Effectiveness of the forced usage of alternative digital platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic in project communication management

The COVID-19 pandemic social distancing forced a shift from Face-to-Face (F2F) to virtual work sessions, applying innovative digital tools. These tools have previously been neglected, mainly due to a conservative approach or prioritization. Consequently, their effectiveness was never tested in depth. While applying these innovative digital tools during the COVID-19 pandemic was clearly preferable to shutting down organizational activity, managers and workers recognized the advantages of these alternatives and tended to apply them in the post-COVID-19 period. However, in this post-pandemic period, which is free from social distancing limitations, a relatively full space of choices was introduced again, which raised the question whether these alternatives should be kept. Therefore, this study examines whether digital communication tools can adequately substitute F2F sessions in project management. We conducted an experiment with participants ( n = 269 ) , asking them to perform project-oriented tasks on four platforms: as individuals, in an F2F group meeting, on Zoom, or using WhatsApp. The results indicate that while an F2F meeting is more effective than individual work, Zoom and WhatsApp are not. These findings appear surprising and may contradict the concept of group empowerment. The use of digital sharing platforms did not affect the tasks' performances nor create synergy. This raises the issue of whether these digital means are here to stay, should be discarded, or must be upgraded.

The Moral Foundations of Vaccine Passports

The debate around vaccine passports has been polarising and controversial. Although the measure allows businesses to resume in-person operations and enables transitioning out of lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some have expressed concerns about liberty violations and discrimination. Understanding the splintered viewpoints can aid businesses in communicating such measures to employees and consumers. We conceptualise the business implementation of vaccine passports as a moral decision rooted in individual values that influence reasoning and emotional reaction. We surveyed support for vaccine passports on a nationally representative sample in the United Kingdom in 2021: April (n = 349), May (n = 328), and July (n = 311). Drawing on the Moral Foundations Theory-binding (loyalty, authority, and sanctity), individualising (fairness and harm), and liberty values-we find that individualising values are a positive predictor and liberty values a negative predictor of support for passports, suggesting adoption hinges on addressing liberty concerns. Longitudinal analysis examining the trajectory of change in support over time finds that individualising foundations positively predict changes in utilitarian and deontological reasoning over time. In contrast, a fall in anger over time predicts increased support towards vaccine passports. Our study can inform business and policy communication strategies of existing vaccine passports, general vaccine mandates, and similar measures in future pandemics.

Virtual fun in a virtual workplace: employee socialization for “work from home”

Purpose

This paper introduces “virtual fun at the virtual workplace” and conceptualizes its impact on virtual socialization and the formation of virtual professional ties. The conceptual model also recognizes the moderation of a few variables: “awareness of being observed,” “diversity in the virtual workplace” and “virtual impression management.”

Design/methodology/approach

The paper takes a theoretical approach to develop a conceptual framework of virtual fun in the virtual workplace, drawing on social exchange theory (SET) and social network theory (SNT).

Findings

The study extends the tenets of the SET and extends the applicability of SNT to a virtual workplace. The study suggests that managers should introduce semi-organized virtual fun during scheduled breaks within work hours to aid in virtual socialization, which further aids in the formation and strengthening of “professional ties” in the virtual workplace.

Originality/value

This study is the first of its kind to conceptualize a model for virtual fun in the virtual workplace.

Psychological contract breach during the pandemic: How an abrupt transition to a work from home schedule impacted the employment relationship

Organizations shifted employees to a work from home schedule as a protective health measure during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper depicts the path through which the abrupt workplace disruptions can trigger employees' perceptions of felt mistrust, intensify work to life conflict, and cause a psychological contract breach. In study 1, we conducted an experiment with 133 college students and found that switching to a work from home schedule with enhanced supervisor control increased the psychological contract breach through felt mistrust. In Study 2, we surveyed 239 adults who worked from home during the pandemic. Results underline the role of work to life conflict as a mediator through which disruptions and felt mistrust influenced the breach of psychological contract. Further, coping strategies were found to mitigate this detrimental effect. Overall, our findings suggest that sudden shifts in management practices can challenge workplace relationships during environmental shocks.

Dynamic Evaluation of Transformation Ability for Emergency Scientific Research Achievements Based on an Improved Minimum Distance-Maximum Entropy Combination Weighting Method: A Case Study of COVID-19 Epidemic Data

In the process of responding to major public health emergencies, the transformation of emergency scientific research results often faces many unfavourable factors such as limited resources, tight time, changes in needs, and lack of results. It is necessary to evaluate and analyze the ability to transform emergency scientific research results under public health emergencies, so as to rationally allocate emergency scientific research resources between subjects and regions, improve the efficiency of emergency results transformation, enhance emergency scientific research capabilities, and efficiently support incident prevention, control, and treatment. Starting from the patent level, this paper constructs an indicator system to evaluate the transformation ability of emergency scientific research results under major public health emergencies. It improves the minimum distance-maximum entropy combination weighting method to realize the static evaluation of transformation ability for emergency scientific research results from the perspective of patents, then constructs the dynamic evaluation model of transformation ability for emergency scientific research results in public health emergencies from the perspective of patents, and carries out the dynamic evaluation of the emergency scientific research achievements transformation ability of different subjects and different regions. We also improve the ER index, measure the static polarization effect of the transformation ability for regional emergency scientific research results, and consider the time factor to construct a dynamic polarization effect measurement model for the transformation ability of emergency scientific research achievement. Furthermore, this paper improves the measurement model of contribution degree to the polarization effect, and analyzes the contribution degree to polarization of the transformation ability for regional emergency scientific research results.

Developing a leadership potential model for the new era of work and organizations

Purpose

Unprecedented transformations to the nature of work and organizations are compelling leadership and organization development scholars and practitioners to reexamine the relevance and utility existing models of leadership potential. While there exist several published leadership potential models, the range and intensity of environmental forces fundamentally changing the nature of work and organizations demands a revision of leadership potential. The purpose of this study is to develop a leadership potential model that reflects the current and emerging nature of work and leadership challenges while also providing organizations a practical tool for talent review processes, succession planning and leadership development practices.

Design/methodology/approach

This article presents a field study consisting of semistructured interviews with 45 leaders engaged in a highly complex, volatile and uncertain industry: US healthcare.

Findings

Our results illustrate a dynamic two-dimensional model of leadership potential that comprises both cognitive (analytical aptitude and learning agility) and behavioral (people savvy and leadership capability) competencies operating across micro- and macro-levels of influence.

Practical implications

The article concludes with a series of recommendations for how leadership and organization development professionals, executive teams and boards may utilize the model for leader assessment and selection practices, talent review and succession planning and talent development initiatives.

Originality/value

The proposed model of leadership potential offers several advancements to the field's existing theoretical frameworks. The proposed model highlights the criticality of competencies aligned with the changing nature of work, including collaboration skills, divergent thinking, environmental scanning and evaluating data in ambiguous contexts. The model diverges from the existing theory by establishing leader drive as a motivation to serve others and initiate sustainable changes in business operations.

Sensemaking and Creativity at Work When Employees are Coping with Traumatic Life Experiences: Implications for Positive Organizational Change

Traumatic life experiences occur when individuals experience life-threatening or other similarly dis-stressful events in life. Much literature discussed the negative implications of traumatic life experiences. I argue, in contrast, that individuals can also demonstrate resilience toward traumatic life experiences by performing creatively at work in some situations. Drawing from positive organizational scholarship and a sensemaking perspective, I propose a conceptual model to examine the processes and conditions that help employees engage in work creativity activities while they are coping with traumatic incidents in another aspect of life. Importantly, I contend that this engagement can enable employees to bring creative insight to work, develop a resilient self-concept, and shape the future organizational discourse on trauma and resilience. The proposed model contributes to a better understanding of employees’ work creativity as a constructive response to traumatic experiences and provides directions for positive organizational changes that support these responses.

Explaining individual job performance in work from home (WFH) arrangements

Purpose

This study investigates which factors are conducive to individual job performance in large-scale work from home (WFH) arrangements that rely on the current generation of technology, such as information and communications platforms.

Design/methodology/approach

The researchers proposed a research model based on research on WFH arrangements. The model was tested based on a survey of 1,183 respondents who engaged in large-scale WFH arrangements during an extensive national COVID-19 lockdown.

Findings

The proposed research model explains 41% of the variance in individual job performance in WFH arrangements. The findings show that the strongest positive predictors for job performance are home office quality and the reach and communication quality of information and communications platforms. A sense of professional isolation was found to have a negative impact.

Originality/value

This study is based on a unique situation of large-scale mandatory WFH arrangements that are comparable to a natural experiment, and it is one of the first studies to conduct an extensive exploration of WFH that relies on the current generation of digital technology.

Introduction: innovation in qualitative research in HRD

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to offer a collection of articles that explore some of the many innovative approaches to qualitative inquiry and to challenge HRD scholars and practitioners to consider using innovative approaches in their work. In doing so, qualitative research in HRD can better capture and honour voices, experiences and meaning making of individuals, teams, organizations and communities.

Design/methodology/approach

Using Lê and Schmid’s (2022) definition of innovation in qualitative research, the authors selected four innovative approaches to qualitative research that have the potential to enhance HRD research and practice: use of multiple-case study designs in case study research in HRD, a new take on critical incident technique, a narrative approach of testimonio and a visual approach of participant photography.

Findings

Innovative approaches to qualitative research in this special issue include a review of case study research in HRD by Tkachenko et al., a new take on the familiar critical incident technique of Watkins et al., a narrative approach to testimonio by Salcedo et al. and a visual approach to participant photography by Hurtienne et al. The last article, by Grenier et al., addresses the implications of these articles to the field of HRD and points to additional directions for innovative qualitative approaches that can help to understand and create more inclusive, democratic and just organizations.

Research limitations/implications

The articles in this special issue are intended to spark a dialogue about the meaning of innovation in qualitative research in HRD. It also can serve as an impetus for considering how innovative approaches to qualitative research can better tackle questions that come from the new normal of the workplace, society and diverse contexts.

Practical implications

This special issue will give HRD scholars and practitioners a realistic, practical view on how innovation in qualitative research can help in exploring specific problems in the workplace. The articles will offer a glimpse into how specific social complex issues can be explored and addressed through innovative approaches, new and tried/modified, to qualitative inquiry.

Originality/value

Four articles introduce new and tried/modified qualitative methods, and their value is in prompting HRD scholars and practitioners to consider some of the innovative approaches in exploring, understanding and transforming the workplace. The final article is a review of more innovative qualitative approaches for HRD scholars and practitioners to understand complex organizational phenomena and promote positive and inclusive change accordingly.

Standing strong amid a pandemic: How a global online team project stands up to the public health crisis

The annual instructional virtual team Project X brings together professors and students from across the globe to engage in client projects. The 2020 project was challenged by the global disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper draws on a quantitative dataset from a post-project survey among 500 participating students and a qualitative narrative inquiry of personal experiences of the faculty members. The findings reveal how innovative use of a variety of collaboration and communication technologies helped students and their professors in building emotional connection and compassion to support each other in the midst of the crisis, and to accomplish the project despite connectivity disruptions. The results suggest that the role of an instructor changed to a coach and mentor, and technology was used to create a greater sense of inclusion and co-presence in student-faculty interactions. Ultimately, the paper highlights the role of technology to help the participants navigate sudden crisis affecting a global online instructional team project. The adaptive instructional teaching strategies and technologies depicted in this study offer transformative potential for future developments in higher education.

Covid 19 - some Lessons from Public Administrations for Humanistic Management

In order to understand how the logic of public management can enrich humanistic management’s practices, the current paper will analyze the managerial practices adopted by public administrations within a situation of emergency, a condition where the specific features of the public management can emerge more clearly. Specifically, it will focus on the ways in which the municipality of Bergamo (one of the hardest-hit cities) have reacted to the Covid-19 pandemic, outlining interesting managerial practices especially from the point of view of Humanistic Management’s theory. Such interest resides also in the fact that although the Humanistic Management’s field of research has dealt with a wide range of topics (including human development, emancipation and progress), so far, however, it has not yet considered public administrations, whose role is by definition oriented towards human development through the creation of public value. The analysis of public management through the lens of Humanistic Management can be useful in various respects. Above all, the difference between public administrations and private enterprises can also lead to a very much different process of value creation, based on collaborative forms of production as well as relational and reflexive forms of management. In accordance with the Humanistic Management framework, also business organizations must generate social wellbeing. From this point of view, the lesson of public administrations can be extremely useful for business organization and management alike.

Workplace spirituality as panacea for waning well-being during the pandemic crisis: A SDT perspective

The present study explores the association between workplace spirituality and wellbeing of employees working in the hospitality sector during the COVID 19 pandemic crisis. Workforce agility and organisational identification were taken as parallel mediators for the relationship between workplace spirituality and employee wellbeing. The hypothesized research model was examined in the light of SDT perspective of psychological needs. Data was collected through questionnaire survey using standardized instruments. The study surveyed 322 hotel employees of the northern region of India and utilized Structural Equation Modeling to test the hypothesized relationships. Findings confirmed a positive association between workplace spirituality and wellbeing, and established the role of workforce agility and organizational identification as parallel mediators in this relationship. COVID 19 significantly affected employees in the hospitality sector due to unprecedented uncertainties and economic hardships, which has taken a toll on mental health and wellbeing of the employees. Supportive organizational practices and systems are essential to ensure flexibility, adaptability and promptness in reacting to disrupting situations. Hotels should provide mental and emotional support to their staff during the crisis situation. This study is the first of its kind to explore the linkage between workplace spirituality and wellbeing of hotel employees, with the positive effect of workforce agility and organizational identification. The paper makes a significant contribution in the emerging debate on the crisis within the hospitality sector by examining critical factors that influence long-term health and safety of employees.

Understanding stressor–strain relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic: the role of social support, adjustment to remote work, and work–life conflict

This study investigates how the transition to remote work during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic is experienced by employees. We investigate to what extent perceived work stressors relate to psychological strain through perceptions of social support, work–life conflict, and adjustment to remote work. The findings expound the mechanisms underlying psychological strain in the context of sudden organizational change. Specifically, this study shows that both challenge stressors and hindrance stressors have negative impact on adjustment to remote work, whereas hindrance stressors are more strongly negatively related to social support. The study further demonstrates that there is hardly any buffering impact of job control, work structuring, and communication technology use on the implications of these work stressors. These findings contribute to our theoretical understanding and provide actionable implications for organizational policies in facilitating employees' adaptation to remote work.

Sustaining Effectiveness in Global Teams: The Coevolution of Knowledge Management Activities and Technology Affordances

Despite the dynamic nature of knowledge-related activities and the availability of a variety of communication technologies, many global teams habitually use technology in the same way across activities. However, as teams move through cycles of accumulating, integrating, and implementing knowledge, the purposes for communication technologies change. Current theorizing and empirical work on team knowledge management has yet to develop a dynamic theory that incorporates these changes. By conducting a multiwave, mixed method analysis of 48 global teams, we develop a theory of how global teams sustain effectiveness through technology affordance processes. We found that effective teams are those that recognize cues indicating change is necessary and coevolve a symbiosis between new activities, new purposes for interaction, and new uses of communication technologies. This coevolution of purpose with technology use forms new affordances, which enable the team to move on to new knowledge management activities and sustain effectiveness. Our theory more realistically models the dynamics of staying connected while sharing, combining, and implementing knowledge across the globe.

Factors Influencing Adjustment to Remote Work: Employees' Initial Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 crisis has disrupted when, where, and how employees work. Drawing on a sample of 5452 Finnish employees, this study explores the factors associated with employees’ abrupt adjustment to remote work. Specifically, this study examines structural factors (i.e., work independence and the clarity of job criteria), relational factors (i.e., interpersonal trust and social isolation), contextual factors of work (i.e., change in work location and perceived disruption), and communication dynamics (i.e., organizational communication quality and communication technology use (CTU)) as mechanisms underlying adjustment to remote work. The findings demonstrate that structural and contextual factors are important predictors of adjustment and that these relationships are moderated by communication quality and CTU. Contrary to previous research, trust in peers and supervisors does not support adjustment to remote work. We discuss the implications of these findings for practice during and beyond times of crisis.

Pandemics: Implications for research and practice in industrial and organizational psychology

Pandemics have historically shaped the world of work in various ways. With COVID-19 presenting as a global pandemic, there is much speculation about the implications of this crisis for the future of work and for people working in organizations. In this article, we discuss 10 of the most relevant research and practice topics in the field of industrial and organizational psychology that will likely be strongly influenced by COVID-19. For each of these topics, the pandemic crisis is creating new work-related challenges, but it is also presenting various opportunities. The topics discussed herein include occupational health and safety, work–family issues, telecommuting, virtual teamwork, job insecurity, precarious work, leadership, human resources policy, the aging workforce, and careers. This article sets the stage for further discussion of various ways in which I-O psychology research and practice can address the issues that COVID-19 creates for work and organizational processes that are affecting workers now and will shape the future of work and organizations in both the short and long term. This article concludes by inviting I-O psychology researchers and practitioners to address the challenges and opportunities of COVID-19 head-on by proactively adapting the work that we do in support of workers, organizations, and society as a whole.

Disruptions and General Distress for Essential and Nonessential Employees During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic and outbreak response represent a global crisis that has affected various aspects of people's lives, including work. Speculation is rife about the impact of the crisis on employees. Countries and organizations worldwide have categorized some work as essential and, by extension, other work as nonessential. This study aims to investigate the impact of the pandemic by examining the relationship between work disruptions (at time 1) and general distress (at time 2) through various work stressors, contrasting the experiences of employees in essential versus nonessential work. For employees with essential jobs, there is a significant indirect effect of work disruptions on general distress through hindrance stressors. This relationship is not found for employees with nonessential jobs. The general distress of these employees is more strongly affected by disruptions through social stressors (here, social isolation). Hence, this study demonstrates how general distress is affected in different ways for employees conducting essential work and those conducting nonessential work. We further highlight the importance of considering social stressors in this relationship, especially for nonessential work. Organizational change communication quality mitigates the relationship between isolation and general distress for employees with nonessential jobs, but not for those with essential jobs.

The challenges and opportunities of a global health crisis: the management and business implications of COVID-19 from an Asian perspective

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak a pandemic. As the evolution and implications of the COVID-19 crisis are still unfolding, we posit that exploring the experiences and strategic responses of Asian countries may shed light on ways to combat COVID-19 for the rest of the world. In this paper, we first articulate the importance of resilience, strategic agility, and entrepreneurship in the context of the fight against COVID-19. Then, with the focus on China, South Korea, and Singapore, we discuss the impact COVID-19 is having on economies and businesses, governmental support for businesses and societies, and implications for global supply chain disruptions. We hope that the global health system will recover quickly, and that the world economy will be revitalized with the contributions and collaboration of science (including social science), industry, and governments.