GSV, to realize the above mechanism.

Effects of Inclusive Leadership on Quality of Care: The Mediating Role of Psychological Safety Climate and Perceived Workgroup Inclusion

Purpose: The aim of the study is to investigate the multilevel effects of the inclusiveness of workgroup leaders on quality of care by intervening through a “psychological safety climate” at the group level and “perceived workgroup inclusion” at the individual level within professionally diverse workgroups of healthcare professionals. Material and Methods: Data are collected from 305 healthcare professionals nested in 61 workgroups and 305 patients treated by the same workgroups working in public-sector hospitals in Pakistan. Hypothesized relationships are tested through multilevel analyses using Mplus 7. Results: The results of the study show that inclusive leadership can enhance the quality of care delivered by multiprofessional workgroups of healthcare professionals through perceived workgroup inclusion. Further, the psychological safety climate does not mediate the relationship between inclusive leadership and quality of care individually, but it transmits the effects of inclusive leadership through perceived workgroup inclusion on quality of care. Conclusion: The results of the study suggest that the inclusiveness of workgroup leaders, the psychological safety climate, and perceived workgroup inclusion can create safe and inclusive interpersonal mechanisms that play a key role in transmitting the positive effects of inclusive leadership on quality of care.

The Impact of Empowering Leadership on Employee Improvisation: Roles of Challenge-Hindrance Stress and Psychological Availability

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to explore the effect of empowering leadership on employee improvisation, including the mediating roles of challenge stress and hindrance stress as well as the moderating role of psychological availability.

Methods

Four proposed hypotheses were tested using hierarchical regression analysis and the bootstrapping method by reference to two waves of data collected in 2021 from 248 employees working for organizations located in southern China.

Results

The results showed that empowering leadership had a positive effect on employee improvisation, which was mediated by challenge stress and hindrance stress. That is, empowering leadership promoted challenge stress and decreased hindrance stress, thereby stimulating employee improvisation. Furthermore, psychological availability strengthened the positive effect of challenge stress on employee improvisation and weakened the negative effect of hindrance stress on employee improvisation. Psychological availability also moderated the indirect relationships among empowering leadership, challenge/hindrance stress and employee improvisation.

Conclusion

In theoretical terms, this study identifies a new antecedent of employee improvisation: empowering leadership. This study also advances knowledge concerning the mechanism by which empowering leadership exerts its influence by drawing on cognitive transactional theory. Moreover, this study’s exploration of the moderating role of psychological availability enriches the literature concerning the boundary conditions of the challenge-hindrance stress model. In practical terms, this study provides useful insights that can help organizations activate employee improvisation and manage employees’ work pressure.

The multilevel influence of supervisor helping behavior on employee voice behavior: A moderated mediation model

Based on conservation of resource theory, this study adopts an experience sampling method to build a cross-hierarchical mode to investigate the internal mechanism between supervisor helping behavior and employee voice behavior. The empirical results from 76 employees’ dynamic data show that the supervisor helping behavior has no significant direct effect on the employee voice behavior; thriving at work plays a mediating role between supervisor helping behavior and employee voice behavior. Psychological availability, as a moderator, not only positively moderates the effect of supervisor helping behavior on thriving at work but also positively moderates the mediation of thriving at work on the relationship between supervisor helping behavior and employee voice behavior. From the dynamic perspective, this study adds to the literature on supervisor helping behavior and employee voice behavior, and it has practical implications on managerial decision-making.

Defensive Silence, Defensive Voice, Knowledge Hiding, and Counterproductive Work Behavior Through the Lens of Stimulus-Organism-Response

Rising negative emotions are like “time bombs” that impede productivity in the workplace. The present investigation provides an insight into the effects of defensive silence and defensive voice on counterproductive work behavior through knowledge hiding in the context of knowledge workers in Chinese academic institutions. Partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was applied to the current samples. The study obtained conjecture the proposed mediating role of knowledge hiding between the negative working attitude and counterproductive work behavior, which is against the organizational norms and performance. The result indicates that the positive relationships exist from defensive silence and defensive voice to counterproductive work behavior, mediated by knowledge hiding. This study links knowledge hiding literature and stimulus-organism-response (SOR) to better explore the academic behavior in a knowledge setting.

Does narcissistic leadership enhance employee resilience? A moderated mediation model of goal-directed energy and psychological availability

Purpose

Drawing on the conservation of resources (COR) theory, this study highlights the mediating role of goal-directed energy as a critical psychological resource. The purpose of this study is to examine the mediating effect of goal-directed energy on the relationship between narcissistic leadership and employee resilience. The study also explores the moderating effect of psychological availability on the relationship between narcissistic leadership and goal-directed energy.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 857 employees and their supervisors at 137 enterprises in China. Confirmatory factor analysis, hierarchical multiple regression analysis and path analysis were adopted to analyze the data.

Findings

The results indicate that narcissistic leadership has a positive effect on goal-directed energy, which, in turn, enhances employee resilience. Furthermore, the effect of narcissistic leadership on goal-directed energy becomes more prominent in the context of lower psychological availability.

Practical implications

First, narcissistic leadership is supposed to play an effective role in helping employees gain resources. Second, organizations should attach importance to implementing resilience-building programs on employees to cope with uncertainty. Third, organizations should offer multiple training opportunities to stimulate employees’ goal-directed energy.

Originality/value

First, the findings suggest that employee resilience is influenced by narcissistic leadership, which provides more possibilities for the study on the antecedents of resilience. Second, the study offers novel insights regarding the effect of narcissistic leadership on employee resilience through goal-directed energy. Finally, it also examines psychological availability as the boundary condition between narcissistic leadership and goal-directed energy.